Colin: I hope that last great road is a dirt one.

I was saddened to hear that World Rally Driving Legend Colin McRae had died, with his young son and friends in a helicopter crash last month. Kind of like Steve Irwin's death, it seems incongruous to lead such a 'dangerous' life, and then to pass in such a fashion.

I have a soft spot for Colin, ever since Colin Mcrae Rally on the Playstation. Loved that game, found it a little less "tiring" and a lot more  "edge of your seat" than the F1 games which required intimate course knowledge and constant concentration at higher levels. You could throw Colin's Subaru around in the rally game, and you always had your navigator to warn you of corners.

Thus I blame Colin for my love affair with the Subaru Impreza. His rally game started it, and the love was later fostered by Grand Tourismo, and then turned real as the only two cars I have ever bought off-the-lot new have been a 1998 and a 2002 Subura Impreza. Sadly, they have both been non -turbo, I could never justify buying a STi/WRX but I always looked at them with an envious eye, and avoided them for my driver's license sake.

To Colin: thanks for the love of rally, Impreza, and my appreciation of cars that can corner.