Colin McRae and Derick Allsop: The Real McRae

By BOB PEARCE*

Timing can be everything in the world of sporting biographies. Win a championship and the fans will buy anything; lose a series and nobody wants to know how you did it.

So when the autobiography of Scottish rally driver Colin McRae is subtitled The Autobiography of the People's Champion the authors seem to be tempting fate.

McRae duly surged to the front of the world championship with one event to go. Then last month he crashed spectacularly out of the British Rally and the world title went to his bitter rival, Englishman Richard Burns.

Typical McRae, his critics would say. Not for nothing was he dubbed McCrash. But the manner of his failure adds piquancy to his book, which makes much of a previous accident in Corsica last year, where his career - and perhaps his life - hung in the balance over a rocky precipice.

Rallying, despite its enormous popularity in Europe, has never had the glitz and glamour of Formula One motor-racing and the stars, mostly Scandinavian, are down-to-earth technicians, easily accessible to their public. McRae is more of the same with a Scots accent. Son and brother of rally drivers, he grew up in Lanark and, despite homes in Majorca and Monte Carlo, he is more comfortable larking around with the lads in Scotland than living the high life.

In fact, one of the revelations in this book is that the rather dour and withdrawn face he has shown on his yearly visits to New Zealand conceals a laddish nature which forced his wife-to-be to emigrate to Canada rather than accept his offer of an open relationship.

He earns $15 million a year compared with the $50 million Michael Schumacher makes in Formula One and he has a plane, a helicopter and all the cars and bikes he wants. But rallying in 14 events around the world is enormously time-consuming, leaving little opportunity to break away. The book reflects this. Season follows season, success follows success.

There is one world title and the quest for another. But until the big crash in Corsica everything is understated, rather like McRae.

Team orders seem to have tempered his views on his rivals and colleagues.

Carlos Sainz is still his team-mate at Ford so the furious rows between the two become differences of temperament and we learn little of his true views of the Spaniard who has so often blighted his life.

Kiwis will be delighted to know that McRae rates New Zealand, where he has enjoyed considerable success, among his favourite events.

He describes it as one of the great rallies - "This rally has long had a special place in my affections because it was the scene of my first world championship win. Returning to New Zealand is always a thrill. I think all the drivers agree this is the kind of event they want to take part in.

"These are genuine drivers' stages. Stages you can get your teeth into."

He and his book are welcome here. Pity about the crash.

Random House, $59.95

* Bob Pearce is the Herald motor-sport columnist.