The former World Rally Championship driver Colin McRae died in a helicopter crash near his house in Lanarkshire, the British police confirmed on Sunday. According to the police reports McRae’s five-year-old son, a six-year-old boy and a 37 year-old man were killed in the crash.

Strathclyde police Sunday released the names of the other two people who were on board of the helicopter: Ben Porcelli, a friend of McRae’s son and Graeme Duncan, a family friend. The police confirmed that McRae’s wife Alison and their daughter Hollie were not on board. Colin McRae, who was also a licensed pilot, was piloting a Squirrel aircraft.

"We believe that the group were just returning from a visit to the nearby village of Quarter around 4.05pm yesterday, when it appears that the helicopter got into difficulty and crashed within the grounds of Mr McRae's family home.” said Chief Superintendent Tim Love, divisional commander of Strathclyde Police's South Lanarkshire Division.

"Our officers are working closely with the Air Accident Investigation Team who are presently at the scene.” he added.

A police spokeswoman said that a formal identification is still needed. "Regarding the helicopter crash in Jerviswood, Lanark, yesterday, Saturday 15 September 2007, it has now been confirmed that there were four people, two adults and two young children, on board," she said.

Mc Rae, who was 39 years old, was the first Briton to win the world rally championship in 1995 and a year later was awarded the MBE. Colin McRae has retired from the world rally championship in 2004, but in the same year he took part in the Dakar desert rally and the Le Mans 24-hour endurance race. McRae’s final rally was in Turkey last year.

Speaking at the Belgian Grand Prix, Max Mosley, the president of motorsport's governing body, the FIA, said: "It's tragic that he should die like this when he's retired from the dangerous part of his career. I don't think anybody disliked him, everyone was his friend in the sport. "

"Some of his achievements in rallying were absolutely extraordinary. Everywhere he went he was an ambassador, an ambassador for the sport and for Scotland, he was terrific.” he added.

David Richards, McRae's former boss at Subaru, said Colin McRae will be remembered for his winning attitude. "He had a competitive spirit like I've never seen in any other individual in my life," he said. "He was one of those people who had an extraordinary spirit that you just can't define. It's a terrible loss."