Colin McRae's protégée Kris Meeke has spoken of his sense of loss at the death of the former World Rally Champion in a helicopter accident.
McRae died alongside his young son Johnny, the five-year-olds friend Ben Porcelli, and McRae's schoolboy pal Graeme Duncan in the accident close to the family home near Lanark on Saturday afternoon - with the incident occurring while Meeke was competing on Rallye de Luxembourg.
Having been involved with McRae since 2002 - including a spell where he lived with the 1995 WRC champion and his family - the young Irish driver admits he has been left devastated by the loss of someone he regarded as more than just a mentor.
"Colin was more than a mentor as far as my career was concerned," he said on his official website
krismeeke.com. "He and Alison took me into their home and treated me like an adopted son. I was just part of the family and I would babysit the kids while they were out.
"I simply can't take this in. There is an intense pain in my stomach. This just hurts so much and I can only imagine what his family are going through. To lose Colin is such a tragedy, but little Johnny as well is too much to bear.
"No-one could have devoted more time to helping me and supporting me than Colin did. It started out as a pupil-mentor thing when he selected me for his McRae Scholarship, but it grew into a close friendship. I have no hesitation in saying he has been the biggest influence on my life over the past five or six years. No-one could have done more for me."
Meeke added that he couldn't believe the news when he was told of the accident and joined the growing number of people to send his thoughts to McRae's widow Alison and daughter Hollie.
"I just stood there stunned," he said. "I couldn't take it in. Right now it just seems unreal; so hard to believe. In the past, we spent so much time together, working together, laughing together, riding mountain bikes, motorbikes and, yes, flying in his helicopter. He was a meticulous and experienced pilot and, with certainty, I can say he would never have taken any risks.
"It is just devastating for the whole McRae family, and my thoughts are with Alison and Hollie at this time."
