It’s 20-years since rally great Colin McRae rose to fame in the United States competing at X Games XII in Los Angeles.
The X Games showcases the best of extreme sports from snowboarding, skateboarding, motocross and from the XII edition, car events.
Rally Super Special was introduced in 2006 as the advent of extreme sports stars converged on the sport headlined by Travis Pastrana, Ken Block, Dave Mirra and more using primarily Subaru products.
Subaru had built a successful and enviable reputation in rallying built off the back of McRae through the 1990s, then Richard Burns and Petter Solberg into the new millennium.
The introduction of Pastrana and co to the rallying ranks energised the discipline by bringing extra coverage, plus a berth at the X Games broadcasted by ESPN.
Departing Subaru in 1998, McRae had come close to replicating his 1995 title success with Ford, before moving to Citroen in 2003.
After being dumped by Citroen in favour of Carlos Sainz, McRae made infrequent appearances in the World Rally Championship and also formed a friendship with Pastrana.
This led to both competing at the X Games XII in Los Angeles.
Using a Group N specification Subaru Impreza WRX STI each, the pair tackled eight stages around the Los Angeles area before converging on the Home Depot Center for the Super Special finale.
Just 12 teams were invited and it all came down to the final Super Special, with McRae battling Pastrana for the win.
Driving his No Fear Subaru, McRae was just 0.5s clear of Pastrana heading into the final sector, but landed on an angle after the last jump leading to his front wheel digging in to roll the WRX.
By the end, McRae was 0.4s down and got the Silver, handing Pastrana the first.
It’s been two decades since the event and it is fondly remembered, especially since McRae died a year later.
Now, the very same No Fear Subaru Impreza WRX STI has been restored by the team that built it, Vermont SportsCar, which has run the Subaru Rally Team USA for more than 20-years.
This Subaru’s significance is high as it rose the popularity of the sport and enabled future crossovers including Sebastian Loeb, Marcus Gronholm and many more.
Rally Special Stage led to Rallycross lasting on the X Games roster until 2015.