13:5520/11/2008Posted by D+PAD Staff Email This Post One Comment

Codemasters has announced that a sequel to 2007’s rally racer Colin McRae: DiRT is currently in the works and will be hitting stores next year.

The sequel to the top-selling title is said to “honour the life of the rally legend” who tragically died in a helicopter accident in September 2007. The decision to continue the series bearing his name was made jointly between the McRae family and Codemasters.

“Colin McRae was all about the speed, the excitement and the entertainment of rally driving. Even when we first worked with him over ten years ago, he captured a freedom and a spirit that enthralled rally fans.” said Gavin Raeburn, senior executive producer at Codemasters Studios. “Later his showmanship shone through in events such as the X-games, the Dakar Rally and the Race of Champions. He could do things with a car that no one else would and that’s where we’re taking the series with new events at the extreme edge of rally and autosport. It will be a great tribute to an incredible champion.”

DiRT 2 is set to include seven different vehicle classes with a “best-in-class collection of officially licensed rally cars and off-road vehicles”, while the third generation EGO engine benefits from tuned-up car-handling physics system and new damage engine effects. Cars and tracks are also said to feature twice as much detail as those seen in Race Driver: GRID.

Colin McRae: DiRT 2 will be shipping in 2009 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, PSP & DS, and you can check out the first target renders below.

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