As well as aligning his name to the rally, the late Colin McRae for many years ran as opening car on the event. For McRae's Scottish fans this was the only chance to see him drive on home soil. After McRae's passing in 2007, the rally was transformed into a star-studded event in 2008 when former WRC champions and dozens of rally legends competed in the event to pay tribute to McRae. The 2008 edition of the event saw Subaru Rally Team USA teammates Block and Travis Pastrana compete in historic cars along with their mentor, American rally legend John Buffum.

Block thoroughly enjoyed his time at event last year and jumped at the chance to attend again in 2009. "Colin was a friend and mentor and is sadly missed by so many, so competing at the Colin McRae Forest Stages is a small tribute to Colin and his fans. It was an honor to be invited to compete last year with so many rally legends, the atmosphere was amazing," explained Block. "This year I'll be in my usual Subaru: it's an extremely powerful car, and I'll make sure to put on a good McRae-style show for all the fans!"

Block's Gymkhana Subaru STI also made the trip across the Atlantic for a rare display appearance and, as a bonus for the fans, Block is scheduled to perform a short driving demo with his course-opening Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car on Friday night at the Perth Racecourse, where the rally headquarters is based.