Exclusive Interview with Top British Co-driver Andrew Bargery

Personal
Name:	Andrew Bargery
Age:	* 34
Marital status:	* Single-ish
Children:	None
Occupation:	* Professional co-driver
Place of birth:	Douglas, Isle of Man
Country or county where you live:	Brighton
Does your spouse / partner like rallying?	Lise never objects but I think she gets tired of my obsessiveness at times!
Any other hobbies?	Orienteering and Rollerblading
Your opinions
Favourite food:	I like virtually anything
Favourite drink:	Southern Rhone Red Wines
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:	The French "Rallyes" Magazine (although I don’t claim to understand that much…)
Favourite sports person (other than rallying):	Michael Schumacher
Favourite film star:	Pierce Brosnan (or maybe Sean Connery) – deep down, everybody wants to be James Bond, don’t they?
Favourite holiday destination:	Corsica
Which TV sports programmes do you watch?	I don’t watch that many, but will watch any motorsport and occasionally other sports – golf, football etc.
Starting out
How did you start out?	My father was one of the main organisers of the Manx International Rally. This led to an unhealthy interest in maps and regulations from an early age. It was a natural progression to move to co-driving when I got the chance.
First driver you sat with:	Steve Bowers
First event:	The 1993 Breckland (first "real" rally – did a few 12 cars and road-rallies before that, of course)
Rallying background
Type of licence held:	International
Which motor club do you belong to?	* Middlesex County
Do you contribute towards your rallying?	Not financially
Have you ever driven on a rally?	Only once (on a 12-car – does that count?)
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?	Yes. A lot in the Isle of Man and even the RAC a couple of times. I occasionally still marshal on the odd road-rally
How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year)	A few
How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year)	* A dozen?
Have you competed abroad? Where and when?	* France, Belgium, Sweden, Cyprus, Germany, Qatar, Dubai
Your opinions (rallying)
Favourite rally car:	* Subaru Impreza
Favourite rally driver:	Carlos Sainz
Favourite rally co-driver:	* Michael Park
Favourite bit of road or forest:	West Baldwin, Isle of Man
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?	Both - they are two separate skills. * I'm probably a little rusty on the maps these days though...
Things you dislike about rallying?	Dust
Who do you think will win this year’s World Rally Championship (2001)?	Marcus Gronholm
... and in 2004 ?	* Markko Martin
Rallying history
Drivers you have sat with:	Justin Dale, David Higgins, Geoff Jones, Mark Blair, Jeremy Easson, Andrew Wheatley, Andy Gwynne, Greg Mills, Geoff Robson, David Cottrell, Steve Bowers, Mark Andrews, Jeff Powell, Mark Bos, Kris Meeke, *Chris Moore, Gareth Jones, Paul Bird
Best driver you have ever sat with?	Justin Dale
Best result:	Manx International 2000 (3^rd Overall) * A few other similar results since, but this is still the best as the Manx is my favorite rally!
Worst result:	* The engine expiring halfway through Stage 2 on Cyprus 2003 was the most disappointing - we had spent months working up to our first drive with Hyundai.
Championships contested:	Peugeot Challenge 1994-1996 British Championship 1995-2002 *
Best Championship result:	* Won the Super 1600 category on the BRC in 1999 and 2002. Also, almost won Formula Rally in 2001.
Best rally memory:	Flanders and Le Touquet in the "205" days of the Peugeot Challenge.
Strangest incident on a rally:	The strangest incidents always happen on the recce…
Biggest accident:	* Not had that many, but Dubai 2002 was pretty big. Destroyed a brand new Gp N Subaru in a 100mph accident in the desert. Justin spent 4 days in Dubai hospital, while I recuperated in the swimming pool...
Achievements gained from rallying:	Travel, friendships, adrenaline addiction. And a lack of career progression in my "day job"
Your current performance
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?	Gain experience with more rallies outside the British Championship
How could you improve your current driver’s performance?	* Get him to enjoy recce's
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?	* I would probably do something sensible, but maybe I should just blow the lot on a Peugeot 206 and try my hand at driving in the 206 Cup. The remainder would be needed for repairs and danger-money for my co-driver.
Your future in rallying
Where would you most like to compete (in the world):	* Anywhere I haven't yet been. Rallying should be all about exploring.
Which rally would you most like to compete in?	The Safari or Paris-Dakar – they are a bit different, a bit like a giant road-rally.
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?	Any driver in the WRC.
Ambition in rallying for the future:	To compete in the WRC. And to win it – but the latter is probably a dream rather than an ambition!
What would you like to put back into rallying?	I’ve done a bit of tuition for new co-drivers coming into the Peugeot Challenge and I hope that this allows me to pass on some of the things it has taken me a long time to find out.
The future of rallying
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?	* Simon Hughes
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?	* Can't decide between Roger Herron and Dan Barritt - both very good.
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?	I’ve tried to include as many co-driving tips as possible on my website - www.andrewbargery.com The most important thing is to get as much experience as possible – and it’s quicker if you learn from other people’s experiences as well as your own.
posted 2/11/00 updated 3/6/04 (items marked *)

Andrew co-drives for Paul Bird in the British Rally Championship in 2004