Personal

Name:

Björn Christian Edström

Age:

30

Marital status:

Married to Ivy

Children:

None

Occupation:

Professional co-driver

Place of birth:

Gävle, Sweden

Country or county where you live:

New York, New York, USA

Does your spouse / partner like rallying?

Yes, she is a great sport and a big fan!

Any other hobbies?

Cycling, motorcycling, backpacking, working out

Your opinions

Favourite food:

Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes with lingonberry jam.

Favourite drink:

Diet Coke, Water

Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:

Autosport (GB), Bilsport (S)

Favourite sports person (other than rallying):

Henrik Larsson

Favourite film star:

Favourite holiday destination:

Cottage in Sweden

Which TV sports programmes do you watch?

Law & Order, The Office

Starting out

How did you start out?

Was planning on purchasing a Volvo wagon and the seller had a Volvo 240 rally car and was looking for a co-driver.

First driver you sat with: 

Bill Malik

First event:

Wild West Pro Rally, Olympia, WA, USA

Rallying background

Type of licence held:

RallyAmerica National and FIA International

Which motor club do you belong to?

None

Do you contribute towards your rallying?

Not monetarily

Have you ever driven on a rally?

Yes, fellow co-driver Alessandro Gelsomino and I shared a car at a regional event in 2005, swapping seats every other stage.  Finished 2nd in class.

Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?

Yes, I’ve marshaled on regional US events.

How many events do you get to watch? (e.g. per year)

None.

How many rallies do you take part in? (e.g. per year)

Aiming for about 20 in 2007. Rally America series, 3 PWRC rounds, a few rounds in the Canadian series, and recce only at a few PWRC rounds as well.

Have you competed abroad? Where and when?

US, Canada, and Scandinavia. Going to Mexico, Argentina, and the UK in 2007.

Your opinions (rallying)

Favourite rally car:

2007 Subaru Impreza WRX STi

Favourite rally driver:

Other than the one I sit with?  Colin McRae.

Favourite rally co-driver:

Jakke Honkanen & Nicky Grist

Favourite bit of road or forest:

SS6 at Oregon Trail 2005 was a stunner!

Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?

Pace notes

Things you dislike about rallying?

Mechanical DNFs. I despise mechanical DNFs.

Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2007?

Marcus Grönholm

Rallying history

Drivers you have sat with:

Bill Malik
Mark Nelson
Andrew Comrie-Picard
Steve Gingras
Jussi Valimaki (test)
Lauchlin O’Sullivan
Patrick Richard
Otis Dimiters
Ken Block
Travis Pastrana
Alessandro Gelsomino

Best driver you have ever sat with? 

Travis Pastrana

Best result:

1st Overall X Games Rally 2006 (Both because it was against Colin McRae and Nicky Grist, and because it was such an unexpected result.)

Worst result:

Mechanical DNF (broken halfshaft) 1.5 km into SS1, Prescott Forest Rally 2000

Championships contested:

Rally America Championship (USA)
CARS Rally Series (Canada)

Best Championship result:

1st Overall & 1st Open Class 2006 Rally America Championship

Best rally memory:

When Colin McRae was in Los Angeles for the test prior to the X Games Rally, he drove the Volvo 240 belonging to the driver who introduced me to the sport, Bill Malik.  It was really fantastic to see the person who introduced me to the sport spend time with one of the all-time greats.

Strangest incident on a rally:

On the second to last stage of one event in 2000, the driver, Bill Malik, managed to break the gear selector, leaving just a 1-inch nub. On stage, we fixed it by my holding the lug nut wrench down onto the nub of the shifter and having him shift with the wrench.

Biggest accident:

Colorado Cog Rally 2005, with Travis Pastrana.

Kinks 350 Jump 200 Cr 120 !L5-/Cr into R4

Came in too quick into the L5 - and hit a ditch on the outside at about 150 km/h.  Rolled 8 times.  There’s a really good 3-way video on the internet.

Achievements gained from rallying:

Personal satisfaction of a job well done, meeting people, traveling, and never getting lost in a road car.  But the best bit is all the friends you make!

Your current performance

Your current driver(s) and events or Championships being contested in 2007

Travis Pastrana, Subaru Rally Team USA, in the 2007 Rally America National Championship and as part of Subaru Rally Team International (Travis Pastrana and Takuma Kamada) in the PWRC.  Travis and I will be running WRC Mexico, Argentina, and GB.

How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?

Run more events.

How could you improve your current driver’s performance?

Run more events.

If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do? 

Call my wife and ask her if I could spend another few weekends away?  No, seriously, at this point, we’d probably use it to go do some additional WRC recces or tarmac rallies.

Your future in rallying

Where would you most like to compete (in the world):

Everywhere.

Which rally would you most like to compete in?

Rally New Zealand.

Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?

Quite honestly, Travis.  I’ve never had so much fun on event as the past few years.

Ambition in rallying for the future:

This space used to say, “Run FIA PWRC. Become a full-time professional,” both of which I’m going to achieve in 2007, so I think it’s time to recognize that I’ve received more satisfaction from rallying than I could ever hope to repay.  My ambition now is to get Travis a full-time WRC ride, and to give something back to the sport.

What would you like to put back into rallying?

When the sport is more mature in the US, I’d like to help with a real junior development program here, like the MSA Elite scheme.

The future of rallying

Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?

Travis Pastrana in the US.

Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?

In North America, Alan Ockwell, Alex Kihurani, and Domink Jozwiak.

In the UK, Robbie Durant and Dan Barritt.

What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?

Compete as often as possible. Study the rules and keep your wits about you. Learn to do notes in multiple languages as it will increase the pool of drivers you are able to run with.

 updated 14/2/07