Personal

Name:

Gill Cotton 

Age:

Old enough to have been rallying over 20 years!! 

Marital status:

Married 

Children:

None. I wouldn’t have managed to rally every year for the last 20 if I had! 

Occupation:

Project Management Specialist, Pharmaceuticals 

Place of birth: 

Crewe, Cheshire 

Country or county where you live:

Hertfordshire 

Does your spouse / partner like rallying?

Yes, he got me hooked in the first place

Any other hobbies?

Ski-ing, windsurfing, sailing, cycling and travelling. 

Your opinions

Favourite food:

Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolate 

Favourite drink:

Sex on the beach (it is a drink, honestly) sipped slowly in a Caribbean beach bar 

Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:

Motorsport News 

Favourite sports person (other than rallying):

Ellen McArthur

Favourite film star:

Mel Gibson, George Clooney 

Favourite holiday destination:

The World! 

Which TV sports programmes do you watch?

Channel 4 Rally, They think it’s all over, Trans-World Sport 

Starting out

How did you start out?

My boyfriend (now husband) asked me to co-drive for him in his Avenger! I didn’t scream when we went straight through a hedge so I got the job!

First driver you sat with: 

John Cotton

First event:

Long Marston Stages (1978) 

Rallying background

Type of licence held:

Rally International 

Which motor club do you belong to?

 HRCR, BTRDA, CSMA and Middlesex County AC 

Do you contribute towards your rallying?

Depends on the circumstances 

Have you ever driven on a rally?

Yes, a long time ago. Twice on multi-use airfield stages and once on what is now the Premier Stages.

I stick to co-driving though. I haven’t found anyone brave enough to sit next to me since! 

Did you ever marshal on events?  When and where?

Yes on rallies, autotests, production car trails run locally by our club. 

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

2 or 3   

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

10-20 

Have you competed abroad? Where and when?

Yes.

Ireland (if it counts as abroad) lots of times from 1989 to now

All over Europe including Czechoslovakia -1991& 1992 Classic Marathons 

All through France - Monte Carlo Challenge 1995

Belgium – Ypres  Historic and Tour of Flanders several times

Northern France - Le Touquet Rally, 2000

London to Athens via 10 countries including being the first-ever rally through Albania  - World Cup Rally 2002 

Your opinions (rallying)

Favourite rally car:

Peugeot 206 WRC 

Favourite rally driver:

David Llewellin 

Favourite rally co-driver:

Luis Moya (I love to hear him read notes!) 

Favourite bit of road or forest:

From Moll’s Gap downhill into Killarney

Downhill in Gartheiniog 

Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?

Neither, each is a different challenge. It’s always good to have variety. 

Things you dislike about rallying?

Money nearly always wins 

Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2003?

Marcus Gronholm

Rallying history

Drivers you have sat with:

John Cotton, Andy Corner, Andrea Hall, Dennis Hubble,

Clare Morran, Alastair Caldwell, Drexel Gillespie to name a few of about 30 

Best driver you have ever sat with?  

Drexel Gillespie, but don’t tell him I said so!

Oh, and John Cotton of course!

Best result:

London to Athens World Cup Rally 2002 - 1st overall 

Worst result:

Having an engine blow up 100m from the start of stage 1 of the RAC Rally 1988. 

Championships contested:

Ford KA
ANCRO
BTRDA
205 Challenge
BRC
Skoda Trophy
Lada Challenge Trophy 

Best Championship result:

1st Lady crew Ford KA

1^st Lada Challenge Trophy 

Best rally memory:

There are so many great memories: Finishing the RAC rally for the first time in 1989; seeing a fantastic sunrise over Loch Lomond at the end of the Scottish Rally in 1988. Being greeted back home by all my friends after winning the World Cup Rally in 2002. 

Strangest incident on a rally:

On the Circuit of Ireland 1989 - taking a wrong slot close to the border in Northern Ireland and being questioned by a soldier at gun point!  

Biggest accident:

Fortunately nothing too big.  Hit a rock face in Penmachno, ended up with a banana-shaped car that the doors wouldn’t open on, but still got to the finish! 

Achievements gained from rallying:

Made loads of friends

Discovered parts of the UK and the rest of the World I never would have otherwise.

Learned to read maps! 

Your current performance

Your current driver(s) and events or Championships being contested in 2003

Drexel Gillespie- Barbados Rally Carnival and selected historic events

Vicki Milsom - Ford KA championship

Jono Hobbs – some BTRDA rallies

John Cotton - Welsh Endurance Rally

Maybe the World Cup Rally again

How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?

Stop work getting in the way and have more time to prepare for the events! (If only) 

How could you improve your current driver’s performance?

Get him a more reliable car, some better luck or both! 

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

Hire a car and compete on Rally Australia

Your future in rallying

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

Australia

Which rally would you most like to compete in? 

 Australia, East Africa Safari,  Finland,

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

 Colin McRae, Petter Solberg 

Ambition in rallying for the future:

To keep enjoying my rallying as much as I am now. 

What would you like to put back into rallying?

I’d like to encourage more girls into the sport both as drivers and co-drivers and have done so by co-driving for and coaching girls new to the sport. 

The future of rallying

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

Guy Wilks 

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

Other than me!!!

Gemma Price – she knows what she wants and is going for it. Good on ‘er. 

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

Be competitive but never take things too seriously, HAVE FUN