Personal

Name:

Jamie Edwards

Age:

31

Marital status:

Single

Children:

Still looking on eBay!

Occupation:

Business Consultant for Welsh Assembly Govt.

Place of birth:

Wrexham, North Wales

Country or county where you live:

Wrexham and Monaco (spot the fake one).

Does your spouse / partner like rallying?

It would certainly help..

Any other hobbies?

Golf, cricket, music

Your opinions

Favourite food:

A simple fresh pasta dish, or a med-rare steak

Favourite drink:

Tea, or a good bottle of Pinot Grigio!

Favourite motor sport paper / magazine:

Motorsport News

Favourite sports person (other than rallying):

Mark Hughes (football), Dennis Lawrence (football), Brian Lara (cricket).

Favourite film star:

Sandra Bullock

Favourite holiday destination:

Sweden or Dubai

Which TV sports programmes do you watch?

Match of the Day, Golf, Test Match etc

Starting out

How did you start out?

As a teenager, I started on 12-cars at Milestone MC with my Dad.  Limited success, but won a few in the end which was great.  Then moved onto road rallies, before a long absence due to Uni and working abroad etc.

First driver you sat with: 

Jon Freeman (Road Rally), Spencer Wilkinson (Stage)

First event:

1990 Barcud Road Rally (I think!)

Rallying background

Type of licence held:

Rally International

Which motor club do you belong to?

North Wales Car Club & Malton Motor Club.

Do you contribute towards your rallying?

Yes, in all senses!

Have you ever driven on a rally?

I won my class twice in the F1000 Forest Championship in 2005 in a Nissan Micra.

Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?

Yes, plenty of marshalling as a teenager, but sadly not so much recently.  I have helped organise Rally of Wales and Astra Stages too.

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

These days not so many – I’d guess around 3.  I would much rather compete of course.

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

In 2006, about a million!  (30+ in fact).  Probably 15-20 in 2007.

Have you competed abroad? Where and when?

Does Killarney count?  We’re off to mainland Europe in 2007, probably Belgium and/or Czech Republic I think.

Your opinions (rallying)

Favourite rally car:

Andy Burton’s Peugeot Cosworth, and the Clio S1600.

Favourite rally driver:

I’m still a Marcus Gronholm fan, but Loeb is just brilliant.

Favourite rally co-driver:

Timo Rautiainen (we used to work together years ago!)

Favourite bit of road or forest:

Hafren, Dyfi Main, Molls Gap, Ballaghbeama, Crychan, Myherin, Round Table, Burmah Road. 

Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?

I’m happy on maps or notes.  Either is good for me.  Notes need the right timing, but maps require a lot of imagination and factual interpretation!

Things you dislike about rallying?

It’s so addictive, expensive and so time consuming.  The good points far outweigh the bad of course.

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

Super Seb will be hard to beat in the C4 WRC.

Rallying history

Drivers you have sat with:

Graham Middleton, Nathan Davies, Richard Banks, Spencer Wilkinson, Simon Hughes, Dom Mernock, Ben Thomas, Patrick O’Connor, Peter Egerton, Duncan Pearcey, Marcus Dodd, Stephen Parry-Jones, Paul Haberlin, Liz Skinner.  I think that’s it so far…

Best driver you have ever sat with? 

Marcus Dodd.  Amazing car control and ultra committed on the fast sections.  Big respect to him!

Best result:

3rd o/a 1st in 1400’s at Builth Wells (Nathan Davies)

Worst result:

Crashing out of the lead of the Woodpecker Stages 2006.

Championships contested:

ANWCC Forest, BTRDA, Welsh Nat, ANCC, Welsh Club.

Best Championship result:

2006 ANWCC Champion / 2nd in 1400 Class, ANCC

Best rally memory:

Winning my class as a driver on the last ever Rally of Wales, and doing Molls Gap on the Killarney Historic Rally – both very special feelings.

Strangest incident on a rally:

Sitting at the In control on the Cambrian this year.  An Astra bombed into the control, stopped at the red boards and then went up in a cloud of steam and smoke.  A Mk1 Escort then arrived in the same fashion, and as he arrived he went up in steam too.  It was hilarious at the time!

Biggest accident:

Crashed in Radnor with Marcus Dodd on the Woodpecker Stages 2006.  Hit a tree head on at 60 mph and the car stopped in 0.19 of a second.  Massive impact.  Thank god for World Rally Cars.  Had some interesting colouring in the groin area for a few weeks afterwards.  Do not try this at home..

Achievements gained from rallying:

Very proud to be a champion, but more proud of the friends I’ve made and the good times that we’ve all shared together over the years.

Your current performance

Your current driver(s) and events or Championships contested in 2006 (add your best results or comments)

Doing fine!  Did the ANWCC/BTRDA/Welsh Nat with Spencer Wilkinson, and I won the ANWCC Championship outright.  I also did ANCC with Dom Mernock in his Nova and we finished 2nd in class for that.  Also contested a few ANCRO rounds with Stephen Parry-Jones in readiness for…

And plans for 2007?

I’m doing the Fiesta SportingTrophy with Stephen Parry-Jones.  Spencer has recently purchased an ex-RED Impreza N10, so we’re going to do a mix of events in 2007, including Ypres, Manx and Trackrod amongst others.  I’m available for non-clashing events!

How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?

I’m working very hard in the gym at the moment to get fit and shed a bit of weight ahead of next year.  I like to think I approach my rallying professionally but with a smile on my face.  Every day is a school day in this job.

How could you improve your current driver’s performance?

Testing, Testing, Testing.  Seat time is the solution to all rallying problems.

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

Compete abroad I think.  ERC would be good fun.

Your future in rallying

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

Finland, my second home! (I lived there).  I would love to do an FIA Regional Championship. i.e. Asia-Pacific.

Which rally would you most like to compete in?

The Arctic Rally Finland, and Rally Deutschland.

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

I’d like to have the chance of another spin with Marcus Dodd at some point.  In the main, I’m keen to sit with someone who is competitive and takes the sport seriously whilst also being able to have a larfff.  Life’s too short to be a miserable bugger.  You can’t take it with you as they say.

Ambition in rallying for the future:

To keep enjoying it more than anything, and to make the most out of being able to compete.

What would you like to put back into rallying?

I’ve been fortunate to meet some very learned people in my time.  They have passed their wisdom onto me in various forms, and I try to do the same.  If I can help give rallying a stronger future, then I’m happy to do that.

The future of rallying

Which up and coming rally driver can you recommend?

Kevin Davies is doing very well for himself.  I’d also recommend Dom Mernock as a young driver who can do well.  He’s come on leaps and bounds this year – (thanks partly to me I hope!).  Andreas Mikkelsen is also a huge star of the future.  I look forward to being able to say ‘He bought me lunch in a café in Ruthin’ when he’s World Rally Champion in a few years time!  Great lad, and great driver.

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

Kirsty Riddick is someone I would recommend to anyone as she is a very competent co-driver who has never ever played the ‘female’ card.  For that, she has my eternal respect.  She just gets on with the job – and does it very well.

Gareth ‘Jaffa’ Roberts is another young co-driver who can do well and is gaining experience all the time.

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

Do it with a smile on your face, and never forget the most fitting of phrases.  ‘We’re here for a good time, not a long time’.  It always strikes a chord with me anyway.

Any other comments?

Keep up the good work, and here’s to another year of spills, thrills and bellyaches!

DATE COMPLETED

8/12/06