Personal

Name:

Jason Grahn 

Age:

*** 25 (April 18th)

Marital status:

Single 

Children:

No 

Occupation:

Online Customer Service Representative 

Place of birth: 

San Diego, California, USA

Country or county where you live:

USA 

Any other hobbies?

Snowboarding, Reading, Philosophy, Travelling 

Your opinions

Favourite food:

Italian cuisine 

Favourite drink:

Water, Black Russians 

Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:

*** Racecar Engineering

Favourite sports person (other than rallying):

Tony Hawk  

Favourite film star:

Salma Hayek 

Favourite holiday destination:

Cinque Terre, Italy 

Which TV sports programmes do you watch?

Rally coverage, ESPN News, *** Motorsport Mundial

Starting out

How did you start out?

Road Marshal for ClubRally events in the Northwest 

First driver you sat with: 

Richard Buckner

First event:

ORV Rallysprint, 2001

Rallying background

Type of licence held:

*** Rally America National; NASA/USAC National

Which motor club do you belong to?

There isn’t such a thing in the USA 

Do you contribute towards your rallying?

Yes 

Have you ever driven on a rally?

* Yes, Thunderbird TSD Rally in Merrit, BC, 4th in novice class

Did you ever marshal on events?  When and where?

Yes, early 2001. Marshalled in a few Pacific Northwestern events before I started crewing for Paul Eklund 

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

*** On television, +/- 10. Live, none.

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

Typically between 8 and 10. 

Have you competed abroad? Where and when?

* Not yet, but actively seeking

Your opinions (rallying)

Favourite rally car:

2001 Subaru Impreza WRC or Lancer Evolution 6 

Favourite rally driver:

Markko Martin

Favourite rally co-driver:

Phil Mills

Favourite bit of road or forest:

Brooklyn Tavern stage in Washington State

Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?

Notes 

Things you dislike about rallying?

Politics  *** and waiting

Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2004?

Markko!

Rallying history

Drivers you have sat with:

Richard Buckner, Jamie Thomas, Mark Durley, Trevor Donison, * Chris Blakely and Chris Hollingsworth ** Derek Bottles

Best result:

*** 1st in Open 2wd at Cherokee Trails, 2005

Worst result:

2^nd to last, Shitepoke ClubRally, 2002

Championships contested:

*** Western States Rally Championship
Pacific Rally Group Regional Championship
NW Regional Co-Drivers Class Championship.
United States Rally Championship

Best Championship result:

1^st in “Open” class, 2002
*** 1st in Open 2wd, 2005

Best rally memory:

Taking 5^th at Dryad Quest above rally mentor Paul Eklund (who placed 6^th)

Strangest incident on a rally:

Chasing a deer downstage. I’m sure more will follow.

Biggest accident:

Pirouette roll at Wild West Rally in 2001.  Not too bad, mostly cosmetic.

Achievements gained from rallying:

New friends, lots of travel, and a stronger stomach

Your current performance

Your current driver(s) and events or Championships being contested in 2004

* Chris Blakely in the NORPAC Club Rally series

... and in 2005?

*** Craig Hollingsworth - United States Rally Championship
Derek Bottles - Pacific Rally Cup

How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?

More seat time and experience developing notes.

How could you improve your current driver’s performance?

Push the driver a bit more every stage. 

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

Race overseas

Your future in rallying

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

Finland, Kenya, Italy

Which rally would you most like to compete in?

Safari Rally

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

Ari Vatanen, Markko Martin, Juha Kankkunen 

Ambition in rallying for the future:

Co-drive in the WRC 

What would you like to put back into rallying?

Assist new co-drivers in gaining experience. 

The future of rallying

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

Me! 

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

Gather as much seat time as you can! 

posted 25/11/03 
updated 8/5/04 (items marked *)
updated 16/1/05 (items marked **)
updated 30/10/05 (items marked ***)