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Exclusive Interview with
Top British Co-driver
John Richardson

John co-drives for Steve Petch, Hyundai Accent WRC,
competing in the ANCRO Championship in 2003
- with some other rallies too!

John Richardson at the BRC Shakedown 2002

Personal
Name:	JOHN RICHARDSON
Age:	38
Marital status:	Happily married
Children:	Two
Place of birth:	Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Country or county where you live:	Northallerton, North Yorkshire
Does your spouse / partner like rallying?	YES, Kate is a successful co-driver in her own right as well as being my number one fan!
Any other hobbies?	NO.
Your opinions
Favourite food:	Pasta / chicken / pizzas
Favourite drink:	Diet coke (with something in it!)
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:	Motoring News / Autosport
Favourite sports person (other than rallying):	Prince Nazeem Hamed
Favourite film star:	Tom Cruise or Al Pacino
Favourite holiday destination:	San Remo, Italy!!
Which TV sports programmes do you watch?	Question of Sport / anything with rallying
Starting out
How did you start out?	Competing on local road rallies with my mates
First driver you sat with:	Ian 'Tot' Taylor
First event:	1981 Cannon Park road rally. Teeside & North Yorkshire.
Rallying background
Type of licence held:	International rally driver
Which motor club do you belong to?	Northallerton
Do you contribute towards your rallying?	Yes, but not financially
Have you ever driven on a rally?	Only club scatter rallies and road sections of International rallies
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?	Yes, not as much as before I started doing as many rallies.
How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year)	Only one or two. I am not a good spectator.
How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year)	Anywhere from 10 to 18 depending on the events
Have you competed abroad? Where and when?	Yes. Lots of times with the Peugeot Challenge and other rallies in France as well as San Remo lat year. Do BRC rallies count? Ulster, Manx, etc.
Your opinions on rallying
Favourite rally car:	** Hyundai Accent WRC
Favourite rally driver:	Colin McRae / Henri Toivonen
Favourite rally co-driver:	David Richards, in the 80s when he was with Ari Vatanen
Favourite bit of road or forest:	Most of the Isle of Man or Clatteringshaws in Scotland or Cockayne Loop (Bransdale) in North Yorkshire
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?	Both, although they have different challenges. They are both as rewarding when you can get it right whilst flat out!
Things you dislike about rallying?	Recces that mean being in the car for 14 hours per day and then in a hotel room, writing pace notes
Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2001?	Robert Reid / Richard Burns
... and in 2003?	** Robert Reid / Richard Burns
Rallying history
Drivers you have sat with:	(in alphabetical order) Barbara Armstrong, Jock Armstrong, Lionel Firn, Mark Fisher, Chris Lewis, John Mennell, Judy Petch, Stephen Petch (junior), Steve Petch, Steve Retchless, Mark Robson, Martin Rowe, Steve Smith, 'Tot' Taylor, Duncan Wallace, Philip Young
Best driver you have ever sat with?	Gwyndaf Evans on a SEAT test Jock Armstrong on a rally
Best result:	Difficult question...... Maybe....First overall 1985 Butterwick Trophy road rally? Maybe...1998 Manx when Barbara won British Ladies' Championship with a broken shoulder.....? Maybe...1995 Scottish with Jock - rolled on SS2, finished 14th overall to be 6th overall in BRC in front of Dai LLewelyn and Gwyndaf Evans?? Don't know how to decide which is best!!!!!
Worst result:	Doing the Donegal recce and not starting the rally because of no insurance.
Championships contested:	1982 to 1985 Teeside M.S. Group road rally championship 1986 ANCC road rally championship 1987 ANECCC road rally championship 1988 BTRDA clubmans 1989 to 1994 various Peugeot Challenge 1995 to 1999 BRC 2000 Mintex National Championship ** 2001 F&M 2002 PBRC and ANCRO 2003 ANCRO
Best Championship result:	1^st o/a 2000 Mintex Rally Series ** 3^rd o/a 2002 ANCRO National Championship
Best rally memory:	Too many to pick just one out. Maybe watching Lombard RAC rally when Lancia Delta S4 was debuted and Henri Toivonen won the event.
Strangest incident on a rally:	Doing a recce in Belgium, parking the car outside the hotel at about 4 in the morning, being woken up about 5:30 and asked to move the car because the market was waiting to st up on the town square and we had blocked the entrance. First I heard was Jock Armstrong telling the guy from the hotel to 'Get ~~~~~ed!'
Biggest accident:	On a single venue rally, head on into a pile of rubble as big as a house, which was NOT AS PER SKETCHY MAP!!!!
Achievements gained from rallying	Feel very lucky to have travelled and met as many people who I now can class as friends
Your current performance
Your current driver(s) and Championships being contested in 2002?	** ANCRO and BRC with Steve Petch, Hyundai Accent WRC
..... and in 2003?	** ANCRO with Steve Petch, Hyundai Accent WRC plus some BRC events
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?	I am quite self-critical but preparation is the main thing for any co-driver, as well as stamina. (Fitness is not as important as for drivers)
How could you improve your current driver’s performance?	Daren't say that! Maybe just go faster, if that is possible!
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?	Give me the money and I'll think about it
Your future in rallying
Where would you most like to compete (in the world):	World Rally Championship, after winning the BRC
Which rally would you most like to compete in?	Any WRC
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?	Colin McRae or Steve Petch
Ambition in rallying for the future:	Realistically, to win the BRC
What would you like to put back into rallying?	I have already done Clerk of the Course and Secretary of the Meeting, etc, etc. but when I retire from co-driving I will do more. ** Will also help my son, Simon if he wants to navigate
The future of rallying
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?	Stephen Petch, 18 years old and learning quickly
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?	Michael Wilkinson and, at 20 years old, also learning quickly
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?	Do as many rallies as poss. Pay attention, learn by your mistakes as well as others and don't be afraid to go with other drivers.
Any other comments	Rallying is a fantastic sport and it needs new blood to keep it going. If you are going to an event, try to get new people interested. Rally organisers should learn to 'sell' their events to keep up with modern demands!! Most of all - Enjoy Yourself!
updated 23/4/02 updated 13/1/03 (items marked **)


Latest News 23/7/03 Well pleased with 3rd overall on the McRae Stages (Jul 19)
Where were you on the McRae Stages? Everybody was there. Steve Petch and I decided to have a trip north of the border and, considering Steve has never rallied in those forests before and we were on Bill Sturrock's (loads of info) pace notes, we were well pleased with 3rd overall. Kris Meeke/Peter Martin had a great rally winning by a good margin and John Burn/Stan Quirk were 2nd but, as we finished in front of Raymond Munroe/Neil Ewing and they have just clinched the 2003 Scottish title, we were satisfied with the result. Prior to that we had a good run to 2nd overall on The Mutiny.com Rally in Wales and in a couple of weeks we will return to Wales for the Swansea Bay Stages. Steve is currently 3rd in the National Championship and I am 2nd in the co-drivers. We are hoping that the last 3 gravel rounds will be good for us and let's see where we are lying when we go to The Bulldog in October!! John Richardson 23/7/03
Previous News 21/5/03 Date clash forces Steve & John to choose sunny Wales over Barbados!
Steve Petch and I were going to be doing Barbados this year but the organisers have arranged for it to clash with round 4 of the National Rally Championship! What makes it worse is that after round 4, The Mutiny Rally, there is a nine week break before Swansea Bay's new date of 9th August. Now call me simple but the calendar is just begging to be altered. What could be better in a nine week break from our premier Uk rallies but a trip to Barbados? Stupid is one word which springs to mind but, however, we may go another year. This year's ANCRO championship got itself back on track with a solid 6th on the Manx National and as we go back to gravel we are looking forward to a trip to Llandrindrod Wells and the Mutiny Rally. Not sure about the next event but, believe me, Petchy won't want nine weeks off, will he?? June sees future World Champion Co-Driver (Simon Richardson) taking his GCSEs so I will be parenting for a short while. Do you remember when you took your O levels? I do and I wouldn't want to do it again !! See you in Wales unless you get a cheap flight to Barbados? John Richardson 21/5/03
Previous news 13/1/03 John plans a busy 2003
Happy New Year. For 2003 we have had 'the meeting in the pub' and our rally calendar has now been put together. Steve Petch and I will be competing in the ANCRO National Championship once again in the Hyundai Accent W.R.Car. We shall also be revving up in a couple of PBRC rounds, namely the Pirelli and Trackrod as we both love Kielder and the Yorkshire forests but a full assault on the BRC is not looking like happening this year. We also fancy a few local events such as the Kall-Kwik on Feb 16th and Malcolm Wilson Rally in March. The car is currently having a winter strip-down and re-build and steve and I are really looking forward to this year as we now have a team mate. Paul Bird has purchased Steve's older Evo1 car and with Larry Carter is hoping to do the ANCRO championship as well. He is also doing the Kall-Kwik and Malcolm Wilson rallies so it will be interesting to see how soon he can get to grips with the car. His first event was Northallerton Auto Club's Christmas Stages rally at Croft and, after a good clean run, he took the lead and won the rally on the very last stage. He just got quicker and quicker as the day got wetter and wetter. Also for 2003 we have the now bigger and better team of Stephen Petch and Michael Wilkinson doing the KA championship and as many ANCRO rounds as possible. Stephen has started shaving now and is promising to go and give 100% on every rally so watch him progress! With the Subaru Impreza hire cars also getting booked up the SGP Motorsport team will be busier than ever this year. Allready we have cars booked for some rallies in Scotland. Steve Petch and I feel the need to do our best this year with these 'younger' teams snapping at our heels and, with Stephen itching to get into something bigger and faster, we have to try to keep ahead!! As well as my rallies with Steve, there is also the possibility of rallying with Jock Armstrong again as his own Subaru Impreza went very well on the Galloway Hills. We finished 2nd overall for the fourth time on the event and he fancies the Scottish, McRae and Galloway Hills rallies if business commitments will allow. Look forward to seeing you on events soon. John Richardson 13/1/03
Previous News 23/4/02 John plots the route for the Pirelli
I am currently plotting the route for next week's Pirelli Rally and I can't imagine what the pace on the rally is going to be like. There are only 8 Super 1600 cars in the International Rally but they could set a quick pace in Kielder and then there are about 15 WRC cars of different spec. and a hoard of New group N cars which can travel at a lot higher speed than the WRC cars on the long straights. This year's championship is going to be very exciting for competitors and spectators alike. Hope to see you there!! John
News 11/3/01 Plans for 2001
No rallies at the moment then eh, there is not going to be a "Mintex Championship" this year but Mintex are going to sponsor certain class awards in various championships. Steve Petch and I are going to compete on the B.R.C. when it starts and will be joined by his daughter Sam who, along with Joyce Champion, will be tackling the Ladies' category. We just can't wait for rallies to start again and are currently looking at doing an event abroad for match practice. John.
News 29/11/00 Network Q Rally 2000
Will try to send you an update soon but I am very busy at the moment. 46th o/a on the Network Q with Steve Smith in the Lancia delta Integrale this weekend. Grizedale stages on Saturday with Steve Petch, then Galloway Hills on Sunday with Barbara. Ta ta for now, John.
News 25/9/00 - (in reality, John and Jonty gassing on the phone!) Centurion Rally, 23rd September 2000
We slid off the road into one of those infamous Kielder ditches and broke a front steering arm (made from butter, says Jonty!) in the process. We couldn't get out in time, so we went to the pub! Looking forward to this weekend's Trackrod Rally - in God's own county! See you there! John For more of Richardson and Petch, as never seen before, click here

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