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Personal
Name:	Martin Dixon
Age:	** 57
Marital status:	Married to Margaret for ** 34 years.
Children:	We are child free.
Occupation:	Marketing Manager for an ** UK & European Express Haulage Company. Also proprietor of Dixon Rally Services.
Place of birth:	Leeds. I have lived all my life in the same street in a small village. I still live next door to my Mum!!
Country or county where you live:	Yorkshire
Does your spouse / partner like rallying?	No. Margaret would prefer than I didn’t put myself at risk of injury or spend so much time away from home. But she has always helped, supported and encouraged me in my motorsport activities nevertheless. She says it’s better than me spending every night "in t’pub".
Any other hobbies?	I love Golden Retrievers – my present dog, Rosie, is 15 years old. I also enjoy drivin. I cover 35000 miles a year in the UK & the EC for business, rallying and pleasure.
Your opinions
Favourite food:	Indonesian – particularly from a small restaurant I know in Benalmadena. We celebrated our Silver Wedding there in 1993.
Favourite drink:	Kriek, a Belgian beer.
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:	Motoring – sorry, Motorsport – News
Favourite sports person (other than rallying):	Michael Schumacher
Favourite film star:	Sean Connery
Favourite holiday destination:	** The Canaries
Which TV sports programmes do you watch?	Formula One, Touring Cars, and anything with four wheels. I also enjoy watching golf and cricket.
Starting out
How did you start out?	** I joined Leeds Motor Club in 1973. A complete absence of car sickness gave me a place with some good Club drivers from the start. I had regular partnerships with drivers from the Club until 1986.
First driver you sat with:	Darell Staniforth, son of the well-known hillclimber Allan Staniforth of Terrapin fame. Darell is now a professional car builder in Thirsk. We started road rallying in his Mini and moved onto stages in an Imp in 1975.
First event:	** October 1973, the Alfresco Garages Dalesman Rally with Darell.
Rallying background
Type of licence held:	International Rally – despite now having to pass a regular ECG test due to my advancing years. The test is far more dangerous than the rallying.
Which motor club do you belong to?	Leeds Motor Club (still!) and the IRDC
Do you contribute towards your rallying?	** A great deal, but not financially.
Have you ever driven on a rally?	** Once only competitively on a 12 car. I did not enjoy it.
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?	I marshal several times every year with the Club. Mainly in the Yorkshire forests and Clipstone.
How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year)	I usually marshal rather than just spectating.
How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year)	** Only three in 2002. Look like I might have a busier time in 2003.
Have you competed abroad? Where and when?	I first discovered Belgium with Ian Joel in 1987 when we entered what is now the Famenne rally. We got a good result and I loved every minute. On the 1992 Peugeot Challenge with Mark Lawn, I went to back to Belgium for the Omloop van Vlaanderen and to Limoges in Central France for the Limousin Rally. I enjoyed them so much that I decided immediately to stick with tarmac events thereafter. Now I compete in Europe, and Belgium in particular, whenever I can. I just love the place.
Your opinions (rallying)
Favourite rally car:	Rover SD1. Big, bulky but brilliant fun.
Favourite rally driver:	** Ian Joel. Ian really enjoys his rallying, is an outstanding driver, and a bloody good mechanic as well.
Favourite rally co-driver:	"Captain" Bjorn Cederberg
Favourite bit of road or forest:	The Rumbeke stage on the Omloop van Vlaanderen, Olivers Mount at Scarborough and the now-unused downhill hairpins in Wykeham forest.
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?	Pace notes now. I was always good on maps, but I enjoy pacenotes more. I feel I contribute more directly to the team’s success on pacenotes. The rallies are safer and the speeds are just staggering.
Things you dislike about rallying?	The loss of the endurance element in rallying has changed the nature of the sport since the 70s, and not for the better. I wish organisers would offer longer events. I would also like to see more time available for recceing, for safety’s sake.
Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2001?	My head says Tommi Makinen, but my heart would love to see Francois Delecour take the title.
.... and in 2003?	** Richard Burns
Rallying history
Drivers you have sat with:	With ** 30 years of rallying behind me, I have been blessed with some super drivers. Most of them are not well known but they have all given me some fabulous times, and made me what I am today. It’s fairer not to list them. If any of them read this, Thanks, pal!
Best driver you have ever sat with?	Mark Lawn. He is at least equal in ability to many of the best current UK works drivers. We beat Neil Simpson and Martin Rowe on the 1992 Peugeot Challenge, and Mark out-pointed David Higgins to take the Peugeot Masters Championship in 1993.
Best result:	Winning the Peugeot Challenge on the Tour of Flanders 1992 with Mark Lawn.
Worst result:	Failing to reach the first stage on the 1993 Imber Stages in Andy Blair’s superb Metro 6R4 after an engine sensor failure on the run out. ** Sadly, this was my only 6R4 outing.
Championships contested:	The British Open Championship, Mintex Series, Peugeot Challenge, Motoring News Tarmac Championship
Best Championship result:	Helping Sheridan Williams to the 1993 Motoring News Tarmac Championship Group N title ** in his Sapphire Cosworth 2WD.
Best rally memory:	Entering my first Lombard RAC Rally in 1983 with Andrew Smalley. We found a Gp A car we could build cheaply – a Rover SD1, ran it on local sponsorship and a bank loan, paid the entry fee of £300 on my credit card, finished 2^nd in Group A4, paid the credit card off with the winnings and repaid the loan by selling the car. We ended up with a very small profit.
Strangest incident on a rally:	Sleeping in on the Lombard RAC Rally, Carlisle 1985, again with Andrew Smalley, in a D M Keith Skoda 130L. This was an exhausting five-day event and the tripmeter had bust at scrutineering, ** making navigation very hard work. There was just a few hours’ break before the last night-time leg. We woke up 17 miles from Carlisle just 3 minutes before our Due Time Out from Carlisle Castle. With some outstanding driving from our chase car crew, we stayed in the event and we still finished as first Skoda Dealer Team car despite some 40 minutes of penalties.
Biggest accident:	With Ian Joel in 1994. We took his Gp N Escort Cosworth 4x4 to an Irish forest rally in Blarney. We were leading the event going into the third stage. After a long, long straight, flat in top gear (about 120 mph), the car turned left as Ian lifted for a slight bend. The car hit the bank at the side of the road, causing it to spin and roll at the same time. The car was wrecked but we were both totally unscathed. The team then rebuilt the car overnight and we won the Sunday Run the following day. We both survived what could so easily have been a fatal crash, due solely to Ian’s superb car preparation and the Safety Devices comprehensive roll cage.
Achievements gained from rallying:	Many, many friends in several different countries. A complete lifetime of enjoyment. Wider horizons, and a different perspective on life. The sport has altered my life for the better.
Your current performance
Your current driver(s) and events or Championships being contested in 2001	So far this year, I am taking part in the Monteberg Rallysprint and Tour of Flanders with Frederik Dousy in his Opel Corsa, and I am looking forward to my first visit to the Tour of Mull in October with Malcolm Jackson in a Mk1 Escort. I would very much like to find a seat for the Ypres International in June, and any other Belgian event.
... and in 2003?	** Subject to final confirmation, the 2003 205 Challenge and other selected events with James Nathan in a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6. More events co-driving and helping Frederik Dousy in Belgium.
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?	More events mean more experience, even at my age. There is a different challenge on every event.
How could you improve your current driver’s performance?	** James is new to the sport and I ’m sure that he will benefit from my experience on the events we are doing this year.
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?	** Run my own team
Your future in rallying
Where would you most like to compete (in the world):	I** I'd love to do the Belgian International Rally Championship
Which rally would you most like to compete in?	2002 – Ypres & San Remo. 2003 – Catalunya
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?	** I'm looking forward to co-driving for James, and doing a good job to get the results he wants.
Ambition in rallying for the future:	To see the young co-drivers I have trained doing well and enjoying their rallying. It would be nice to be able to work for DRS full time.
What would you like to put back into rallying?	I really enjoy presenting my co-driver training classes. It’s good to have the experience to help beginners and novices in the sport.
The future of rallying
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?	** Let's see how James does....
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?	** Steve Harris
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?	** You'd better be good if you're competing against me!
Any other comments	Contact Martin by email at martin@dixonrallyservices.co.uk or visit his web site: www.dixonrallyservices.co.uk
updated 28/12/02 (items marked **)

Martin runs his own co-driver training school updated 28/12/02 (items marked **)

Martin runs his own co-driver training school
updated 28/12/02 (items marked **)