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Personal
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Name:
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NEIL DASHFIELD
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Age:
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* 40 |
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Marital status:
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Married to Christine
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Children:
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None
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Occupation:
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Management Training Consultant |
| Place of birth: |
Bristol |
| Country or county where you live: |
Somerset, UK |
| Does your spouse / partner like rallying? |
Very much, used to drive. |
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Any other hobbies?
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Family trees, Round Table, * Scuba diving |
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Your opinions
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Favourite food:
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Roast Pork |
| Favourite drink: |
Assam tea |
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Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:
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Motoring News |
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Favourite sports person (other than rallying):
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Tanni Grey-Thompson (athlete) |
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Favourite film star:
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Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks |
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Favourite holiday destination:
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* Anywhere in the RED SEA |
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Which TV sports programmes do you watch?
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Trans World Sports |
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Starting out
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How did you start out?
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Working for Fram Filters when they sponsored
the Fram Welsh Rally. The first rally car I ever saw was Hannu
Mikkola in a SWB Quattro (grp B). I was hooked. |
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First driver you sat with:
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Neil Bulley |
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First event:
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1987 Bow and Arrow Road Rally in Devon.
Finished 3rd in class, won an award - thought that was how it always
happened - WRONG. |
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Rallying background
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Type of licence held:
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International
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Which motor club do you belong to?
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Forest of Dean |
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Do you contribute towards your rallying?
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* In many ways, not just financial |
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Have you ever driven on a rally?
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* No.
Having sat with some very good drivers, you quickly realise that it
is better to say in the other seat. Mind you, I think I'd be quickest
to the first corner - whether I would go round it is another question. |
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Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?
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Yes. Local events here in the West
Country |
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How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year)
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* 4 / 5 |
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How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year)
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* This year it will be about 25 |
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Have you competed abroad? Where and when?
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Yes. Belgium, Romania, Yugoslavia,
Bulgaria, Czech Rep. |
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Your opinions on rallying
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Favourite rally car:
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* Ford Focus, it is awesome to ride in |
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Favourite rally driver:
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* Petter Solberg. He is just so full
of enthusiasm for our sport |
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Favourite rally co-driver:
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* Phil Mills, he understands that co
drivers need to be "good looking" - great comment! |
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Favourite bit of road or forest:
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Kenton Yump, Devon. Wythop Stage
in Cumbria |
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Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?
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* Pace notes provide a level
playing field, although I believe that a well-read map can prove quicker.
Often it's a case of too much info with organisers' route notes. |
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Things you dislike about rallying?
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* Retiring after the team
have work so hard to get you to the event. |
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Who do you think will winthe 2002 World Rally Championship?
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Richard Burns
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... and in 2004?
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* Markko Martin
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Rallying history
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Drivers you have sat with:
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Neil Bulley, Tony Snell, Steve Winter,
'Mad' Mick Jones, Jon Joannides, Pete Littler, Andy Burnell, Andrea
Hall, Rob Atkinson, My wife!!, Adrian Wilkins, John Price
* Julian Brine, Paul Wedgbury, Jimmy
McCrae, Callum Guy, Steve Perez, Russell Griffin, Richard West, Mick
Linford
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Best driver you have ever sat with?
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* Mad Mick was always good
fun. Callum Guy is an extremely smooth driver. |
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Best result:
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* Winning your local event,
the Somerset Stages, is always special |
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Worst result:
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Retiring on the S.W. Stages
in 91 while leading |
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Championships contested:
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BTRDA Silver Star
Peugeot Super 106 Cup
Balkan Championship |
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Best Championship result:
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* Silver Star Runner-up
with Steve Winter
Peugeot 106 runner-up with Andy Burnell, always the bridesmaid! |
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Best rally memory:
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Rallying in Bulgaria.
It is just such an adventure |
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Strangest incident on a rally:
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Booking out a M.C. after
service without the car or driver (still working on the car) arriving
at the stage to find it closed! Setting fastest Metro time on
that stage!! Condroz Rally, Belgium. |
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Biggest accident:
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End over end
5 times in a Peugeot 205 on the New Year Stages on Salisbury Plain.
Car had been borrowed!! Worst of all, the event camera was there to
capture everything.
* End over end
5 times in Callum Guy's Astra on the tour of Mull. Car was totally
destroyed. Ironically it was the Trophy Rally, as we had already put
the thing off the night before.
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| Achievements gained from
rallying |
* Being able to count some
fantastic friendships started through rallying that endure to this
day. |
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Your current performance
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Your current driver(s) and championships for 2004
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Mitsubishi Evo Challenge with Paul Wedgbury
BTRDA with Steve Perez
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How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?
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* Keep doing events, there
is no substitute for experience |
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How could you improve your current driver’s performance?
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* By taking care of the
behind the scenes stuff so that he is able to concentrate of the rallying |
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If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?
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Create a co-driver scholarship
fund to support several young co-drivers. |
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Your future in rallying
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Where would you most like to compete (in the world):
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Australia |
| Which rally would you most
like to compete in? |
Paris-Dakar |
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Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?
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* Andy Burton through Radnor,
what a blast that must be, judging by the times! |
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Ambition in rallying for the future:
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* Win this year's Evo Challenge
with Paul Wedgbury and win the BTRDA with Steve Perez |
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What would you like to put back into rallying?
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* Supporting young competitors
in any way that I can and continue to help out on my local events |
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The future of rallying
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Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?
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* Robbie Dale, very fast
and smooth in the Scottish 205 challenge in 2003 |
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Which up-and-coming rally
co-driver can you recommend?
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* Richard Edwards, always
smiling, works had on the event and before and after. |
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What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?
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* Expose yourself to as
many events and drivers as you can, listen to everyone's advice, keep
the good stuff and disregard the bulls**t. Read the regs and bluebook.
Check, Check, then Check again to avoid mistakes.
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| updated
13/2/04 (items marked *) |
