Exclusive interview with top British co-driver, Phil Clarke

Personal
Name:	Phil Clarke
Age:	48
Marital status:	Dodgy!
Children:	Small adults that cost a lot of money, Rebecca 10 and Emma 8
Occupation:	Firefighter
Place of birth:	Ludlow, Shropshire
Country or county where you live:	Shropshire
Does your spouse / partner like rallying?	Yes
Any other hobbies?	Long-distance running
Your opinions
Favourite food:	Bacon, egg and chips
Favourite drink:	Any drink that Andrew Sankey buys me!
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:	Motorsport New. Where else do you get road rally reports?
Favourite sports person (other than rallying):	Lance Armstrong
Favourite film star:	Debbie
Favourite holiday destination:	Dallas
Which TV sports programmes do you watch?	Any. I like most sports
Starting out
How did you start out?	Ludlow Castle Motor Club 12 car events
First driver you sat with:	Tom Sankey
First event:	Ludlow 12 car
Rallying background
Type of licence held:	International
Which motor club do you belong to?	Ludlow Castle MC Ltd
Do you contribute towards your rallying?	Not any more
Have you ever driven on a rally?	Yes, a couple of road events. Finished 2nd on one!
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?	Lots of road events and the RAC in Sutton Park in the 70s and 80s
How many events do you get to watch? (e.g. per year)	Only a couple
How many rallies do you take part in? (e.g. per year)	10 - 12
Have you competed abroad? Where and when?	If Ireland counts, then yes (Wexford, Ulster, Ravens Rock)
Your opinions (rallying)
Favourite rally car:	Ford Escort Mk II
Favourite rally driver:	Hannu Mikkola
Favourite rally co-driver:	Anyone that's just finished behind me
Favourite bit of road or forest:	Haye Park, Mortimer Forest Ludlow
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?	Tough one this. Brought up on maps doing Welsh road rallies but I also enjoy making and delivering pace notes
Things you dislike about rallying?	Cheating
Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2005?	Sebastien Loeb
Rallying history
Drivers you have sat with:	Gary Smith, Geoff Jones, Gary Midwinter, Seb Ling, Damian Cole, Rob Gough, Dave Brick, Keith Wilde, and lots of others
Best driver you have ever sat with?	Too scared to say!!
Best result:	1st O/A Quinton and Cambrian rallies
Worst result:	Any retirement
Championships contested:	All of the major ones in Great Britain
Best Championship result:	Welsh Road Rally Championship - it takes some winning!
Best rally memory:	Winning the Cambrian. Clocaenog had caught us out a few times previously
Strangest incident on a rally:	Rolling on non-competitive sectin of a road rally!
Biggest accident:	Rolling with Gary Smith in Clocaenog. Fastest was with Rob Goug in Grizedale in 2003.
Your current performance
Your current driver(s) and events or Championships being contested in 2004	BRC with Damian Cole
... and in 2005?	Up in the air at the moment
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?	Prepare and concentrate even more
How could you improve your current driver’s performance?	Get any drifer to believe the notes and make the suspension and tryes work for their living!
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?	Buy a Mk II and have some fun!
Your future in rallying
Where would you most like to compete (in the world):	Newcastle Emlyn or Sweden
Which rally would you most like to compete in?	Cilwendig or Swedish
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?	Hannu Mikkola
Ambition in rallying for the future:	Just to enjoy it
What would you like to put back into rallying?	I have organised a road rally (Peak Revs) and been part of the organising team of a stage event (Mutiny).
The future of rallying
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?	Sebastien Ling
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?	Sadly, I only know the old farts now!
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?	Prepare and concentrate
posted 5/4/05