Exclusive interview with top British co-driver, Richard Edwards

Personal
Name:	Richard Edwards
Age:	*** 28
Marital status:	Single
Children:	None
Occupation:	Account Co-ordinator for Corus Steel
Place of birth:	Wolverhampton
Country or county where you live:	Wombourne, Staffordshire.
Does your spouse / partner like rallying?	*** I've started to drag my girlfriend along this year and she seems to be starting to enjoy it!!
Any other hobbies?	*** Season ticket holder at the Wolves (sucker for punishment!!), keep fit, TV and cinema. Also starting to watch rugby a bit and I'm having to go with the Leeds Rhinos who just happen to be the champions. Must have brought them luck.
Your opinions
Favourite food:	Chicken and Chips
Favourite drink:	*** Tetley's Bitter
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:	*** Motorsport News
Favourite sports person (other than rallying):	After watching the TV programme on what she went through - Ellen Macarthur
Favourite film star:	** Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie
Favourite holiday destination:	Majorca and Barbados
Which TV sports programmes do you watch?	*** Match of the Day, NFL on Five and Rally Fever on Sky
Starting out
How did you start out?	Started out doing 12 car navigational run by Northern Exposure (Midlands-based). Very good training ground which I still enjoy doing.
First driver you sat with:	Paul Bunch (12 car) Chris Hodson (stage)
First event:	Tour of Lincs in April 1997 with Chris Hodson in a Ford Escort Mk 2. Had fuel pump problems then retired when we lost the exhaust, but got the bug from then on.
Rallying background
Type of licence held:	International
Which motor club do you belong to?	*** Wolverhampton and South Staffs Car Club
Do you contribute towards your rallying?	** No, other than maps and notes
Have you ever driven on a rally?	No, and have no plans to.
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?	** Yes. Club events and have marshalled on the RAC. Also have run controls on night road rallies.
How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year)	*** I don't get chance to watch many these last few years as I'm out most weekends on them. Used to get 5 or 6 in a year
How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year)	*** The last few years has seen me do 20+ rallies a year which has been amazing, but before that it was around 10 a year
Have you competed abroad? Where and when?	Belgium 2000, Barbados and France 2001
Your opinions (rallying)
Favourite rally car:	Subaru Impreza and Lancia Delta
Favourite rally driver:	*** Colin McRae (still a god) and Petter Solberg
Favourite rally co-driver:	Nicky Grist and Howard Davies, *** and of course Dashers!!
Favourite bit of road or forest:	*** Malven corner - Barbados. double right-hander into square left and millions of people. Did I mention a brick wall as well. Over here in the UK, the best stage in the country has to be Route 60.
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?	Pace notes after reccing first
Things you dislike about rallying?	*** The cost and the people who decided to take the co drivers names off the side of the cars in the WRC. Come on - we struggle to get any credit as it is.
Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2001?	Richard Burns, I hope.
... and in 2003	** Petter Solberg to come of age
... and in 2005	*** Petter Solberg to bounce back
Rallying history
Drivers you have sat with:	Road Rallies - Paul Bunch, Simon Rigsby, Lee Bartlett. Stage Rallies - Chris Hodson, Shane Gamble, Pat MacArthur, Robin Bolt, Richard Sykes, Barry Mayers, Mandy Twynham, Alan Doncaster, Olly Marshall, *** Stuart Jones
Best driver you have ever sat with?	*** Has got to be Stuart Jones. He is very tallented, fully comited to going all the way and still only 19. The fastest and the best I have had the pleasure of sitting with, and I've been able to sit with some good drivers
Best result:	3rd in class on Network Q rally 2000 9th overall and 1st in class International Rally in Barbados *** 7th overall on Cambrian 2004
Worst result:	DNS – Astra Stages 1999. Rolled car after signing on night before rally on way to digs (not with any of the above). Never did get to see the B&B - just the hospital, then home. Crashing out of lead of cup on Red Dragon 2000.
Championships contested:	Welsh Clubmans 1998, Welsh National 1998 BTRDA Goldstar A5 class 1999 Peugeot 106 Super Cup 2000 Peugeot 106 Cup 2001 Peugeot 206 - 2002 And winner of 2002 AWMCC Road Rally Championship * BTRDA A6 2003/2004 Peugeot 206 Cup 2003/2004 (Champion 2004) ANCRO 2004
Best Championship result:	*** 2004 Peugeot Cup Champion
Best rally memory:	Getting my first class win in 1999 with Richard Sykes on the Somerset rally. Only second event together, we were fastest on 11 out of the 12 stages, stage 4 being the only one we missed out on when we hit a tree head on. *** Crossing the finishing line of the last stage of the Bulldog Rally to win the Peugeot Cup 2004
Strangest incident on a rally:	*** Park Systems 2004. We hit a rock breaking the sump. We had to retire from the rally there and then leaving us to believe we had lost all chance of the Peugeot Cup. We were gutted for an hour and half until our crew got to us with the news that Ieuan Rowlands had had problems and we were heading to the last rally in with a chance....
Biggest accident:	Quinton 2000. You can see the photos by Neil from rallycodriver.co.uk on the Peugeot page of this site. (Click here) We rolled four times on a tight left into the trees. Wrote the car off but no injuries. Got out to find Neil had been standing just round the corner. *** 2003 Scottish should have been the biggest but for a very muddy ditch which kept us in rather than carrying on rolling.
Achievements gained from rallying:	Would like to think I have made a lot of new friends. Have become more organised and enjoy the added responsibility.
Your current performance
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?	*** Would like to think I have come on leaps and bounds these last couple of years and finally believe in myself that I can do this. Still need to stay calmer when things are getting hectic.
How could you improve your current driver’s performance?	*** How can I improve a 19-year old who has won 3 championships in his first 2 years? A budget to help him make the next step up would be the best thing I could offer him.
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?	*** Pay off my debts so I can continue to rally and then pay for the seat alongside Stu for the next few years, helping him find the budget to go JWRC and who knows how much further.
Your future in rallying
Where would you most like to compete (in the world):	*** Have been lucky to compete in most of the places I have wanted to, so a trip back to Barbados wouldn't go amiss.
Which rally would you most like to compete in?	*** Monte Carlo
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?	Any that are quick and want a lightweight co-driver - ** HINT, HINT!
Ambition in rallying for the future:	** To win a stage event outright. Would like to get involved in a works team, getting paid to co-drive and be involved in planning or PR work for them. Any offers?
What would you like to put back into rallying?	*** Hopefully would like to think I could offer advice to new co-drivers and just guide them in the early stages. I was lucky enough to have a few people look after me so I would like to pass on help to others
The future of rallying
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?	*** Has to be Stuart Jones, just watch him go. How about as a teammate Philip Morrow? He has shown great pace this year and could go onto win the Evo Challenge next year?
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?	*** Me? Do I still count or am I getting old now!!! Vicky Johnson wants to go places next year so watch out for her and Ross Butler. Think you're about to hear a lot more of him.
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?	Hold on tight but enjoy it.
Any other comments	It would be good if there was some sort of recognition of the co-drivers in rallying. Thankfully we have this excellent web site looking out for us. Kim/Neil, without you guys I wouldn't have had the best two years of my life and have the success I have had..THANK YOU.
upated 23/12/02 (items marked ) upated 20/12/04 (items marked *)

Peugeot 206 Champion 2004 with Stuart Jones and BTRDA regular with Robin Bolt in the RERT 206

Richard's news - page 2