Personal

Name:

Richard Ellis

Age:

24

Marital status:

Single

Children:

None

Occupation:

Winemaker

Place of birth:

Wellington, New Zealand

Country or county where you live:

New Zealand

Does your spouse / partner like rallying?

n/a

Any other hobbies?

Surfing, wakeboarding, snowboarding... anything outdoors

Your opinions

Favourite food:

Rhubarb crumble - it's an old family favourite!

Favourite drink:

Depends what's happening.  Champagne, beer, water...

Favourite motor sport paper / magazine:

All of them.  Here in NZ Speedsport or the NZ Racer Magazine.

Favourite sports person (other than rallying):

Tana Umanga (former All Blacks Captain).  He displayed amazing sportsmanship on the field and was a very talented player.

Favourite film star:

Meg Ryan, Cameron Diaz...

Favourite holiday destination:

Have heard good things about the Maldives

Which TV sports programmes do you watch?

Lost, Greys Anatomy, Bones, Top Gear... plus all the motorsport shows.

Starting out

How did you start out?

Had always been keen to get into it.  Rob Scott (NZ co-driver) took me to a bentsprint where I got my first ever ride in a rally car.  Haven't looked back since.

First driver you sat with: 

Kayne Barrie

First event:

Pukekohe Car Club tarmac bentsprint

Rallying background

Type of licence held:

International Rally

Which motor club do you belong to?

Pukekohe Car Club

Do you contribute towards your rallying?

Yes - contribute financially as well as bringing some sponsorship to the team.  Get underneath the car occasionally too!

Have you ever driven on a rally?

Yes - I drove in the 2005 Rally of the North in New Zealand.  We had a blast!

Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?

No - find it hard to watch rallies and not compete.

How many events do you get to watch? (e.g. per year)

Maybe 1 or 2 live. Would rather be in the car.

How many rallies do you take part in? (e.g. per year)

Around 8-10 rallies per year.

Have you competed abroad? Where and when?

Not yet... give it time!

Your opinions (rallying)

Favourite rally car:

Lancia Delta S4

Favourite rally driver:

Sebastian Loeb, Gigi Galli, Marcus Gronholm

Favourite rally co-driver:

Roger Freeth sounded like a bit of a legend.

Favourite bit of road or forest:

Motu, Whaanga Coast and some of the tarmac stages around Mt Taranaki

Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?

Pace notes - love the speed!

Things you dislike about rallying?

When it's pouring with rain and you have a long walk to the time control.

Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2006?

Sebastian Loeb would be the obvious choice but watch out for Marcus Gronholm.

Rallying history

Drivers you have sat with:

James Holder, Patrick Christian, Nick Marshall, Eric Uhe

Best driver you have ever sat with? 

James Holder

Best result:

1^st  - Rally of Hawkes Bay 2005 (2wd)

Worst result:

Getting a DNF on the last stage at round 1 of the 2006 NZ Rally Championship.  The only consolation was a few minutes later Jimmy McRae was caught by same culvert!

Championships contested:

New Zealand Rally Championship, Top-half Series

Best Championship result:

3^rd overall Kiwi 2wd 2005

Best rally memory:

Taking our first championship win in New Zealand.

Strangest incident on a rally:

Flying down a 1.2km straight (with lots of crests) on the 2004 NZRC tarmac Rally of Hamilton and having to lean over and hold the car in 5^th while James gripped the wheel of the Toyota Corolla as we clocked over 200km/hr...

Biggest accident:

Nelson 2005 - rolled several times down a bank and into a tree... the car was a mess.

Achievements gained from rallying:

Seeing places I'd never been to before and meeting some amazing people along the way.

Your current performance

Your current driver(s) and events or Championships contested in 2006 (add your best results or comments)

Co-driving for James Holder.  Currently sitting 4^th= in the NZ Rally Championship Kiwi 2wd class after 2 rounds.  Had a DNF in round 1 and a 3^rd in round 2.

And plans for 2007?

To contest the Fiesta Sporting Trophy WRC.

How could you improve your 'own'current performance?

Get overseas and do more miles in the car.  Keep improving on the fitness front too.

How could you improve your current driver's performance?

Help him gain more experience both here in NZ and internationally - practice makes perfect!

If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do? 

Use it to help get our team rallying overseas.

Your future in rallying

Where would you most like to compete (in the world):

Sweden looks pretty exciting.

Which rally would you most like to compete in?

Sweden or the Paris-Dakar rally.

Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?

Marcus Gronholm, Gigi Galli, Sebastian Loeb.

Ambition in rallying for the future:

To compete in rallies on every continent around the world.

What would you like to put back into rallying?

To help other young Kiwi drivers/co-drivers make it to top-level rallying around the world.

The future of rallying

Which up and coming rally driver can you recommend?

James Holder - super quick in a 2wd.  Richard Mason - leading Group N driver from NZ.

Which up and coming rally co-driver can you recommend?

Well I guess none other than yours truly! 

What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?

Be prepared, ask questions, have fun and keep an eye on that time!!

Any other comments?

Hopefully I'll see some of you out there on a rally one day.  Be sure to come over and say hi!

DATE COMPLETED

22^nd June 2006

We have just finished competing in the 2006 NZ Rally Championship and finished 2nd overall in the Kiwi 2 class. All efforts are now on trying to get a programme together to compete in the Fiesta Championship in Europe next year.

Check out our website www.teamnzrallysport.com for more details

5/10/06