Exclusive interview with Top British co-driver Richard Pashley

Personal
Name:	Richard Pashley
Age:	*** 30
Marital status:	Single
Children:	None (?)
Occupation:	Professional co-driver
Place of birth:	Sheffield
Country or county where you live:	Middlesex
Does your spouse / partner like rallying?	Yes
Any other hobbies?	Cycling and Cricket
Your opinions
Favourite food:	Italian
Favourite drink:	Red Wine
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine:	Motorsport News
Favourite sports person (other than rallying):	Darren Gough.
Favourite film star:	Robert De Niro.
Favourite holiday destination:	Florida.
Which TV sports programmes do you watch?	Any rally programmes*
Starting out
How did you start out?	Started navigating for my father on 12-cars at the age of 14. Won my first one! That was Jan. 1988. Later that year I moved on to doing Scatter Rallies. Navigated on my first Road Rally Sep. 1990, at the age of 16, finished 25^th overall. Co-drove on my first Stage Rally Nov. 1990.
First driver you sat with:	My Dad, Steve Pashley
First event:	The Rally of the Dams 1990, was the first Road Rally, organised by Sheffield and Hallamshire Motor Club. Cadwell Park Stages 1990, was my first Stage Rally.
Rallying background
Type of licence held:	International Rally.
Which motor club do you belong to?	Rotherham Motor Club. (Sheffield and Hallamshire when I get round to paying my subs!!)
Do you contribute towards your rallying?	I'm in the fortunate position where I don't have to contribute towards my rallying and in the illustrious position that my drivers now contribute towards my costs, time and effort.
Have you ever driven on a rally?	Yes, 4 Stage Rallies in 1997, in a Ford Ka. This was just to get Ben Briant’s licence signed up for National A before he had a RTA Licence, while he sat at the side of me.
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where?	YES:- LOTS!! Everywhere from 1987 to 1996.
How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year)	One or Two.
How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year)	20 - 30
Have you competed abroad? Where and when?	*** Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway 2000 - 2003 Also worked on WRC rallies in Spain, Argentina, Kenya, Cyprus and Greece as Stig Blomqvist's World Rally Team Co-ordinator.
Your opinions (rallying)
Favourite rally car:	Lancia 037
Favourite rally driver:	Henri Toivonen.
Favourite rally co-driver:	Ian Grindrod.
Favourite bit of road or forest:	Wigtwizzle Map 110 / Grizedale Forest.
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events?	Maps.
Things you dislike about rallying?	The expense, lack of television coverage and the demise of the local motor club in this country.
Who do you think will win the World Rally Championship in 2003?	Too many different bums in seats to tell?
... and in 2004?	** Markko Martin
Rallying history
Drivers you have sat with:	Just in the order I first sat with them:- Road Rallies:- Steve Pashley Mark Turner Chris Arif Ian Phillips Nigel Wright Martin Self Martin Evans Carl Hawkins Dave Jones Lee Burgess Stage Rallies:- Richard Eames Mick Pears Mark Booth Richard Johnson Arthur Woodfield Steve Emms Mally Norris Gilly Handley Ben Briant Ollie Clark Martin Evans David Pattrick Natalie Barratt Dick Archer Robert Davis Sarah Murray Paul Wedgbury Seamus Donnelly Shaun Gallagher Phil Morgan* Marcus Foss Alexander Foss Martin Stenshorne Testing:-** Damon Harvey Simon Chapman Trevor Martin Steve Wedgbury
Best driver you have ever sat with?	My Dad, of course!! He can always get a car back from the brink of an off, long after I’ve given up all hope of ever seeing the light of day again!!
Best result:	Winning the Autowindscreens Road Rally in 1996. 1st overall Premier Rally 2001 21st overall Network Q Rally of GB 2001 1st Peugeot 206 Le Touquet & Tempest stages 2002* *** 1st Peugeot 206 Border Counties, Ulster & Trackrod 2003 1st Peugeot 206 & 1st overall Jim Clark Junior Rally 2003
Worst result:	Retiring on the Trackrod Rally 2000 with Paul Wedgbury. Paul was only one of three drivers that could win the Super 106 Cup going into that final round of the championship. We’d put so much into the event beforehand to try and have ‘have a go!’ But it wasn’t to be. Lady luck was just not on our side and nothing went right on the day. In fact, it went from bad to worse when we tore the front offside strut off the car on SS4, retiring us on the spot. I was so gutted!
Championships contested:	Everything really: BRC, BTRDA, ANCRO, MINTEX, Super 106 Cup, Safety Devices National Tarmac, EMAMC & ANCC Road Rally Championships, Peugeot 206 Super Cup* *** Le Volant 206
Best Championship result:	East Midlands Champion Road Rally Navigator 1994 ANCC Champion Road Rally Navigator 1995 BTRDA Under-25 Champion Co-driver 1998 4^th Overall BTRDA Gold Star Co-driver 1999 2nd overall Co-driver Peugeot 206 Super Cup 2002* *** Peugeot 206 Super Cup Champion Co-driver 2003 4th overall Co-driver Le Volant Peugeot 206 (France) 2003
Best rally memory:	There are lots, too numerous to mention them all. But one that does stand out must be the Network Q Rally of GB 1999. To finish the event, with Gilly Handley, at our First attempt was something special. It seemed to be a long rally that year, not least because we started to have our fair share of problems on the last day.
Strangest incident on a rally:	Again several:- Nearly hitting the Shire horses on the Red Dragon. Beating Austin McHale, in his Toyota WRC, by 30 odd seconds in a 1.3 Micra on the last stage of the Rally of Ireland. Being chased down the road in reverse, by a pissed up and pissed off Farmer with a dry-stone wall ‘Topper’ above his head, on a Derbyshire Road Rally.
Biggest accident:	Vauxhall Rally of Wales 1996. Clocaenog Main, 3 miles in, 5L/C, in the thick fog. We went straight on flat in fourth. Woke up being dragged from the car by a marshal and my driver. Got a trip in the Rally Rescue out of the stage, with several bruised and one broken rib. *** The roll on the Harry Flatters Rally in 2003 was pretty big too!
Achievements gained from rallying:	I have made a vast quantity of friends, from all around the country, that I have met along the way, through my passion of this great sport. I would not swap them for anything else!
Your current performance
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance?	By learning a different Language:- English would be good for a start (coming from Yorkshire!).
How could you improve your current driver’s performance?	Make sure I give him all the support and encouragement he needs to make him more confident to realise his ability
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do?	Go to the pub to celebrate, then think about it next day
Your future in rallying
Where would you most like to compete (in the world):	*** Argentina
Which rally would you most like to compete in?	*** Safari Rally
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for?	Uncle Stig. That would be interesting!!
Ambition in rallying for the future:	To become a works' Co-driver. I’ve always dreamed about being paid for doing what I love!!
What would you like to put back into rallying?	To bring on up & coming young ‘Navigators’ through the realms of Road Rallying and into the Forests.
The future of rallying
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend?	Shaun Gallagher and Ollie Boakes (If he ever comes back out again!).
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend?	Daniel Stone.
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers?	"Sew your pockets up!" That’s the advice that Martin Phaff gave the Late Great Nigel Harris.
Any other comments?	I'm available for the 2004 season - ProRally, WRC, or similar Please email Kielder Computers Ltd for more details and contact information
updated 15/1/02 updated 29/3/02 updated 5/12/02* updated 27/2/03 updated 13/2/04 *