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Exclusive Interview with
Top British Co-driver
Trevor Agnew

Trevor co-drives for
Martin Rowe in 2003

 

updated 12/2/03 (items marked **)
 
Personal  
Name: TREVOR AGNEW
Age: ** 38
Marital status: Live with girlfriend 
Children: None
Occupation: Co-driver
Place of birth: Markethill, Co. Armagh
Country or county where you live: London  
Does your spouse / partner like rallying? ** Went once!  Prefers shoe shopping!
Any other hobbies? ** Football, I'm a Chelsea fan and go to all the games I can
Your opinions  
Favourite food: I love tasting all types of food, especially Japanese - lots of small courses.  KFC frustrates me, love the taste, but I always feel a bit guilty afterwards when the grease runs down my chin!
Favourite drink: Proper Guinness, decent orange juice
Favourite motorsport paper / magazine: Autosport, MN and of course Rally XS  
Favourite sports person (other than rallying): Joey Dunlop - a hero
Favourite film star: Don't watch that many
Favourite holiday destination: Gran Canaria - been there loads of times, great place to chill out by day and great fun at night
Which TV sports programmes do you watch? Grandstand, They Think It's All Over, NOT snooker
Starting out  
How did you start out? 15 year old mate and I (aged 10) 'borrowed' his dad's Austin Maxi one night to watch a road rally.  I did a rally navigation correspondence course while still at school
First driver you sat with: Billy Gates
First event: Shamrock Rally, a local road rally.  I was 14 and the car was a 3 cylinder 2-stroke Wartburg Knight!  Of course, we didn't finish!
Rallying background  
Type of licence held: International
Which motor club do you belong to? North Armagh Motorcycle and Car Club
Do you contribute towards your rallying? Not any more
Have you ever driven on a rally? Yip, drove the spare SEAT Super Six car in Sligo 98, was 3 seconds behind Ollie Clark on the first 11 mile stage, and was probably leading the rally on the second stage - before trying to knock down a tree.  It stretched my co-driver's neck real good!  
Did you ever marshal on events? When and where? Yes, I have held a Clerk of the Course licence and was, until recently, involved with the Lurgan Park Rally since its inception. 
How many events do you get to watch? (eg. per year) 3 or 4, always Donegal if not competing
How many rallies do you take part in? (eg. per year) ** Minimum of 6 WRC rounds in 2003
Have you competed abroad? Where and when? First time in Belgium in 1984, also Australia, Thailand, San Remo, Finland and other European events.
Your opinions  on rallying  
Favourite rally car: Peugeot 206 WRC  
Favourite rally driver: ** Marcus Gronholm seems a genuine bloke
Favourite rally co-driver: David Senior - he has been a great help during the last ** 8 years, as have the other UK-based co-drivers
Favourite bit of road or forest: Moll's Gap, Killarney
Do you prefer pace notes or map reading events? Pace notes - no option nowadays
Things you dislike about rallying? Some of the more stupid rules.  Organisers who don't respect competitors' opinions.
Who do you think will win 2001 World Rally Championship? Luis Moya.  Consistency will be important this year.   
... and in 2003? ** Timo Rautiainen
Rallying history  
Drivers you have sat with: ** Martin Rowe, Neil Wearden, Robin Phillips, Denis Biggerstaff and perhaps 50 more
Best driver you have ever sat with? ** Martin & Neil
Best result: 99 Ulster Rally win - huge party!
Worst result: 2000 Manx - retired 1/2 mile in   
Championships contested: 96 Production Cup, British Rally Championship every year until 2000
Best Championship result: 2000 British Rally Championship - 2nd overall   
Best rally memory: The finish podium after winning my first International in Belfast
Strangest incident on a rally: Had a shotgun fired at me on a road rally in the early days
Biggest accident: 96 Cavan stages with Denis Biggerstaff - thought I'd broken my back - did the Scottish the following weekend
Achievements gained from rallying Met some fantastic people
Your current performance  
Current driver(s) and championships contested in 2003? ** Martin Rowe - World Rally Championship for Production Car Drivers (and co-drivers)
How could you improve your ‘own’ current performance? Get fitter.  
How could you improve your current driver’s performance? Help him gain more WRC experience in a 4wd car
If you had £50,000 to spend on rallying, what would you do? ** Create a co-driver scholarship
Your future in rallying  
Where would you most like to compete (in the world): Those WRC events I haven't tackled yet
Which rally would you most like to compete in? Safari
Which driver(s) would you most like to co-drive for? ** The best!
Ambition in rallying for the future: Help produce another British / Irish World Champion   
What would you like to put back into rallying? Some hope for our young stars   
The future of rallying  
Which up-and-coming rally driver can you recommend? ** Unfortunately no-one stands out at the minute
Which up-and-coming rally co-driver can you recommend? Michael Gibson - he does about a million events each year!
What would be the best tip you could give to other co-drivers? Try to get experience at the highest level possible. Don't be afraid to contact the top pros and ask questions.  They all want to help new talent
updated 12/2/03 (items marked **)
Wearden hits the jackpot
12/4/01
One of Britain’s rising stars, Neil Wearden, will be contesting selected rounds of the World Rally Championship this year thanks to an ingenious and ambitious deal involving City of London investment.

Former Vauxhall driver Wearden will drive a 206 WR Car prepared by Italian team Grifone on four World Championship events – Cyprus, Finland, New Zealand and Sanremo – despite having no sponsorship at present. The drive has been financed by London venture capitalists who have bought into a million-pound scheme set up by Slipstream Sports Management, a company run by co-driver Trevor Agnew and Angus Watt.

The deal lasts five years and will encompass three other talented British drivers, all of them under 21. Names have not been disclosed yet, but the intention is that two will contest next year’s Super 1600 World Championship and the other the Formula Rally series, Britain’s Super 1600 contest. Slipstream will provide management and guidance as well as finance.

“Slipstream has been working hard to secure the right financial deal and this has given me a fantastic opportunity to prove myself on the world stage. Unfortunately, talent alone isn’t enough to break into the World Rally Championship, and it’s a huge confidence boost to know Slipstream has total faith in my ability. We have a long-term plan, so it’s not a case of having to set the world alight on my first rally to keep the programme alive. I have a lot to learn, and this is a great opportunity for me,” Wearden said.
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