In the following is a very brief glimpse of a journey that has taken me to many places, and caused me to experience many wonderful emotions. I have loved every second of it... the adrenalin rushes, the excitement, the challenges, the friendships, and most of all taking the risk. It has all contributed to an absolute buzz of a time, and the great people that I have met along the way have made it such a rich and rewarding experience. I thank all of those people.

I have been involved in Rallying in Australia and overseas for a little while now. I started racing cars when I was 18, by participating in a variety of circuit events in Britain, where I was born. I raced at some of the well known tracks around Britain in a Lotus Europa, and became quite proficient on tarmac, both wet and dry. For some years I had known that I no longer wished to reside in the bleak rain and drizzle of Britain, and so I packed 2 suitcases, and emigrated to Perth in Western Australia during 1983. I did however find that tarmac events and races in Western Australia were mostly restricted to Wanneroo Raceway, which is now known as the Barbagallo Raceway. I found this to be a little confining, and so in a quest to sample something new, I purchased a Datsun 1600 via an advertisement in the Sunday Times newspaper for $1500. The car was white, and had a half roll cage, uprated suspension and twin carburetors, and was enough to begin driving in a few Khanacross and Slalom - style club events in WA, which I did so through the Light Car Club of WA. The Datsun was good, although not really what I was used to, because having just emigrated from London, I was more used to driving front- wheel drive cars flat out around street areas South of London, where I had worked as an apprentice Motor Technician, in a VW / Audi / Porsche Dealership. Whilst there, I learnt just how far I could push the customers VW Golf GTI's, Audi Quattro's and other exciting cars and vans in the widely varying road conditions in the UK, and had daily experience of pushing the limits during "Road Tests" in which I ensured that every part of the car I had worked on was perfect.

So when it came to building my first actual Rally Car, I of course chose a front wheel drive VW Golf in beautiful duck-egg blue, which I exchanged for a carton of Heineken. I then rapidly bought the "Goodies" to make it into a Rally Car... then promptly rolled on it on my first event. I then repeated this experience several times after subsequent rebuilds, until the chassis became so twisted that one wheel was 8 inches in the air when the car was sitting on flat ground. I then learnt that a Datsun 1600 might be a little smarter as an option in Australia, and that rear wheel drive cars could actually be quite fast. Lesson 1 of many.

Our Class Win in an Australian Rally Championship Event

I then purchased Rob Herridge's Datsun 1600 in 1986 for an amazingly large amount of money, as he had won a W.A. State Championship in it. It was fast... really fast. It seemed to have endless horsepower from a Nissan "Works" dry-sumped engine with twin 50 mm Webers hanging off it, and the dry sump tank in the boot, as well as an "Option 1" gearbox, and a welded up differential which took some getting used to. I quickly taught Fiona, my lovely lifestyle partner at that time how to read " Route Instructions" in a Rally Car, and after a few shouting episodes during a soaking wet Forests Rally event in W.A., we won the under 2000cc Group G category that weekend. This felt absolubtely fantastic, and both myself and Fiona were really spurred on by our first result together. It seemed as though we might have a future in the sport, and Rob Herridge ( Father of Dean Herridge, who ran in the Subaru Rally Team for some years) always said to me that "The penny will drop one day". I saw him as a bit of a legend at that time, and still have a great respect for both him and Dean.

The Lombard RAC Rally WRC, and the Group B Rally Cars

In November of 1986 I moved back to Britain with Fiona for a while, and got there just in time to see the incredible Group B Rally Cars in action for what turned out to be their last ever competitive rally event. I had bought another Lotus, only this caught fire, and so Fiona and myself drove a little Fiat 128 210 miles into Wales, and then ran 3 miles up to the top of a hill in the middle of nowhere to see them in action in the pouring rain, and we were rewarded by being pelted with rocks from 30 feet away in the most awesome display of sheer brute horsepower and car control that the world has ever seen. I count myself very fortunate to have witnessed this amazing gravity defying show just once. I will never forget the hill, the Audi Quattro E1's, the Lancia Delta S4's, and... the rocks, and the rain.

Discovering Speed in Rallying

The next phase of my rally career was back in Australia, and was the most crucial, as I discovered the need for expert instruction from those with knowledge... because there were no Rally Schools, and no-one was prepared to teach me what they knew, even Rob. I therefore discovered that "The penny will drop one day" by buying my next car, a rotary powered Mazda RX-2 from a Scotsman named Gerry McGroarty. This was yet another purchase made instantly with no thought, and I acquired this car in bits and rapidly assembled it from many pieces that were all over the floor of a car yard that I was leasing, and it was in this car that I would eventually set Top 3 Stage times... before crashing and destroying yet another bodyshell. If only I could... find out from someone what technique meant!! I now know that Rally Tuition is vital, as it is the same as any sport such as golf, tennis, or swimming. It felt good to go quickly, although I had no idea of how to keep the car on the narrow West Australian gravel roads, and just figured that if I kept my foot buried into the right pedal, then surely success would be mine. I destroyed the car twice, and eventually found out what the middle pedal was for. This felt like a revelation, and indeed it was.

Our First World Rally Championship Event

In 1988 Garry Connelly organised the first ever WRC style event in Perth, Western Australia, as a trial event for the 1989 event, and we entered 2 Mazda RX-7's in a team with my great friend, Warren Tuckett. During the lead up, all teams were introduced to "Pacenotes" for the first time, which is the international form of rally co-driving (Navigation) used in all WRC events. It was a real experience to feel the buzz of running on Pacenotes, and to come racing up to blind bends and powering through them reliant only of the words of my co-driver. We finished in a respectable position, after a minor crash on the first of four days of competition. The feeling at the end of the event defied words. We had practiced and learnt to use pacenotes for two months, using every spare waking hour, and had enjoyed all of it. We had driven for 3 days in an amazing event. My great friend Warren Tuckett was there at the end of the last stage to welcome us home... one of many great moments.

Co-Driving in a World Rally Championship Event

During 1990, Warren Tuckett purchased a Suzuki Swift 1300cc. front-wheel drive rally car, and so I flew back from Britain, where I was living again, to co-drive for him in Rally Australia, the WRC round in Perth. Following a stressful week or two practicing prior to the event, I was finally able to stop pushing my feet through the floor of the left of the little Suzuki, and was able to begin concentrating on reading the Pacenotes properly. The mighty Suzuki was fantastic, and during an action-packed event, Warren and myself were able to finish 3rd outright in our class ( under 1300cc WRC). Getting to the end of a World Rally Championship event in a small privately entered team always had such great rewards at that time, as it seemed like everything to just finish, as the competitive distance was much longer then than it is now, and so we felt like adventurers. World Rallying is different now, and is more about sprinting for three days over shorter distances than surviving over long distances.

A Class Win in a World Championship Rally

During 1991 I was continuing to build my Rally Schools International business up in Britain to 7 day a week operation, and as a result did not take full advantage of huge competition opportunities that awaited me in England. I did however fly back to Australia again for Rally Australia, to co- drive once again for Warren Tuckett. We enjoyed another very eventful WRC round together, and were rewarded with a win in the under 1300cc part of the WRC, with him as Driver and me as co-driver. The event followed a real tussle with two other competitors, and also featured input from a spiritual consultant, who gave us exactly what we wanted !! It was a very emotional moment when we both realized that we had won.

My First Event in a 4WD Turbo Rally Car

Following many weeks of practicing in my new Mitsubishi Galant VR-4 Rally Car, we entered a classic Western Australian state championship event located around 2 hours South of Perth, known as the Safari Rally. I had practiced for 4-6 hours every night for two weeks, as well as watching a huge quantity of videos of World Rallying, and so I was ready for action. The event was wet and very slippery, ideal conditions for a driver from England, although sliding off the second bend was'nt very smart. We finished 2nd outright, and I felt fantastic and very satisfied with the outcome. I again experienced the "High" that was so much of what I did Rallying for in those days, although this was to change.

Win-A-Drive Competition in the 1992 Rally Australia, and Andrew Pinker

Inspired to a novel way to promote my new First Time Racing rallyschool in Perth, I established a "Win-A-Drive" Competition for the Australian round of the World Rally Championship in 1992. I guess that it was about this time that I began my education in PR and Marketing, and I gobbled both up in my continuing quest to move forwards, as was my wish at that time. I kept creating new and exciting ways to bring rallying into people's awareness, and to allow them to partake of something that I loved. I ran a series of Rallyschools over 7 weeks leading up to the event, and a very young guy by the name of Andrew Pinker became the standout of the days. He won our competition, and we therefore chose to run him in the event, with me once again co-driving. We started as car number 97 on the road in the little Suzuki Swift GTi, finishing a credible 46th with Andrew driving in his first ever Rally, and me instructing him as we went along!!

KPMG Sponsorship of our team

During 1993, I employed an outstanding lady by the name of Robyn Eales as a marketing and sponsorship aid, and during her time with the team, she was able to secure an impressive sponsorship deal with KPMG Peat Marwick, one of Australia's leading accountancy companies. The deal was for our entry in the 1993 Rally Australia World Rally Championship Event, and was one of the sports more far-reaching arrangements at that time. We unfortunately blew a gearbox on the way to the start, which was incredibly distressing for all involved, as well as Damien Long, who flew from Sydney to co-drive for me. We had been together earlier in the year, when he navigated for me whilst we set some outstanding stage times in the Forests Rally in Perth, a round of the Australian Rally Championship. We had been part of an amazing battle for 3rd place over two days, although we had no trip meter for 1 day whilst running in the dark with blinding dust!! - an incredible feeling of racing into the unknown pitch black with very little vision and only the words of Damien to guide me along a narrow gravel road, while he "felt" where we were on the stage, whilst I just kept on driving flat out, sometimes at well over 140 Km/hr. This was a real highlight for me, and an exploration of total trust in another human being.

First Time Racing, and Andrew Pinker's win of the 1994 Daihatsu Charade Challenge

I had named the Australian Rally School "First Time Racing", as this is what I was offering - the opportunity to race for your first time. By now Andrew Pinker had completed in a few events, and so for 1994 we put two cars together with two really pretty and sexy female co-drivers, and went off competing in events around Australia. I had Tui Horo as my lovely accomplice, whilst Andrew has his then girlfriend, Claire Parker. During April of 1993, Executive Car Hire approached us to become the major sponsor of our team, precipitating our entry into our first Eastern States Australian Championship Event in Queensland in July.Following the long trip East, I crashed out after running 7th outright, amidst of a savage attack of flu, and Andrew did the same later that night. We all went to the pub and did not come out.

Despite this, Andrew and Claire went on to clinch the 1994 Daihatsu Charade Challenge at the International Rally of Canberra in November, at which I shed a tear, as I had finally taught someone else to do what I could do. We went to the pub again, and this time we did come out... the following day.

The Winfield Sponsorship Deal, and our 3 Car Team for a World Championship Rally

In 1995 I left Western Australia with my lovely wonderful supportive lifestyle partner at that time, Nina Rose, a female aviator who was very good at flying Tiger Moth aircraft upside down and round and round in loops... and stalling them in mid-air. She supported me through 18 months of not working at all, while I chased sponsorship every day.We spent majical weekends upside down in Tiger-Moths, and out in the wineries around New South Wales, driving our only car, a $300 Honda Civic. I also restarted running some Rallyschools in Goulburn, after a keen and fast Rally Driver called Craig Stallard asked me to do so, and we made a few dollars for our efforts.

In August of 1996, I signed a contract with Rothmans of Pall Mall, at the Sheraton on the Park Hotel in Sydney. That changed my life, and also that of Rod Salmon, the guy that I chose to support me with this venture, as were both very aware that a deal of this magnitude for a single event had not been before in Australia. We also knew that with a sponsor like Winfield, that there could be a lot more to come in the future.

Rod had been running a 2 Car Team on the Australian Rally Championship for 18 months by then, and had employed Michael Guest to run the team, build all of the cars, and to drive one of the 2 new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 3's.

Rod and I arranged to build another new Lancer Evolution 3, change the colour of all the cars and support vans to Winfield Red, hold press conferences, arrange dinners, organise Corporate Boxes and female models, and then take it from Sydney to Perth... in 4 weeks.My great friend and lovely co-driver Tui Horo organised to be with me in the lead up to the event as part of the team, and as my co-driver in the 1996 Rally Australia. However, a hitch with entry numbers that year prevented me driving, and so Michael Guest and Ron Cremen became the 2 drivers for our team assault on the event. Michael did in fact lead the outright Group N Category of the Perth WRC for the first day, until he rolled the car. Rod Salmon and myself jointly organised what I still consider to be one of the more outstanding sponsorship deals in Australia's Rallying history, for a single event.

5th Outright in the 1996 International Rally of Canberra

Rod Salmon and myself agreed that we should enter the same 3 Car Team in the Rally of Canberra, a round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship later that year, and so we did. I had another co-driver for this one event, by the name of Stella Plenderleith. Michael Guest entered and finished well. Rod had a massive crash and I finished 5th outright in my first Asia- Pacific Rally Championship event, following a close battle with some other top entrants.

1997 - Australian Rally Championship Events in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III

During 1997, our Team contested most of the Australian Rally Championship Events for the first time, on new roads in new locations. We were rewarded with results inside the Top 10, and enjoyed the exciting new experience of covering much of Australia. We also contested a great local State Championship event, and after a massive off in the first stage, finished 3rd.

3rd Outright in the 1997 International Rally of Canberra

Later in 1997, I was fortunate enough to meet a great lady named Helena Robson, who attended one of our Rally Drive Days. I agreed to train her to become a great co-driver, and how to read pacenotes. We went and spent time with Ed Ordynski, to learn the 1 to 10 system of pacenotes, as I had previously only used a 1- 6 system. We practiced for many weekends, and then took the team to the rally of Canberra. As we sat on the start line of the very first special stage to begin 2 days of intense top level competition, I said to her "Are you ready?" She replied "I'm not sure, what happens next?". I replied "This" - and selected first gear. She began reading the pacenotes... perfectly. We finished 3rd outright and sprayed champagne over everyone from the Podium. Another really great moment, given that we were a small privately entered team.

1999 Rally of New Zealand World Rally Championship Event and a New Lancer Evolution 5

In mid 1999, I took the entire team along with my latest girlfriend, Marina, to New Zealand, in order to get some overseas WRC experience. Following some encouraging times in testing, and what we thought were a good set of pacenotes, we began the event in Auckland, only to find that they did not have tyre trucks moving around the event! - Everyone had already mounted their own tyres on the rims. We battled on through the first day on totally inappropriate rubber and set very poor stage times.

On the second day, Reece Jones crashed, and after I negotiated a deal with him, I inherited his Falken tyres and Enkei Rims. What a blast! Suddnely we were light years faster, and so much so that I went flying off the road at a well known spectator point, and made worldwide television, hitting a tree 10 metres up, and then dropping some 50 or 60 metres, I had gone about the task of attempting to retake all the time that I had lost in one day, in 26 kms. As I looked back up what was nearly a vertical drop to where all the spectators were, I did think "That was big". We took the car to New Zealand in a 40' container, and brought it back in a 20' container. Not really a great weekend, although full of lessons.

3rd Outright in Coffs Harbour

I took another new Co-Driver on for this event, which only ran for one day due to an excessive amount of rain during the event. The lady was Kim Martin, and we took a steady approach to the event which yielded a strong 3rd place in the rain, with Neal Bates and Steward Reid ahead of us.

1st in the Narooma Rally

Our team had upgraded the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution V into an Evolution VI, and so the car had slight advantages over the previous version. We attended my first "blind" rally in many years (an event on route instructions and not pacenotes) and won the event.

2002 Australian Rally Championship Events

Early in the year 2002, I went to the pub one night, and while I was there I agreed with a very very close friend that I would teach her to co-drive. Her name is Nicola Hoey, a Pommy chick from a little south- west of where I came from in England. We went out into the forest for many weekends while she became expert at reading and making pacenotes, and the result was the most wonderful co-driver that I have ever had the pleasure of rallying with.We did a fair bit of the training on Playstation, as Saturdays and Sundays were often difficult for her, as she was always hung over from the night before, and would need to stop a lot relieve stomach pressure. We had the greatest fun, told the maddest jokes and generally had a sensational time wherever we went. She was already well-versed in the ways of rallying and in how our team worked, as she had been part of the service crew for 4 years or so prior, and had travelled the country far and wide with me.

We undertook most of the events in the calendar in the Lancer Evolution VI, with moderate success (with some top 10 Finishes). We also built a Group A Lancer Evolution 2 up from Michael Guest's original 1996 car, and used this for State Championship events, and extra practice for Nic. This period of time being 2002-2005 was probably the most competitive in recent times for the Australian Rally Championship during which there were 7 Manufacturer backed Rally Cars running. Therefore, I guess just making the Top 15 was good! Although I definitely did not see it that way then. I was very ambitious, and was extremely hard on myself with results like these. In hindsight, I have learnt so much, and part of this is that without the machinery at the premier level, winning can be very challenging indeed.

2003 Rally Australia, World Championship Rally

Nic, my co-driver, had always wanted to participate in a World Championship Rally event. In 2003 our Australian Rally Championship chances were not appearing outstanding and so we took some time out to drive across the Nullarbor, and take the team back to Perth again for the 2003 WRC. Nic did an amazing job as always, especially when it came to push-starting the Evolution VI, which she did many times in the first day of competition. We had no clutch, no gear selection and no brakes for half of the day's special stages.

Somehow, we kept going, taking time to re-build the car at every service point, and getting one major thing done every time. By the third day, we had a clutch, all gears and fantastic brakes, and so I wound the driving up again, now that I knew what the car was going to do. We set some great times on the final day, finishing 28th, outright due to all the time lost early in the event. Other events followed a similar pattern and I decided to turn my attention to other areas of my life in 2004, not related to rallying.

The birth of the Privateer Rally Entrants Group

During 2004, I decided to make some inroads towards changing the rapidly rising costs of a continuing Australian Rally Championship Program. I called Frank Neale, who had previously suggested a partial solution to the issue if the costs of rallying. I also called Michael Thompson and Steve Thompson, all of whom were involved in Rallying. We met, and formed the Privateer Rally Entrants Group (PREG). The newly formed group began meeting regularly, and soon thereafter made a presentation to Garry Connelly who was at that time the Chairman of Rallycorp and the Australian Rally Commission (ARCOM). He agreed with most of our findings as a group, and went about the task of implementing our plan into the Australian Rally Championship.

In the following year, the BP Ultimate Challenge was created, which featured a maximum number of 12 tyres to be used during an event, along with only 4 events of the 6 round series needing to be entered, as well as 98 octane pump fuel becoming the agreed control fuel. This new format became the Rally Challenge that we have in 2008.

2007 Lakes Rally Australian Rally Championship Event

Nic and myself decided to enter the State Championship part of this event, and to give the newly rebuilt Evolution VI Rally Car a run. The event was based around Forster in New South Wales, and the roads used were excellent. Our experience was to suffer fuel pump failure on the first day of the event, after only 2 special stages.

We had another go on day 2, and finished 3rd outright in the state section of the event for that day, which was very pleasing after a period of absence from mainstream participation. In my new maturity, I wanted to see if I still got the rush from driving a rally car sideways at 180 km/hr over crests. I did find it a nice thing to do,and was able to do it all in a very relaxed way, and so the experience was completely different to before. There was no stress, and I enjoyed participating in something that I am good at. I guess Rallying will always in my DNA, and so we move onto the next exciting chapter.