A co-driver is the rally car’s office manager – and I wouldn’t want to swap seats for all the tea in China!
He is responsible for all the paperwork – and in rallying there is a lot of that – all the timing, the navigation to and from the stages, the last minute route changes and the perfect delivery of the pace notes. And whilst he – or she – is calculating arrival times, sorting out the road book, making last minute modifications to the pace notes, the co-driver is being juggled around in a high-performance rally car. At low speed, a rally car isn’t a smooth ride I can assure you. People who suffer from car sickness need not apply to be a co-driver.
My co-driver, Dai Roberts, is hugely experienced. He’s from Wales which, like Scotland, is rich in rallying heritage – with great forest roads and twisty remote lanes. Wales has produced some great co-drivers like world champion Phil Mills and Colin McRae’s co-driver Nicky Grist, and with great rally roads all around them, it’s easy to see why.
Rally Germany will be my first World Rally Championship event with Dai beside me. We did the Manx National Rally together last year, so I know he’ll do a great job and that we’ll get on well.