Drivers
Looking back over the past ten years, I realized that I've co-driven for many excellent drivers and had many interesting experiences along the way. Here's the big (and growing) list:
1 - Dan Brosnan
"Big Dan" is an Irish ex-pat who now makes his home in Boston. He was the guy who took a chance and agreed to let a completely green* co-driver run with him at the 2002 Ski Sawmill ClubRally. We managed to get through the rally well enough... apparently without scaring him too badly, because I ended up co-driving for him again at the Maine Forest Rally in 2005 and 2006.
*metaphorically and literally, since this was before I discovered scopolamine.
2 - Piotr Motykiewicz
Piotr is an NYC-based driver who ran a Group 2 Mitsubishi Mirage. I co-drove for him at the 2002 Black Bear Rally. It was my second event, my first time co-driving in Canada, my first time using stage notes, and my first DNF.
3 - Martin Donnelly
Martin was the first driver who I had a regular partnership with. We ran together in his temperamental but crazy fun Escort Cosworth for most of the 2002, 2003 and 2004 seasons. Since then, I've co-driven for him every now and then in his much less temperamental but still crazy fun ex-works WRX STi.
4 - Ashton Evans
I wanted to expand my rallying horizons and see more events in other parts of the country, so I connected with Ashton for a one-off: the 2004 Rocky Mountain Rally. It was only his second rally, but tons of fun. I think that rally was my first class win.
5 - Tim Stevens
For 2005, I managed to find a full season ride with Tim in his Production GT WRX. Jumping back into the US for the first time since my first rally, we ran the Rally America Eastern Region championship, finishing second for the season.
6 - Panos Simatos
Panos was another driver who I teamed up with for a one-off ride. He was a Greek ex-pat who had decided to move back to the "old country". The 2005 Galway-Cavendish Forest Rally was his last rally before he left Canada.
7 - Rob Mackenzie
I knew Rob through the Ontario rally scene, so when his regular co-driver couldn't make it to Rally of the Tall Pines in 2005, he asked me if I could fill in. Things went well, so we ran together again for Tall Pines 2006. That year, we didn't finish as well: our rally ended when we slid off the road on an icy corner.
8 - Craig Studnicky
I was introduced to Craig at the beginning of 2006 through the European Rally School, where Craig and his friend Brian Street had gone to learn how to rally.
I responded to an ad looking for a co-driver and was eventually selected. 2006 was planned to be a "learning" year. We did our first few rallies in a Production GT Celica All-Trac before moving up to a Group N Evo VI in mid-season.
Our partnership culminated at the 2007 Corona Rally Mexico, where we fought through problems that the heat and altitude were causing with the car to finish the rally.
Unfortunately, our grand plans for the rest of 2007 didn't survive the downturn in the real estate market, but I took a huge amount of valuable experience from the year I spent helping a driver go from complete novice to international competitor.
9 - Luis Melo
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10 - Rob Gritten
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11 - Ivor Wigham
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12 - Robin Fleguel
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13 - Matt Barnes
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14 - Michael Salter
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15 - Dave Marzetti
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16 - Justin Carven
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17 - Mark Biernacki
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18 - Alexei Stapinski
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19 - Grant Riddell
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