Motorsport is dangerous and we all know that. I don't know if it is just me, but I always thank God when we finish an event in one piece because like most people I know how fragile life is. Rallying is also Great Fun, Exhilarating, Exciting, Thrilling and Addictive!!
I grew up in Chesterfield (Derbyshire) and when I was small my Dad (the one and only Eric Bollands) once took me to Sherwood Forest to watch the RAC Rally. As I ran ahead of him to see the first car I could hear tearing through the trees (Stig Blomqvist in a Saab 96 I think) I could not believe the speed and particularly the sound. I don't know why, but I remember thinking that I didn't expect them to sound like 'Racing Cars'
That was it - I no longer wanted to be a Formula One Driver, I wanted to be a RALLY DRIVER!!!
If I can convey just some of this below, then I have done what I set out to do.
I hope that I can write this without it being a long list of Stage Times and problems such as 'We went Really Fast' and 'We Nearly Crashed' but please forgive me if I do!