Name – Russ Coppin
Hometown – Bradford, West Yorkshire
Age – 24
Disciplines you support / compete within – Autotests, Sprints, Car Trials and Autosolos.
Plans for 2008 within motorsport – Demon Tweeks Direct BTRDA Autotest Championship.
What is the average cost of an event you compete on – For each Autotest the entry fee is around £25, £40 on fuel/tyres, plus travel comes to about £100 per event.
How did you get started in motorsport – My parents met many years ago through a local motor club. As a result I have been exposed to motorsport all my life.
When was your first event – I started off helping organise events with my local car club doing the entries/results or marshalling. When I was old enough to compete my first event was Ilkley Motor Club's Car Trial in July 2001. I was competing in my own car having just passed my test and managed to finish the event without any damage to the car and with a huge grin on my face.
How long have you been involved in motorsport – If you count sitting in my pram in a field while my mum competed, then from 3 months old!
High points of your involvement – Winning the BTRDA Autotest Junior award in 2004.
Strangest experience – Navigating for a friend in a rear wheel drive car on a stage rally. It was the first time both of us had entered a stage rally and neither of us had ever competing in a RWD car. We approached the first hairpin with the question "how do you handbrake a RWD car?" After much discussion during the rest of the stage and several hairpins later we'd just about worked it out.
Future plans – To get a car suitable for entering car trials, autotests and autosolos so I can compete in the Allrounders championship and enter more events.