I've had some fun times recently, kicking off with a spot of shopping and some gossip with friends at the Autosport Show, then enjoying myself far, far too much at back to back Beverley and BWRDC Awards dinners. I've been frozen marshalling on a couple of 12 car events and frozen rallying with Paul Swift in the snow at Jack Frost stages. In between I've been starting my new website business, fostering a rescue dog and planning and plotting my rally season.
This year is shaping up to be a lot of fun. I'm really excited to be sitting with Adrian Drury for a whole season, as we take the Drury Deliveries 106 GTi to contest the Protyre MSA Asphalt Rally Championship.
The revived Asphalt Championship features two events on Epynt, the Manx National, Rally Wervik, the Down Rally in Northern Ireland and the Cheviot Stages across the mighty Otterburn ranges.
I'm also very pleased to have been asked to sit with Bradley Howlett, who is competing on his first rally events in the UK with a view to getting his National A licence and going to Europe to do events there. So far he's put in some good performances, with his uncle Simon Howlett in the hot seat. Simon normally co-drives for brother Ben so I'm filling in for Simon while he's busy. We're entered for Snetterton Stages next weekend and for Donington on the 4th of March. Best of all, we have an entry in for the Corbeau Seats Rally Clacton and Tendring. It's the first closed road stage rally in England, following the changes to the Road Traffic Act. How exciting to be a part of something so truly pivotal to the future of rallying in the UK.
Andy and I are also determined to get back out to Belgium in the flying Evo. We'll be rebuilding the car over the next few months, as well as finishing off the 205 GTi.
I've privately set an ambitious target for the Evo of three rallies in a month, starting with Omloop van Vlaanderen, then Rally Isle of Man and finishing with Trackrod Rally Yorkshire.
After all - "If you can dream it, you can achieve it."