Q&A: David Llewellin - EXCLUSIVE.

by Rob Wilkins

TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH DAVID LLEWELLIN: CLICK HERE

1989 and 1990 British Rally champion David Llewellin was one of the stars at the recent Castle Combe Rallyday in the UK where he was reunited with his Audi UK Quattro S1 E2. Crash.net Radio caught up with him there and spoke to him about that event and about the sport in general...

Crash.net:
David, what have you made of the Rallyday?

David Llewellin:
Well, the weather is so good isn't it? The last time I was here two years ago it absolutely poured down. There is a great atmosphere today with the sun shinning and all these enthusiasts here. It is making for a good day.

Crash.net:
How important are events like this?

DL:
It is good to promote the sport and it is nice when people can get close to the cars and the competitors - just see and breathe it. I know you can get reasonably close in rallying but here it is more relaxed. Fans can come and have a chat and we can sign some autographs. They can then see a bit going on out on the track as well. It is the best of both worlds.

Crash.net:
What do you make of the sport today?

DL:
Of course it has changed an awful lot and I have to be honest and say I have stayed away from it. Not since I have retired because I did quite a few years doing gravel notes and testing for various teams. But for the last half a dozen years with my own family growing up and them taking an interest in different sports, I have moved away from it a bit. As such I am not in a very good position to comment on it. But obviously looking from the outside I can see that the cars have changed a lot and the events have changed. Whether that is for better or not I don't know. You would have to ask somebody that is involved.

Crash.net:
In the WRC at the moment Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen are battling for the title. Loeb has an eight point lead, but with four rounds to go, it is not over...

DL:
That is good isn't it? You don't want somebody dominating the sport like Sebastien has. That makes it exciting and I hope it continues right to the last round because that is what it needs.

Crash.net:
Do you think Mikko could potentially beat Sebastien this year?

DL:
Yes, it would be nice to see. The Ford is definitely a good car. They are both obviously top drivers and it will be an interesting fight. But you know what rallying is like. You need a bit of lady luck on your side. I have been in that position before and when things are going right it is good and when they are not it is hard. I wish them luck.

Crash.net:
Sebastien's record over the years is brilliant. What makes him so successful?

DL:
It has got to be his driving style. It is so neat and tidy - so precise. He obviously bonds with the car so well and it is just such a hard combination for his rivals to beat. He makes so few mistakes. I have not really known anyone like it. There is the Mitsubishi WRC car here and Tommi Makinen comes to mind. But Tommi was an aggressive driver and he did make mistakes, whereas Sebastien doesn't do that very often - and is then very hard to beat.

TO HEAR THE INTERVIEW IN FULL WITH DAVID LLEWELLIN: CLICK HERE