WRC Backstories: Jonas Andersson

[MUSIC] We are a very emotional family and we love what we do. We have the same passion as you know my mother and my father and my whole family. It's what we live for. It's what we love doing. You know, my father and my mom, they are on every rally still. Even if they're retired, that is the most important for me. That means they're going to meet. A couple of years ago I decided that this is now the moment to make this a business. So I registered a website up in the ass of them. fi or.com, I don't remember but there is nothing there, don't go and check. I would say maybe the highlight of course was to start rally Monte Carlo with Citroen. Together with Basten Lowe. I must say that yeah, that's a autograph card that Citroen made with all the drivers. And I actually kept that to its great. What's that? I loved the fact you kept it. Yeah, yeah. Welcome to WRC backstories. Our exclusive World Rally Championship podcast presented by Bex Williams. It's about that time again, ready for the second episode of WRC Backstories in 2026. Welcome along everyone. Hope you're doing all right. Hope you're keeping well and all of that stuff. Today we are jumping out of the driver's seat. We spoke to John Armstrong back in January and for February. We are heading into the co-driving seat. Now, Jonas Anderson, Swedish co-driver, he has been around the block of it. Pretty much a permanent fixture in the WRC since 2003. He's a double junior world champion, a WRC two champion, multiple WRC podiums under his belt. His dedication to co-driving is second to none. With over 200 WRC events and almost 350 rallies in total, the boy knows what he's talking about. He sat alongside many drivers in his career, P.G. Anderson, Chris Meek, Mads Osberg, Pontus Tiedemann, Gus Greensmith, to name just a few. I think it's fair to say, over his almost 25 year career, he's seen a lot of things change in sport and he's seen and experienced a lot. He's about to share with us now. It is about this time where I tell you to get comfy Gaysuff a drink. Seeing his Jonas is Swedish, it's Fika time baby, Gaysuff a coffee, Gaysuff a cake, it's time to chit chat and hear from Mr. Anderson. He is one of the most experienced co-drivers in the WRC service park. What a career so far and I mean it is only so far because he's still practically a baby. He's Jonas Anderson, good morning Jonas, good to speak to you. How are you today? Good morning, let's see, I'm very fine. Thank you. Like you said, I'm just started really not close to finishing off my career yet. You're absolutely. We're practically the same age Jonas. You are though still in the real hot part of your career right now. Look, a career it has been. You know when you look back at some of the statistics, getting on the way almost 25 years ago now, it's hard to believe that he's been that long. Yeah, it's crazy to think that it's 25 years. It doesn't feel like that definitely but then to be fair like the years just rush through so quickly, it feels like it's like now it's already more or less March now. It feels like it was new year just a couple of days ago really. Yeah, that's just true, but this is what all people say, isn't it? It goes quicker, but it does, it does go so quickly. I want to talk to you about your amazing career so far, but I want to really kind of delve back to where you started even before you were in the co-driving seat. When you're a young boy running around in Sweden, I can't kind of imagine you as a teenager. I bet you're an absolute nightmare to be honest. That's in my head anyway. You can tell me different. But before we get to that point, Jonas Andersen on this podcast, I ask everybody to give us a little bit of a flavor of who they are, but by using just three words to describe their character or personality. So if you were to pick three words to describe yourself, what would they be? Ooh. And that is a common response. Yeah. I would say, calm. Mm-hmm. Happy? Or whatever it is, yeah. And. Difficult. I don't know what to say more. Um, I like the words you've chosen so far. I would definitely say you are calm, you're happy. Content, maybe, is a good word. You're always kind of, you're on this level of just happiness. But, you know, you're dedicated. You have to be dedicated, surely. If you've done 25 years in the co-driving seat, right? Yeah, that's a must for sure, but I try to balance it a bit like, like I said, like try to be the most. Like try to relax, like when I can relax and I try to be very serious, when I need to be serious, I mean, between I try to take it a bit more joyful, maybe. So, yeah. I like that. I like that. Talk to me about a young Yona Sanders and then growing up, back home in Sweden. What, what, what, what were the early years like for you and was motorsport on your radar when you were growing up? Yes, it was my, my dad was in to motorsport. He did a bit of some small like racing and some himself when he was younger. And maybe not so much, just when we were growing up, but there was always, he was, he was working in the forest, like in the forestry machines and so on. And it was always like in the workshop, you know, getting in the way, getting dirty with the oil and so on. And always been interesting. And we always had like toys, you know, like small go carts and so on at home. And so from an early age, like really interesting motorsport and my dad went to see rallies and I went with him and so on. So that came very early and like in this, this part of Sweden is very motor sport. Yeah, I would say like it's like the capital of motorsport definitely in, in Värmland. So started off with this, full race, this scrap car racing in Sweden when I was 15 and I drove a bit more by myself then. That's what I wanted to do drive. That's what definitely was my, my goal to drive by rally car and drive. And then by the age when I was 14, 15, I also did a bit of code driving already then, like on small local rallies and so on. So I started with that, but the driving was the thing to do really. And then I was looking into buying a rally car, but at the same time then PG reached out to me and asked if I wanted to do Swedish championship with him. And that time that sounded like a really great idea, like because with my budget I would only do like really small rallies. So do Swedish championship that was like, like a great thing so so. So I said, yeah, definitely I'll do that. And then from there on, I've never gotten into the driver's seat luckily maybe. That's quite unusual though, because I, you know, I spoke to a lot of code drivers over the years who, who, when I've asked, you know, was driving ever a consideration of like, no, never, never, never in the driving seat. Always code driver. But you were, you were completely the reverse. It was driving for you. But yet due to your calm, relaxed nature, you've shifted into the code driving seat with no problem. How did PG reach out? Did you know each other at that point in time? Yes, we knew each other from, well, like the community is quite small and so on and I have done some rallies and did a bit rally. And also he was doing this scrap car racing. He's a couple of years younger than me, but we met each other in service parks and so on. So we did know each other before that. But you hadn't done any code driving at that point in time. Yeah, I had, I did some code driving for some other like local rallies and so on. So I've done quite a few already before that. So you're doing that. That's kind of your focus. You've shifted out of the driving seat into the code driving seat. But what's going on behind the scenes? You know, what was school like for you when you were younger? Were you good in school? Were you a, were you a great student? Were you a bit of a pain for the teachers? Or were you the golden child? No, I wouldn't, I was maybe, I wasn't, I wasn't a baby there. I was a baby that comes one in school, but I wasn't a pain in the ass either, I would say. Like the early years in school and so on, I really enjoyed that. Like my grades were pretty decent, I would say. And then the last couple of years, I was really like tired of school really. So I couldn't wait to finish off that really and start working. I was feeling like I start to earn my own money and so on. But I was decent in school, I would say. Yeah, yeah, good. I can imagine you are. You've always struck me as the intelligent type. Certainly. So you talked about when PG reached out. What age were you then? Because I know you mentioned folk racing. I know you can kind of, you can start folk racing early in Sweden. Yeah, yeah. Okay. But I think I was twenty twenty one maybe when he reached out. I think so. Okay. Yeah, 2000. See, you're already working at that point. Yes. It was twenty. Was that twenty one? Maybe I was even a bit more twenty three maybe even. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, I was working at that time when he reached out and so on. I had my military service just before. Okay. Is that mandatory in Sweden? Yes, at that time it wasn't and then it. Of course, taken away, but I think it's kind of back now to mandatory. So I did that and then I actually went on. I went to Bosnia on the UN thing as well with the military after that. So. Oh, wow, I never knew that. No, I did for it was a short service only three months. I was a little bit more interested in that. And that was nineteen nine. Actually, I think I did that. So yeah. As a. As a group leader of a bunch of mechanics. I bet that taught you a lot. Yeah, definitely. It was interesting to see. All what's going on in different parts of the world at different times. So yeah, it was very interesting and. It makes you think a bit for sure. And it was very when I took the fair when I was there was like a. It was a calm. It had like it wasn't a war when I was there like it was the end of it when Sweden was trying to like. Pulling the troops out from there. So but still still on me lot. Yeah. Wow, I bet you did. That's fascinating. I never knew that. So. Just back to the kind of the growing up era because so many people are fascinated to. Kind of understand. You mentioned you know your dad was into motorsport. And you know you're in a lot of things. You know you're in a lot of things. And then it did happen. You know the big step up into into WRC machinery. What can you remember of that time and that change and that step up? No of course it was. It was a great opportunity for us. But like me and Peeji were not really that. Involving that. That. That. 8 when it really didn't do much testing at all and so on with the car like they had other people doing all the development and so on so we were not like we were doing the junior sun and we were not sure if we were going to be apart with or not, and at the end we were. We were there for 2008 together with the tonic atomizer and yeah, my name's. Oh yeah, no, no you say. Tommy, Tommy, Tommy. Oh yeah, Tommy. So that was of course a big step for us. I really enjoyed that year. But even before you know you stepped up into WR so you mentioned earlier, you know Tommy Macanen was was one of your heroes and then all of a sudden you're competing on the circuit when Tommy Macanen is still competing probably in his retirement year in 2003 I think. What was it like to be competing on the same stage effectively as a hero of yours and did you get the chance to chat with him back in those early years. I don't think I've chatted that much with him back in those years. I've chatted more with him now in late years and then back then maybe but I did say hi and so on and everybody was really nice so. Were you cueing for an autograph with your poster from the wall? I didn't do that no. I would have. No and it was a remember like like you said like in his retirement year and so on remember him in in ways that year and it's in the in a special things they had for him when he retired and so on. Golden boots. I think everyone remembers the TV image of him moonwalking. It's random things that you talk about stuff blurring and my mind remembers honestly the most ridiculous things sometimes that I bring up to people and they're like how have you remembered that I don't know. You can ask me who won rally Portugal 2015 I couldn't tell you but I could tell you what happened in 2002 randomly and just stupid stuff I think things like that kind of stick. Your years kind of stepping up then to the you know the top level Suzuki didn't have the smoothest time did they in the WRC years it's fair to say it kind of started. It's difficult fashion with some mechanical issues but it did get better through the year the results did get better yes definitely yeah. We had a couple of I think it was fifth places in Japan and in in GB and I think the engine was the big thing that was was lacking maybe in the car and in in in Japan and in Wales it was quite muddy and so on and and maybe the. And it wasn't playing such a big part of it and then the car show the big more of its potential but unfortunately they only. Got one year in. Yeah. That was a real shame wasn't it that it just didn't last that long no. They put the they put the plug and then and then for 2009 and PJ didn't have a contract and didn't know what to do really so I kind of I kind of retired then that's what I did then I was like okay that was. Few good years fun yeah and so then I didn't do anything special then for like almost six months just working my regular job and then. What was your regular job because there be people listening who want to get into this world and you know we talk about or having great years having wins but behind the scenes did you have a regular job as well as the rallying or was the rally enough no I had a regular job as well I was working concrete. Yeah putting up concrete walls and and so on and pouring concrete and. Okay in in Oslo area so I was working in Norway at that time so yeah. I'm about to have my kitchen done do you think you could help out you still got your skills. I'm not sure I would probably talk to someone else it was a few years ago now so thought I could have got someone on the cheap then maybe not. But you did you so you did have to have a job then to you know sustain what was happening in the rallying as well that obviously wasn't enough it was a big back and forth during those years there for sure about like so yeah I did a few different jobs I was and so on but then yeah mid 2009. I had so spoke all me and said he wanted me to to call drive for him and then I was like just because it had been so much like back and forth with with the work and so on I said like yeah I can do that but then you'll you'll have to hire me full time I don't care what you have me doing I'll be in the workshop doing whatever but just make it a full time job and I so it doesn't have to be. Half are really like you know yeah because normally the problem is like trying to work two jobs it's none of them gets 100% really so so and so yes I started working for him and was in the workshop doing like ordering parts and booking hotels flights and so on and so that worked out very well. Yeah that's a good way to do it because I can say if you're doing two things one of them is not getting done at absolutely 100% so that's the way to do it and then started then the mad osberg years which were a big chunk of your career to date. Yeah there's a long time sat alongside mads and I think you know a lot of us remember the early years of of mads in the championship as this kind of really energetic driver but also and I've discussed this with mads as well on this podcast you know quite an angry driver at the time when things went wrong you couldn't quite control his temper which changed as as the years went went on what was the experience like sitting alongside mads. No like I said he was he was definitely a bit of a hothead I like I remember one stage and I don't remember what has had gone wrong but I remember hearing Colin Clark outside of the car before even open the doors that I'm not even sure if I dare to put my head into this car at this moment. I remember that. Yeah but no I mean like I said I think he he from the years when I was with him I think he he I think they were not sure this actually correct to use like quite quickly and I mean we had some really really great years and some really really great results and yeah I think like it also like I said like resource standing out and I remember like 2011 with him in the in the new in the new Ford and competing in rally Sweden and being second to make a urban and they're like only a few seconds was down to the last day really and that's something that really will stick with me for forever I think so does your home event always always have a little bit of a special place in your heart because you did you did win your home event in the junior days never quite a WRC level but close obviously that battle is is one of the really great ones you're going to take with you forever but does competing at home does it give you that special feeling. Yeah definitely for me it definitely did that like it was always special especially like I've only done the event once up in union now and so I haven't done that so much but like when it was because I live really in the heart of there where the rallies I mean so you had so much friends and family and everything out and the support was great so it was always very special for sure. Yeah really I really enjoyed obviously the many many years we spent doing rally Sweden in your area Umio is a great new destination for the rally now is plenty of snow and ice up there and it's yeah it's a nice city definitely good one but Gus starts his season a little bit late for you to be able to experience your home event now. Yes we'll start now in in in so far in rally in a couple of weeks here so we did the wreckage so I was up there and I did the wreckage and so the stages and so on and they looked really nice so and watch the event so great conditions like it said so I think it's it's definitely a good move to have a proper conditions so. In the Mads Osberg is you mentioned you were with Ford you're alongside some fantastic drivers and co-drivers there then the move to sit you in but you were alongside so many different people in different teams you know experiencing relationships with different co drivers drivers even you know you were a very experienced driver at that point when you were in WRC already because you had so many rallies under your belt but were you still would you say were you were you still learning. Were you taking guidance from anybody is is there any bit of advice maybe that stands out that somebody ever ever gave you or do you do things in the co driving seat that you saw someone else doing I thought that's a that's a great idea I'll do it that way. I don't think I have much like that but I think that I try to learn from everybody all the time and I still learn to this day new stuff and think about new stuff and do new stuff really and yeah and I probably picked up a lot of things from different co drivers all the year but maybe you don't think about it that much but it's it's it's you learn a lot from from people like it's interesting to know people outside of their like a co driver seat and so to say and also driver seat and how people how different people are like when they're in their seat and when they're in like a normal conversation with them so that is that is very interesting for me and I think like you said the went to sitron like for me I think that's one of the best couple of years in in rallying in that sitron team are really really enjoyed being that team with all those paper under like you we just words so well together like we understood each other really well me and the French yeah and so how is your French that is not great no but the relationship with the French is great the language not so much exactly why do you think that was that you got on so well in that team yeah hard to say like it's just I think it's just more like chemistry with people and with with their coordinators loopo Daniel Gratalupe and and cocoa being kind of the same crisis me maybe I think they were more there in more crazy than me to be fair it was really interesting times and again in in sitron you had wonderful teammates as well as bring up one right now actually because I want to go back in time and that's Chris me because randomly and many people may not know this you sat alongside Chris me was it 2007 yeah I think 2007 in Kylani out Kylani rally of the legs part of the Irish tarmac championship Paul Nagel's home event you sat alongside Chris me doing pace notes in English and you won the rally which which you held over Paul Nagel right a long time he managed to win it in 2019 alongside Craig brain how did that happen that you were sat alongside Chris me in 2007 well like we knew each other quite well and then I think Glenn Patterson was his code right at the time and he was already he was already doing the rally with somebody else and somebody else was also busy so we didn't really have a code driver of course I think it was a bit of a late call for him to go and do this rally and then he then he said like he just thought about if this guy is crazy enough to go with PG he's probably crazy enough to go with me as well so and then then he said then he realized that I didn't do English pace notes so he thought that he might have screwed up a bit there but I worked out in the end it was it was a great one of that one and I have a great story from that rally actually because you could do you only had like a window where you could do wreck it but then you could do as many passes as you wanted so we did for sure as some any as we could then driving up and down malls gap I don't know how many times you know I'm not open down but around and when the wrecky finished it was like I was going to tie it up my pace notes and then Chris came and said that they want to do a parade around the town and we just drive around and I said like what when am I supposed to do pace notes I need to tie the quite pace notes is that okay just give me a driver suit and I'll just chunk one of the mechanics into the car parade and I was like I'll show that's fine I said yeah yeah yeah no problem we just drive around town so I did pace notes and he and the mechanic drove around town and we went out for dinner and I asked him like it was okay like it was okay like the parade and so yeah yeah yeah no problem and it goes I'll tell you a funny thing they built a ramp now and they stopped there and they did interviews and I was like oh no I didn't interview and then the then the the gas says I'm just gonna walk around and take a few words with your Swedish code driver no I can see this all playing out in my head having done some of the ramps in Ireland myself I would have done exactly the same thing and then and this mechanic just holds his door and he just waits and just like no no no and and the presentry south side he doesn't know and then he says I don't know either his code driver is very shy or his English isn't very good and then he drove off brilliant that is such a good story but you got your notes cleared up I bet that mechanic his blood must have just drained for me when he realized the guy was coming around the side of the car with a microphone what was it like for you though doing pace notes in English because I guess you'd never done them in English before I had done one I went with James Wusencroft before wow that's a blast from the past yeah PG had some unfortunate run-ins with the law driving a bit too quickly so we lost this driving license doesn't sound like PG at all no no just before rally Germany as the rule states you can only change like one of the three points the car of the driver the code driver so James Wusencroft was called in to do that event with me rally Germany yeah whatever year it was five or six something no notes yeah I have it here hold on let me check it seeing as we neither of us can actually remember I think it was five gosh you've done so many rallies it's ridiculous I did it with the extra 2000 and six I kind of find rally Germany seems to have disappeared yeah I said I was going to fight yeah you did do it with Matties Xtram in 2006 2007 it was yes it was confirmed you could see it right in front of me yeah you've had you know when you look back I mean we've mentioned PG and as I mentioned man's I'll spur there's Pontus TD and obviously right now up to Gus Greensmith but there's so many different drivers in between as well that you sat alongside it's been quite a varied mix for you obviously that the main stays were PG were were mads Pontus are two years where you won the WRC two championship and now Gus but there's been lots of different people over these yeah there's been a few here and there for sure and I think that's you learn a lot from different from different people so I really enjoyed that and if it's if it's somebody like if you if you feel like it's if I have the time or it works out and I'll happily jump in and do a rally here and then also going to Oster's on now this week and actually doing a Swedish championship round so who are you with this weekend? a young young kid I would say is 18 years old Lucas Anderson from it's not so he's like 78 years from where I live now and his his hasn't done a lot of rallying he's done quite a lot of cross cart and rally cross so his his for his age I would say he's very experienced driver for his age so is he is he related with the surname Anderson? No is it just like me Williams Anderson is a very popular name? It's a very common name so not too related at all and so yes so he he's just doing a couple of rounds here now keeping keeping warm for his rally cross season really and was yeah the the opportunity came up and we common common friends really like and so we did one event just before rally rally Sweden as well in in the championship round in Sweden so we we were third in the class there which was I think it was one of his it was his first rally with properly with pace now so I think it did very well so we'll do another one here now and then all focuses on WRC2 Of course of course before we get to WRC2 though in the current time I just want to talk to you about MADS a little bit more because obviously you talked about WRC podium in Sweden there were many podiums with MADS over the years there was a win with MADS not on the you weren't or you didn't get to grace the top step of the podium that win came from a disqualification of MECO here then and I believe you found that out over dinner that evening so I mean second place was was great at rally Portugal anyway it's a great result to have but then to to have the win were you delighted by that or were you like ah I don't want to win this over dinner I'd rather win it on the stages how do you I think you're spot on there like and we knew like going out to dinner there was some discussions and so on but we kind of you were happy with the second place I think we did really great and so from it is in like in the history books it's a win but for me it's a second place really it wasn't I mean it wasn't it's more of a technicality it wasn't any he didn't have any advantage or anything so it's a win but I definitely like a rate my second place in Sweden higher than that one actually so just because that was fair and square I think so yeah but I have a win at least in the in the in the history books so I'll take that one of course you will of course you will talking about rally Portugal it's one that I remember with you not making a mistake that's the wrong way to put it but rally Portugal always fell at the time of year when the clock's changed do you remember the incident I'm talking about no this I don't remember you managed to I think like I can't remember what year it was I really can't it could have been like two 10 to 11 that kind of time maybe yeah and we were still unsure whether our iPhones would would do the time change for us no one was ever quite sure if that was going to work and you ended up going to reception an hour earlier than you should have because you'd got the time change wrong who were going into service before you were like why are you here you're just you're too early I remember there's been a few things with this and it's like you said I think I've done that mistake more than once actually because one year I was going to be very clever and I was like I put one clock back or forward like it should be and one not and so on and so then when my alarm went off I had like two or three different times I had absolutely no idea what time it actually was so it's you know you don't want to be late so it's better to be an hour early then well I think it is I think it is better to be early isn't it rather than rather than be late you would you would definitely on the right side of time that day that that's for sure you know when it all kind of came to an end with with mads and the citron years were were over what did you think I'm going into my second retirement at that point like you did when when the PG years ended what was the feeling there no then it was then I then I had a bit more what do you say on the table already when I like so yeah so so that was that was my choice to change from mads then to go to Pontus that time it was I felt I needed a new challenge and and so on so to to keep my motivation up so that was that was my choice more than anything so so I knew that from from that on there so was that a tough decision to come to obviously like you say you had more cards on the table you knew what you wanted but was that it because you've been together with mads for for a big chunk of your career yeah no that was a great success so must have been a tough decision that was a really tough decision definitely but at the end I just felt that was what was right from yet at time and and so on and and and yeah so Pontus is like from from my area here I know in very well and so on so it was was was interesting to do that and it makes it you get a close relationship really when you're so close to buy each other it's easy to do wonderful and so on so it worked out very well and and also to be in that group of people with the even management was for me yeah really nice to be in there and some awesome people in there and I think so I was also with O.C. then after after Pontus and I've done an event with Andrea as well so I mean I've been with a few of them even the boys there so now that was a good decision I think so and I really enjoyed working with them yeah and it really kept the motivation up and you had a WRC to championship win as well as in a title yes so you know you're you're racking up the titles genius WRC to you know there's only one title left to go now Jonas yeah and I'm I'm pretty confident you'd get there as well with your dedication so great times with with even boys like he said you had a mixture in that in those years with the pop statement all E. Christian baby bit of Andreas Mikkelson and then Gus Greensmith so we venture out of the Scandinavian world into proper British yeah how did that happen I want to know I think that's like a lot of things kind of random maybe Mr. Paterson was retiring Chris Chris Paterson the legend that is Chris yeah well he hasn't retired completely I mean he's still on rallies for sure he's still a he'll never retire no no and he helped he helps me out a lot now as well so but they were looking for someone new and as you know random things I was in Spain in 2021 then and did gravel notes for Oliver because I was doing that event and then sat down and spoke with the with the greensmith well with Charles and and Chris and so on just on the service park walking past them after was done with the rally and then just chatted with them and then they started to discuss after I left like that he might be a choice like why haven't we thought about him and then so then they reached out and we had a couple of meetings and and so on and just checked so it was working with the English notes and so on but yeah so yeah well he did say you know I've won the Kalani rally with Chris me of course I can do English pace notes no I said like we'll just we we just met up and we did some pace note trading so to say and and and and so so it worked out and then yeah other than the language how different have everybody's pace notes been that you've been with from from PG to mad's to pontas to Gus I mean they're all very different but they're all very the same as well like that you know they like the core basics in all the pace notes are very similar I think like so it's it's it's like you said like switching from from from Swedish then to to English was something that I really wanted to do because I think it's was a great opportunity to try it and and do something new and also it for like you said like I'm not done yet so like who knows maybe like it it it widens your where you can go or what you can do and so on so it was resting from that point of view and but like you said like I think the course of pace notes are very similar different driver of course once once a minute like soon or later and so on and as everybody's different some people can take a lot of information and remember it and and and others less and so on and switching from from from Swedish to English pace notes it wasn't that hard really it's just in the beginning you're a bit like when when I see the words are right in in Swedish you it's just such core memory so it when you start with English then it's a bit like you see L so that's left but you don't have the time to think like that you just have to so did but also like just doing a couple of recid days helped so much just to get into it and I was I made sure that I like I wrote a lot of the words out more than to make like a short short version of them just to to get into it proper at the beginning so but nah and I was good and it was also the bonus was that I actually got into the to go to do a rally in the 17 era as I said and the course from 2017 like in we did them on semi and got in in the 17 car so I got to do an event in that or an amazing car I would say like the the arrow and the sound and those cars was so it was good to rack up one rally in those cars so so many drivers though that still say like the 2017 car is is the best car that they've ever driven it's yeah it's all very interesting now with with what what will happen next but we're going to get to that in a minute I know your time is precious because you are going to be heading off to rally today I won't keep you much longer promise however I do want to talk a bit about Gus because he is such a strong personality and the whole green Smith family are that they're a great family but Gus is really a huge personality in the car what was it like to initially work with him did you get on together straight away or did that relationship take time to build in the car No I would say that we got along from the beginning really but of course like it's as in all relationships it's easier as times go by maybe and you you get to know each other and you get to know weakness and strengths of each other and you know when you need to do this or that when you need to yeah so but in general it worked out very well from the from the beginning I would say and I really I really enjoyed and we have a really good time and now starting the season here now with the Toyota Yaris rally 2 is going to be very very interesting It's you can have any office which is really exciting for you you'll have a space to be in Gus will have a brand new car to play with and you go to an event which you've had such great success at over the years Kenyra has really been a shining point for you and Gus Yeah definitely a real looking forward to it of course we all know that hero to zero in a rally like Kenya is is is is very close to each other because it's a very tricky event and so once you have to just find the try and find the limit and just do your thing and push where you can push and be a bit more careful in other places So I have looked at my weather app and it seems to be raining every day not not only sunshine at the moment down there to be to be fair it seems to be quite a lot of rain at the moment so we'll see what will greet us when we get there Yeah I think it's it's one of those events though that yeah anything can happen and as you rightly say you can go from hero to zero in a tenth of a second with just one mistake but what an event what a challenge as a driver and a co-driver because you know when we're watching on all live when we're commentating and especially when you've got stages which are just in the wide open planes and there's not a huge amount of reference points for even making notes in the first place and you don't know where the road is I'm like your job must be so much more difficult as a combination you and Gus together even just making the notes to start with before you get to the rally it is definitely one of the harder rallies as a co-driver at least for me because like I said with the reference points and sometimes it feels like you just read the pace notes and the drive goes yeah yeah and you're like but we haven't done that or that corner because they're just straight on the road everybody when the drive so sorry it is it is a tricky event like that but what an adventure it is like it is yeah it is an it is an incredible adventure it really is you and Gus both have a big love of football I can't remember if you support the same team though no great that's even better when you don't support the same team so his team of late has not been doing well or certainly last year wasn't does that cause any kind of fractures in the car the football chat we try to stay away from from from this when it is to be fair they have done very well recently and you know it has been yes they played very well lately now and they beat Arsenal of who I support and so he was of course very happy with that so yeah I remember bringing it up in front of him last year that man United weren't doing well and I got a very steely look and conversation stopped rapidly and it was like we better move on from this conversation quite quickly and I only say that if if one of the is it's a bad we don't talk about football this weekend and then we might be some cheeky comments in there anyway at the end but yeah okay give me some quick fire questions then before we finish off the best rally you've ever done so far in your career like a result or like or the best let's split it into two the best result for you and the best rally experience that you've had so the best result for me is then rally Sweden second place 2011 with muds I would say there is a few others but I'll take that one and the best rally I would say rally New Zealand yeah yeah that's a great rally and a great experience of the the travel there the country is stunningly beautiful worst accident on a test with muds or Spurgen France on a test when was that I'm asking you who can't remember the years 2013 maybe there's something like that okay why don't I remember that I don't remember that I don't know if it was that public really okay I was a big chance really like it wasn't then it was just like a high speed off and it was a big tree and so on but we were both okay it wasn't like like that but it was a big accident the person that's been the biggest influence to you so far in your career oh this is a big pause yeah I can almost see the little cogs going over in your brain like it's gonna go back to the early days I think and so on but I would say maybe my dad really like it's the other family the whole family supporting me for my journey really yeah and the next challenge that you want to complete in your career what is like the target for you now when you look at it what is next the target at the moment is for sure to win WRC 2 with with the goss in the in the longer perspective I would really I would really like to try and tackle the the decor rally as well like just to do something completely different so that would be a great challenge I think very very difficult and very very different but that would be a great challenge I think yeah I think it would be and maybe a bit of an awkward one out of all the drivers that you've been with who has been the laziest in terms of helping around the car changing wheels fixing things doing anything with regard to the car admin let's say who's been the laziest oh difficult there's so many different ones about none of them are lazy really but I'll say goss them because he says he always makes fun of me because when we do something I'll just always jump into and he says perfect I'll do the clicks and you can do the rest he says and he loves so but he's in lazy he does all the work so he gets in there and gets dirty and his under the car as well but just to give him a bit of stick really you've got to give him a bit of stick I think so Kenya is next up for you then that's the first round of WRC 2 for the 2026 season like you said target is to win the championship and you're in a brand new car as well how exciting is that for you still because as we said it's almost 25 years in this sport now season to season to season is it still as exciting for you to now be heading to your first event as it was back in the day yeah definitely it is and I find a big joy in that like I really really enjoy doing this and I really looking forward to all events and so on so yeah it's this like at the end of the season you feel like you're a bit tired and so on but then you can't really wait for a couple of weeks and then you can't wait for the season to start again so no it's going to be great to start the season and starting Kenya in the amazing event and we'll see what we can do there alright this is my final question for you I really respect what you do as a co-driver and I hope to see it long long into the future but do you have any other aspirations like many co-drivers have moved on like whole nagle now is you know deputy safety delegate for example team around the island working for the FIA and has done for many years do you can you see yourself in that kind of role in the future because you're not at that point yet I don't know if I fit in there really I don't know if I well maybe not maybe not maybe not the FIA but there are so many other roles even within teams I mean look how many you know co-drivers Yamo latent and for example with Toyota you know Pablo Marquez there's so many co-drivers who are intrinsic in teams because of their their logistical knowledge their skills their use of moving time around yeah I think you know with all of your wealth of knowledge on us over the years and you know potential vision of what you know maybe the sport could be in the future now no no definitely I would say that to be even if I'm not co-driving to be a part of the like the rally community or in the service park or whatever like that is definitely something I would would like to do if possible and so on so yeah so so that is definitely something that I could do yeah good right have a great weekend in Sweden I wish you the best of luck and I look forward to seeing you in Kenya in a few weeks time thank you for sharing a slice of your life with me I think we'd be here for a good number of hours if we were to do all of the stories yeah that would that would take some time definitely but maybe in the future there's time for a Yonaz Anderson part two where we can just delve into some of those classics absolutely thank you very much for spending the time Yonaz I'll see you see thank you have a nice day for more great world rally championship content head to rally tv with its thousands of hours of archive footage and exclusive live programming event review shows and extensive on boards special features to on some of the legends of the sport this is all available at rally.tv and wrc.com the digital online home of the world rally championship