Ardenne Rally Festival Nicky Grist at the Ardenne Rally Festival 2025!
From Thursday, May 1st to Saturday, May 3rd, three exciting days filled with nostalgia and spectacle will take place as registrations for the Ardenne Rally Festival 2025 continue to pour in. Meanwhile, organizer DG Sport is pleased to officially confirm the attendance of a special guest of honour! Fans can look forward to seeing Briton Nicky Grist, who is best known as the iconic co-driver of Colin McRae. Grist will be participating with a Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185!
At 63, Nicky Grist is a key figure in the history of the World Rally Championship. Over the first decade of his career, which began in the 1980s, he served as the co-driver for many British drivers, including David Metcalfe and Malcolm Wilson. He later ventured into international competition, co-driving for Armin Schwarz in the Mitsubishi Lancer Evo1 and Juha Kankkunen in both the Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185 and the Celica GT-Four ST205. During his five seasons with the Finn, Grist celebrated four rally victories.
In 1997, Grist began a significant new chapter in his career with Subaru and Prodrive alongside Colin McRae. Starting with the Safari Rally, the duo triumphed with the Impreza S5 WRC, followed by wins in Corsica, China, Sanremo, Australia, and the RAC Rally! Their achievements earned them the runner-up spot in the World Championship.
The winning streak continued in 1998 with victories in Portugal, Corsica, Acropolis, and China, finishing third in the World Championship standings.
Grist and McRae then moved to Ford, where the legendary first-generation Ford Focus WRC in the famous Martini livery helped them secure victories in Safari '99, Portugal '99, Catalunya 2000, and the Acropolis Rally 2000. In 2001, the duo won three World Championship rounds consecutively in Argentina, Cyprus, and the Acropolis, and they also claimed victories at the Acropolis and Safari Rally in 2002. This period was marked by several spectacular crashes that left a lasting impact on the sport.
In 2005, Grist defended the colours of Skoda alongside Colin McRae in three rallies, and a year later, they teamed up for the Rally of Turkey with Kronos. Tragically, the fatal helicopter accident of McRae in 2007 brought an end to Nicky Grist’s regular co-driving career.
In recent years, Grist has participated in several demonstration events with his Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD ST185, such as the Eifel Rally Festival, alongside Ellie Williams. Rally history will be alive in Vresse-sur-Semois this May, and fans can anticipate the iconic co-driver sharing numerous anecdotes from his long collaboration with the legendary Colin McRae.
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