19-year-old co-driver Seb Marshall partnered Tim Pearcey to victory on last weekend's Riponian Rally.

Ice greeted the early runners on the first few stages as several competitors succumbed to the conditions, however at the halfway point Tim and Seb were leading the rally overall, with a small 13 second lead through the Yorkshire stages. They increased their lead to 47 seconds by the time they returned to the finish at the Lightwater Valley theme park, having won nine of the fourteen stages.

The fantastic result was especially memorable since this was Tim's first event competing again in his new car following a big accident last October. It was also Seb's first rally in a four wheel drive machine.

The week also brought news of Seb's re-selection for the MSA British Rally Academy, testament to his professional approach.

"To win my first event with Tim, in a 4WD car is brilliant!" said Seb, "It was a great comeback from Tim after his accident who drove superbly all day, and being re-selected for the Academy tops off a great week."

Co-Driver Seb Marshall concluded his 2007 rallying campaign by completing the Recce for Wales Rally GB, the final round of the World Rally Championship.

Assisting rising young star Adam Gould, recent winner of the Fiesta SportingTrophy International shootout, and fellow British Rally Academy member, the pair were able to gain great experience of the demanding nature of the stages for an international event.

Robert Reid was on hand to give valuable advice on how best to approach a WRC event, and the development over the two days was clear to see.

Following this, Seb travelled to Edinburgh once again for the University based Rally Academy Re-Assessment. Undertaking physical and mental tests to analyse performance increases over the year, an interview with the selection panel would close another rewarding day and season.

Former World Championship co-driver Nicky Grist was also present and shared some of his advice and experience on reaching the top of the sport.

"After a tough year of competing, to finish once again with the recce for Rally GB was fantastic." commented Seb, "It gives a great indicator to what is required to compete at that level, and is a brilliant motivator!"

Seb's plans aren't yet finalised for 2008, however he plans to contest the British Rally Championship. If you are looking for a co-driver, you can get in touch by emailing seb@sebmarshall.co.uk

Following a brief summer break, co-driver Seb Marshall was back in action during August and September, contesting five events in just five weeks!

Starting with the Mewla National Rally over the Epynt Military ranges, the second tarmac event of the Fiesta SportingTrophy, Seb was once again calling the notes for Bobby Mitchell. After a steady start, the duo gained in confidence and a late charge saw them record their best finish of the year in 5th place, just 2 seconds ahead of James Everard.

The following week Seb crossed the Irish sea to compete in Northern Ireland for the first time, on the Ulster National Rally. Teaming up with Roger Priestnall in his ex-works Proton Satria S1600, the crew faced treacherous conditions on the tricky lanes, successfully completing the night stages in 25th place of the 64 cars remaining. The second stage of the following morning was to see their retirement however, as a tightening bend caught them out, crashing the car heavily into a ditch. Both walked away from the car, but it left several aches and pains.

Just a week later, Seb was back in the hot seat again, competing on theLindisfarne Rally over the Otterburn Military Ranges with fellow MSA British Rally Academy member Tom Walster in a 1400cc Peugeot 205. Disaster was to strike just 3 miles into the event though as a deceptive jump caused the car to land heavily, snapping sideways into a concrete post and rolling over a ditch. The pair were very shaken but otherwise ok, more than could be said for the car!

A planned weekend off changed at the last minute as Seb was invited to the Lake District to take part in a skills weekend for the British Rally Elite scheme. The opportunity to work with the experienced professionals, improving performance and preparation on events was not to be missed and a thoroughly enjoyable but tiring schedule ensued.

A welcome return to Gravel, co-driving for the first time with James Everard in a Fiesta ST on the Plains Rally was Seb's 5th weekend of rallying on the trot! The event was being used as a shakedown for the following weekends rally, and all went well, recording an impressive 34th overall and 1st in class.

Finally, back with Bobby Mitchell for the penultimate round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy, the Colin McRae Forest Stages. An emotional weekend for all, in light of the recent tragic events, the young pairing recorded 6th placed Fiesta on Bobby's 'home' event.

Looking back over the past month Seb said: "Wow! It's been a roller coaster few weeks, with some great results and two nasty accidents. I'm relieved to have got away lightly from both crashes, testament to the great preparation of the cars."

"It's been great to be out rallying each weekend, and the training weekend in the Lakes was fantastic, having taken a lot away from it. I could get used to it that's for sure!"

Next event for Seb is to be confirmed, a welcome break in the mean time!

Having endured an arduous 8-hour journey through the flooded Cotswolds just to make the start of the Swansea Bay Rally, Co-Driver Seb Marshall was looking forward to competing over the slippery stages of South Wales.

A puncture on the first stage saw Seb, once again calling the notes for Bobby Mitchell, in a frustrating 11th place of 16 identical Ford Fiesta ST's after nine miles of tricky competition. With stage 2 cancelled, it was onto the longest stage of the rally, Margam.

At 13 miles this was a great chance to make up lost time, and fifth quickest on the stage elevated the young team to 8th overall, just 10 seconds away from fourth. With renewed confidence the plan was to push on the final two stages and climb the leader board, however this chance was denied as on the way to stage 4 the suspension collapsed.

Despite an incredible effort by the mechanics to get the car running again, retirement beckoned. "It was gutting to have to retire after having a good run through stage 3 but these things happen." commented a philosophical Marshall.

This Friday Seb travels to Mid-Wales for an intensive two-day training event with former World Champion co-drivers Robert Reid and Phil Mills. As part of his involvement with the MSA British Rally Academy, the 19 year-old will receive expert advice on what it takes to be a world-class co-driver.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to work with the best in the world and I hope I can put into practice some of the things I'll learn on the Mewla Rally in August."

MSA British Rally Academy Co-Driver Seb Marshall endured a tough weekend on the RBS International Manx Rally, battling several problems to gain a solid points finish.

Partnering championship frontrunner Tom Curtis in a Ford Fiesta ST, the pair were looking forward to the event held over the fast and twisty lanes on the Isle of Man. This was Seb's first event on tarmac, and after a good recce, the crew took the start in torrential rain at Port Erin late on Friday night. Things didn't quite go to plan though as a puncture on the first stage dropped the young crew 10 seconds to the leaders.

Stage 2 was shrouded in thick fog making the job all the more difficult, and more drama was to follow on SS3, the longest stage of the rally at 21 miles, as the fire extinguisher was set off by a bad bump, causing large time loss as the car filled with foam. Despite this the team made it back to the overnight service and set to work fixing the handling issues, eventually finishing at 2 am!

Saturday dawned dry and confidence was building in the new partnership, recording six top 6 stage times over the challenging roads and engaging in a close battle with Max Utting. After pulling back 12 seconds to the Oxfordshire rival disaster struck on the penultimate stage as the car lost 2nd gear. With just one 4 mile stage to go the crew set off to nurse the car to the finish and get some points in the bag. All hopes of overhauling Utting were gone though as during the stage all remaining gears except 5th were lost, leaving the pair a difficult job in driving the 7 miles back to the finish ramp.

They succeeded though and took 7th in the Fiesta SportingTrophy standings, scoring 14 more points which ensures Seb retains his fifth place in the championship standings.

"Despite the problems we encountered, it was a superb event, with some incredible stages." said Seb "It was great to work with Tom, and I thoroughly enjoyed my first time on the island, gaining valuable experience of recceing the very technical roads."

"I went into the event having never done a stage rally on tarmac, so it was a bit of a 'Baptism of Fire' on Friday when it was dark, raining and foggy! I'm determined to come back and enjoy the place once again."

Seb will miss the next round of the Fiesta SportingTrophy, the Severn Valley Rally, due to exam commitments, but hopes to be competing again later on in June.

Once again co-driving for young Scot Bobby Mitchell, Seb tackled the Pirelli National Rally last weekend, taking in the daunting stages of the Kielder forest complex.

Seb travelled to Carlisle having had little time to prepare for the event, completing a week and a half long fieldcourse in the Lake District as part of his university degree on the Friday morning of the rally! Despite this he was relishing the challenge of his first time competing in Kielder.

A steady start from the British Rally Academy pairing saw them heading to service, after 4 stages in the Kershope forest, 10th of the 22 competitors in the Fiesta SportingTrophy standings. Most of the time loss occuring in the first two stages, particularly under braking as Bobby was still adjusting to the new car.

An increase in pace over the final three stages in the demanding Kielder forest proved encouraging though as the team became more accustomed to the organisers' route notes, climbing to 8th placed Fiesta by the finish in Carlisle city centre.

"It's been a steep learning curve with the car today, and we're glad to have got to the finish. It's more points for the championship though, and vital seat time for Bobby." said Seb "The stages were absolutely fantastic and it was a very enjoyable day, I'm just eager for the next one now!"

This result ensures the duo retain their lead in the Competition Car Insurance Award for Most Improved, as well as moving up to 5th in the overall standings.

Seb's next outing will hopefully be on the fast tarmac stages of the Isle of Man in early May.

Four months after competing last, Seb was back in action on the Malcolm Wilson Rally in the Lake District last weekend. Teaming up with fellow British Rally Academy member Bobby Mitchell, the pair put on a consistent performance to finish 8th of 19 in the highly competitive Fiesta Sporting Trophy.

Despite a small problem in the pre-event test, the young crew set top ten times in the first half of the rally to go into the three remaining stages 8th in class. As darkness fell, the lack of a lamp pod hampered progress and time was lost to the earlier drivers, but despite this, and running with a front puncture for nearly two miles Bobby and Seb held onto 8th place at the finish in Cockermouth.

"We had a good run today and are pleased with the result given it's Bobby's first run in the car and only his 5th gravel event (first in 18 months!) " said Seb at the finish, "We gelled well together in the car and were happy to get to the end after the difficult final two stages with a misting screen and puncture."

"It's got some solid points on the board and hopefully should bode well for Bob for the rest of the championship."

Seb is still formulating his plans for the rest of the year, but hopes to be out next on the Pirelli Rally in April.

After a successful conclusion to competing this year by winning the 1400cc section of the Cambrian Rally, there was no rest for Seb as he continued with his involvement in the British Rally Academy.

Seb was invited to observe a Ford World Rally team test in mid November, in Comb Forest, Cumbria, which gave a great insight into the workings of a team at the highest level in a testing scenario. He got the opportunity to talk to top driver Mikko Hirvonen and co-driver Jarmo Lehtinen, fresh from their Rally Australia victory, about their approach to testing and rallies.

Late November saw the penultimate training day with the Academy, specifically focused on preparation for Wales Rally GB. During the day former World Champions Robert Reid and Phil Mills imparted some of their expert advice on planning, pace notes and other aspects of a WRC event. They were later joined by Petter Solberg, and Subaru Team Director Paul Howarth, who were discussing tactics and strategy required to make it to the top of the sport.

Following this Seb took part in the recce for Rally GB, with fellow Academy member Simon Hughes. This was vital experience of making pace notes on the world stage, and an opportunity not to be missed. Also accompanying former British Champion co-driver Howard Davies to assist with Weather crew for the Ford team on the event.

"The advice given by Robert and Phil is invaluable, particularly from a Co-Drivers perspective, it's not every day you have two world champions knowledge to draw upon!" said Seb "The recce with Simon went very well, and I learnt a great amount. It was very useful to put into practice everything that had been said at the training day."

Finally a performance re-assessment was held in Edinburgh just days after the rally. Fitness test and interviews established how the scheme has benefited each individual: "Over the whole year my fitness has improved substantially and i've now got a much greater appreciation for just how tough the bigger events are. It really has been a great help for me, and I'm looking forward to putting it all into practice in a competitive environment."