“DRIVER’S SEAT”
“YOUR FAVOURITE MONTHLY MOTORING MAGAZINE
BUT
ON THE RADIO”
Hear it on GTFM from 7-8pm on the first Thursday of every month
“Driver’s Seat” is the brain-child of GTFM’s resident “cereal” petrolhead, Ian Edwards. His thinking (and we use the word “thinking” very loosely) was to create a car programme on the radio to plug the huge gap between motoring shows on television and the motoring magazines.
It's a show for genuine petrolheads, like chatting at a car show
or “torque-ing” cars down the pub with your mates.
The aims of the show are to inform, advise, entertain and interact with listeners in equal measure. It offers factual information and advice, to tongue in cheek observation/interaction and entertainment.
Driver’s Seat also aims to support and help promote local and national car clubs and events.
Ian is the man behind the Butty Bay Run (the Welsh Valleys version of the London to Brighton Run, from the Welsh Valleys to Porthcawl and back) and Club 42 (the newest Breakfast car club on the planet).
Also in the show are live telephone interviews and recorded interviews covering all aspects of cars, clubs, well known names and motoring in general along with details of local and national car events.
An earlier guest was Richard Parry-Jones (CBE), former Group Vice-President of
Global Product Development and Chief Technical Officer
at Ford Motor Company.
Ian spoke to Richard Parry-Jones at
Welshpool when he competed in the Bulldog Rally
Challenge,
part of the Bulldog International Rally of North Wales.
Richard joined the Ford Product Development Group in 1969 as a trainee, before starting his first full-time position in 1973. By 1982 he was appointed manager of Small Car Programs and was central to the development of the Escort. Between 1994 and 1998 he became vice-president of the Product Development Group, during which time he led the development of the Focus, Ka, Fiesta,Puma and Mondeo.
He became group-vice president in 1998 before being appointed chief technical officer in 2001 and retired on 31 December 2007 after 30 years with the company. Early in 2005 he was awarded a CBE for services to the automobile industry. In recent years he has specialised in the development of environmental technologies and is also renowned for his expertise in driving dynamics and refinement.
Then in late 2009 he agreed to lead the Government’s new Automotive Council, formed to
address the “long-term strategic challenges” facing the UK car industry.
Last but by no means least, every guest is “subjected” to the now (in) famous…..
“Driver’s Seat Need To Know Challenge”
“Driver’s Seat” is quite simply
“A car show on the radio
presented and co-produced
by a genuine petrolhead
for
genuine petrolheads”
“Driver’s Seat” is broadcast on the first Thursday of every month between 7pm and 8pm.
Presented and co-produced by
Ian “I once spun at Quarry corner” Edwards.
Produced and Engineered by Nick “Ross Brawn” Jones.
The show is exclusive to GTFM and broadcast on 107.9fm in the Pontypridd (South Wales) area
and can be listened to on line at www.gtfm.co.uk anywhere on the planet!
You can email Ian at driversseat@gtfm.co.uk or call him on 07969 353954.
THE 2009
DRIVER’S SEAT AWARDS
THE 2009 WINNER OF THE DRIVER’S SEAT…
“NEED TO KNOW CHALLENGE”
Bryan Barker of Llantwit Fardre.
Lotus Excel owner & Lotus Club member
Bryan scored 19 points out of a possible 25 (on the May show) and beat in the process (amongst others)
Nicky Grist, and the Editor in chief of Autocar magazine, Steve Cropley.
The “Need To Know Challenge” is where every (Driver’s Seat) studio guest is subjected to 12 questions (that all petrolheads get asked at sometime or another….) and the guest is “marked” out of 25 points by presenter Ian Edwards who claims he has the perfect set of answers in his head.
Unfortunately for Mr Barker, this means that he thinks a lot like Ian. So sorry about that Bryan, but congratulations for winning anyway…..
THE 2009 DRIVER’S SEAT
CAR OF THE YEAR
Altair (kit-car based on a 1955 Ford Popular)
Richard Palmer of Williamstown rocked up in this Caterham look-a-like for the Club 42 Sunday breakfast club at Pontypridd High School in early November.
Designed by Lotus specialist Tony Weale (based on a Lotus Six), it uses Ford Popular 100E sidevalve engine (1172cc) and running gear and is believed to be one of only two on the road in the UK.
Described as offering "Wind in your face motoring and great fun” …it quite simply captured our hearts…………..
THE 2009 DRIVER’S SEAT AWARD FOR BEING
“MADDER THAN A BOX OF BADGERS
AT MILKING TIME”
MARGE & EDWARD RESTING AT LANDS END
Goes to Adam Ransom of the Austin Maxi Owners Club….. for driving a 1978 Maxi automatic (Marge)
3,500 miles around the coast roads of Britain back in
the summer with just a handful of tools !!!!!
We interviewed Adam on Driver’s Seat in September.
A special mention must also be made to Edward the Dolomite for keeping Marge company.
Top marks to all those involved for raising £1,500 for charity …… but Adam you really are as mad as a box of badgers, at milking time….
THE 2009 DRIVER’S SEAT AWARD FOR
EVENT OF THE YEAR
The Tredegar House Vintage Car Rally
Over a 1,000 classic cars in the grounds of
Tredegar House located just off the M4
on the outskirts of Newport.
Held on a magnificent autumn day in mid-September.
A fantastic atmosphere …with the world’s friendliest (classic) traffic jam.
So congratulations to organisers Bruce and Mandy Womack and Roger and Imelda Wood for putting on such an unforgettable day.
The event raised just over £50,000 for Leukaemia Research (a new record sum). Since 1980 when the first rally took place, a total of over £625,000 has been raised.
This year (2010), due to the Ryder Cup, the event will be held on Sunday 13th June.
THE 2009
DRIVER’S SEAT
TOP PERSON
OF THE YEAR
(AKA
THE
“SALT OF THE EARTH”
AWARD)
Goes to Rauno Aaltonen… Nicknamed “The Rally Professor”, and when being interviewed by Ian at Race Retro in March 2009, the man who famously won the 1967 Monte Carlo Rally driving a Mini Cooper delivered a master class on how to be the perfect gentleman.
Rauno thoughtfully considered every question Ian put to him and this despite various announcements over the PA system that the show was closing.
In fact, before, during and after the interview he showed a great deal of understanding, patience and humility.
All in all, a man thoroughly deserving of the
2009 Driver’s Seat Top Person Of The Year Award
and definitely “salt of the earth”
THE 2009
DRIVER’S SEAT AWARD FOR
BEST ANSWER TO A QUESTION
Sharon Grist with husband Nicky and
Driver’s Seat presenter Ian Edwards
Goes to Sharon Grist.. for her answer to the question,
“What piece of advice would you give to anyone whose partner is going into any form of rallying or racing and could make it big… “
Her answer was delivered with all the coolness and calmness of a world class WRC co-driver, wonder where she gets it from?
“And I had no time to think about it….” she exclaimed after delivering her insightful response… welcome to live radio Sharon and congratulations for your (now) award winning answer.
THE 2009 DRIVER’S SEAT AWARD FOR BEST STUDIO GUEST
Goes to Nicky Grist.. he may have tasted victory as a co-driver on no less than 21 occasions in WRC rallies but his toughest test yet was spending 60 (live on air) minutes at GTFM’s Pinewood studios as a guest on “Driver’s Seat”. But needless to say he dealt with all the questions (the serious and the not so serious ones) put to him by “Driver’s Seat” presenter Ian Edwards with the coolness and clear headedness you would expect of someone use to dealing with the pressures of co-driving at the very highest level. He even questioned his “Need To Know Challenge” score and managed to extract another point from the normally rigid Mr Edwards (the Guinness Book of Records have been informed…).
A star in the co-driver’s seat and now a star in the radio studio…is there no end to this man’s talents!!!
And that's the end of the awards for now - until Ian does it all over again for 2010!