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Michael Steven Park (22 June 1966 – 18 September 2005) was a rally co-driver from Newent in Gloucestershire. He worked with former world champions Richard Burns and Colin McRae as a gravel note expert while co-driving for both David Higgins and Mark Higgins in the British national series. His big break, however, came when he teamed up with the emerging Estonian talent Markko Märtin as a privateer pairing in a Toyota Corolla WRC for the 2000 World Rally Championship season.
.gif) Michael Park (left) and Markko Märtin (right) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 June 1966 Newent, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 18 September 2005 (aged 39) Bryn, Neath Port Talbot, Wales |
| World Rally Championship record | |
| Active years | 1999, 1999–2005 |
| Teams | Lukoil EOS Rally Team, Subaru World Rally Team, Ford, Peugeot |
| Rallies | 83 |
| Championships | 0 |
| Rally wins | 5 |
| Podiums | 18 |
| Stage wins | 101 |
| First rally | 1994 RAC Rally |
| Last rally | 2005 Wales Rally GB |
After a number of strong performances, the pair were signed up by Subaru for 2001, before moving to Ford, where they evolved into one of the leading driver/co-driver combinations in the WRC. In 2003, they took two rally victories, in Greece and Finland, and improved on that figure with three wins in 2004 (Mexico, Corsica and Catalunya).
Park died as a result of injuries sustained in an accident on the final leg of Wales Rally Great Britain when his Peugeot 307 WRC left the road and struck a tree. Märtin and Park were lying fourth in the 2005 season's title race at the time, after securing four podiums in a season dominated by Citroën's Sébastien Loeb. Their performances had been instrumental in Peugeot's challenge for the manufacturer's championship, with the team lying six points behind French rivals Citroën.
After the crash, Märtin said "Park wasn't my co-driver, I was his pilot."[citation needed] Park's death was the first top-level rallying fatality since Rodger Freeth in the 1993 Rally Australia, and brought renewed attention to safety issues in the motorsport world.
On 20 June 2006, a memorial for Park was unveiled in Tallinn, Estonia.
WRC victories
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External links
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