Bond seeks new challenge.
The demise of a manufacturer team's plan to run cars in the Junior World Rally Championship and the British Rally Championship has left Steve Bond looking for a new challenge.
Bond, the well-known British motorsport consultant, had been working for the unnamed team for seven months, putting together budgets and proposals and advising them on logistical and operational issues.
The demise of a manufacturer team's plan to run cars in the Junior World Rally Championship and the British Rally Championship has left Steve Bond looking for a new challenge.
Bond, the well-known British motorsport consultant, had been working for the unnamed team for seven months, putting together budgets and proposals and advising them on logistical and operational issues.
"This would have been a big expansion for the team concerned," he said, "Part of the plan was a larger workshop, a big investment for which they had the backing only if the manufacturer came on board. It has all come to nothing, partly due to the current uncertainties throughout the sport and the lack of early decisions, which left everyone wondering what the long-term situation was."
Bond is an acknowledged expert on the Super 1600 Formula and the FIA Junior World Rally Championship, and ran the factory-supported MG programme for three years, including preparation of all homologation paperwork and inspections, attending FIA commission meetings and liaison with senior FIA officials.
He first competed as an amateur co-driver while still a graduate management trainee at Ford. His professional motorsport career began at Audi Sport UK in the 1980s, when he was employed as a co-driver and later as team co-ordinator in Britain, Europe and on the World Championship. After spells with VW Motorsport, Mitsubishi Ralliart Europe, Ford - in the UK and Middle East - and Peugeot UK, he became team co-ordinator at Toyota Team Europe, undertaking a full World Rally Championship programme which included the title-winning 1993 season.
Bond then became test team co-ordinator for the Ford World Rally Championship team, before moving to GSE Motorsport Europe in 1995, where he acted as rally team manager for Ford UK, including their British Championship win in 1996.
"I've spent the past 20 years in professional rallying ten years as a co-driver, followed by ten years in team management at the highest levels worldwide and I feel that I still have plenty to offer," Bond said, "I have experience of over 150 world championship rallies."
