In rallying the relationship between a driver and a co-driver is quite unique in motorsports. Both have to trust each to get a maximum result from the rally. In many cases the crews race together for several years. In my opinion that's because it takes time to build trust and to learn each others habits. Of course when you get along well in the car why would you change the guy sitting next to you.
Even though co-drivers are the less known compared to the driver there are well known co-drivers who appear again and again in the cars next to the drivers who want to really be competitive in their class. At some level the good drivers expect the co-drivers to be more or less professionals with the tasks related to co-driving and since many crews stay together for years it's sometimes hard to find good co-drivers without a seat. Also other way around the experienced co-drivers have seen enough different drivers to be somewhat selective when it comes to the drivers they are willing to sit next to.
I'll go through some aspects of getting better as a co-driver. Those might affect why the drivers have chosen the particular co-driver and not some bloke who thinks it would be cool to sit in an expensive rally car. Some of the things might seem a bit far fetched, but feel free to ignore them, if you think I've lost my marbles...
Routine. A dangerous word. In the beginning easier said than done. Of course you need a ride first before you can develop a routine in co-driving. When everything isn't new all the time you can fine tune the things you do during recce and special stages. What I meant routine being a dangerous word is that you should always analyze what you are doing and how you do it. It's good to make a mental check from time to time that is there room for improvement. I personally also like to ask from others their opinions. You might not agree with them, but sometimes you pick up things you might never had come across on your own.
Practice. I know. It's so expensive to train with a rally car and get roads for testing. That's not what I meant, but it's great if money and roads aren't a problem for you. Practicing also helps to develop a routine outside rallies. So how can you practice co-driving outside the rally car? For a starters you and your driver can get into a normal road car, find a suitable piece of road that would work as a special stage and start making pace notes. Basically nothing different compared to a recce during the rally and when you make a habit of pace note training it's a lot easier to do the actual recce.
Studying. Applies to all different aspects of rallying. One can learn a lot by sitting by your computer and for example watching incar footage from other competitors and seeing how they drive, what kind of pace notes they use. I'm not a native English speaker so I read car magazines to learn technical vocabulary. Taking a tyre iron into your hand and asking a mechanic to show how to change a tyre. Whatever you think might improve your skills and make you more useful for the team. One thing I've learned is that people like to discuss about subjects close to their hearts. If you want to learn something just find someone who is an enthusiastic and start asking "stupid" questions. If the person isn't willing to share their knowledge just find the next person. People in rallying are usually social and generally nice guys so getting general info about something isn't usually a problem.
Fitness. To some of us in rallying the other passions in life aren't long distance running or iron man competitions. Taking care of yourself doesn't have to go that far since even simple things help. When you eat choose the healthier option and go for a run a couple of times a week. I have never been passionate for training, but when you start doing it it easily becomes a habit. Nowadays I go for the gym twice a week and go running 2-3 times a week. I don't even regard it as a chore anymore since your body seems to yearn for more. The sport has changed a lot during the last 20 years and do you really see many overweight co-drivers next to the top cars smoking a cigarette and eating a burger. Personally I like to think that if I'm in good physical condition my chances of getting tired later in the day are smaller and I'm more likely to keep a good concentration on the stages.
Social skills. Like it or not, but the co-drivers get to interact a lot with mechanics, organizers, sponsors etc. The driver should be able to concentrate on the driving part as much as possible so the co-driver should be able to tackle other tasks as much as possible. Generally it would help if other people regard you as a stand up person who takes care of his/her end as promised so that they can concentrate on things that are left for them. People have to be able to trust the co-driver.
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