Michael Park

Who was Michael Park?

Michael Park was a rally co-driver from Newent in Gloucestershire.

One of the top co-drivers of his generation, 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. As co-driver to Markko Märtin, 'Beef', as he was affectionately known, enjoyed considerable success with the Estonian during three seasons at Ford before joining Peugeot for 2005.

A rally enthusiast since the age of ten, he gained experience with some of Britain's top talents. 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.

After a string of impressive 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.