LEGENDS OF WELSH SPORT: NICKY GRIST

BBC Wales   2025   1 x 30

The dramatic story of Welsh rally co-driver Nicky Grist, whose life changed in an instant after a last-minute call to join world champion Juha Kankkunen in 1993 – just days before a rally.

In a sport where teamwork can mean the difference between life and death, Nicky Grist’s story is remarkable. The recce had already started in Argentina in 1993 for the World Rally Championships before Nicky got the phone call that changed his life. Three-time world champion Kankkunen needed a replacement after his navigator fell seriously ill. Kankkunen wanted no-one other than Grist, who had a burgeoning professional reputation at that point, to take his place.

So, from lying in bed, dreaming of a round of golf, Nicky Grist was instead thrust into the most high-pressured situation of his life, and given just three days to build a world-beating partnership.