9/10/1959 - 12/7/2003
Record updated 09-Oct-06
Started out in karting and hill-climbs, Roger became on of the best rally co-drivers around. He and his driver, Mark Lovell, were killed when their Subaru Impreza left the road and hit a tree in round five in the 2003 SCCA Pro-Rally championship.
Freeman was born on October 9, 1951 in Wigan, Lancashire and took up karting at the age of 15. He entered rallying through working as a service crew member and co-driver on night navigation rallies. One of his regular drivers was Terry Pankhurst, with whom he became national Group A champion in an Escort RS2000, and a season with Phil Collins brought Roger the national co-driving title.
He became Ford's professional co-driver alongside Lovell in 1986 and together they gained the first of a series of titles. At the same time his legal expertise was always helpful. One night, during an RAC Rally, a British works team manager asked him to rescue one of his drivers from police custody, so he could restart the event the next morning! Roger's co-driving experience was amazingly wide, competing with drivers of every level of competence and from a wide variety of backgrounds, but it was with Mark and Toshihiro that Roger was best known.
In rally cars they made a successful partnership, outside rallying they shared interests in boats. To everyone, Roger was great company and good fun, as well as a champion level co-driver. Tragedy struck the first stage of the Oregon Trails Rally, round five in the 2003 SCCA Pro-Rally championship, held near Portland, Orgegon, on July 12. The Impreza of Subaru USA left the road and hit a tree, and both Mark Lovell and Roger lost their lives in the accident.