"Jeffie" began co-driving in 1997 with good friend Colin McCleery in Colin's Group 5 Ford Sierra, but his interest in motorsports and rallying began long before that. As a child, Jeff's grandfather and father took him to Indianapolis, M.I.S. and a number of other racing venues in the Midwest. The hook was set.
In 1986 Jeff joined the Furrin Group, a sports car club based in western Michigan. From there he began running gimmick and TSD rallies, autocrosses and ice races. He also joined the SCCA and started working corners and marshaling at many rallies in Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio. It was through the Furrin Group that Jeff met his wife Deb (Boris), who had also been a ralliest, co-driving and driving in several events a few years earlier.
In 1995, with the help of fellow Furrin Grouper Bob Shedd, Jeff built a vintage Formula-Vee car. One year later Jeff's driving instructor was none other than Vic Elford, the 1968 winner of the Monte Carlo Rally. "I remember the school well," said Jeffie, "There were about 60 of us in all and I think Vic gave me more time talking rally at the bar than all the other students combined. It was easy to see that he still had a passion for rallying almost 30 years on."
Jeff became the 1998 O2 Class Champion Co-driver in the Central Division of the SCCA and repeated the honor in Group 5 in 2001.
When not co-driving for Colin, Jeff has co-driven for a number of other drivers including Brian Vinson, Russ Hodges, and Gail Truess. He even drove in two Canadian Nationals in his 1991 VW Gti Production class car; "Rally of the Tall Pines in November of 2001 & 2002 w/ Mark calling the notes! "It was a chance for me to experience what a driver goes through, and it was very educational."
Jeff is a classically trained musician and teaches geography. When not rallying, he can often be found autocrossing with Deb or his dad. "My dad and I both have Mazda RX-7's and just have a blast racing around the pylons." Jeff and Deb also enjoy sailing and cross country skiing. Deb comes to many events and assists with service. Jeff and Deb live in Hudsonville, Michigan with their German shorthaired pointer "Molly" and black lab "Abbie". His favorite rally driver is Juha Kankkunen, and favorite co-drivers are Juha Pironen and Nicky Grist.
Jeff can be reached by e-mail at: jdsecor@tds.net