From his home in Pantperthog, near Machynlleth, Howard attends all 16 rounds of the FIA World Rally Championship.  His duties are varied, his days planned yet unscripted. He normally arrives on location on a Tuesday, drives through as many stages as possible on the Wednesday, creates a detailed itinerary on Thursday and single-handed follows the three day event from Friday to Sunday, armed with team radio, thermometer and stop watch. Howard also does an end of leg round up in Welsh for the superb S4C Ralio programme – so add television presenter to his duties as well!

“If you love rallying, it’s a fantastic job,” says Howard. “My main job is to report back to the team in the service area what the conditions are like up in the stages for them to make the correct tyre choice.  A car is only allowed forty-five tyres per event, and they have to be nominated before the rally starts, so with only the tread pattern to play with it’s more important than ever to get accurate information from the stages.  The team and drivers need someone they can trust and have respect for, because if I say it’s raining and muddy up on a stage and it’s hot and sunny in the service area they have to put enormous trust in my judgement.”

Howard is looking forward to his home round of the World Rally Championship, the Wales Rally GB, and the possibility of changeable weather conditions in the first weekend in December will make the accuracy of his information all the more crucial.  The fact that it’s so close to home, could make it one of the most tiring events too.

“You don’t get much sleep during a rally because I have to get up well before the rally drivers and I do like to socialise a bit as well,” admits Howard.  “It comes to something when you get up at a quarter past three in the morning and you’re already late, like I did in Cyprus one year.  I’d only been in bed for two hours, but I still got to the stage on time and reported in as normal.  It’s all go on an event and the plane home is the place I tend to sleep!”