'How do you become a rally co-driver, and what is it you ought to know?'
This I have been asked many times!
I grew up on a farm in the Swedish province Värmland in a large family. Here we learned to take care of and manage everything. Maybe, it is for that reason I constantly wish to carry out anything I attempt. To be a good rally co-driver, you need to be patient, pay attention to details, and be a good organizer with a sense of rhythm. It was my first boy friend, Lars-Erik Torph, who got me interested. At first, my involvement consisted of me being there and organizing the logistics of his racing. One day, there was a shortage of co-drivers, and I had to jump in. There is no school, you can attend. You have to ask advice from the more experienced co-drivers, and then just race, race, and race! If you are talented to read notes, and to find your way on a map, then you have the chance of succeeding as a co-driver.

It has not been easy, making a career within motor sport. There have been many ups and downs. When I look back, though, I have had a very eventful life, thanks to my sport. I have travelled round the world, met new cultures with different religions and ways of living, and I have always had the opportunity to learn a lot. Yes, indeed, it has been difficult to be a woman in this world of men. But if you accomplish difficult work and gain ground, if you can sell your ‘product’, then you definitely get the job!

Being a rally co-driver means, sitting in a car for 10 – 16 hours a day, writing notes or reading the map. There is a difference between being a co-driver in a rally car or in a car, participating in a rally raid in the desert. Different skills are demanded. In a rally, the most important thing is, to put down the correct angle of each curve and the distance between each angle. In a rally raid in the desert, it is most essential to know, where you are, and to navigate towards the next point on the map. Here you have to be a hundred percent concentrated. If you miss only a little, it may mean, you slip off the track, get stuck in the desert sand, or get lost among the gigantic sand dunes. During the race, I also have to keep an eye on my watch, because everything runs on a set schedule; if we do not manage in time, we will be given a time penalty. I am never allowed to relax, I am always in charge. All possible and necessary preparations must be given careful consideration – and sometimes you even have to be a sly fox!

Taking part in a competition as a whole, does not leave much time for my private life. Then I travel approximately 250 days of the year, including press and PR-events.

You also have to be in extremely good shape, as your body is put to high tests, and you have to cope with both stress and pressure. It is of great importance, to learn eating food of high value and having enough sleep. Any negligence will turn back to you like a boomerang – and it will hit you hard! Balance and inner harmony are important pieces.

Since 1990, my sport is my profession, and still I am fond of it as ever before. The only difference is that nowadays I do not strive with routine, as I did in the beginning. Today I want to accomplish results! In other words: I fight for victory! To reach the winner’s podium, however, is very much a question of riding a competitive car and technical development progresses by leaps and bounds. In former times, I have mostly raced on blocked roads. In 1999/2000, however, I participated for the first time in the Rally Raid Paris – Dakar.

It all began in a MITSUBISHI PAJERO together with Jutta Kleinschmidt in a race that lasted 3 to 25 days. Running a WRC-rally, it all together takes a week’s training and 3 days for the race itself. In the desert everything is ‘blind’, as we call it, which means, we do not know, what it looks like, or if there is a track to follow. Every day is a new adventure. Every night we arrive at a new spot. We get a plan and a new goal for the following day. Then it is important to be patient, not to give up and refuse to quit. We live in plain camps, and we lack sleep.
During the years 2001 and 2002, I returned to WRC, but since 2003, I competed with the Rally Raid Team for NISSAN, and I exclusively race in the desert. The results are: two overall victories, one in Morocco, one in Portugal.
In May 2005, I began my co-operation with Giniel de Villiers for VOLKSWAGEN. During that season, we managed to come 2nd three times in the Desert Cup. In 2006, we finished 2nd overall in the Rally Paris – Dakar. This I am very proud of! 

These successes are followed by two victories in the year 2008 in the Desert- and the Baja-series, both together with Nasser Al-Attiyah. During the Dakar 2009 we had the leading position, but unfortunately we had to drop out of the race in the 6th stage. In March 2009 I changed my driver and started navigating for Guerlain Chicherit, France. Together we have won the World Cup in the Desert-series 2009, including two event victories.

During the years I have obtained great technical knowledge and plenty of driving practice. I have realized, however, that I will never drive a car as well as the rally drivers I have co-operated with through the years. On the other hand, it’s not my business, and the question is, if they ever would manage to do my job! I know, I do to the best of my ability, and therefore I reckon every result as a victory!

To be a woman in this male-dominated sport has not always been an edifying experience, even if there have been bright moments. In my world, nothing is for free, and you have to elbow your way. On the other hand, sometimes I feel like a real Lady, because most men in the rally sport are genuine Gentlemen. At press- and PR-events, it has been advantageous for me being a woman, because, when I appear, among all these men, I am definitely seen!

I have raced with several rally drivers during the years. My career started with Lars-Erik Torph and continued with Carina Hermanson, Susanne Kottulinsky, Mats Jonsson, Ola Strömberg, Mats Karlsson, Leif Asterhag, Louise Aitken-Walker, Isolde Holderied, Simon Davison, Uwe Nittel, Mika Solberg, Mattias Ekström, Jutta Kleinschmidt, Thomas Rådström, Kenneth Erisson, Ari Vatanen, Colin McRae and, finally, Giniel de Villiers, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Guerlain Chicherit.

Also, I have raced in various makes of cars: VOLVO, SAAB, AUDI, VOLKSWAGEN, OPEL, FORD, Toyota, Subaru, Lada, MITSUBISHI, Citroën, Skoda, NISSAN, BMW, both national cars and Gr. A, Gr. N and the WRC.
Competitions, I have participated in, are: the Swedish, German, English and European Championships, World Rally Championship and Rally Raid Cup (desert).

As my top results I count the victories in at least one stage of national championships and finishing 2nd in the European Championship and the Gr. N World Championship. In addition, I have managed to come 2nd and 3rd in two World Championships. In the Rally Paris – Dakar in 1999, Jutta Kleinschmidt and me won our group and finished 3rd overall. We were the first Ladies’ Team ever to enter the winners’ podium. This, however, I excelled in 2006 together with Giniel de Villiers by finishing 2nd overall.

Together with X-Raid, I won three World-Cup-victories during the years 2008 and 2009. As already mentioned above, I have raced the Dakar several times with various drivers, but never managed to win an overall victory. In the Dakar 2010 in South America, team Chicherit (F)/Thörner (Ch) came out victorious in stage 11. Overall we finished 5th in this famous and adventurous race!
I feel really content with these excellent results in a tough and demanding sport.

By now, I have achieved many of my great purposes:
• to race and finish the Rally Raid Paris – Dakar,
• to race a full World Championships for a factory team.

A goal I still dream of attaining is, to conquer the Dakar and win!

At present, I prepare the change of my profession as a rally co-driver, to become a "world class" coach when it comes to leadership, team buildning and personal development. To become their own chapion in navigation on their" success roads" for the future, in order to achieve their individual goals and overcome challenges. At the same time I am building up some new business out of my new home country Switzerland.
That, for me, implies a new exciting track to keep to.