WHO IS TROLL?

Well my name is Mark Cooke (born Mark Trollope), and I live in Wimborne, Dorset on the south coast of England. I work as an Customer Service Engineer for Tandberg Television who design, build and install Digital Video Compression equipment for the broadcast industry.

That's the boring stuff out the way! Now to get on with what this site is all about..ME! As you might already know I am well in to Ford RS cars, I have owned six so far, 2 MK2 RS2000's, an RS1600I, a Sapphire Cosworth and my present ones are an Escort MK2 RS2000 and an Escort MK2 Mexico, which is geared up as a track car. should be fun!

I was the Chairman of the Dorset Group of the Ford RS Owners Club  for 5 years, so if your an RS owner lost in Dorset then see our website or e-mail me for more info.

I also have an an interest in Alfa Romeo's, my 1st was an Alfa Romeo 156 V6 which I used as my everyday car and for business use. I then bought another 156, but this time a 2.4 Diesel S/W, umm but you know me I don't do standard cars, and this one was already lowered, chipped to 175 BHP, and had the optional "Zender" bumpers from the Alfa catalogue. I fitted the white 17" speedline alloys later. This was written off on the M27 after someone didn't stop and pushed me into the central reservation.

To replace the 156 2.4 JTD S/W, I decided I wanted a GTA, thought about the 156 GTA, but now the Mexico is sold I no longer needed a tow car, so I went for the 147 GTA, in rare Nuvelo "pearl" white. (details soon). That too has now been sold and I have bought another 156 V6, this time a S/W that runs on LPG.... it won't stay standard for long though...

I started life very young :-), and was brought up in St.Leonards near Ringwood in a big bungalow in Lions Lane. I started my schooling at St. Leonards and St. Ives county 1st school, and then went to Gorsemoor Middle when I was 9 ish. From there I did a year at Ferndown Upper until I moved house to Bearwood and hence moved schools to Oakmead Boys school.

When I left school I did a YTS course (remember them), at the ITEC in Christchurch, this enabled me to learn more about computers and electronics. I did a few work experience placements, the 1st at Computafix in Bournemouth which is now Hugh symons. Then I went just accross the road to Plessey defence LTD, where I was eventually taken on as a contracter in the Level 1 Test Department. Well I must of made a good impression as I was there for several years as a contractor, but I always wanted to become a "permie". So a position came up for a Good Inwards Inspector, doing mechanical and Electrical inspection work. Well I got the job and stayed there for a few years, however I always wanted to go back into board test/ diagnosis, so when a position came up back in level 1 test I went for it and got it. :-)

Unfortunately a year or so later after we had been taken over by siemens they decided to close the shop floor and I was made redundant.

On the rock and roll for 6 months, but finally got a contract at surface Electronics, ummm well they did teach me how to solder surface mount ! Anyway a few more contracts later included, Marconi, Racal, Wayfarer Transit systems, and finally NTL/DMV/NDS/Tandberg TV. I started there in August 1993 (bloody hell 12 years ago), and after 6 months I was taken on as a permie..... and I am still there now.