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The Motorsport Brief: Cam Waters calls in from California · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:04
  Welcome to the Motorsport Brief.
• 0:06
  What an awesome weekend of motorsport with some supercar stars from down under taking on NASCAR.
• 0:13
  And that is the focus of this edition with a guest who made his cup debut.
• 0:19
  G'day everybody, Rusty here.
• 0:20
  Welcome to another ep of the Garage Shortcast.
• 0:23
  Cam Waters has kindly called in following a tough finish to this weekend's round at Sonoma.
• 0:28
  We don't want to hold him, or you, for too long.
• 0:30
  Quickly, thank you for the feedback on our latest feature episode with two-time Australian rally champion Rob Herich.
• 0:36
  He is a good storyteller, and even if you're not into rallying, the yarns are more widely appealing than that.
• 0:42
  And funny too.
• 0:43
  From thinking he was world champion material, the way that he attacked his first ever transport stage, it wasn't even competitive, to the deep ties with Subaru and the formation of a successful family business, Maxima Motorsport.
• 0:56
  The brutal lesson his uncle taught him around the psychology of sport.
• 1:01
  and winning to becoming a pretend-gen-ear as he calls it.
• 1:05
  Working as a young bloke on the family farm taught him engineering skills that serve him in motorsport to this day, arguably better than a degree.
• 1:13
  Plus winning his second Australian title before he'd even received the first.
• 1:17
  That'll make sense when you listen.
• 1:19
  Just search for it in the garage library.
• 1:21
  Now, Supercar Series leader Will Brown raced for Richard Childress with support from Peter Aderton's Mobile X.
• 1:27
  They had a couple of engine issues on Saturday, electrical problems in the race.
• 1:31
  He made a flying start to practice that really turned heads.
• 1:35
  Shane Van Gisbergen went back-to-back, a win at Portland, followed by a brilliant performance to take out the Xfinity race there at Sonoma.
• 1:43
  It sadly was a DNF for Cam Waters for Roush Fenway-Keslowski Racing in their Stage 60 entry.
• 1:49
  but he's been good enough to come on for a chat just before boarding his flight back for the Darwin round of supercars this weekend.
• 1:56
  Hello, mate.
• 1:57
  Hey, mate.
• 1:58
  How you going?
• 1:59
  Knocking on the door of the top 10, things got pretty wild at turn 11 there, and unfortunately, it wounded the Mustang.
• 2:06
  What happened and what was the actual analysis of the damage?
• 2:09
  Yeah, so I think it was a gold Mustang, Josh Berrier.
• 2:13
  I think he just got a bit optimistic and turned someone and, yeah, just...
• 2:18
  got caught up in someone else's accident and got a heap of bent, you know, steering damage, moved the splitter and all that stuff.
• 2:26
  So she was pretty wounded after that.
• 2:28
  So they kind of fixed it a little bit in the pith as much as we could.
• 2:33
  And then, yeah, kind of got taken out properly at the end.
• 2:37
  While the result after running so well is probably a little bit of a bitter pill to swallow, how do you feel about the overall experience?
• 2:44
  Based on what you've written on socials, you've had an unbelievable time.
• 2:48
  Yeah, I've had so much fun.
• 2:50
  You know, it's a bit of a bucket list thing for me to come over here and do a cup race on a road course.
• 2:55
  And I just wanted to...
• 2:58
  Enjoy the experience, have fun, and I've definitely done that.
• 3:02
  Had a lot of fun, had some really cool battles today with some really cool names, and we were looking really good there for a little bit.
• 3:10
  So, yeah, I'm not going to let the incident put a dampener on my whole week.
• 3:17
  Sonoma is a beautiful place.
• 3:19
  What were your impressions of it, of the track, and were there any aspects of it that reminded you of other venues that you've raced at?
• 3:27
  beautiful part of the world and I wish I could have spent a few more days here and enjoyed all the wineries and stuff.
• 3:33
  So anyway, got to go back to Darwin.
• 3:38
  The track, it was very cool.
• 3:41
  The undulation to the first sector was crazy.
• 3:45
  Kind of reminded me a little bit of Bathurst to be honest and some real fast flowing corners around the back.
• 3:51
  And turn 10, that reminded me of kind of like Pukakawi last corner.
• 3:56
  It was a lot of fun to drive.
• 3:57
  I loved it.
• 3:58
  Commentators said on Friday that you made a withdrawal from the Luck Bank.
• 4:02
  That was an amazing save.
• 4:04
  Was that all about tuning the rear of the car up, as I think you reflected in one particular interview?
• 4:09
  I mean, the track had been resurfaced and so on.
• 4:12
  Yeah, we rolled out of the truck and our cars were super loose, all the RFK cars and
• 4:19
  I'm trying to get my head around the car and trying to find the limit, and I found it a little bit too quickly, quicker than I would have liked to, for sure.
• 4:29
  I was lucky that I didn't get any walls or anything like that.
• 4:32
  And, you know, we could press on and, you know, finish that session off.
• 4:36
  And we, you know, made the car better for qualifying and then better again for the race.
• 4:40
  I think you talked on the Supercars website about these cars being a little bit closer to the current generation of Supercars.
• 4:48
  Just expand on that a little bit if you can.
• 4:50
  What stuff was a bit easier to come to grips with perhaps than what you have imagined?
• 4:55
  Yeah, the gearbox is very similar.
• 4:58
  Well, it's the same, I'm pretty sure.
• 5:00
  The brakes are very similar.
• 5:02
  The big thing is just the weight.
• 5:04
  They're so much heavier than a supercar back home.
• 5:06
  So, you know, you really feel that weight.
• 5:09
  But, you know, it kind of felt a little bit like a Gen 2 car, to be honest.
• 5:13
  So, I felt right at home once I kind of got used to it.
• 5:17
  You sit down so low in them and, you know, the safety in the cars are probably...
• 5:22
  Probably a lot better than the simcars back home, probably just because they're racing on ovals going so much quicker and crashing a lot more than us.
• 5:28
  But, yeah, it was cool to kind of just experience everything.
• 5:32
  How tough was the welcoming?
• 5:34
  Give people a sense of the level of competitiveness, the kind of step up.
• 5:39
  And did the other outings help prep you a little bit for that?
• 5:44
  Yeah, I think racing in Martinsville and Kansas...
• 5:47
  definitely showed me the level that everyone sat over here and how aggressive everyone is.
• 5:52
  And, you know, the race today, like once I got into the race, I think just because it's my discipline, I felt I said a bit more at home than I was in the truck on an oval, but they race super aggressively.
• 6:05
  And if you upset someone, they'll tell you, you know, I upset someone today, he's give me the bird and run into me and stuff.
• 6:11
  And, you know, you just, you can't do that at home, but
• 6:15
  I was laughing.
• 6:15
  I thought it was awesome.
• 6:17
  Cool.
• 6:17
  What about the reception generally from fans?
• 6:20
  And I guess there was a little bit of a home element insofar as I think Jack Perkins was there, Greg Murphy, Roland Dane.
• 6:28
  There was a bit of a contingent track side, wasn't there?
• 6:31
  Yeah, I had a lot of family and friends come over and a safety from the supercar paddock.
• 6:36
  So it was awesome to see all those guys.
• 6:39
  Even the driver intros that I walked out, I actually got a really big chair.
• 6:42
  So that was pretty cool.
• 6:44
  And we had some people from AUKUS and stuff in the corporate area.
• 6:49
  So that was really cool.
• 6:51
  Excellent.
• 6:52
  What about the week that you had in the lead-up, all the stuff you did beforehand, even the fun hanging out with Shane Van Gisbergen and Will Brown and so on?
• 7:01
  Yeah, it's been an awesome week.
• 7:02
  It's been action-packed.
• 7:04
  We flew in Sunday, then we got in at 11.30 at night.
• 7:08
  We were straight on the simulator at the team doing seat fits.
• 7:13
  Caught up with Shane, caught up with Will Brown.
• 7:15
  We were playing volleyball at some little bar thing at 9 o'clock at night.
• 7:20
  That was awesome.
• 7:21
  I actually beat Will Brown in volleyball, if anyone wants to know.
• 7:26
  so that was a small little win for me.
• 7:28
  Went and shot some guns, so yeah, we tried to fit in a few other fun things on the side as well.
• 7:35
  You said, I think, that you'd kind of love to do a bit more of this.
• 7:39
  Have you explored a bit of that discussion?
• 7:41
  Where are you at with the chance to maybe come back and do some more?
• 7:45
  Um, I haven't, haven't really explored it at all yet, but just kind of wanted to get through these three races and, um, just, I think it's just digest it now.
• 7:55
  And, um, yeah, we'll, we'll look at calendars going forward and I'd love to go do some more for sure when we can, you know, fit it in with the supercar stuff, but we'll, um, yeah, work through that.
• 8:06
  Cool.
• 8:07
  In digesting that, what have you enjoyed the most about it?
• 8:11
  I think it's just challenging myself, you know, go over, step into a different discipline and, you know, see how I go and, you know, what I like and what I don't like.
• 8:20
  And, yeah, it's kind of like when I jumped in a sprint car, like I felt like I was starting again in some ways, but I love the challenge of trying to work it out and be competitive in it.
• 8:29
  And, yeah, that's why I wanted to do the oval racing.
• 8:32
  So,
• 8:34
  definitely challenging and there was definitely a lot to learn, but I really love that and wanted to embrace that.
• 8:41
  Great result for Kyle Larson.
• 8:43
  We're kind of hoping that we can entice him down under over summer.
• 8:46
  We'll get to that in a second, but just quickly, where do you think on paper, I know it's ifs, buts and maybes, mate, but where do you think you could have finished today?
• 8:54
  That's a tough question, mate.
• 8:57
  There was one point my crew chief come on the radio and
• 9:03
  That was pretty cool to hear.
• 9:05
  But, yeah, there were so many cautions and there were so many pit stops.
• 9:09
  Why had one more pit stop to go at that point?
• 9:13
  But, you know, so many things can happen.
• 9:15
  But, yeah, I was running around with my teammate, Chris, and I think he finished P3 in the end.
• 9:23
  I would have liked to say that I could have kind of finished in the top 10.
• 9:27
  Cool.
• 9:27
  Finally, on the NASCAR side of things, were there little nuances you had to get used to, spotters and things like that?
• 9:32
  What was all that process like?
• 9:34
  Yeah, the spotter was definitely something that's new to me.
• 9:38
  I really needed the spotter when I was in the trucks at Martinsville and Kansas.
• 9:44
  This weekend wasn't too bad because I had a rear vision camera and it's what I do.
• 9:49
  So I felt like I didn't need him as much but still really relied on him.
• 9:55
  Probably the big thing with a car, you have to lift to change gears instead of a gear carton now car.
• 10:02
  There's a few tyres that got hung up on the limiter.
• 10:05
  Just, yeah, little things like that.
• 10:07
  Don't go away.
• 10:08
  Our conversation with Cam Waters continues in just a few moments here on Rusty's Garage.
• 10:15
  This is the Motorsport Brief, a little weekend review of NASCAR with a supercars flavour, given the presence of it there in California this weekend.
• 10:23
  Cam Waters has been good enough to call in before jetting home for the next supercars round in Darwin this weekend.
• 10:30
  We'll talk about that in a couple of moments' time.
• 10:33
  Let's get back to the combo now.
• 10:35
  You're about to head out to get ready for Darwin next weekend.
• 10:39
  You had an awesome weekend in WA.
• 10:41
  Are you kind of confident you can keep that Wanneroo form going at Hidden Valley?
• 10:46
  Yeah, I think so.
• 10:46
  I think we've kind of found a little bit of a balance with our car, a bit better base set up, I should say.
• 10:53
  And I'd like to think that's going to work in Darwin, so...
• 10:57
  Yeah, we were fast in Darwin last year.
• 10:58
  We qualified well.
• 11:01
  We caught on fire in one race.
• 11:03
  We rebuilt the thing and we raced forward in the other races.
• 11:08
  Yeah, I think we'll go good there.
• 11:10
  I think going to kind of Townsville, a different track, that'll be probably more interesting to see if our new setups work there.
• 11:16
  But, yeah, we'll be right.
• 11:19
  I know it's been a work in progress, but broadly speaking, do things feel like they're a bit more even between the cars now or are you getting there?
• 11:27
  Yeah, I think supercars have done a really good job in the off-season.
• 11:31
  Putting them in the wind tunnel just...
• 11:33
  kind of tick the box and you just move on from it.
• 11:36
  And this year we just haven't really had to talk about that.
• 11:40
  And, you know, there's been a little bit of talk about the engines.
• 11:43
  Definitely, definitely better this year.
• 11:46
  I think, you know, they're still working on that, but, you know, they're a lot closer.
• 11:50
  A couple of fun things to finish here.
• 11:52
  We talked with Craig Lowndes on the short cast in the past week about the Adelaide 500.
• 11:57
  What an unbelievable array of support acts that are going to be there this year.
• 12:01
  Will you do double duty and get behind the wheel of a sprint car?
• 12:05
  We know you've been loving that over summer.
• 12:07
  Oh, don't tempt me, mate.
• 12:09
  I'd really love to.
• 12:11
  I'm going to have to try and get approval from Tickford somehow.
• 12:14
  I don't know how they're going to feel about it, but...
• 12:17
  Yeah, like, I think if I'm racing for a championship, I wouldn't do it.
• 12:22
  But, you know, if we're not really in the championship hunt, then...
• 12:27
  we might have to have that discussion.
• 12:28
  Definitely.
• 12:29
  What do you think of that news?
• 12:30
  I mean, the temporary track, they're going to build some of the names that are being rumoured to be coming out and so on.
• 12:33
  It's a massive undertaking, but huge potential.
• 12:37
  Oh, it's awesome.
• 12:37
  It's, it's so good for, you know, SA.
• 12:40
  It's so good for, um, I think supercars as well.
• 12:44
  You know, it's going to drag a lot of fans from the spring cars to supercars.
• 12:49
  And it's, it's so good for speedway and spring car racing.
• 12:52
  So, um, um,
• 12:54
  I think it's only a good thing.
• 12:55
  Hopefully, you know, all the guys that are racing can put on a good show and it's a good event and it's something that maybe we can do a little bit more.
• 13:04
  I know this will give you a smile to finish.
• 13:06
  A few fans have messaged and asked about the XB Resto.
• 13:09
  Congrats.
• 13:11
  Supercars power.
• 13:12
  Rob and the Rides by Cam team look like they have done a beautiful job.
• 13:16
  What is that thing like to drive?
• 13:18
  Did it turn out even better than you perhaps imagined when you embarked on that process?
• 13:21
  Because it was a couple of years in the making, wasn't it?
• 13:24
  Yeah, it was about five or six years in the making.
• 13:27
  I first bought it and I wanted to do a fair bit of it myself.
• 13:30
  But...
• 13:31
  it quickly outgrew my skill set.
• 13:32
  So I had to find someone that had better skills than me.
• 13:36
  And Rob from Rise By Cam definitely took us to the next level and, yeah, definitely turned out way better than I thought it was going to.
• 13:43
  I've driven it about 1K up the road.
• 13:47
  LAUGHTER
• 13:48
  So that's all I've driven at the moment.
• 13:51
  I've got to get a wheel low and dial.
• 13:52
  I've got to get a diet owned.
• 13:54
  I've got to get it registered.
• 13:55
  So that's the next project.
• 13:57
  Well, next thing I've got to tackle when I get home after that one.
• 14:00
  All right.
• 14:01
  Very funny infomercial with you and your maniac mate, Thomas Randall on social stew.
• 14:05
  He does that way too well.
• 14:08
  I think that whole sales guy doesn't do it.
• 14:10
  It's a worry.
• 14:11
  It's a worry.
• 14:12
  It's very good.
• 14:13
  Hey, congratulations on what you've done.
• 14:15
  We hope that it is just the beginning, mate, and that there is more to come NASCAR-wise.
• 14:21
  Have a fantastic back end of the year in supercars.
• 14:23
  No doubt we'll talk again at some stage.
• 14:25
  And one day we will do a long-form chat about your career, mate, but that's for further down the track.
• 14:30
  Go well in Darwin.
• 14:31
  Yeah, thanks for having me, Rusty.
• 14:32
  See you, mate.
• 14:34
  It is such a feather in supercars cap to have those drivers over there.
• 14:39
  Progression and giving them international opportunity, I reckon, is something that should be encouraged more often.
• 14:45
  Where possible, the calendar should avoid things like the Le Mans 24-hour, Spa, Nurburgring 24-hour too.
• 14:52
  in my opinion.
• 14:53
  A couple of quick bits of news before we go.
• 14:55
  Good F1 race in Canada with some changeable weather.
• 14:59
  Max Verstappen scored a hat-trick of wins there at Montreal.
• 15:03
  Lando Norris and George Russell on the podium too.
• 15:05
  Oscar Piastri fifth.
• 15:07
  Daniel Ricciardo eighth and in the points, despite being penalised for a false start.
• 15:13
  Will Power is back in the winner's circle in IndyCar.
• 15:16
  He was on the pod in recent weeks.
• 15:17
  You may have heard that.
• 15:19
  We are so proud of him here.
• 15:20
  A tough season last year on track and off has made him, as we talked about in the short cast, hungrier than ever.
• 15:28
  Power is now top of the point standings too.
• 15:32
  It was a Penske sweep of the podium there, with Indy 500 winner Joseph Newgarden coming back from a massive Saturday crash to take second and Scott McLaughlin third after looking like being the driver to beat in the early part of the race.
• 15:46
  The Australian Racing Group has announced that the Bathurst International this November will be...
• 15:51
  the last.
• 15:51
  I'll be there.
• 15:52
  I really enjoyed it last season with the TCR World Tour and it is a shame that those teams aren't back with us this year.
• 15:59
  What should the Bathurst Council do?
• 16:02
  Is it time to kind of just condense a bit and not have too many events at Mount Panorama so that those that are fortunate enough to have a place on the calendar, like...
• 16:10
  the 12 hour and the Bathurst 1000 remain truly special.
• 16:15
  It doesn't dilute the power of that place.
• 16:17
  Maybe there is room as one fan, I think expressed on social media for a Goodwood style event.
• 16:23
  I know that's been spoken about before, but it needs to be done right.
• 16:27
  On a separate note, the forthcoming doubleheader Shannon Speed Series event at Queensland Raceway has now been amalgamated into one meeting in August.
• 16:36
  Check their website and socials for details there.
• 16:38
  This basically gives that event the cachet that we've enjoyed at the Bend recently and at Phillip Island before that with an epic line-up.
• 16:46
  Trans Am, TCR, GT and much more.
• 16:50
  While no one wants to see a change like that, it's actually ended up a good result in my opinion.
• 16:56
  congrats to team australia toby price and paul wheel won the baja 500 in their trophy truck that is a massive achievement against some big names in off-road and while we're on that subject a shout out to all the finishers in the think desert race in the northern territory just getting to the line of that grueling event is a massive achievement the bikes
• 17:16
  was still underway as we recorded.
• 17:18
  David Walsh led at the halfway mark, aiming for his fifth win in a row on two wheels.
• 17:24
  And congrats to Bo Robinson.
• 17:26
  After six podiums, he's finally got an outright Fink win in the four-wheel division.
• 17:31
  Now, Ford looked like winning the production class in the Raptor, again after Craig Lowndes suffered what's thought to be a suspension issue in the Silverado on the run back to Alice Springs.
• 17:42
  Chas Mostert is set to join us ahead of Darwin's Supercars round and we'll preview that with him.
• 17:47
  And the GOAT, Ricky Carmichael, who's just been at the Isle of Man TT, we're hoping to get him on in the next fortnight as well.
• 17:54
  Thanks for listening, everybody.
• 17:56
  Bye for now.