Latest / Rusty's Garage / The Motorsport Brief: Simona de Silvestro on her return to Bathurst

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The Motorsport Brief: Simona de Silvestro on her return to Bathurst · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:04
  Welcome to the Motorsport Brief.
• 0:06
  It's Tuesday, the 26th of September, 2023.
• 0:09
  It's footy finals week, and that means one thing.
• 0:12
  We are getting closer to the great race at Mount Panorama Bathurst.
• 0:17
  Next week, that will be the focus of Australian sport.
• 0:20
  And today, we're going to talk to the Iron Maiden ahead of her return to supercars and the Bathurst 1000.
• 0:29
  G'day everybody, Greg Rust with you for this edition of the Rusty's Garage Shortcast.
• 0:33
  We've dropped another long-form ep for you today as well, with a supercars flavour, given that the mountain is calling.
• 0:40
  Charlie Schwerkolt, Team 18 owner, businessman with quite a family story, and fittingly, we recorded it around some cool cars, which we also discussed.
• 0:50
  If you want more Supercast content, don't forget Michael Caruso is a recent release too.
• 0:56
  And if you're enjoying F1 after the back-to-back events in Singapore and Japan, my broadcast colleague Louise Goodman is another added to the Rusty's Garage Library with some great yarns on her time working with people like...
• 1:10
  Eddie Jordan being in an F1 two seater when it crashed and taking part in a pit stop for the coverage.
• 1:17
  For this edition of The Brief, we have something of an adopted Aussie for our interview guest.
• 1:24
  Swiss racer Simona DeSalvestro has a pretty impressive motor racing CV that includes IndyCar,
• 1:31
  working with Porsche, testing roles in Formula One and involvement with Formula E and she raced for several seasons in supercars chalking up over 90 starts.
• 1:41
  She is back down under for a Bapis wildcard with Dick Johnson Racing and she is on the line from their workshop in Queensland.
• 1:50
  Simona welcome to the podcast.
• 1:52
  Thank you.
• 1:53
  Thanks for having me.
• 1:54
  Hey, walk the audience back a little ways because there were rumours of Walkinshaw and Dredda United.
• 2:00
  We obviously had a pandemic in between when you last raced a supercar and so on.
• 2:05
  How long has the actual thought of coming back and racing one or doing a wildcard been running around in your mind or been in play?
• 2:13
  Yeah.
• 2:14
  Yeah, well, pretty much, I think when I left at the end of 19, you know, it was always on my mind to come back, you know, for the endurances, you know, I think that was something that was kind of always in the back of my mind.
• 2:26
  And definitely, you know, we knew that the pandemic then happened and kind of threw a little bit of a curveball in this whole plan to just come back for endurances.
• 2:37
  Yeah.
• 2:38
  There was always a little bit of talk once the pandemic was through and some teams approached me here and there.
• 2:46
  I was always open to do it and the things never really felt at the right time, at the right place to make it happen.
• 2:56
  you know, with this one, it did, you know.
• 2:58
  And, you know, it was really actually, Ben just called me if I was keen to do it.
• 3:05
  And, you know, having DJ Arlo really called me to do better.
• 3:09
  I think as a comeback, you know, I think it's definitely the coolest thing to do it with them.
• 3:14
  And, yeah, I'm pretty proud to be racing for this team.
• 3:16
  So, yeah, I'm happy that it all came together.
• 3:20
  And, yeah, the car looks really good.
• 3:21
  So I can't wait to get around the racetrack again with it.
• 3:25
  We'll talk more about the car and that very cool paint scheme and things in a minute.
• 3:28
  You did give us a little bit of a scare, though, because we thought, you know, 2023, this is going to be the year.
• 3:33
  And then you had you had appendicitis or something, didn't you?
• 3:36
  Tell us about that.
• 3:36
  And are you back to full health?
• 3:39
  Yeah, definitely.
• 3:41
  So, you know, like the whole year was actually, you know, I had quite a lot of work, you know, with Porsche, but just doing a lot of simulator work with them and knowing that I was going to race Bathurst, you know, I was getting really excited about this.
• 3:53
  And then, yeah, my body just kind of decided to throw a little bit of a curveball with appendicitis.
• 3:59
  And it really happened, you know, three days before I was supposed to get on a plane to come to Australia.
• 4:03
  So, yes, definitely.
• 4:06
  you know, not ideal, but you can't control these things.
• 4:09
  And, you know, now I'm back to 100%, which is really good.
• 4:13
  And the team were really amazing, you know, to move things around as well.
• 4:16
  So, you know, we haven't, it doesn't really feel like, you know, we're unprepared or anything like that because we were able to move the test days around and just everyone getting ready, you know, and myself as well.
• 4:28
  The Gen 3 car, you kind of come at this with a fresh set of eyes.
• 4:32
  So some of the competitors that have been in it this year, the brand new cars, some have liked it, some have found it a bit challenging and so on.
• 4:40
  Is there something from your, you know, data bank of racing over the years from IndyCar, from Supercars, from wherever that you can draw from?
• 4:47
  What do you think of them?
• 4:48
  And, you know, how excited are you about doing the 1000 in a Gen 3 car?
• 4:54
  Yeah, well, I've heard a lot of things about the Gen 3 cars.
• 4:57
  So some positive, some negative.
• 5:00
  And, you know, at the end of the day, you know, it's the same for everybody.
• 5:03
  And for me, you know, I just need to get in there, you know, and kind of figure it out.
• 5:07
  You know, luckily for me, I've driven a lot of different things in my life.
• 5:11
  And usually I can adapt pretty quickly to something new.
• 5:14
  But for sure, you know, I think it would be an interesting challenge.
• 5:19
  uh but sometimes you know it's also good you know to be kind of away from it and just show up you know for for for really the one race you you're coming to do and i was talking with the guys as well you know just having this one off sometimes you know you're just just so focused on that one event and uh it makes it really special and you actually like you're really prepared for it because you don't really have too many distractions you know going on from other races and things like
• 5:42
  really focus on what you have to do.
• 5:44
  That's what we're doing right now, really focusing, you know, on what we have to do in Bathurst.
• 5:47
  So from that point of view, you know, it's not too bad because, you know, yeah, we're quite focused on that task.
• 5:54
  And yeah, I heard it's tricky to drive, but I haven't driven it yet.
• 5:59
  So I can let you know more about this, like at the end of the week.
• 6:03
  So let's talk about that because you're staying here between now and the great race.
• 6:08
  You're going to be based in Aussie.
• 6:09
  Give us a sense of how much you'll get in the way of miles.
• 6:11
  And you're working with a bright young driver that has a lot of potential and what seems like a very good future in supercars.
• 6:19
  You're going to kind of help mentor in that regard too, aren't you?
• 6:23
  Yeah, it makes me feel old a little bit, you know, to be a mentor.
• 6:26
  You're not.
• 6:28
  But no, you know, I think it's a great opportunity for Kai, you know, he's a really, you know, fast kid, you know, and he's really eager, you know, to learn as well.
• 6:38
  And we get along quite well, you know, the last few days, we've been spending a lot of time together and...
• 6:43
  Being a bit of a mentor, I think it's quite special.
• 6:46
  I remember when I was 18 and driving race cars.
• 6:51
  I think in that sense, when you're able to get paired up with somebody who has driven more things, I think it's always cool.
• 6:57
  Especially within the team as well here, with Will, with Anton.
• 7:01
  I think we all get along quite well.
• 7:03
  From that point of view, for him, it's perfect because he can really draw into it quite quickly.
• 7:09
  Yeah, I think...
• 7:11
  you know, teaming up with him is, I think it's going to be cool, you know, and yeah, just going to Bathurst, you know, I think for him as well, it's going to be his first.
• 7:19
  So, you know, I've done a lot of big races.
• 7:23
  So, you know, hopefully we can kind of keep, you know, the nerves a bit in place and, you know, do a really good job throughout the race.
• 7:30
  And then I think if we can really do that, you know, we can have a pretty good result as well, I think.
• 7:35
  Cool.
• 7:36
  Step people through the plan over the coming days for you to get some valuable miles and what you need to do just so you feel comfortable in this car by the time you get to the mountain.
• 7:47
  Yeah, so we have two days now happening this week of testing at QR, which will be good.
• 7:52
  So it'll be a lot of running, you know, a lot of driver change, a lot of pit stop and things like that.
• 7:57
  And yeah, it's quite close to the race, you know, in the sense, but it just feels like, you know, once we get to the racetrack now on Thursday,
• 8:05
  We just have this ball that will be rolling and we'll be driving quite a lot.
• 8:09
  I think the first day the plan is to do a lot of laps.
• 8:13
  Also for Kai, I think it's going to be important that he does once a double stint.
• 8:18
  I don't think he's ever done one in his life.
• 8:19
  So things like that, just kind of ticking them off because
• 8:23
  Bathurst is definitely, you know, it's a long race.
• 8:26
  And if it's the first time, you know, you end up doing double stints, you know, it's quite eye-opening.
• 8:30
  So I think we'll do that, both of us, and just do a lot of laps just to get our heads around the car.
• 8:36
  car as you said a little earlier in this conversation looks amazing not your first time in a Ford but great that you can be back driving one in a Mustang this time the paint scheme is a throwback or a bit of a connection to the cars of 2003 2004 the likes of Max Wilson Warren Luff Stephen Johnson and so on you're going to make quite a splash we're not going to miss you on track are we?
• 9:00
  Yeah, definitely.
• 9:01
  I think it's, I think I, even though I'm driving the car, but I think it's the coolest car out there.
• 9:06
  You know, I think it looks quite aggressive and, and yeah, you know, it's going to be impossible to miss us because we're really going to be this bright yellow, yellow dot running around and hopefully we'll be, you know,
• 9:17
  at the front, you know, so people don't have to look too far back to see it.
• 9:20
  Good.
• 9:21
  You spent a bit of time obviously in Darwin and then of course at the Sandown 500 in a driver sense that is probably mixed emotions, frustrated that you're not behind the wheel, but at the same time probably some valuable takeaways from that.
• 9:35
  What things did you walk away from that have, you know, given you another little insight that you can take to the mountain?
• 9:45
  Yeah, I think, you know, really the biggest thing was actually in Sandown, you know, actually listening to Ludo.
• 9:52
  That was, I think, the coolest thing, you know, because that's always somebody I've, you know, admired while I raced here, you know, he's like an amazing engineer.
• 10:00
  And just to
• 10:01
  to be sitting there and listening to all the things he's thinking about, it just kind of opens your mind a little bit on how they go about their job.
• 10:09
  And he's quite a character.
• 10:11
  So I thought that was really something cool to be able to witness, because I think if we would have done Sandown, I would have never had the opportunity to do that.
• 10:20
  So from that point of view, I think that's pretty valuable and pretty interesting to see how he goes at it.
• 10:29
  Are there things from Will and Anton that have perhaps helped too?
• 10:32
  I mean, it's a great team to be a part of, Samota, for so many different reasons, isn't it?
• 10:38
  Yeah, it's great.
• 10:39
  You know, and Will and I, I know him since quite a while now.
• 10:43
  You know, I think when I kind of moved to the Gold Coast as well, you know, they were super nice to kind of take me in as well.
• 10:49
  You know, we had a few dinners back when I used to race here.
• 10:53
  So we got pretty close and I think we're pretty open to each other as well.
• 10:56
  And for sure, you know, right now, you know, they tell me a lot of things on how they feel about to drive the car.
• 11:02
  But, you know, at the end of the day, you need to kind of go out yourself and just –
• 11:06
  see really what how it is for you and you know how bad it is how good it is so those are always things you know you you sometimes when you listen too much to people that before you get to try it you know it can can get a bit you can get a bit nervous about it but uh but i think once we'll do the test you know i think well i'll have a much clearer uh image on on how the car is and i think from then on you know uh we'll be working really well all three together you know and with the co-drive as well you know to
• 11:33
  I think as a team, you know, to have the most successful kind of campaign as a team as well, you know, to all be pretty quick and be right up there.
• 11:42
  When you have a parity-based formula like this and you have new regulation, invariably we go through this period of almost a little bit of a tug of war until everyone finds a way to ensure that they feel like things are level.
• 11:55
  And there's been lots of discussion, I know, about that this year.
• 11:58
  Do you and even within the DJR team feel like you'll have a good shot at being competitive when you get to Bathurst relative to the Camaros?
• 12:06
  Yes.
• 12:07
  Well, yeah, that's been kind of a big discussion kind of going on from, you know, as well what I've read and stuff like that.
• 12:14
  But, you know, I think the team is really good.
• 12:17
  You know, I think they will really, you know, push as hard as they can to be successful, you know.
• 12:23
  And, you know, from our point of view as a driver, you know, at the end of the day, you have what you have and you just need to do the best out of it.
• 12:29
  So, yeah, not sure if there's some updates or anything coming up.
• 12:33
  Like, so we will see.
• 12:34
  But, yeah.
• 12:36
  You know, it's a long race.
• 12:37
  I think Bathurst as well, you know, it can sound like a, you know, a short race where pretty much qualifying is everything.
• 12:44
  So, yeah, it'll be interesting.
• 12:45
  But, you know, I try and, you know, I'm the wild card, so I try not to get too involved in those politics, you know.
• 12:52
  I'm just kind of happy to come and do the race and enjoy it.
• 12:55
  We'll take a quick break on this edition of the Rusty's Garage Shortcast.
• 12:59
  More with Simona DiSalvestro in just a few moments.
• 13:05
  You're listening to the Motorsport Brief, our shorty, our new style pod in the Rusty's Garage Library.
• 13:11
  Let's shift the conversation back into gear with Simona DeSalvestro now, ahead of her return to Bathurst this October.
• 13:21
  When you come to these iconic venues, right, like Indianapolis, Mount Panorama Bathurst, whatever, do you have a little ritual that you do on race week, be it from walking the track to whatever?
• 13:31
  I mean, because, you know, we love having internationals come down and experience this because we're so proud of that race venue and the impact that it has on race.
• 13:41
  international races when they come.
• 13:42
  Give us a sense for you of how long, we know it's your sixth start, for example, but I gather it was a thing you wanted to do for quite some time when you first came over to have a crack at it.
• 13:54
  Is there a ritual and what sort of memories does it evoke for you when you go there?
• 13:58
  Yeah, well, definitely.
• 13:59
  I think the big thing is just being able to do the race again.
• 14:03
  You know, I've been lucky to have done it a few times.
• 14:07
  And I think, you know, the older you get in your career and not really racing in the series, you know, to get the call up to go do Bathurst, you know, I think for a lot of us, it's a bit of a no-brainer because it is such an iconic race.
• 14:18
  And yeah, ritual, you know, I think,
• 14:22
  I feel like the more the years go by, the more you actually enjoy a bit of everything, you know, because you have a little bit of a routine on how, you know, how things are going to unfold, you know, until the race day.
• 14:34
  But I feel like you take it a little bit more in, you know, you're a little bit more aware of it, where
• 14:38
  the first time you show up, you know, everything is new and, uh, it's overwhelming because there's so many people, so many fans.
• 14:44
  So, um, I think you, yeah, you just enjoy it.
• 14:47
  I think a bit more because you, you take the time to appreciate it as well, you know, and, uh, and, you know, being lucky to be in the, being in this position, you know, to, to come and do this race.
• 14:57
  And, uh, um, at the end of the day, you know, I think personally, it's the best racetrack to drive around, you know, and, uh, uh, I'm just really looking forward to, to get around there.
• 15:06
  And especially in the supercars, you know, I think it's, uh,
• 15:09
  It's quite fun and I'm really looking forward to it.
• 15:12
  You are a competitive human being by nature.
• 15:14
  Do you set a little target for your return to supercars, what you'd like to achieve with this wildcard realistically?
• 15:20
  Yeah, I think, you know, if I look at the result I've had, you know, I was always around like, you know, I would say top 13.
• 15:27
  That's really where we kind of always managed.
• 15:29
  You know, there was one race where I think we would have had an easy top 10 until I ran out of talent, unfortunately.
• 15:36
  But, you know, so I think, you know, if things go really well, you know, I think a top 10 could be something really good for us.
• 15:44
  And I think it's achievable.
• 15:45
  You know, at the end of the day, there's so many things that can,
• 15:48
  can go on in this race.
• 15:50
  And we just need to really tick off all our boxes and the things we really can control.
• 15:54
  And from that point of view, I think if we come out of it in the top 10, I think it'd be quite a rewarding day.
• 16:01
  You've always been just a proud competitor.
• 16:04
  I've always known that about you.
• 16:05
  Australia has a great...
• 16:08
  tradition and is very respected on the international scene for its women in motorsport programs.
• 16:13
  It must be nice to be back in Australia and reminding all of the young girls around Australia that you can aspire to being a racer in the biggest events in the country in motor racing.
• 16:26
  Yeah, for sure.
• 16:27
  You know, I think, especially here in Australia, you know, I think you, you such a sports, sports nation and, and, you know, I think with the world cup as well in, in, in football and all that, I think it, you know, I think all of these things are super important, you know, I think, and we can really inspire a lot of young people to, to,
• 16:46
  to go for their dreams.
• 16:47
  And yeah, for me to be the only girl, you know, in the Bathurst 1000, you know, I think it's a, it's quite special, you know, and hopefully, you know, in a few years, you know, we will be more than just one.
• 17:00
  And I think that's the goal.
• 17:01
  And I think, you know, from also the parents, you know, I've seen a lot of in Sandown actually, I really saw, you know, a lot of dads kind of bringing their girls, you know, to the racetrack.
• 17:11
  And I think that's cool to see.
• 17:12
  And I think that the,
• 17:13
  Yeah.
• 17:14
  Now, you know, I think the doors are starting to open a bit more and it's really cool to see.
• 17:20
  And it's cool to be part of it as well, you know, and to see that there's more and more involvement for sure.
• 17:25
  Well done.
• 17:26
  Before we let you go, obviously, Bathurst is the immediate focus and you want to have a great, great week up there.
• 17:32
  What about 2024?
• 17:34
  Obviously, still lots of love for IndyCar.
• 17:36
  What are the plans?
• 17:36
  What can you share with us?
• 17:39
  Not much at the moment, but I would say if everything goes to plan, I think I'll have a really good thing going on next year.
• 17:51
  So hopefully it all comes together.
• 17:53
  One thing that my buddy Lee Diffie reminded me, he commentates obviously for NBC IndyCar, but also works on the Olympics.
• 18:01
  You are having a crack at the Olympics.
• 18:04
  Tell us about this.
• 18:05
  What's the plan?
• 18:05
  Come on.
• 18:07
  Yeah, it's a bit of a crazy idea, to be honest.
• 18:11
  And I think a lot of people think it's pretty crazy.
• 18:13
  But as a kid, you know, I've always dreamt to go to the Olympics.
• 18:17
  And, you know, a few years ago, I just kind of tried to figure out how I could achieve this dream.
• 18:22
  And I feel like I'm the person who usually, you know, tries to go for it, you know, and I figured that driving a bobsled could be similar to driving a race car.
• 18:33
  And, yeah, so that's the goal.
• 18:35
  We try to qualify for the Olympics in 26.
• 18:38
  So it's a big ask, but, you know, I think, you know, we can manage.
• 18:44
  So, yeah, that's kind of the goal.
• 18:45
  So it's a bit of a crazy dream, but sometimes you just got to go for it, I guess.
• 18:50
  Oh, I think it's a perfect fit.
• 18:51
  Motor racing and someone who enjoys speed sports, Winter Olympics, we hope that's a lot of fun and brings you some success too.
• 18:58
  Thank you.
• 18:59
  We hope it all comes together for you.
• 19:00
  Most importantly, welcome back to Oz.
• 19:03
  Have a fantastic couple of weeks here.
• 19:05
  And we really can't wait to see what you can do at the mountain.
• 19:07
  We hope that top 10 is in the offing for you.
• 19:10
  Enjoy.
• 19:11
  Thank you.
• 19:13
  Now, in organising that chat, I promised Simona we would get her back on at some stage for a longer conversation that covers all of her career.
• 19:22
  There is so much to talk to her about.
• 19:25
  In other news, well done, Oscar Piastri.
• 19:28
  Silverware for the mantelpiece, joining the F1 podium club and at a famous venue too.
• 19:35
  Third at Suzuka in Japan behind teammate Lando Norris and race winner Max Verstappen.
• 19:41
  It vindicates the decision by McLaren just days earlier to extend Oscar's deal through to 2026.
• 19:48
  Meanwhile, there doesn't seem to be any immediate options for Liam Lawson, who was again the highest placed Alfa Tori driver, finishing ahead of his teammate, the local hero, Yuki Tsunoda.
• 19:59
  11th for Liam, just outside the points.
• 20:02
  Daniel Ricciardo is expected to be back in that car for the next round.
• 20:06
  Dan's also been confirmed alongside Yuki for next season at the team.
• 20:10
  The Sky broadcast crew
• 20:13
  have begun pushing a bit of a narrative which we agree with here on the pod, and that is any other team who hasn't locked in their 2024 lineups just yet need to seriously consider Lawson, especially Williams.
• 20:27
  Surely the pressure on Sergio Perez, separately, must be beginning to build.
• 20:32
  He had a shocker in Japan, but he has a deal for next year, whatever that is worth, in the brutal business of Formula 1.
• 20:40
  Second place for Shane Van Gisbergen at the Daybreaker Rally in New Zealand behind Hayden Padden.
• 20:45
  Hopefully that gives SVG a bit of zing again for the Bathurst 1000.
• 20:50
  His hero, Greg Murphy, was pretty disappointed in Shane's performance leading into the 500 and openly shared his views on that.
• 20:58
  But it was almost a plea for Shane to finish the Supercars chapter and his very successful time with Triple Eight in the right fashion.
• 21:07
  And well done to Jet Lawrence, who won the 2023 Super Motocross Season Final at the famed LA Coliseum at the weekend, adding two more Moto wins and the 450 SMX crown to his list of incredible successes this season.
• 21:22
  Good story.
• 21:23
  A few of you are asking about the latest on the Sydney Speedway debacle.
• 21:27
  We will tackle that in the weeks ahead.
• 21:30
  And Jack Miller is joining us on the next edition of The Brief as we build up to MotoGP at Phillip Island in October as well.
• 21:38
  We'll catch you next time, everybody.
• 21:39
  Bye for now.