Latest / Rusty's Garage / The Motorsport Brief: with Sprintcar Star James McFadden

Transcript

The Motorsport Brief: with Sprintcar Star James McFadden · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:04
  Welcome to the Motorsport Brief.
• 0:06
  It's Friday the 12th of January 2024.
• 0:09
  We are back in gear.
• 0:11
  Happy New Year, everyone.
• 0:12
  With most forms of circuit racing on a break, a lot of the focus turns to summer pursuits like Speedway, which is enjoying a golden season down under right now with some visiting American stars headlining WA Speedweek.
• 0:26
  That has been just awesome.
• 0:28
  Some supercars drivers like NWF,
• 0:30
  Cam Waters have continued to impress.
• 0:33
  He loves driving sprint cars, doing a good job too.
• 0:36
  Plus an Aussie who chases the American dream for most of the year is back home too.
• 0:42
  He's kindly coming back on the pod today as he eyes up the Classic with his team that includes an A-list ownership group.
• 0:52
  Hi, everybody.
• 0:52
  Greg Rust with you for this edition of the Rusty's Garage Shortcast.
• 0:56
  Hope you're well-rested, that Santa was good to you, and if you're back at work, it is okay just to ease the throttle back on.
• 1:04
  Look, from us, tell the boss that it's okay to enjoy listening to the pod while it's a little bit quiet in the office.
• 1:10
  We give you permission to do that.
• 1:12
  The other thing that is on at the moment is Dakar.
• 1:14
  Now, we spoke to Daniel Sanders, who had a bit of a fuel issue in recent days, but we did that before he took off for the big event there.
• 1:21
  So that's a shorty that you'll find in the garage library very recently, if you scroll back, along with legendary actor Shane Jacobson on the home release of Ford vs. Holden.
• 1:32
  That is a cool movie and one that you can find now on Apple TV.
• 1:37
  We also spoke to Hyundai Rally star Hayden Padden just before the break.
• 1:42
  That's our most recent feature episode, and we recorded it while he was at a charity Speedway event with Greg Murphy, Aaron Slyte, and many more.
• 1:51
  You can find Murph and Slytee in our library too.
• 1:55
  Now, this is our first pod back for the new year.
• 1:58
  It's also a first in that we have never, that I can recall, had a guest on three times.
• 2:04
  This is James McFadden's third appearance.
• 2:07
  We are grateful to him for coming back on once again.
• 2:10
  I am not superstitious, but I am a little nervous.
• 2:14
  I have to concede to that.
• 2:16
  When we last spoke to him, it was on the eve of the Knoxville Nationals, and I'm worried it wasn't a good omen for him.
• 2:22
  Hello, mate.
• 2:23
  Thanks, mate.
• 2:24
  Always good to talk to you, except for probably that time at Knoxville.
• 2:29
  Yeah, no, it's last time we spoke.
• 2:30
  We obviously were at the biggest race of the year for us overseas at Knoxville Nationals.
• 2:36
  So had a bit of a bummer run there, mate.
• 2:39
  We were in the transfer spot leading the B-Main into the main race there and blew a tyre.
• 2:44
  Yeah.
• 2:45
  that happens that's racing had a pretty big lick there and um come out all good at the end of the day which is which is half the battle you dug yourself out of a bit of a hole at the start of the meet more or less made leading that b main and that that um shunt that that tire letting go like that one of the biggest incidents i think you've ever had wasn't it yeah the sort of the tire blew right on entry of the corner there so you're probably you know 130 140 mile an hour i'd say and uh
• 3:13
  you're sort of a passenger when that happens, you know, sprint cars just turn around on themselves and flip over as soon as you sort of blow a tire.
• 3:20
  So, you know, that that's a part of what we do.
• 3:23
  It's a, it's a part of the game.
• 3:24
  It was no one's fault.
• 3:25
  We just look like we just ran something over on the track and, and sliced it.
• 3:29
  Um, but yeah, yeah.
• 3:31
  Hard hit anytime you crash at Knoxville's pretty brutal, but, uh, like I said, we're lucky with some great safety equipment and things that we've got these days to, uh,
• 3:41
  to sort of keep us safe as we can.
• 3:44
  It's no fun crashing at that speed for sure.
• 3:46
  When we last spoke, we also talked a bit about kind of state of play down under, maybe a bit of the negative stuff around politics and so on.
• 3:56
  Now that you're back home, I mean, the positivity around the sport and some of the things that are happening around the country at the moment is immense, isn't it?
• 4:04
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 4:06
  You know, I flew over to Perth when I got here and raced for Callum Williamson over there with his team and saw what they were doing over there with their TV coverage and the presentability of it and the way they welcomed us as drivers and the way they welcomed the fans and stuff was unreal.
• 4:25
  They're obviously kicking a lot of goals over there in WA and I think Toowoomba and places like that are following.
• 4:31
  Hopefully Warrnambool with the classic gets up and about and looks after the promotion stuff and –
• 4:38
  keeps the fans engaged and then makes us drivers, you know, feel like we, we're wanted to be there and want to be a part of, you know, such a great event.
• 4:46
  So yeah, the sport, I think in Australia is in a great spot.
• 4:50
  Um, crowds have been huge, the three races that I've been to and, um, you know, you get to see a bit of the, as they call it these days, a changing of the guard.
• 4:58
  Um, you know, a lot of young guys doing, you know, some good things, Jock Goodyear and Lachie McHugh and guys like that.
• 5:04
  And,
• 5:05
  You know, I think that's only good for the sport.
• 5:07
  It only, you know, makes more rivalries and then, you know, more people to cheer on a younger generation of people.
• 5:14
  I'm glad you bring up that it's like a chapter or an era thing.
• 5:19
  When was the last time you can recall it being this kind of popular or healthy?
• 5:24
  I mean, the influx of Americans, and there's a good chunk of them that we'll talk about in this conversation.
• 5:30
  I mean, it's tremendous, isn't it?
• 5:33
  Yeah, it is.
• 5:34
  You know, like you said, I think there's troughs and dips and stuff in the road along the way in any sport.
• 5:39
  And I think we've sort of, hopefully we've seen the last of that on the lower point and we're climbing our way back up.
• 5:46
  But, you know, I think the fan base for me is, you know, tripled over the last few years.
• 5:51
  I thought maybe that was something to do with the America side of things.
• 5:55
  And, you know, the Australian fans have someone to cheer over there.
• 5:57
  But,
• 5:58
  I feel like the presence of fans is more than it has been for a few years.
• 6:04
  So, yeah, it can only be a good thing for our sport.
• 6:08
  I think there's a lot of eyes on it with guys like Tim being involved and then bringing Jack, Riewoldt, Gerard and people like yourself that –
• 6:17
  that are bringing a lot more eyes to the sport.
• 6:20
  You know, we're all motorsport fans at heart.
• 6:22
  And, you know, I think some of the bitumen guys are always, no, no, I'd do it.
• 6:25
  We don't want to be there.
• 6:26
  And, you know, now some of them get to see it and being a part of it.
• 6:30
  It's, you know, we're starting to see Cam Waters and Brody and guys like that being involved in the sport.
• 6:36
  And it's just a different set of eyes.
• 6:39
  So, yeah, I think it's in a good spot right now.
• 6:41
  Shane Van Gisbergen had a bit of a play last summer in New Zealand as well.
• 6:45
  Just an observation while you're on that topic.
• 6:48
  I mean, you've brought up the likes of Brodie and Cam.
• 6:51
  Cam has, I think, really gravitated to this and made the most of the supercars off-season.
• 6:58
  He's been rock solid, better than that in the car, hasn't he?
• 7:03
  Yeah, I don't know if you know, Rusty, but Cam's car is right behind me here.
• 7:08
  You know, we do all the work on it.
• 7:10
  My dad's a crew chief on that car.
• 7:12
  So, yeah, got to know Cam and his passion for sprint car racing.
• 7:17
  He loves it.
• 7:19
  It's cool to see him do well.
• 7:20
  You know, there are a couple of podiums here this year and he just wants to strive to get better and better.
• 7:25
  It's only good for our sport, you know, the more that people like him and Brodie and Shane are involved, the better it is for us.
• 7:32
  Let's talk about Car5.
• 7:34
  You brought up the ownership group, if you like.
• 7:36
  It's quite a...
• 7:40
  a well-known group of people from different areas of sport generally that have come together.
• 7:45
  So Scott McLaughlin doing enormous things in IndyCar nowadays, a Supercars champion, Gerard Waitley, Ace Broadcaster, Jack Riewoldt, AFL star, and our good buddy in Timmy Hodges, who's been around broadcasting for a long time.
• 8:02
  That is a cool group.
• 8:04
  Were you – this is kind of a bit of a silly question.
• 8:07
  I would imagine there was no reluctance about going round again with this, was there?
• 8:11
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 8:13
  Great bunch of guys.
• 8:14
  No pressure from them either, which is pretty cool.
• 8:17
  You know, they all seem to be really excited about the prospect of it and –
• 8:22
  I had some unfinished business, obviously, with leading the race last year and not getting them the win.
• 8:26
  So, yeah, definitely no-brainer to get involved again.
• 8:29
  And the boys are just as pumped up as they were last year.
• 8:32
  And, you know, those guys have done some great things for myself and then obviously with Car 5.
• 8:39
  Yeah, for me, no-brainer.
• 8:41
  Jump straight back in.
• 8:42
  We had a few more months to be prepared, and so we see if we can hit the ground running.
• 8:47
  Don't miss the fact that, I mean, there were six podiums, three wins in the midst of things last year.
• 8:53
  I know you have your eye on some signature things that you want to –
• 8:56
  want to tick this year more broadly this this group of people and the napa car have done some terrific things for the sport while we're on this this theme i mean from memory it was at uh gold coast 500 the car made an appearance at the sand down 500 as well it's been um it's it's made an impression in other areas of motor racing which i reckon is important
• 9:19
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 9:20
  Like we talked about before, we're all motorsport fans, but you need to have a connection both sides to be able to enjoy it.
• 9:29
  And Tim's brought a lot of people from other disciplines.
• 9:32
  Jonathan Brown was at the races here in Warrnambool the other week.
• 9:36
  And I'm not a big football person, but man, I know who Jonathan Brown is.
• 9:39
  He's an absolute badass.
• 9:42
  And I didn't realize that he's a Sprint Car fan and used to go to Archerfield and grew up in Warrnambool, obviously.
• 9:48
  So,
• 9:49
  Just having different sets of eyes on it, having people, you know, the supercar stuff is always good.
• 9:56
  I think our demographic of fans crosses over quite well.
• 9:59
  And, yeah, Car5 and Tim and all those guys involved have really stepped up the marketing side of things, I feel like.
• 10:06
  And I feel like it's pushing everyone else and every other team to strive for the same thing.
• 10:12
  Can we talk about the relationship with Toyota as well?
• 10:15
  You touched on that, I think, when we did the chat around Knoxville, how you've forged good ties with them, getting to use their power plants.
• 10:26
  And they've been keen to extend that connection to what you're doing here back in Australia too with motors coming over and so on, haven't they?
• 10:35
  Yeah, yeah, we've built a great relationship with them.
• 10:39
  You know, I was fortunate enough to get their first World of Outlaws win and then we picked up another, you know, six Outlaw shows after that.
• 10:46
  So had a great year with them.
• 10:48
  Obviously, the development side of things is pretty tough at times.
• 10:52
  You know, some really low lows and some great highs.
• 10:55
  But, you know, the background I have with engine building I think has helped
• 10:59
  helped that uh but yeah uh fortunate that they you know wanted to continue the relationship and and sent us two motors um one brand new one uh over here to use you know that that's a big undertaking when there's only a few sort of available right now uh in the world which which they're still developing so they'll be on the market here soon i believe by the next you know six eight months or so and
• 11:25
  they'll be ready to rip.
• 11:26
  But, you know, for them to send us a couple and have the faith in me to be able to tune them and keep them, you know, keep them nice for them to head back to America as soon as we finish the title is pretty cool.
• 11:38
  And like I said, we try really hard to help the development process on that and, you know, excited to have them in between the frame rails of our car.
• 11:47
  They're a big brand to have a part of our sport and, you know, happy they chose me to help them.
• 11:53
  Hey, can we get you to stick around with us?
• 11:55
  We want to get our teeth into the classics.
• 11:57
  So just hold fire there.
• 11:58
  We're going to grab a quick break on this edition of Rusty's Garage.
• 12:01
  More with J-Mac right after this.
• 12:05
  This is the Motorsport Brief.
• 12:06
  We've had some good suggestions for short cast guests over the break from powerboat races to Aussie superbike champions and more.
• 12:14
  Keep them coming and we'll endeavour to tackle them as the season unfolds.
• 12:18
  We tend to drop these short casts on a weekly basis with Aussie Sprint Car Export James McFadden back home for a cracking summer of Speedway.
• 12:27
  So let's get back into that conversation now.
• 12:31
  Can we talk about the enormity of the classic?
• 12:35
  It is such a buzz this time of year, where basically, as we talk about a week out, it's going to be huge, isn't it, in Warrnambool?
• 12:42
  Yeah, mate, it's my favourite time of the year.
• 12:44
  I get to do the Knoxville Nationals and Eldora, Kings Royal, but for me the Classic is the one I sat up on the hill and watched and was a part of my whole life and to now be a Classic champion and then to be able to race in it and be competitive is something that I'll always cherish.
• 13:05
  All the races leading up to this are just sort of warm-ups and you're starting to feel your car out and getting a good –
• 13:11
  good grip on everything and trying to focus on what you need to ultimately just win that race.
• 13:16
  That's, that's the race we're here to win.
• 13:17
  And, um, yeah, the, the whole event, the whole town, the way the sport gets around it is, is, uh, it's a special event for us for sure.
• 13:26
  You know the constituents in the game very well.
• 13:29
  They get a different look on their face in the pits because of what this means, what it means on the calendar, what it would mean to win and so on.
• 13:39
  It's got that sort of slightly different vibe, slightly different level about it, doesn't it?
• 13:43
  Yeah, absolutely.
• 13:44
  It could pay nothing to win and, you know, I would still feel like, you know, it's the race to win.
• 13:51
  It's one of those races that you concentrate your whole program on and you build your whole package and your car and your mindset around this one race.
• 14:02
  The lead up into it all is basically the classic.
• 14:06
  The classic to me, the lead into it with the President's Cup and the King's Challenge races.
• 14:12
  are all stepping stones to that one big race.
• 14:15
  So, yeah, excited for it, mate.
• 14:17
  Warrnambool have obviously tried really hard with their track.
• 14:20
  They've changed the way their track shape is and widened it out, and I feel like they've really put their best foot forward and tried to help us, you know, put on the best show we can for the people sitting on the hill.
• 14:30
  Nice little stat that Hodgie mentioned to us as well.
• 14:33
  I mean, it is the biggest car count of any sprint car race in the world.
• 14:38
  Is it right that it's even more so than the Knoxville Nationals?
• 14:41
  I mean, that is unbelievable.
• 14:42
  Yeah, it is.
• 14:44
  It is.
• 14:44
  I think we'll be upwards of 110, 120 cars, and I think Knoxville's about the 100 mark.
• 14:52
  Yeah, it's crazy, mate.
• 14:53
  It's honestly the classic can be a bit of a chook raffle.
• 14:55
  I keep telling Hodgie this, you know, it's a whole process.
• 15:00
  And, you know, if you're in the wrong heat race at the wrong time and the track takes rubber, it doesn't pass as good as the ones that were early, it can really mess up your whole program.
• 15:10
  So it's a process.
• 15:12
  You know, once you roll out of the trailer, you've got to use it each time as, you know.
• 15:18
  As the best you can.
• 15:19
  I think the coolest thing about the Classic is every time you hit the track, you need to be fast.
• 15:24
  So to win the Classic, you deserved it from, you know, from qualifying through your heat races, through the prelim A.
• 15:30
  You know, you've got to be basically on the ball because there's, you know, 20, 24 other guys that are chasing for that same –
• 15:37
  Same deal.
• 15:39
  I love it.
• 15:39
  Process.
• 15:40
  And no doubt there's lots of takeaways that you've had from the wins in 2017 and 2020 as you head into this.
• 15:46
  Let's talk about the US contingent, the Americans.
• 15:49
  I think there's around 12 drivers and some really popular inclusions here too, J-Mac.
• 15:54
  I mean, Rico Abreu, who you get on super well with.
• 15:57
  I mean, he's been a real headline over summer, hasn't he, in Speed Week in WA, for example?
• 16:04
  Yeah, Rico's such a great character for the sport.
• 16:07
  He's, you know, if you follow him on social media, he's pretty wild as well.
• 16:11
  He enjoys to have a good time, and then he's a hell of a race car driver.
• 16:14
  You know, he's had an unbelievable year in America, and, you know, he's brought some of that form over, and I don't think he's been here since probably 2013 or so, so it'll be good to see him rip around Warrnambool, and, you know, the crowd are gonna love him.
• 16:29
  Every crowd loves him everywhere he goes, so.
• 16:31
  Yeah, great to have him here.
• 16:33
  And obviously, you know, the contingent of Americans that are here are all world-class drivers.
• 16:38
  And, you know, I think that's what makes a classic special and that week special.
• 16:42
  We all, the best drivers in Australia, the best drivers in America, all congregate to little old Seaside Warrnambool for one of the biggest races of the year.
• 16:51
  So it's, it's a, it's a great time.
• 16:53
  Like I said, when you win this race, you've earned it.
• 16:55
  You know, you're
• 16:57
  You've put in the effort and the time and then done the process the way it needs to be done.
• 17:01
  So the more Americans, the better, I think, for sure.
• 17:05
  And that part of the world becomes kind of sprint car heaven or the centre of the known universe, I think I called it in the introduction, because shortly thereafter, a week later, I think it's the Australian Championships, isn't it?
• 17:17
  Yeah, the town will be pretty wild.
• 17:19
  If you drive through Warnerville here, there'll be trucks parked on the medium strips with sprint cars getting worked on or, you know, in the flying horse car park or over anywhere that you go, there'll be a sprint car truck with a sprint car getting worked on and the whole street will be full of sprint car t-shirts and fans.
• 17:36
  Just a great week, great for the town.
• 17:38
  You know, I would hate to imagine how much money that the racing will bring in for the town over this week through the cafes and dining and stuff.
• 17:47
  So, yeah, it's a week that, you know.
• 17:51
  I love and it's a week that if you're a race car fan, you should definitely come and be a part of for sure.
• 17:57
  It's your first start in the Nationals too since I think 2020 Tasmania, isn't it?
• 18:01
  I mean, that was just basically before the world kind of shut down.
• 18:05
  So this meeting too has maybe a little bit of extra cachet or strength to it because of that.
• 18:10
  Yeah, yeah.
• 18:11
  It is my first one since Tassie.
• 18:12
  I actually flew out of Tasmania on the Sunday after the races and flew straight to America that time as the world was shutting down.
• 18:19
  So it was a pretty surreal time, that 2019 time.
• 18:24
  But yeah, excited to get back to the title.
• 18:27
  It's obviously a race that you've been – it's one of those pedestal races that you've always wanted to win and having the number one on the tank is always a pretty cool thing to –
• 18:37
  to put that feather in the cap, um, is cool.
• 18:40
  So yeah, like I said, excited to get back onto that.
• 18:42
  Haven't, haven't been there for a while.
• 18:44
  And you know, the last few races have been good.
• 18:46
  We've had,
• 18:47
  Some cool, you know, cool young champions in Jock Goodyear and Marcus Dumsney being able to win some and, yeah, excited to try and get one for the old guys.
• 18:57
  You've got more than one in the trophy cabinet, 2010 and 2013 rather, but it has been a decade.
• 19:04
  Can you do it this year?
• 19:05
  How difficult is that mission going to be and so on?
• 19:08
  Yeah.
• 19:09
  Uh, my first couple come pretty, pretty quick.
• 19:11
  And I think I've led, uh, I think I've actually led every single one I've raced at apart from that, you know, for those ones that I've won and haven't won it.
• 19:19
  So,
• 19:20
  Yeah, need to get it done, mate.
• 19:22
  No excuses.
• 19:23
  We've got everything we need and just got to put the ducks in the line and just win the race, really.
• 19:30
  Before we let you go, we understand here at the podcast that Santa was very good to the next generation, potentially McFadden race car driver.
• 19:41
  What can you tell us about that?
• 19:43
  Yeah, Santa obviously hasn't been listening to me and just got the golf clubs and the tennis rackets.
• 19:49
  Yeah, little Mav, he got his first go-kart the other day, little whippersnapper engine.
• 19:55
  Excellent.
• 19:55
  Yeah, it's already started.
• 19:58
  I'm a nervous dad standing there.
• 20:01
  Yeah, he actually picked it up pretty good.
• 20:03
  The throttle and the brakes thing has worked out all right.
• 20:06
  But yeah, it's been fun.
• 20:08
  He hasn't had a crash yet, but no doubt he's getting a little more confident.
• 20:11
  He's going to...
• 20:13
  He's going to have some trouble, but no, yeah, it's, you know, racing has been a part of my life and my family's life for, you know, for as long as I can remember.
• 20:20
  So it was a pretty cool moment when he sat in the cart and ripped around and then he's, you know, just woke up this morning actually and said, all right, dad, let's go race go-carts.
• 20:29
  Excellent.
• 20:30
  You're in trouble.
• 20:31
  You're in trouble.
• 20:32
  I'm in trouble.
• 20:33
  Absolutely.
• 20:33
  I got no hope.
• 20:35
  And he's well-loved in the pits of sprint car races in this part of the world and also in the United States.
• 20:42
  He's a good little operator.
• 20:43
  Before you go, this is an audio experience, so most people listening to Rusty's Garage will have enjoyed your chat and your insights today.
• 20:50
  You still are sporting your trademark.
• 20:53
  Bushman's come, what are we going to call you?
• 20:55
  What's that Ned Kelly-style beard?
• 20:57
  If you win the classic, if you win the Nationals, will that thing come off or will it stay?
• 21:06
  Oh, it's starting to look a bit ragged, obviously, with the white and the red and the black going through it.
• 21:11
  But, yeah, I think it's about in check for a bit of a trim here.
• 21:15
  I don't think I'll go clean shaver, mate.
• 21:18
  I'd be scared to know what's underneath the face.
• 21:20
  Underneath it.
• 21:21
  It's been probably 10 years since I've shaved it off properly, so...
• 21:25
  Yeah, once it gets a little uncomfortable in the helmet, I'll trim her off.
• 21:28
  But maybe we can do a charity thing or something.
• 21:31
  If I win the classic, we can knock the beard off or something like that for sure.
• 21:36
  Good on you.
• 21:36
  You've been awesome with your time, mate.
• 21:38
  Hopefully this is a third-time lucky scenario when you're coming on Rusty's.
• 21:42
  Enjoy the fortnight that is to come.
• 21:45
  It is so good having...
• 21:47
  Grown up just as a fan around Speedway and enjoyed it in various places in Sydney and beyond when I was younger, to see it in such a healthy phase with good people that have come down under to take part in it.
• 22:01
  Enjoy it and go well.
• 22:02
  Thanks, mate.
• 22:03
  Appreciate it.
• 22:03
  Keep the pods coming.
• 22:05
  I've got a lot of miles to do in America this year, so I'll be listening.
• 22:08
  Travel safe.
• 22:09
  Thanks, mate.
• 22:11
  He's such a good bloke and we are indebted to him for coming back on the podcast.
• 22:16
  I think a few of you in the Speedway family or fraternity will now probably be saying, hey, what about getting some other drivers on?
• 22:23
  And that is a very valid suggestion.
• 22:25
  We've got Gary Rush in the library, but we need to get more on this year.
• 22:28
  I'd like to speak to Brooke Tattnall, for example, but also some others.
• 22:32
  So I'll make a promise to you that we'll try and get more on as the season unfolds.
• 22:37
  Final thought on sprint cars here.
• 22:40
  Get along to Warrnambool.
• 22:41
  As I said to James, it will be the centre of the known universe for a week or so.
• 22:45
  Firstly, January 19 to 21 for the Grand Annual Classic.
• 22:49
  It is going to be huge.
• 22:50
  A week later for the title.
• 22:54
  We thank the Honoree Mayor, an old maiden colleague in Tim Hodges, for his help in coordinating J-Max's various appearances on the show.
• 23:02
  Thank you, mate.
• 23:03
  A couple of other quick bits of news before we go today.
• 23:05
  Gunter Steiner...
• 23:07
  is gone.
• 23:08
  That is a big move by the Haas F1 team.
• 23:11
  Some of you will probably say, well, look, he'd become a bit of a star through the drive to survive appearances.
• 23:16
  Maybe he was too focused on that rather than the job at hand as team principal.
• 23:21
  They did have a tough season in 2023, and that mid-pack to tail-in battle is so tough, so close now in Formula One.
• 23:30
  I note the technical director has departed too.
• 23:33
  I personally think that Haas has bigger issues
• 23:36
  that won't be fixed by these changes.
• 23:39
  Hopefully Gunter shows up somewhere else in the paddock or in motorsport.
• 23:43
  He is a bit of a character.
• 23:45
  Good teammate for Shane Van Gisbergen in the second tier Xfinity series of NASCAR this season.
• 23:51
  Shane's program's going to be huge.
• 23:53
  And AJ Allmendinger is a good benchmark, having competed in IndyCar, among other things.
• 23:58
  But he's made an impressive transition to NASCAR and their oval races.
• 24:02
  It'd be good to work with him.
• 24:04
  Incidentally, check out Kyle Larson's socials too.
• 24:07
  He shared a preview on the new Netflix NASCAR series, Full Speed, and it looks good.
• 24:14
  If you're off to the movies over summer, you might also want to check out the new Ferrari movie with Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Patrick Dempsey with a few cameos from people that you'll know from motorsport like Marino Franchitti, Dario's brother.
• 24:26
  Nice work there, Marino.
• 24:28
  I enjoyed that movie and I already want to see it once again.
• 24:31
  Finally, I want to address a recent ep of the Summer Grill that I've hosted or moderated for Speed Cafe, which you can find on YouTube.
• 24:39
  In the ep with Paul Morris, we talked about a few things, including the need for supercars to, more broadly, get back to promoting the drivers, given that the Ford versus Holden rivalry is now a thing of the past.
• 24:52
  I feel like we need to do a better job of telling the stories of the stars in the front line so that they have wider reach or impact in the community.
• 25:00
  And that onus is on all of us in the business, in the industry to do that.
• 25:05
  Scott Pye has had some good stuff to say on this matter separately.
• 25:09
  Now, Paul's view as that conversation continued on the current commentary line-up generated a lot of discussion.
• 25:17
  He's a Bathurst winner, a Super Touring Champion, so he's entitled to his view.
• 25:22
  I didn't at the time, and I stand by that.
• 25:25
  I reckon Neil and Mark and the Supercars media team especially make a world-class product.
• 25:33
  And it is a bit, be careful what you wish for.
• 25:35
  Close your eyes and imagine the call without an iconic voice like Krompo's in the mix.
• 25:42
  I guarantee you the broader supporter base would rightly hit the roof.
• 25:48
  Look at the response to Larco a few years back, and thank goodness common sense prevailed there, and the fans' voices were heard or listened to.
• 25:56
  Now, I am a huge believer in balance.
• 25:59
  As you know, I often bang on about that here on the podcast.
• 26:02
  So I also want to say this.
• 26:05
  The young callers that we have waiting in the wings are genuinely some of the best anywhere on planet Earth.
• 26:14
  And if we don't continue to give them opportunity, it will be our loss because they will go to other sports or to other countries to call motorsport over there.
• 26:23
  I'm a huge supporter of this.
• 26:26
  of all of them, you know who I'm talking about.
• 26:28
  And I consider myself very, very lucky to share a mic with them from time to time.
• 26:33
  They are properly talented and I love seeing them excel and I hope that continues.
• 26:39
  As human beings, we typically don't like change, but TV is a business that constantly demands exactly that.
• 26:46
  What's fresh, what's new, et cetera.
• 26:48
  But how do you do that while still keeping the kind of
• 26:52
  familiarity that people have come to trust, have come to know and love.
• 26:58
  The people who are a part of the family of the sport, who we all love to think we are part of the conversation with.
• 27:07
  That's for brighter minds than mine to consider.
• 27:10
  And that is enough from the soapbox to start the new year.
• 27:13
  Apologies for that.
• 27:14
  That is all said, incidentally, with no disrespect to the dude.
• 27:19
  We have always had great convos, he and I, and we will continue to do so.
• 27:23
  And as I always say on social media, it's okay to disagree.
• 27:28
  We just do it respectfully of the other person's opinion and with no social hate.
• 27:35
  Enjoy the weekend, everybody.
• 27:36
  And here's to the Aussies doing big days and late nights at Dakar.
• 27:40
  We hope they go well.
• 27:41
  We'll catch you next week.
• 27:42
  Bye for now.