Latest / Rusty's Garage / Jess Yates - Part 2

Transcript

Jess Yates - Part 2 · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:19
  G'day, it's Rusty here.
• 0:19
  All set for part two of my feature episode with TV personality and supercars host Jess Yates.
• 0:24
  If you've landed here without giving part one a listen, jump back and enjoy the early years of a career that is very much about hard work, laser focus on the dream she wanted to achieve, and the early years that took her to Channel 9, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10, 10
• 0:41
  and even overseas before an amazing chapter with Fox Sports that sees her in the front line of the F1, MotoGP, Supercars, and of course Rugby League's Dallium Awards and much more.
• 0:54
  Just before we fire into part two here, I do address Scott Pye's recent claim that Supercars TV allegedly tried to deliberately exclude him from the Sandown coverage.
• 1:05
  And while Jess shares her view on that, I sense the sport...
• 1:08
  and perhaps the network, have taken a position of not inflaming that and to kind of be eyes forward on the matter.
• 1:14
  Hear her words, and mine for that matter, in full.
• 1:17
  But I strongly believe that there is no way that that happened to Scott.
• 1:22
  In over 20 years in this game, through different management and networks covering supercars, I have never seen or heard something like that happening.
• 1:31
  Certainly not.
• 1:32
  not by design.
• 1:33
  Even when there might be moments of tension with a driver or a team, it is always tackled fairly, in my opinion.
• 1:40
  The people who work tirelessly on the broadcast just love it.
• 1:44
  They want nothing more than to see all aspects covered to the best of their ability.
• 1:49
  Scott has a different view.
• 1:51
  That's okay.
• 1:52
  But unless he's got, in my opinion, conclusive proof, I reckon he owes those people an apology.
• 1:58
  Enough of that.
• 1:59
  There is some good chat to come here.
• 2:01
  I hope you enjoy part two.
• 2:03
  Let's get into it.
• 2:06
  What does, if you don't mind, we're less than two weeks out from the great race now, what does the build-up look like for you?
• 2:11
  And it's well and truly started, I would imagine, already.
• 2:14
  Give people a little sense of the fact that, I mean, we're talking long days.
• 2:18
  When you actually get there, you arrive in the dark, you leave in the dark.
• 2:22
  And you've had, as we saw at the Grand Prix this year, in that beautiful opener that Thomas Randall did where he played –
• 2:30
  the piano and did his take on the F1 theme song.
• 2:34
  The genesis for that was an idea of yours, wasn't it?
• 2:36
  So you have these things that you impart along the way.
• 2:39
  Tell us about that and tell us about what you're doing in the lead up to the Great Race.
• 2:42
  Yeah, I definitely have a creative streak and I'm really lucky that the team that we work with at Supercars is very collaborative.
• 2:51
  So Nathan Prendergast, who heads up the unit, is incredible.
• 2:55
  I call him the unicorn.
• 2:57
  No one else in the world sees the...
• 2:59
  car racing like he does.
• 3:00
  And I'm so grateful to work with him because he inspires me all the time.
• 3:04
  And we've actually collaborated on most of the openers for the broadcast this year.
• 3:08
  Fantastic.
• 3:09
  So, you know, what you saw in Darwin, what you saw in Townsville.
• 3:13
  I wrote the opener for Tasmania this year.
• 3:15
  Nate's done a brilliant job with the opener for Bathurst.
• 3:17
  So, I've actually really enjoyed that, leaning into that creative bit this year.
• 3:23
  And I guess just seeing it as another opportunity for a bit more storytelling.
• 3:28
  So yeah, in terms of our preparation, as you know, Rusty, it starts months in advance.
• 3:32
  And Baphors are kind of always there from the very beginning of the season.
• 3:35
  We're looking, you know, how can we be better?
• 3:37
  How can we do things a little different this year?
• 3:39
  From my point of view, I'm always looking to do the storytelling around it.
• 3:43
  How do we actually tell the tale of the mountain?
• 3:45
  in ways that we haven't before.
• 3:47
  There's so much wonderful history there.
• 3:49
  But it's also about trying to bring to the fore the modern heroes of the mountain.
• 3:54
  We're really trying to make these young blokes household names.
• 3:58
  So we had actually yesterday a two-hour production meeting around, you know, because Nathan is all about detail, so everyone knows exactly what they're doing before we get there.
• 4:09
  And this year, particularly for the broadcast, we've got a really cool pre-race build-up.
• 4:14
  So it's very traditional in the sense that it's exactly what they do for the Melbourne Cups, the AFL.
• 4:19
  It's an hour and a half this year.
• 4:21
  We're going to take...
• 4:24
  the drivers and the trophy to the mountain.
• 4:26
  So traditionally, you know, we sort of sat down on the grid and in the pit lane.
• 4:30
  We're going to actually tour the drivers and the trophy and some of our legends up to the top of the mountain and celebrate that, which will be really awesome.
• 4:38
  I know you're going to love it.
• 4:39
  Fantastic.
• 4:40
  And we're going to do a bit more so long-form interview as well because we've got, you know, I think Nate was saying,
• 4:46
  something like 34 hours of live television before we get to the race.
• 4:51
  It's mega.
• 4:52
  It's just massive.
• 4:53
  So on the back of the amazing Toyota news that they're going to be on the grid from 2026, they've got a really cool activation.
• 5:01
  They'll have a full-scale model of the Supra up there.
• 5:04
  We're actually going to have – that'll be unveiled on Friday at lunchtime and that'll be live on Fox Sports.
• 5:09
  But they're actually going to have –
• 5:11
  some of their technicians carving part of the clay model as well for all the fans to see.
• 5:15
  It's super cool.
• 5:16
  So we're going to have things like that.
• 5:18
  We're going to have like a breakout area where we can do some more long form interviews.
• 5:21
  So we want to talk to some of the women in motorsport because we've got some ripping
• 5:26
  Chicks in the Pit Lane.
• 5:27
  Stories there.
• 5:27
  We've got team owners that we want to catch up with.
• 5:31
  Some of the longest serving co-drivers like the Warren Luffs, Michael Caruso, those sorts of characters who want to kind of make it really casual and see on the lounge and have a bit of a yarn about what it's been like for them over the years.
• 5:43
  So it's sort of all year we've been...
• 5:47
  you know, coming up with some ideas around how we can flesh out the broadcast, make it really interesting.
• 5:53
  We obviously have residence access, which means we've got, you know, a couple of hours over the days to fill.
• 5:58
  We want to make that really dynamic and exciting for fans.
• 6:01
  So, you can literally sit down from 7.30 in the morning and watch it all day long, and you won't see the same thing.
• 6:08
  It'll be different.
• 6:09
  So, it's a lot of work, and I've got a bit of work ahead of me this weekend next to just make sure I'm
• 6:14
  you know, in the prime position to be there to actually tell the story to live as it unfolds because that's what we're there for.
• 6:21
  We're there for the top 10 shootout qualifying and then, of course, 1,000 kilometres of who knows what on Sunday, which is awesome.
• 6:31
  But how good, though?
• 6:32
  I mean, the first bit of long-form stuff in the lead-up.
• 6:35
  People will eat that up.
• 6:36
  Thank you for even giving us just a little – I know you haven't given everything away there, but just a little tease of why we should be watching, right?
• 6:42
  And I love the fact that every year you keep changing it up.
• 6:46
  It's never the same as it was.
• 6:48
  the previous year, even if you tap back into some of the historical moments again, right?
• 6:52
  It takes 250 plus people to make that whole deal at Bathurst come together on the broadcast side.
• 6:57
  Not everybody realises how massive it is.
• 7:00
  You're in the driver's seat for that.
• 7:03
  Massive...
• 7:04
  opportunity, opportunity that comes with responsibility for all of those people that are, you know, weeks beforehand in, you know, late at night, laying cable, whatever it might be.
• 7:13
  But it's this mega opportunity on the one hand, but one that comes with great responsibility at the same time too, doesn't it?
• 7:19
  That's right.
• 7:19
  And I, you know, I've sort of said it before.
• 7:22
  I don't take that lightly because I'm representing a whole team of people that work so hard to bring this to life.
• 7:28
  I want to make sure that our audience is getting every single bit of information that they're thirsty for, but also making sure that all the editors, all the cameramen, all the techies
• 7:39
  Everyone in production, all the teams, all the drivers, everyone that contributes are also having their best foot put forward.
• 7:49
  And I know that sort of starts with me as the focal point of that.
• 7:54
  So I'm really conscious of that and I really want to make sure that everyone's represented well and that we can all walk away from it saying, yep, that was a good one this year.
• 8:03
  Everyone really left it on the table.
• 8:06
  It was awesome.
• 8:07
  I know that's exactly how it's going to feel on Sunday because everyone's worked really hard up to this point.
• 8:12
  And really, once we get to Sunday, it's the celebration of all of that.
• 8:16
  So, yeah, it's good.
• 8:17
  I'm excited.
• 8:18
  I can't wait to get up there even though it's a lot of work.
• 8:20
  I come Monday after it.
• 8:22
  Like don't call me because I have nothing to say.
• 8:24
  I'm all talked out.
• 8:26
  I'm exhausted.
• 8:27
  And then I've got to actually pack another bag and head down to the island for the Australian Grand Prix for MotoGP the next week and then go to the Gold Coast the week after October.
• 8:36
  It's a busy month for me but I can't wait.
• 8:38
  It's what it's all about for me.
• 8:40
  Those Mondays after, it's like someone's pulled a battery out of you.
• 8:43
  You don't want to do anything.
• 8:45
  I know exactly how you feel.
• 8:46
  You've done, as you've detailed there before, some great stories over the years too.
• 8:51
  Is there one or two that might be a standout?
• 8:53
  I can vividly recall you doing one with Christine Gibson, for example.
• 8:56
  Are there a couple of Bathurst-orientated yarns that you sort of cherish that you think are special?
• 9:00
  Absolutely.
• 9:01
  Chrissy is such an amazing woman and such an incredible story and one that a lot of people don't really know about.
• 9:07
  As one of the first women to contest the mountain and to finish, she was just ripping.
• 9:13
  And of course, she's married to Fred Gibson, who's a real character.
• 9:16
  And I always love catching up with Freddie.
• 9:18
  They're wonderful friends of Scafie's and he's been so kind to her.
• 9:21
  you know, connect us, which has been so incredible.
• 9:25
  You know, there's so many stories year in, year out.
• 9:27
  And I'm really lucky.
• 9:28
  I'm in a really fortunate position.
• 9:30
  I'm the first person that gets to talk to these guys when they get out of the car.
• 9:33
  You know, I'll never forget Philly Holdsworth and Chas Mostert when they did that together a couple of years ago.
• 9:38
  That was super special.
• 9:39
  Just the raw emotion that you get from these guys and how much it means, how hard they've worked to be in a position to actually, you know,
• 9:47
  enjoy that ultimate glory, it's really awesome and that's not something I take for granted either.
• 9:52
  But, you know, it's so nice to be able to sit down with some of those older guys, you know, Richo.
• 9:58
  There's so much family legacy up there too to catch up with, you know, Larry and Jack Perkins and talk about, you know, I saw Jack yesterday.
• 10:08
  And he was saying, you know, he's never missed a Bathurst.
• 10:10
  He's 38 years old.
• 10:10
  He's been to every single one since he was born.
• 10:14
  And he probably, you know, has to just keep going whether he's driving or not because it's, you know, ingrained in their family DNA.
• 10:21
  I love all that.
• 10:21
  I just think it's so awesome to try and tap into that and share that with people.
• 10:26
  and the incredible stories around the mountain from those that make the pilgrimage up there every year.
• 10:32
  You've talked a little bit about the broadcast team there before and the kind of quest for perfection that you all have from the top down.
• 10:38
  Krompo's a great one of the great leaders there and often on site surveys and looking at the way that cameras can capture it better in the weeks leading up to the event every year.
• 10:48
  He does a lot of things that people don't necessarily realise.
• 10:51
  You've covered Scafie a little bit too.
• 10:53
  Can we have a thought on Larco?
• 10:57
  He's been something of a favourite here on Rusty's Garage.
• 10:59
  He's got this unbelievable knack of being a great communicator, hasn't he?
• 11:04
  He is unbelievable.
• 11:05
  There is not another one like Larco, let me tell you.
• 11:09
  And are we lucky that he's ours?
• 11:11
  Correct.
• 11:11
  He has us on our tippy toes, can I tell you, every single broadcast.
• 11:16
  And my favourite things are when he just whacks Scafie off.
• 11:20
  or Crompo or any of GT or any of those guys, you know, when he's in the Hino Hub, you know, he works so hard.
• 11:27
  He would have to be one of the hardest working members of our team.
• 11:30
  He stays back at the track every night toiling away to make sure that, you know, his storytelling is on point and it's really relevant to, you know, what we're doing.
• 11:39
  on the day and and he and malcolm do such a brilliant job but it's you know did you i don't know if you would have seen that one um about it was during the olympics and scafie's a gymnast rusty you've got to see that that was a cracker mark is still spewing about that he said i'll never forget and i'll get you back and there are a few more expletives that went with it um there was a sumo i think he was explaining you know how
• 12:02
  Yeah, having done supercar downforce and all that kind of thing and had everyone as sumo wrestlers.
• 12:07
  And it was just awesome.
• 12:09
  He's so creative.
• 12:11
  He is the best.
• 12:12
  So, yeah, I'm really lucky to count Larka as one of my really good mates and we're just the broadcast wouldn't be what it is without him.
• 12:19
  That's fantastic.
• 12:20
  Sure.
• 12:21
  Agree.
• 12:21
  He told a very funny story.
• 12:23
  I think it was at Craig Lowndes.
• 12:25
  It might have been his farewell from full-time driving in Brisbane some years back.
• 12:28
  And all of us thought it was going to be this beautiful summary of Craig's career on track.
• 12:32
  And he ventures into recollections of telling Craig about artificial insemination of cattle because Craig was learning about this stuff now that he was doing a bit of farming.
• 12:42
  And Larco is evidently a guru in this space.
• 12:44
  It was very funny.
• 12:44
  Let's not go there.
• 12:45
  I don't want to do that to you.
• 12:46
  Right.
• 12:47
  I've heard that story.
• 12:48
  I don't need to hear it again.
• 12:49
  You don't need to hear it again.
• 12:51
  Nath is unbelievable.
• 12:52
  He's been on the pod.
• 12:54
  He's got this worldly knowledge of television from Formula One to drag racing to you name it.
• 13:00
  He's back there now and he brings this proper passion for it with that deep knowledge of TV, that creativity that you talked about.
• 13:08
  And he's another one who's big on, got to have a laugh.
• 13:10
  This thing has to permeate a bit of fun for the audience at home.
• 13:14
  It has to feel that way, doesn't it?
• 13:16
  100%.
• 13:16
  There's enough heavy, horrible stuff going out there in the world.
• 13:20
  When people tune in for us, they need a relief.
• 13:23
  They want to enjoy themselves and to laugh and to be part of our game.
• 13:28
  And that's what it's about, being really inclusive for everyone.
• 13:31
  I guess the thing that inspires me about Nathan so much is he sees things before they even happen.
• 13:36
  So,
• 13:37
  You know, I've been fortunate to work with him pretty much the entire time I've been with supercars and he knows things are going to happen before they've even happened.
• 13:46
  And I think to your point that's about his innate motorsport knowledge.
• 13:49
  But if he can see that someone's run wide at turn one, he knows the consequence that that's going to have by the time they get to turn four.
• 13:56
  So he's always the head of the game.
• 13:58
  I mean, he's one of the best directors in the world.
• 14:00
  That's why Formula One chased him and he's been doing a bit of stuff
• 14:03
  for them but we're so lucky to have him at supercars he's such a great leader he's so creative and he is as mad as a cut snake that's why we have a good time
• 14:14
  Yeah.
• 14:15
  Hey, you don't have to comment on this because I don't know if you're allowed to or want to.
• 14:19
  I was speaking from my side, I was a little bit miffed with Scott Pye's comments recently around his belief that he was not to be interviewed in the coverage and so on.
• 14:35
  In all the years that I've done it, I've never witnessed a conversation like that, even when things might get tense with teams or drivers or whatever.
• 14:40
  I've never seen exclusion or suggestions of exclusion like that.
• 14:45
  I think I've even seen photos of him being interviewed by people at Sandown.
• 14:48
  I just found that a bit tough to swallow, if I'm honest, on the TV side.
• 14:53
  You guys do such an amazing job.
• 14:54
  There's a great crew of people there.
• 14:56
  I think if you look at Sandown, you got to so many people across the course of the weekend that were interviewed and stuff.
• 15:03
  Thanks, Rusty.
• 15:04
  I appreciate that because I have to say I was pretty disappointed to hear those comments too.
• 15:08
  It's simply not true.
• 15:09
  We are there to represent absolutely everybody.
• 15:13
  We do not single out anybody.
• 15:14
  It doesn't work like that.
• 15:15
  You know, you've worked in TV long enough to know.
• 15:17
  We're there to tell the story.
• 15:18
  Scott Pye was absolutely part of the story.
• 15:20
  He was in our broadcasts all the time.
• 15:22
  I think if you go and you look back on, you know, when we spoke to him, we've got lots of teams and drivers to share the love to because we've got to tell the whole story, not just one part of the story.
• 15:32
  And I thought Scott was brilliant post-race in the interview that I did with him and Will Brown.
• 15:38
  They were, it was, you know, sharing that moment with them was awesome.
• 15:42
  He did a brilliant job and it's great to see him having success.
• 15:45
  And, yeah, it's disappointing to think that he would think that of us too because we're there, as I said, to represent absolutely everybody.
• 15:53
  And, yeah, I hope he has a think about it and understands that's just not the case at all.
• 16:00
  Yeah, I'd love him to properly come in and spend some time in the OB and see.
• 16:04
  I mean, he's got his view.
• 16:06
  Ours is different.
• 16:07
  And can we just say the bulk of the people, everybody I've ever known, that is the backbone of that coverage, just about all of them are proper race fans.
• 16:16
  They just want to tell the story of some great racing.
• 16:18
  And it just doesn't sit right with me.
• 16:31
  Jess has mentioned Supercar's head of broadcast Nathan Prendergast whose feature episode you can also find in Rusty's library.
• 16:38
  From commentary to producing and directing, Nathan has done it all, including one of the biggest sports broadcasts that exists, Bathurst.
• 16:47
  With the exception to maybe an Australian Open tennis, which has got eight or 16 courts, I don't think there's a bigger individual one sporting field, one location coverage that's got more technical assets than Bathurst.
• 17:03
  If only Rusty's brain could take in as many inputs as Nathan.
• 17:07
  Maybe then he might finally listen to me and my podcast ideas.
• 17:11
  Until then, I'll dare to dream.
• 17:13
  Back to Jess now.
• 17:14
  She's such inspiration who has made her dreams reality.
• 17:19
  Formula One, Albert Park.
• 17:21
  Interviews with Lewis Hamilton.
• 17:23
  You've worked alongside David Croft.
• 17:25
  How good?
• 17:26
  I know.
• 17:27
  It's awesome, isn't it?
• 17:28
  I just want more.
• 17:29
  I know.
• 17:30
  I've been...
• 17:32
  Yeah, I think like everybody, I've always loved Formula 1, but the way that it's blown up since change of ownership has just been so prolific and it's been so awesome to –
• 17:44
  be able to hook into that a little bit more.
• 17:45
  I've been really lucky to do some overseas travel as well, to do some Formula One content for KO and Foxtel.
• 17:52
  I was so lucky.
• 17:54
  I've been to the McLaren Technology Centre twice in the last couple of years and I have always wanted to go there and it is every bit as special as you're probably, you know, dreaming that it would be.
• 18:04
  But to have access to Zac Brown, who's also a team owner in Supercars, that's been such a wonderful connection.
• 18:09
  He's been so good to me and I'm so grateful to him.
• 18:12
  for the access that he's granted us.
• 18:13
  But to be there for, you know, Oscar's step up into that team was awesome to go there, see them unveil the car.
• 18:21
  I also went to the Alpine team launch that year and then to be able to connect with all the guys when they come to town.
• 18:28
  It is awesome, Rusty.
• 18:31
  It is just, you know, it's a real highlight for me in my career to be able to do some of those interviews.
• 18:36
  And I think, like I said before, these guys talk to everybody everywhere in the world.
• 18:40
  They get asked the same question a million times.
• 18:43
  So I've really tried to challenge myself to come up with that.
• 18:46
  Some things that are going to be interesting for people that might be a little left of field or might have a different tone.
• 18:51
  I did a sit-down interview with Toto Wolff this year and he was running late.
• 18:56
  So I hung around for half an hour after we'd finished a broadcast.
• 18:59
  It was bad.
• 18:59
  freezing in Melbourne and the guys are like, everyone needs to go, Jess.
• 19:03
  I said, look, if Toto's still here, we can hang around.
• 19:06
  This is really important.
• 19:07
  We need to do this chat.
• 19:08
  I think we ended up talking for 40 minutes and they tried to wind me up.
• 19:12
  I thought, well, I've got, you know, if I've got this opportunity and he's happy to keep talking, let's just do it.
• 19:17
  And he was amazing.
• 19:18
  He was so candid.
• 19:19
  He was really honest and genuine and that was probably one of my favourite interviews I've ever done.
• 19:26
  So, yeah, it's just like dream come true to be able to
• 19:29
  be part of all of that so what's next that's the big question to me like now i've done all these guys you know how many what am i going to break into next we will come to that we will come to that you're married to luke egan proud mum too uh has your eldest taken a little bit of a shine to what mum does i think she was at topor this year too wasn't she
• 19:47
  She was.
• 19:48
  And actually, we had a big day yesterday.
• 19:50
  We had the media call for Bathurst and then we shot the preview show at Fox Sports.
• 19:54
  And she was our production assistant.
• 19:55
  So Isabella Egan loves a bit of broadcasting and she was sitting in for me so the guys could light the studio and everything.
• 20:04
  I said, it's really scary to think that you could be sitting in my seat one day.
• 20:07
  And she said,
• 20:08
  Absolutely, Mum.
• 20:08
  I can see myself sitting here doing this.
• 20:10
  I'm like, oh gosh, okay, which is kind of cool.
• 20:13
  I kind of like the idea of that because, you know, to be able to pass on the passion that you have for something to one of your kids, you know, it'll ultimately be her decision.
• 20:21
  But I can see she's got to be of the nose for storytelling.
• 20:23
  She loved being at the track in Topal.
• 20:25
  That was such an awesome event.
• 20:28
  And she's just said to me, you know, I want to come to more races and be part of that, the team love her.
• 20:33
  which is so nice.
• 20:34
  And, yeah, so it's nice to be able to share those things with your family.
• 20:37
  Absolutely.
• 20:38
  Good for her.
• 20:38
  I'm glad she's enjoying it.
• 20:39
  Your dad got to go for a run in Topol.
• 20:41
  We talked about that at the top of the pod.
• 20:43
  I can't remember.
• 20:44
  Was it Walkinshaw?
• 20:44
  Who was it with and what did he think?
• 20:46
  Andre Heimgartner, who then went to win the race.
• 20:49
  So, Deb's dad thought he was the lucky charm, didn't he?
• 20:52
  He said, I need to come everywhere.
• 20:54
  You can sell tickets, you know, for the boys to take me on a hot lap because I could just be the difference falling on the weekend.
• 21:00
  Oh, that was awesome.
• 21:01
  I was so, so grateful to BJR for providing that opportunity for my dad.
• 21:07
  And actually, it was a cool moment, Rusty, because we were standing on the grid and
• 21:11
  We're not from racing.
• 21:12
  My family had no affinity to it whatsoever.
• 21:14
  And I think it was actually the first time I'd taken my dad to the track.
• 21:18
  And he stood there watching me do my thing and he burst into tears.
• 21:21
  And he said to me, I guess when we're watching on TV, we just have no idea how dynamic this is, how many moving parts there are, how pivotal you are to the whole thing.
• 21:31
  And he's super proud of me, which was a really nice moment to share with him.
• 21:35
  and felt good for me too to be able to share a little bit of my world so that he can, you know, they sort of understand what it is I'm doing when I'm away so much and, you know, the passion that I have for it and how intoxicating the whole thing is.
• 21:46
  So, yeah, he got the bug.
• 21:48
  It was cool.
• 21:48
  Good stuff.
• 21:49
  That's wonderful that he got to be there for that.
• 21:52
  Luke's become a bit of a fan too.
• 21:54
  I think you guys both hang out with Tim Lay, his wife Alicia.
• 21:59
  Now, Tim, I did speak to.
• 22:00
  He says he reckons you can consume a show like 60 Minutes in 45.
• 22:05
  It takes him three hours.
• 22:06
  He says the thing that he's noticed about you, though, is in addition to that knowledge we talked about with Scaifey's endorsement before –
• 22:15
  that you have this proper appreciation for motorsport that not everyone in the general broadcasting landscape does.
• 22:22
  Tap into that for a moment.
• 22:24
  Give us a sense of your love of the kind of business side and maybe a little state of the nation, things you think we're doing good.
• 22:30
  I mean, you talked about the emergence of some of these young stars before and how important that is to embrace that and showcase that.
• 22:37
  Absolutely.
• 22:37
  Yeah, I guess I sit in a really privileged seat to kind of see it all.
• 22:42
  And because I'm not, I don't have an allegiance or an investment in any one thing, I can kind of have this overarching opinion on.
• 22:50
  how things are running and what it looks like from the outside in and how political it can be.
• 22:55
  I think that's probably one of the things that surprised me a little bit about motorsport.
• 22:59
  I mean, elite sport generally is pretty political, but particularly here in Australia, we can do a little bit of navel gazing and get caught up in ourselves a little bit too much in the stuff that probably doesn't matter so much.
• 23:13
  yeah Tim is a good mate of ours and I'll thank him later for that commentary and we do we we're lucky we get to spend a bit of time with him and Leish on their property and the kids are a similar ages so they kick it out and have a really good time and Tim and I often get caught up in the debate around you know motors for global motorsport who's doing what why and how and
• 23:36
  how it should look.
• 23:37
  But yeah, I think I'm really passionate about making sure that the young guys coming through have a platform to tell their stories and to become those household names because that ensures the longevity of what we're doing.
• 23:48
  I mean, you think about the Craig Lowndes and Mark Scaife and Russell Ingle and all of those names that we know today,
• 23:56
  They are the reason why we continue to do what we do, to have the privilege to do what we do, and it's really important that we're investing that same time and energy and space into the young guys coming through like your Chas Mostert, Cameron Waters.
• 24:09
  They're all Will Brown, Brock Feeney.
• 24:11
  They're wonderful ambassadors.
• 24:13
  They're some of the best athletes we have in the country, and we've got to make sure that they've got the opportunity to do what the guys that have come before them have done to ensure that this is going to be here for a really long time.
• 24:27
  Great outlook.
• 24:28
  Luke gave Scafie a great quote that I think he shopped around the place a little bit, and it has to do with the Albert Park circuit modifications they made in recent years, which kind of went against a convention and against the more or less, I guess, risk-averse way that life has become.
• 24:44
  So instead of dulling it down, they made that beautiful track faster.
• 24:47
  Luke said to him,
• 24:48
  that you've taken it from the Margaret River Pro and made it into Pipeline, which I thought was a great surfing comparo.
• 24:55
  It was awesome.
• 24:56
  You are a great champion of women in sport generally, and supercars in particular has really embraced your involvement in this space.
• 25:04
  Romy Meyer is just one of the stories.
• 25:07
  You know, an engineer...
• 25:09
  That pole in Darwin, a massive weekend for James Golding.
• 25:12
  And you got to spend some time with her for a terrific yarn and to sort of illustrate one of the great jewels we have in our game, didn't you?
• 25:23
  She is awesome.
• 25:24
  I can't speak highly enough of Romy.
• 25:27
  She is a real trail placer and I was so thrilled for her that all of her hard work has paid off.
• 25:33
  And, I mean, they're on the podium at Sandown too, don't forget.
• 25:36
  So that's just continued to build from that pole position in down that team.
• 25:40
  is absolutely punching above its weight.
• 25:42
  She's played a massive role in ensuring that they've got all the things they need to be successful.
• 25:48
  So they're definitely a smoky for me heading into Bathurst on the back of what she's been able to do.
• 25:53
  It's so incredibly inspiring for boys and girls right around the country to see a working mum with her elbows out.
• 26:03
  you know, making sure that she's living her best life.
• 26:06
  She's doing what she absolutely loves.
• 26:09
  And I've known Romy, you know, pretty much since I started in supercars and I can remember she fell pregnant with her son and she came and found me and she said, I just want to know how do you do this as a mum?
• 26:21
  This is hard.
• 26:23
  And it's been really nice to share that part of the journey with her too to be able to as working mums, you know, look after each other and give each other advice and Rihanna.
• 26:32
  has been through a similar thing recently.
• 26:34
  Been, yeah.
• 26:35
  Yeah, so it's sisterhood strong, that's for sure.
• 26:37
  In the paddock at superpowers, but globally in motorsport too.
• 26:41
  It's something I'm really passionate about, making sure that we highlight all the incredible women who are making a difference and making a significant contribution to the show.
• 26:49
  because it doesn't matter about gender.
• 26:52
  What it comes down to for me, Rusty, is about passion, about how hard you're prepared to work and having a go, having a crack.
• 27:01
  And I think that's part of the storytelling I'd like to do.
• 27:04
  It doesn't matter what gender you are.
• 27:06
  It's got nothing to do with that.
• 27:08
  It's all about, you know, what's your mission and how you're going to get there.
• 27:13
  That was kind of my footnote to that story, right?
• 27:16
  I sense in you that while you are immensely proud of that aspect, it has nothing to do with quota for you.
• 27:21
  It has nothing to do with how many women we should have.
• 27:25
  These are people that should be there because they are the best regardless, aren't they?
• 27:29
  I don't want to have my job just because I'm a woman.
• 27:31
  I want to have my job because I'm the best person for the job.
• 27:35
  And I guess that's the message I'm trying to send to my own daughter that –
• 27:39
  Even though there were women on television growing up, there really weren't a lot of women on television in sports broadcasting.
• 27:45
  And I don't think I ever thought of that as, oh, well, I won't be able to do that because I can't see somebody.
• 27:50
  I was absolutely gung-ho set on what my mission was going to be.
• 27:55
  I wanted to be the very best and I was just going to find a way.
• 27:59
  And I hope that because I've made it, you know, it might be easier for other women that are looking to pursue sports
• 28:06
  you know, the same career as me, but I still look at it as, okay, where am I going next?
• 28:12
  And I'm just going to find a way to get there.
• 28:14
  It doesn't matter what it is.
• 28:16
  And I really hope, you know, that that is the message.
• 28:18
  It's not about being a man or a woman.
• 28:20
  It's about being the best credentialed person for the gig that's prepared to work harder than anybody else.
• 28:27
  I love the perspective in that.
• 28:28
  Well done.
• 28:29
  You have driven some cool cars in recent years.
• 28:32
  A McLaren in the garage a couple of months back.
• 28:34
  Is there a little something on the Jess Yates wish list that you'd like to drive, maybe own, something along those lines?
• 28:40
  You know, I think the thing about it is I'm just so happy to borrow them and hand them back because whenever I am afforded that opportunity, I sleep with the keys under my pillow.
• 28:49
  It's such a pectic thing to have in the garage just in case, you know, you scratch it or, you know, someone decides to take it for a joyride you don't know.
• 28:58
  I just, yeah, the responsibility of all of that.
• 29:01
  I've got two children I'm trying to keep alive.
• 29:03
  That's enough responsibility for me at the moment.
• 29:06
  But I, you know, I guess I could have anything.
• 29:11
  A 911 Porsche is probably what I'd like to have in my garage is a bit of a Sunday drive.
• 29:17
  I've got that on my wish list, so maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to have that.
• 29:21
  But yeah, the McLaren was pretty awesome.
• 29:24
  I took it for a spin-off to the Hunting Valley for the day, so it was really nice to put that through its paces.
• 29:28
  But yeah, I've had the old Ferrari too, which I'm a bit excited about.
• 29:31
  you know, partial to quite like a Ferrari in the garage, but also always happy to hand them back.
• 29:37
  It is unnerving, those press cars.
• 29:38
  I get it, but you've earned those opportunities at the same time.
• 29:41
  Well done.
• 29:41
  Can we, as we near the end here, tap into the fact that what's next?
• 29:46
  Olympics perhaps?
• 29:47
  What's a little something?
• 29:49
  I mean, maybe there's, you know, some iconic, I mean, Fox have the Indy 500 next year.
• 29:55
  Maybe there's a little something around that.
• 29:56
  I'm not sure.
• 29:57
  What sort of stuff tempts you?
• 30:00
  If I'm super honest, you know, I had great aspirations to go and work on something global for sure.
• 30:05
  I would love to go and work on IndyCar.
• 30:07
  I think that would be awesome.
• 30:08
  Fox Sports in America have just done a deal for that.
• 30:11
  It would be, you know, I'm still good mates with Scott McLaughlin and I watch how he's just absolutely slaying it over there.
• 30:18
  I would love to go.
• 30:19
  to indie and be part of all of that spectacle.
• 30:22
  The Olympics would be awesome if that opportunity ever presented itself.
• 30:26
  I've got so many other, you know, circuits that I'd love to go and see and, you know, to do some Formula One or to go and do more MotoGP.
• 30:35
  That's definitely, you know, on my list to go and do.
• 30:37
  I'd love to go and do some of that in Italy and Spain because that's the real epicentre.
• 30:42
  for two wheel racing.
• 30:43
  So anything and everything, Rusty, I think that's one of the criticisms that I get from my closest.
• 30:51
  Stop saying yes.
• 30:52
  You say yes to everything and there's no time and can't you just focus on, you know, the immediate things.
• 30:58
  But I'll share a little something with you.
• 31:02
  I've got a pretty exciting project in the works.
• 31:04
  I've got a kids book coming out next year.
• 31:07
  that I've been working on about car racing.
• 31:09
  Yeah, so I'll just give a bit of a taster, not too many details around it yet.
• 31:13
  But I'm also, yeah, an aspiring author.
• 31:17
  I've got, yeah, lots of great ideas and a couple of projects in the works around that.
• 31:22
  So I look forward to being able to share a little bit more about that with you as we get closer to the off.
• 31:27
  Yeah.
• 31:28
  Please, please keep us informed.
• 31:30
  You are unbelievable.
• 31:31
  I don't know where you find the time.
• 31:32
  Two to finish.
• 31:33
  In the great tradition of terrible journalistic questions, who wins at Bathurst, Jez?
• 31:42
  I actually think when I've been asked that terrible question, because I have, you know, we all ask that one, right?
• 31:47
  Yes.
• 31:48
  I've been, Brock Feeney and Jamie Winkup, I think you're going to take some beating this year.
• 31:52
  I just think after the heartbreak,
• 31:54
  Brock has worked hard every single day since that heartbreak last year to be there or thereabouts.
• 32:01
  They had great pace at Sandown.
• 32:02
  Jamie, absolutely incredible anywhere, but particularly at Bathurst.
• 32:10
  I just think it could be their day, but anything can happen.
• 32:14
  There's going to be a million stories to tell when we go up to the mountains.
• 32:17
  So, yeah, but yeah, they're my hot tip.
• 32:22
  Okay.
• 32:23
  It is a game where we typically have podium celebrations.
• 32:26
  We have champagne.
• 32:28
  In chatting to Mark Scaife and getting some backstories for this, he says, you are good on the champagnes.
• 32:33
  Is this true?
• 32:35
  He's naughty, isn't he?
• 32:36
  Oh, he is.
• 32:37
  He always loves to roll that lull out because the truth is Mark Scaife is an absolute expert on the champagnes, just to ask him.
• 32:45
  I do like his champagne, though in my old age, I probably can't afford as many champagnes as I would.
• 32:52
  once could but I would dare say there'll be some champagne at the end of Bathurst for all of us
• 32:57
  Good, good.
• 32:58
  And it'll be well-deserved too.
• 33:00
  Hey, hope Luke gets to enjoy some races.
• 33:04
  We enjoy seeing him in the paddock there from time to time.
• 33:07
  I know he's got a proper enjoyment for the sport too.
• 33:10
  Well done on everything that you've achieved so far.
• 33:13
  And I know that if the opportunity presents, you'll grab some other things with both hands.
• 33:17
  Do that because you're incredibly good at what you do.
• 33:20
  Have a fantastic weekend at Bathurst.
• 33:21
  Hit it out the park as you always do.
• 33:23
  And thank you for coming on the pod today.
• 33:25
  Rusty, it was my pleasure.
• 33:26
  Thank you.
• 33:26
  Thank you for inspiring me in my career.
• 33:29
  I admire you so much.
• 33:30
  You're just so incredible at what you do.
• 33:33
  I still see the awe of you every time I get to see you with a microphone in your hands.
• 33:37
  I hope that there'll be more opportunity, maybe for us to work together.
• 33:40
  Together.
• 33:42
  But thank you very much for having me.
• 33:43
  It's been so nice to be able to catch up.
• 33:45
  They're very kind words, but the reason you are where you are is because of the hard work that you have done.
• 33:49
  So well done on that and for showing others what is possible.
• 33:53
  Thanks, Rusty.
• 34:01
  Rusty's Garage is written and presented by me, Greg Rust.
• 34:05
  Series editor and producer is Thomas Dullard.
• 34:08
  Audio production by Link Kelly.
• 34:11
  If you've got a guest suggestion, get in touch with me via social media.
• 34:15
  The Garage, that's where a journey begins with a tank full of passion-fuelled stories.