Latest / Rusty's Garage / Molly Taylor - The Next Chapter - Part 2

Transcript

Molly Taylor - The Next Chapter - Part 2 · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:20
  G'day, it's Rusty here, all set for part two of a well-overdue catch-up with Molly Taylor, the 2016 Australian Rally Champion and 2021 Extreme E title winner.
• 0:32
  That's a global crown and something she's rightly very proud of.
• 0:36
  Now, if you've arrived here without catching the first part of our latest instalment with Molly, head back to the library and you'll find it parked with this one.
• 0:44
  You'll enjoy some insights on the Xtreme E series, an all-electric, almost rallycross format.
• 0:51
  She gets to rub shoulders there with some heroes too, including Sebastian Loeb and Carlos Sainz Sr.
• 0:58
  How she thought the initial approach to go and race in that series was a stitch-up, plus taking on Dakar, the ultimate endurance test in a side-by-side.
• 1:08
  We begin part two by chatting about co-drivers and how they invariably don't just guide you through the desert on Dakar, but they kind of become motivational coach too.
• 1:22
  co-driver.
• 1:23
  Tell us about that.
• 1:24
  And I gather there's some fun conversations at times.
• 1:27
  Is that right?
• 1:28
  Yeah.
• 1:28
  I mean, it's kind of, that relationship's always been so important in Raleigh, but in the Dakar, you know, you're in the car and it's also like for so much longer time, but it also is such a different style of navigation.
• 1:40
  And I think they're like, there's such a crucial role because it's, yes, it's driving, but
• 1:46
  It doesn't matter how good a driver you are, if you're not on the right road or if you get lost or if you drive more kilometres than someone else, you know, that's really where you can make or break a lot of the time in Dakar.
• 1:59
  And this year, my co-driver was a guy called Andrew Short.
• 2:03
  Out from the US, from Texas.
• 2:04
  He's got some good turns of phrase, I'm told.
• 2:06
  Is that right?
• 2:06
  Brilliant.
• 2:07
  Absolutely brilliant.
• 2:08
  Give me an example.
• 2:08
  Give me an example.
• 2:09
  Well, he's an ex-bike rider.
• 2:11
  So he's finished in the top 10 a few times in Dakar on a bike.
• 2:14
  So he's properly nuts and amazing at the navigation and just –
• 2:19
  like honestly one of the best people I've spent time with, full stop.
• 2:24
  Wow.
• 2:24
  But his, like his philosophy and outlook is just such a positive person, really talented but also just that, like always kept you in the right frame of mind.
• 2:34
  Excellent.
• 2:34
  And, yeah, you can imagine, you know, he just has the most, I mean, to us, just, you know, like the most American kind of like sort of phrases and it was just, I was like getting a pep talk the whole way around and he'd be like, you know, get it, girl.
• 2:48
  And like, I like that line.
• 2:50
  I like this pace.
• 2:51
  It was just, it was so cool because it was just, we had so much fun and, you know, he was so experienced, but also, you know, when things went wrong and we had, you know, quite a lot of mechanical dramas and it was a really sort of frustrating rally from that point because we had some good speed but never really got it together.
• 3:11
  But, you know, every time we had something, he would just, every day would be like, yeah,
• 3:15
  New day, new opportunity, and just was always focusing on what can we do.
• 3:20
  It got to one point where we'd had a bad day, and I was like, look, just let me be angry for 10 minutes.
• 3:27
  Stop trying to find the silver lining or work out what we should do or keep everything going well.
• 3:31
  I'm like, I just want to feel sorry for myself for 10 minutes, and then I'll be fine.
• 3:38
  Talk me through the bivouac because you're knackered at the end of a long day.
• 3:43
  You've got to come in, talk to crew about what the Can-Am needs, and then separately you're planning from a notes and stage perspective for the next day, aren't you?
• 3:52
  You end up with a really limited window of sleep, basically, don't you?
• 3:55
  Yeah.
• 3:56
  I mean, it depends on what time you come in and what time you leave the next morning and all those things, but also where we stay.
• 4:02
  I mean, we can't complain too much because we had motorhomes, so that was like the five-star treatment.
• 4:08
  A lot of our crew, like everyone –
• 4:10
  It's just sleeping in tents and in the back of trucks and things like that.
• 4:14
  So it's absolutely wild.
• 4:16
  So we actually got a camper van, so I can't really complain too much.
• 4:21
  But, like, very noisy because the cars come in late at night, the mechanics, everyone's working on them all night.
• 4:27
  So, I mean, the mechanics are the real heroes.
• 4:29
  They're, you know...
• 4:30
  There was a few nights our guys didn't sleep at all.
• 4:33
  Wow.
• 4:34
  And so there's noises, there's stuff going on, tyres being changed like all night.
• 4:40
  Until early hours in the morning.
• 4:41
  That's when the bike guys start getting up and getting ready to go.
• 4:44
  So, you know, you're never getting a quality sleep at all.
• 4:49
  But it's amazing, yeah, when you get tired, what you can sleep through as well.
• 4:52
  You've just done literally an interview with young Clay Richards, his dad, Stephen Richards, multiple Bathurst winner.
• 4:58
  I can recall talking to him about the Bathurst 24-hour and the run of the Monaro up there at that point in time.
• 5:04
  And he said you'd climb into the truck or the motorhome or whatever they were sleeping in.
• 5:09
  And he said you'd just go to sort of close your eyes.
• 5:13
  And then you'd hear the car come down the hill again, and then you're awake.
• 5:15
  So you listen to, oh, the car's okay, okay.
• 5:17
  So this would go on for ages, and it made it really tough to get some sleep.
• 5:20
  And it's like that in the bivouac, because there's so much going on.
• 5:23
  I reckon Nathan Prendergast told me, you've got to be careful where you park, because if you end up...
• 5:28
  camping near the truck guys, they're one of the last ones to kind of come in and then they're up all night working on the truck and things like that.
• 5:34
  And that's hell from a sleep point of view, isn't it?
• 5:36
  Yeah, totally.
• 5:37
  We were near trucks.
• 5:38
  We had everything in and out down.
• 5:39
  We had the trucks and then all the Can-Ams.
• 5:41
  But yeah, it's, um, and also when they're changing the truck tires as well and the amount of air.
• 5:46
  They have to put in to change them.
• 5:47
  So it's like a bomb goes off every now and then.
• 5:50
  So it's like 3 a.m. and then boom and you wake up and like, what's happened?
• 5:53
  And then you realize they're just changing some truck tires.
• 5:55
  Crazy.
• 5:56
  Will you go and do more of that?
• 5:57
  Is the plan we're recording this in June?
• 5:59
  Will you go and do that again this year?
• 6:01
  I mean, I would love to.
• 6:02
  It's a massive event from a resource point of view.
• 6:06
  So it's not cheap to compete in.
• 6:08
  So, I mean, a lot of it, as always in motorsport, depends on –
• 6:11
  aligning all those stars so that's you know that that's a big job to do but um if i have the opportunity to do it a hundred percent it's um yeah it's something that is is there's so so many elements to it so many challenges um and it's just yeah it's the i think it's the the best overall test in the motorsport sense cool you did go in the lead up to it i think you went to vegas didn't you didn't you go and do some stuff in the desert out there to help prep for it last year too is that right i'm not
• 6:41
  Well, I did and I got COVID and I spent the whole time in this really seedy hotel in Vegas and then I went home.
• 6:47
  Oh, you poor thing.
• 6:50
  So I did have plans to do that.
• 6:51
  I didn't quite eventuate.
• 6:53
  Unfortunately, it was going to, I mean, up until that point, I'd been all through 2021 traveling without it.
• 6:59
  So, you know, it was going to happen at some point.
• 7:02
  But yeah, the South Racing team is a fantastic team and they do so many things.
• 7:07
  So at least to be able to be in.
• 7:10
  with a group of guys like that, that have done so many miles in those cars, so many cars, you know, there's nothing they don't know about those cars and what you need to do for DACA.
• 7:20
  Closer to home, we haven't, sadly, seen you making regular appearances in the Australian Rally Championship.
• 7:26
  And I know deep down you would dearly love to do that.
• 7:29
  So is there a hope, a want, a plan?
• 7:33
  Would you like to perhaps go and tackle some?
• 7:36
  And will we see you back against Harry and Lewis Bates and all of those guys?
• 7:41
  Yeah, I mean, there's definitely a hope, a wanton, a plan.
• 7:45
  And whether I can pull it off is another question.
• 7:48
  But, yeah, like I really do miss it.
• 7:51
  It's just, yeah, rallying is sort of what I've known since I started.
• 7:56
  yeah, I would love nothing more than to be back on the stages back here as well.
• 8:00
  So it's certainly something that I haven't given up on.
• 8:03
  I mean, the landscape's changed a lot.
• 8:06
  So, I mean, our WRX that we ran is a beautiful piece of machinery and it's a production car.
• 8:12
  What the guys in Tassie have created with that car is something really, really special and amazing.
• 8:18
  So I would love to get back out in it.
• 8:20
  It's probably, I mean, realistically, it's now the production class that we're looking at now that the outright cars have all changed to new specifications and the European Rally 2 spec and all those sorts of things which within our regulations we can't build the WRX 2.
• 8:38
  But even in saying that, the...
• 8:41
  the competition in the ARC is getting better and better and stronger and stronger.
• 8:45
  And even in that production class is a real opportunity to, you know, get all those WRXs and Evos and all those cars and show, you know, for relatively old cars compared to a lot of the new ones, how good they are.
• 8:57
  So it's definitely something I would love to do.
• 9:01
  I'm glad you bring up the ARC in a more broader perspective or sense.
• 9:07
  And I've got these great memories, right, of the kind of mid-2000s there where it was, you know, Subaru, Mitsubishi with Eddardinsky and Rallyard, you know, Toyota, obviously.
• 9:20
  I mean, it's just this golden period for the sport.
• 9:24
  It does feel like there are some good ingredients in the current scheme of things to get a little closer to that again, doesn't it?
• 9:31
  Yeah, I think so.
• 9:32
  As you say, I remember, I mean, that's sort of when I grew up was in that.
• 9:35
  You were little.
• 9:35
  I was old.
• 9:36
  I'm old now.
• 9:37
  I'm old now.
• 9:38
  Yeah, Neil, obviously, but Possum and Cody and Dean in the Subarus.
• 9:43
  And yeah, it was really, I think, I mean, you always look back at, oh, they were the heydays and whatever.
• 9:48
  But I think if we look at what the ARC is doing now and the cars and the number of top level cars we're getting in the series now, I think you're right.
• 9:57
  There's definitely...
• 9:58
  feels like it's getting back to where it should be and hopefully bringing in more manufacturers as a result of that and we can build something because it is such a cool sport.
• 10:08
  I'd love to see you lining up in that again.
• 10:10
  I hope, however, you can stitch that together and that it does come to pass.
• 10:13
  That would be ace.
• 10:15
  Helping to fill the gap a little bit has been a thing called broadcasting.
• 10:18
  You and I are on StanSport and Channel 9 doing some stuff with the Australian Racing Group, which has been really cool.
• 10:24
  You've done it for a couple of years now.
• 10:26
  How are you finding that?
• 10:28
  How much fun has that been?
• 10:31
  We just, we have a ball when we do this, really, don't we?
• 10:34
  I mean, it's the whole essence of the mission when we set out.
• 10:37
  Yes, we're going to chase stories and do a live broadcast and all that sort of stuff, but behind the scenes and off air, it's tremendous, isn't it?
• 10:44
  It is a lot of fun.
• 10:45
  A big challenge.
• 10:46
  I'm still learning a lot and feel very green.
• 10:48
  What have you learned?
• 10:49
  Just trying to copy you, Rusty.
• 10:52
  Some would say that's not a good idea, Molly.
• 10:54
  But yeah, just the, you know, you're across so many things.
• 10:57
  Like mentally, it's just, it's unreal.
• 10:59
  You know, I have wear all these devices that tell me how I sleep and how I train and, you
• 11:03
  And doing a broadcast weekend, I think, takes a bigger toll than doing a rally.
• 11:08
  Just because mentally you're trying to remember everyone in the field, what's happening, things that are relevant to them, trying to think up the questions while someone's talking in your ear and it's all live.
• 11:17
  Can't swear, that's difficult.
• 11:20
  So there is so much.
• 11:21
  It's given me a whole new appreciation for your side of the world because it really is so impressive to watch.
• 11:28
  guys like you do it thank you so so professionally and and it looks like you're doing it easy but i know how many things are going around and how much work has gone into just knowing that that ribbity information that's relevant to that person in that moment without a notebook like it's just it's so impressive but i think as you said it is also it's just fun like i feel like we go away for a weekend and it's like going away with a weekend oh no dan i'm working very hard
• 11:54
  But that's probably one of the bits I enjoy about it the most because normally you go to race weekends, you see all these people, but you've got that, you know, that stress of competing, whereas here I could just hang out with everyone and, yes, have the workload and, you know, it's tough while we're doing it, but also at the end of the day, you know, we're just –
• 12:10
  Yeah, I have this kind of more relaxed fun with everyone.
• 12:13
  It's great.
• 12:14
  You do leave dinner early, though.
• 12:16
  You get tired, Ties, don't you?
• 12:18
  It's mentally draining for you, isn't it?
• 12:21
  I do.
• 12:21
  Oh, it's 8 o'clock.
• 12:22
  Molly wants to pull out now.
• 12:23
  She wants to go to bed now.
• 12:26
  Look, I'm not convinced because normally when we go out to dinner, I normally get like a look or a text message from you, Rusty, under the table that's like you just nod when you want to go and I can bail you out.
• 12:36
  And I don't know whether that's because you're just trying to be nice to me or whether you also want to go and you're just going to use me.
• 12:40
  It's both.
• 12:41
  We can both work that.
• 12:42
  I mean that deal works with me.
• 12:44
  It works for me too.
• 12:45
  It works for me too.
• 12:47
  So broadcasting is great.
• 12:49
  Now you are taking the learnings from that.
• 12:52
  to make some content and do a few things around this new adventure called the mad garage with your partner dan you buy a workshop in melbourne off the back of uh a period in quarantine you've spotted it online tell me about this and where you i mean you're recording a television show for standing there now i mean it's up and running it's cool
• 13:14
  Yeah, it's a great place to just hang out.
• 13:17
  It was essentially just one of those, it's about, I think the floor space is 77 square meters.
• 13:22
  So it's very, very small.
• 13:24
  It's got a little mezzanine, but it was basically, apart from that, it was just a concrete box.
• 13:28
  And so we had this idea to DIY it and turn it into this.
• 13:32
  This functional workshop but also a space where we could film stuff, look, you know, a bit like – I think my sort of design brief was a Formula One workshop across Google headquarters.
• 13:42
  Okay.
• 13:43
  So we have a rock climbing wall up the side but all the floors and everything's white.
• 13:47
  Um, we, we've done some work with super cheap auto to fit it out in all matching tool cabinets and, and all that sort of stuff.
• 13:53
  So it's very functional.
• 13:54
  Um, and then upstairs, um, which Dan's called the mad mez.
• 13:59
  Um, and that's got some, you know, a kitchenette that we've built.
• 14:03
  Um, Todd Kelly helped us out with this, some steel line framing to build a wall.
• 14:06
  He would have been hands on with that too.
• 14:08
  He did.
• 14:08
  He did.
• 14:09
  Yeah.
• 14:09
  He wanted to, it was the first time they had sort of this production that they've got.
• 14:12
  It's a bit like life-size, um, techno.
• 14:15
  Uh huh.
• 14:16
  Yeah.
• 14:17
  or Technic or, you know, like the fancy Lego stuff.
• 14:22
  It's a bit like life-size that, so it was a lot of fun.
• 14:23
  So, yeah, he wanted to come and see how it all went up.
• 14:27
  So, yeah, we've got a kitchen, lounge room, hangout area up the top and then a workshop down the bottom and somewhere where we'll do car projects in a way with the competition side and with Can-Am and, you know, hopefully if we do some rallying, we've got this cool base but something we can also –
• 14:44
  shoot from we can do stuff with my sponsors and partners as well and I mean our neighbor across from us um we have these great ideas and the other day he just came in and said are you guys going to do any work soon because all you do is just like play music and hang out with people when are you going to actually do something like oh yeah that'll that'll happen it'll happen
• 15:03
  Well, I mean, if you look at socials, it is happening, right?
• 15:05
  But, I mean, some of the stuff I saw around the launch was awesome.
• 15:09
  What I loved was the story of the build.
• 15:12
  So, you and Dan doing plastering, doing all the – Oh, my God.
• 15:16
  How out of your depth were you there?
• 15:18
  Oh, my God.
• 15:18
  Like, we just – well, we didn't want to – we were trying to be cheapskates.
• 15:22
  And so, we thought we could do everything.
• 15:25
  And it's amazing, you know, with –
• 15:28
  a bit of optimism and YouTube, how many things you can figure out how to do, but you wouldn't want to look too closely at the finish of everything.
• 15:36
  But yeah, we decided essentially apart from all the electrical work and the plumbing, which was way beyond our scope, we had some great help with that.
• 15:47
  But apart from that, we basically did everything else DIY.
• 15:52
  any truth that you left when the floor painting was happening?
• 15:55
  You're very busy.
• 15:55
  I've got to go to a broadcast or I'm overseas for a race or something.
• 15:58
  And he got left with it, didn't he?
• 16:00
  Was it something like that?
• 16:00
  Yes.
• 16:01
  Yeah, that's pretty much what happened.
• 16:03
  So, yeah, we were building everything and then I had to go over the, like, Extreme E stuff and then later the Dakar stuff.
• 16:12
  But it was right around the time when we had this idea we wanted to launch it in January and needed to be up and running by then.
• 16:22
  had to be done at some point, which, you know, it was quite a complex process and not a fun, not a fun job.
• 16:28
  And I was going to be away.
• 16:29
  So Dan did that all on his own.
• 16:32
  He still has like some of his gym wear.
• 16:34
  He wore his gym gear and one of his gym shirts still has epoxy paint on it that he refuses to throw out.
• 16:39
  And he's ruined a pair of thongs.
• 16:40
  I've got epoxy all over them and
• 16:42
  He messaged me and he looked like Peter Pete, you know, someone who would rock up with paint everywhere.
• 16:48
  Anyway, the great story about that is he's taken a bit of a leap of faith with this too.
• 16:52
  I mean, he's a very respected motoring journalist, has done things all around the world for very, very good publications.
• 16:59
  I mean, he's in this boots.
• 17:01
  I mean, I know your partners, obviously, but he's in this boots and all, isn't he?
• 17:03
  Yeah, it's nice for us to kind of have a project where we can put both our – I mean, me from motorsport side, and he doesn't really have much involvement in the motorsport world, but on an automotive side, yeah, very, very involved with his work with Wheels Magazine and Motor Magazine and now just going freelance to still do all those things but also, you know, start to build this workshop.
• 17:26
  So we've kind of come from both ends of the –
• 17:29
  car spectrum, I guess.
• 17:30
  And we've, we've built this, this workshop, so it will do motorsport stuff, but it can also do just general, general car projects.
• 17:36
  And we've got an old Brumby that we're going to do some stuff with.
• 17:40
  Um, so yeah, it's really cool to have this, this thing that we can both add in from a creative and presenting and all that side.
• 17:47
  He's so good at that.
• 17:48
  Exactly.
• 17:49
  I won't spoil it because I reckon that needs to come out via the mad garage channels, right?
• 17:54
  Um,
• 17:54
  But we have seen a few little things pop up in relation to the Brumby.
• 17:58
  So it did a little mission, I think, from Sydney to Melbourne.
• 18:01
  And I think that is just the perfect car to sort of launch into this.
• 18:06
  Yeah, it took a long time.
• 18:09
  The trip, the road trip.
• 18:10
  Oh, yeah.
• 18:11
  Yeah.
• 18:12
  It took a long time.
• 18:13
  But, I mean, it's so funny driving that car down the road and the amount of sort of nods and looks you get around it.
• 18:18
  People are like, oh, that's cool.
• 18:19
  That's what they say, don't they?
• 18:20
  Yeah.
• 18:20
  Yeah.
• 18:21
  And we have all these grand ideas to, you know, what engine we should put in and all this stuff.
• 18:27
  But then, so it's got now 399,000 kilometers on it and it didn't skip a beat.
• 18:33
  I mean, sometimes there's some weird noises that you just sort of ignore.
• 18:37
  Mm-hmm.
• 18:38
  But like it starts first time, like it literally sometimes takes about 20 seconds to start, but it will always start.
• 18:44
  Drove, yeah, without any shoe temperate.
• 18:46
  Like it's just, it's such a cool thing.
• 18:49
  It's such a nice little humble car that, yeah, we absolutely love.
• 18:53
  And it's fitting too because you're such a loyal human being, right?
• 18:56
  And you've had this great long association with Subaru.
• 19:00
  And even though you're not in the ARC necessarily with them now, you've kept that relationship going.
• 19:04
  So, I mean, that I think is a nice nod or tip of the hat too, isn't it?
• 19:08
  Yeah, yeah, I think so.
• 19:09
  You know, it is, as you say, it's one of those cult classic cars.
• 19:13
  And, you know, it's kind of that…
• 19:14
  that start of all the Subaru heritage.
• 19:17
  So it's very much part of the family.
• 19:19
  We're actually planning at the moment of what stickers we're going to get up, get put on it.
• 19:23
  So we're going to try and put some of the original style stickers.
• 19:26
  It's still the original beige.
• 19:29
  Lovely colour.
• 19:29
  But with the Mad Garage logo.
• 19:31
  So it's got, you know, the idea is it's our workshop ute.
• 19:34
  It's the one that we, you know, pop out to the tool shop or whatever to get some stuff.
• 19:47
  Shane Jacobson has done some rallying.
• 19:50
  Okay, I will admit he's not in Molly's league, but he really loves cars and motorbikes.
• 19:55
  In his episode with Rusty, Shane talked about driving during the making of the movie, Charlie and Boots with Paul Hogan.
• 20:03
  While she's looking at us, we nod again.
• 20:05
  And her, I don't know what her name is, but I know, I still remember her husband's name was Doug.
• 20:09
  Because while looking at us, she went, Doug, Doug, and he yelled at what?
• 20:17
  She said, bloody Kenny and Crocodile Dundee are in the bloody car next to us.
• 20:22
  You can find Shane in the Rusty's Garage Library.
• 20:25
  Eric Banner is in there too.
• 20:27
  Rusty wishes he was a Hollywood heartthrob.
• 20:30
  Tell him he's dreaming.
• 20:31
  Now back to a Rowley legend and someone who's a bit of a TV star as well.
• 20:36
  Molly Taylor.
• 20:39
  in the gap between when we did podcast one and now you did compete in that Subaru TCR machine.
• 20:44
  You touched on it a little bit before.
• 20:46
  What was that?
• 20:47
  What was that like?
• 20:48
  How much fun did you have?
• 20:49
  I mean, we get to commentate on this series now and, and,
• 20:52
  There's all sorts of different makes and marks.
• 20:53
  Those cars aren't here now, but it was in the early development of this series in Australia and that was a good bit of fun, wasn't it?
• 21:00
  It was a lot of fun and, you know, that was, as you said, TCR's just coming in.
• 21:04
  So it was so cool to kind of be part of that growth of the series and see what it's become today.
• 21:09
  But to have a go myself, I was, I mean, totally a fish out of water.
• 21:14
  I had no idea what I was doing.
• 21:16
  And, I mean, unfortunately, we had a lot of bad luck there
• 21:19
  Yeah, at most of the races, but yeah, incredible learning opportunity and just to be involved in
• 21:25
  in that side of the world was a lot of fun and to work with Kelly Racing.
• 21:30
  You've stayed good friends with Todd and Christy and everything, haven't you?
• 21:33
  Yeah, yeah.
• 21:34
  I mean, that's been a great thing, I think, to be able to get to know those guys and we don't live so far away.
• 21:39
  So to be able to hang out from that, I mean, it all really started from that TCR program.
• 21:45
  So you have an appreciation of what these cars are like to drive for the competitors that are here, but there is a funny little story and it's very fitting that we are here at Winton to share it.
• 21:53
  And that is the first time, not just you, but everyone kind of left the pit lane here.
• 21:57
  It was first real experience for most people with these TCR cars in Australia.
• 22:02
  Weather hadn't necessarily been great.
• 22:04
  Tell us what happened next.
• 22:06
  We were chatting yesterday about Winton and coming back here and the temperature.
• 22:11
  And I mean, we know now watching the TCR series that those first couple of laps getting that temp into the rear tires that don't have big brakes, front wheel drive.
• 22:19
  So that, you know, it takes a bit of time to get the temp into the rears.
• 22:22
  And I don't think we really appreciated just how, like, ice those cold slicks were in, you know, zero degree temperatures.
• 22:30
  But it was quite funny.
• 22:31
  We all, for the very first test, we had a few people up with the TCR cars.
• 22:36
  I think it was May.
• 22:37
  I think it was between zero and five degrees.
• 22:39
  It was freezing and we all rocked out for the first laps.
• 22:41
  And by turn four, I think we'd all spun.
• 22:44
  It's kind of just like, oh, wait, okay, right.
• 22:46
  Now we need to actually step back and go about this a different way.
• 22:51
  Because as is racing drivers or competitive, but you all stood on it basically, didn't you?
• 22:55
  And off they went.
• 22:56
  Okay.
• 22:56
  We now know where the grip level is.
• 22:58
  No problem.
• 23:00
  Right.
• 23:00
  A couple of other things that we can talk about here.
• 23:03
  You do a remarkable job, I reckon, with, I think, is it Sim that you do some great stuff with from a commercial partnership standpoint?
• 23:10
  Yes.
• 23:10
  So now you've got a thing going with Castrol.
• 23:13
  I've been around Australian Motor Racing forever.
• 23:17
  And as a part of that new relationship, you got to drive a supercar with Thomas Randall.
• 23:23
  Who else was there?
• 23:24
  Was it Pierre Gasly?
• 23:25
  Yes.
• 23:26
  Yeah, and Jack Doohan.
• 23:27
  Oh, how good.
• 23:28
  Esteban was there briefly, but we did all the driving stuff.
• 23:30
  Tell me more about that.
• 23:32
  Yeah, it was a lot of fun.
• 23:34
  So Gen 3 Mustang?
• 23:35
  Yeah.
• 23:36
  So it came about quite last minute and we took – so this was the Wednesday of the week of Albert Park.
• 23:42
  So they were on track Thursday.
• 23:45
  Um, and we were there on Wednesday in, in Tom's Mustang that he's about to drive the next day.
• 23:51
  Um, and they let us drive it around the Thunderdome.
• 23:54
  Um, and it had been raining and it was just starting to clear a little bit, but yeah, it was not the best conditions that the Thunderdome is super bumpy.
• 24:03
  Um, it actually felt like, you know, around one corner on one bump that the supercar was going to get air on.
• 24:08
  I was, you know, bottoming it was, it was unreal, but yeah, they let us, they let us turn a lap around the Thunderdome.
• 24:14
  Awesome.
• 24:15
  And, yeah, still very grateful that they – I kept saying to Tom, like, are you sure?
• 24:19
  Because, you know, it's not difficult to spin.
• 24:20
  This is your baby.
• 24:21
  You need it at the weekend.
• 24:22
  And if it hits the wall, I don't know if, you know, they're struggling to be able to fix these cars in a quick turnaround.
• 24:28
  So I think Tom was pretty nervous.
• 24:29
  Was he?
• 24:30
  But, yeah, everyone, Pierre, Jack, myself, we all got a lap in the car.
• 24:35
  Gasly was beaming.
• 24:36
  Randall's great, isn't he?
• 24:37
  He's a great young guy.
• 24:38
  He was fantastic.
• 24:39
  Yeah.
• 24:39
  Yeah, yeah.
• 24:40
  We had so much fun.
• 24:41
  And, yeah, just to experience –
• 24:43
  That car is so cool.
• 24:46
  You do a little bit and then just kind of – One more.
• 24:48
  One more.
• 24:49
  Cool.
• 24:49
  You've got a bright smile on your face.
• 24:51
  I don't know how much you can tell me.
• 24:52
  I gather it may not have been your first time in a supercar though.
• 24:56
  Is that true?
• 24:57
  Yeah, that is true actually.
• 24:59
  I did a – I mean I've never really spoken about it.
• 25:01
  First time in a Gen 3 car though.
• 25:03
  Yeah, in 2017, I think it was, I drove the Super 2 car with Brad Rhodes Racing at Eval Day here, actually here at Winton, did a couple of sessions.
• 25:13
  So it was kind of on the quiet, wasn't it?
• 25:14
  Yeah, it was on the quiet at the time.
• 25:16
  And I mean, at the time I was rallying with Subaru, so the right, you know, sort of...
• 25:19
  It's the right way to do it, right way to handle it.
• 25:21
  That was where I was focused.
• 25:22
  So nothing really eventuated.
• 25:24
  But I mean, it was a cool, cool opportunity and something that, you know, I considered for a little bit of time.
• 25:29
  Did you?
• 25:30
  Yeah.
• 25:30
  Big mission, big mission though, to find the corporate support to do that.
• 25:33
  Well, that's the thing, right?
• 25:34
  You want to do it properly if you were going to do it.
• 25:37
  And so in the end, nothing ever came from it.
• 25:39
  But yeah, it was a pretty awesome, awesome thing to do.
• 25:43
  And yeah, now hopping back in it, I was like, oh, I would like to, it'd be nice to do another Eval day at least and just try and switch some legs a little bit.
• 25:49
  See where that leads.
• 25:50
  As we talk, you are here with us for the broadcast for the weekend and then you bolt to Melbourne airport to fly, where are you going?
• 25:57
  To France.
• 25:57
  France.
• 25:58
  Yeah, I think I might have to ask you to do the closer because I just rang to our producer yesterday and was like, I've got to leave before the broadcast ends to make my flight to land at midnight before a test.
• 26:09
  So I've tried to skin it every other way I can.
• 26:12
  But yeah, heading back over for the next round.
• 26:15
  So it'll be good.
• 26:16
  And some testing.
• 26:16
  Are you going to do some testing of the Extreme E car?
• 26:18
  Yeah, that's the plan.
• 26:19
  So we don't really get much testing at all with these cars, but the series basically gives the teams the cars for these few weeks between Scotland and Sardinia and, you know, a certain amount of power allocation that you're allowed to use for some testing.
• 26:33
  So a great opportunity to be able to get some miles in the car because, I mean, we don't get very many kilometres at all.
• 26:40
  So that's one of the challenges of Extreme E. It's just how much you can just adapt on the fly.
• 26:44
  So it's really valuable to have that time.
• 26:46
  Cool.
• 26:46
  Couple to finish.
• 26:48
  You are now an auntie.
• 26:50
  Yes.
• 26:50
  And your lovely sister is in trouble because you are, you are, what should I say, encouraging motorsport, are you not?
• 27:01
  Well.
• 27:02
  With your nephew.
• 27:03
  To be honest, my sister is, she's very clever.
• 27:06
  Yes.
• 27:07
  So I was trying to talk to Tony, my eldest nephew, about doing some donuts next time we were together.
• 27:17
  which now has turned into Donuts the Food, which my sister's reframed.
• 27:22
  So now when I see her, let's go do some donuts, I'm like, yeah, let's do some donuts.
• 27:26
  And he literally thinks they've got to go buy some donuts.
• 27:28
  So I don't think it's been the best for his diet.
• 27:31
  But she's so far winning that battle.
• 27:34
  But he can tell you every car badge.
• 27:38
  Love it.
• 27:38
  He can tell you.
• 27:39
  He knows all the keys to the cars.
• 27:41
  He's, yeah, he's very switched on.
• 27:43
  He can name all the parts under the engine.
• 27:45
  Really?
• 27:46
  Yeah.
• 27:47
  I can tell you where the valve cap is on the tires.
• 27:49
  He loves that one.
• 27:50
  Super cool.
• 27:51
  So, yeah, I mean, it's only a matter of time.
• 27:53
  How much of that is you?
• 27:53
  How much of that is your dad?
• 27:55
  Oh, I think it's probably more my dad.
• 27:56
  I mean, he sees him a lot more regularly being up in Sydney.
• 28:00
  But, yeah, like from the beginning, it's just all been about things and cars.
• 28:06
  And now it's a lot about trains as well.
• 28:08
  Is it?
• 28:09
  So, yeah, just anything that has to be put together or moves is fascinating.
• 28:14
  Cool.
• 28:14
  Your lovely mum in the background.
• 28:17
  There are calls probably on an almost daily basis.
• 28:19
  She helps you immensely from a logistics standpoint.
• 28:22
  I mean, she's been amazing in that role for Neil Bates Motorsport and she helps coordinate stuff for you, doesn't she, even now?
• 28:28
  Yeah, I mean, thanks, Mum.
• 28:31
  I normally hatch up all these great plans and then realise that there's no physical way I can manage it all.
• 28:37
  And then I ring her and kind of put her in a corner.
• 28:40
  So where is she on that?
• 28:41
  She's somewhere between dream and reality meter, is she?
• 28:44
  Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 28:45
  So she's always saying to me, you know, like, don't take on too much and –
• 28:49
  And so I normally now have to preface it.
• 28:50
  Like I know this is what you're going to say, but this is the situation and this is why this needs to happen.
• 28:55
  So it's not about, you know, if it should or shouldn't happen, it's how can we make it happen.
• 29:00
  And then she goes, yes, but it will cost this.
• 29:03
  Yeah, exactly, exactly.
• 29:06
  She's a machine, isn't she?
• 29:08
  She's back in the car.
• 29:09
  Can you believe it?
• 29:09
  She's back in the co-driver's seat again with Harry.
• 29:11
  Isn't that awesome?
• 29:12
  It's so good to see her back.
• 29:13
  And I think it's been really good for her because, you know, she never lost it.
• 29:18
  Yeah.
• 29:18
  You know, I mean, we all love to tell her that, you know, she's Australia's fastest grandma.
• 29:25
  Yes.
• 29:25
  And, you know, like to wind her up in all those ways.
• 29:29
  But, you know, when she gets in the car, she's...
• 29:32
  Doing the same job she did 30 years ago.
• 29:34
  As well.
• 29:34
  Just as well.
• 29:34
  Yeah, exactly.
• 29:35
  Agreed.
• 29:36
  Okay.
• 29:36
  When we first spoke, you were with your mum in part ownership of an Audi that used to be owned by Kerry Packer.
• 29:45
  I love the story of how he arm wrestled that out of them at the Australian Motor Show.
• 29:49
  They were like, no, Mr. Packer, this is just on display.
• 29:51
  It has to go back to Germany.
• 29:53
  I think he said something like, I'll have that, son.
• 29:54
  I'll have that.
• 29:55
  Yeah.
• 29:56
  You're out of that now, but did mum keep it?
• 29:57
  Is that what's happened there or have you moved that car on?
• 30:00
  It's just about to be moved on actually.
• 30:02
  Is it?
• 30:02
  Yeah, it was never part of the plan, but yeah, there's just always got to be a new project on the go at home.
• 30:09
  Well, speaking of projects, dad loves a project, right?
• 30:12
  And your mum shared with me that it's not uncommon for him to go somewhere, you know, some distant remote farm paddock and spot something and buy it.
• 30:20
  I think she said to me at one point he –
• 30:22
  went with the intention of buying one and came back with eight or something rather than some crazy story there.
• 30:27
  I can imagine that.
• 30:28
  But where I'm going, he has built a shorty, an Audi Sport Quattro, and as is his way, he's gone to unbelievable detail in replicating all of the little things about the proper original cars in the build of that, hasn't he?
• 30:47
  Yeah, it's a beautiful, beautiful car.
• 30:51
  Yeah, a really special project because that, you know, those Sport Quattros from a rally heritage point of view are just… Iconic.
• 30:58
  You know, one of the most iconic that there will ever be.
• 31:01
  And, yeah, that's his passion, just, you know, that love of the historic cars and the era and, you know, so for him to sort of do something on that scale has been very, very special but…
• 31:16
  But if someone wants to buy it, I believe it also is for sales.
• 31:18
  Wow.
• 31:18
  So put that out there.
• 31:19
  Wow.
• 31:20
  Okay.
• 31:21
  Okay.
• 31:22
  Who needs eBay?
• 31:22
  We can do mobile sales here.
• 31:24
  But I mean, I think that's the thing.
• 31:25
  It's more about the process of building it, I think, than, you know, I guess to the end and then...
• 31:32
  It's done.
• 31:32
  It's done.
• 31:33
  It's not a project anymore.
• 31:34
  But your mum loved the fact, I think, that couriers kept turning up with little stickers or original valve caps or something.
• 31:40
  Like, you found all of these things.
• 31:41
  Oh, yeah, deep into the, you know, the European forums for, you know, the Quattros and all various types of cars as well.
• 31:49
  Awesome.
• 31:50
  We've done this without a note, sitting in a car.
• 31:52
  It's been a joy to catch up with you.
• 31:55
  Congratulations on what you're doing now at an international level, the stuff you're doing here locally.
• 32:03
  I love the passion.
• 32:05
  You've always got an idea, a project, something on the go, how you juggle it.
• 32:09
  I will never know.
• 32:11
  In that little period where I'm sure it was immensely tough, you are to be congratulated because you showed people that when the chips are down, you just regather and you go hard once again.
• 32:26
  And just to know that you are winning again at the top and showing people how much you've got to offer, I reckon is just unreal.
• 32:36
  Keep powering.
• 32:37
  Thank you very much, Rusty.
• 32:38
  I really appreciate it.
• 32:46
  Rusty's Garage is written and presented by me, Greg Rust.
• 32:50
  Series editor and producer is Thomas Dullard.
• 32:53
  Audio production by Link Kelly.
• 32:56
  If you've got a guest suggestion, get in touch with me via social media.
• 33:00
  The Garage, that's where a journey begins with a tank full of passion-fuelled stories.