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The Motorsport Brief - Jamie Whincup · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:04
  Welcome to the Motorsport Brief, a team debrief after a very successful year for this squad.
• 0:10
  And the boss is about to join a flock of champions for a huge event in 2025.
• 0:16
  G'day everyone, Rusty here.
• 0:18
  First up, congratulations to Harry Bates, who was on the show recently when he competed in Hokkaido.
• 0:23
  He's picked up his third Australian Rally Championship in the past week, sealing it at the final round in Tasmania.
• 0:30
  His co-driver, Coral Taylor, is already in the Hall of Fame, having won four with Harry's dad, Neil Bates, and now has two more titles with Harry.
• 0:38
  She is a six-time champion.
• 0:40
  Coral, congratulations and well done to everybody at Toyota Gazoo Racing and Neil Bates Motorsport.
• 0:47
  For this ep, we're chatting with another great in Jamie Wincup from Red Bull Ampole Racing after Will Brown and Brock Feeney came on for a cracking ep of Drivers Only in recent days.
• 0:57
  Search for that later.
• 0:58
  It lives in our Rusty's Garage library here.
• 1:00
  If you haven't listened to that, you'll enjoy it.
• 1:03
  James Courtney joins them too.
• 1:06
  Before you start with this is a bit of Red Bull...
• 1:08
  overload i actually wanted to talk to j dub from an overarching perspective and to also ask about the race of champions next year how triple eight is going with it still relatively new ownership group that was announced back in july the wild card program and a whole lot more this is a good little state of the nation if you like and i hope you enjoy the catch-up
• 1:30
  Jamie Wincup, what a year.
• 1:32
  Welcome back to the garage.
• 1:33
  Thanks, Rusty.
• 1:34
  Great to be on.
• 1:35
  The title.
• 1:36
  Tell me about that.
• 1:37
  I mean, when you look at Will's record and what he's achieved in his relatively short career, the categories that he's walked away with the silverware in,
• 1:49
  Did you anticipate that he would need a kind of settling in phase?
• 1:53
  You know, he was coming across from Erebus, obviously well credentialed there, but, you know, your way of doing things and so on.
• 2:00
  I mean, the way that he's gone about bolting together this title was pretty remarkable, wasn't it?
• 2:05
  It's a good question.
• 2:06
  Like, of course, we knew he's talented.
• 2:09
  You know, we knew he could come in and do a great job.
• 2:11
  Did we expect him to win on debut and go on to win the championship in the first year?
• 2:18
  Probably not.
• 2:19
  We were hoping that was going to happen, but the job he's done this year with his engineers and the whole team has been very, very, very, very impressive.
• 2:28
  Yeah.
• 2:29
  to beat Brock to the line where he had huge momentum from last year and he was always going to put in an unbelievable performance.
• 2:37
  So to come into a new team and be able to finish in front of Brock, he's done a fantastic job.
• 2:45
  But really, me as team owner, I've just got huge respect and a huge thank you to both guys.
• 2:51
  They worked together.
• 2:52
  They didn't kill each other like...
• 2:54
  you know, a Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso scenario back in, I think it was 2008 with Vodafone.
• 2:59
  They didn't kill each other.
• 3:01
  They both worked together and got to that awesome position come year end where they're one and two in the championship and scrapping out between themselves.
• 3:08
  Will's talked about it elsewhere, I think maybe on the cafe about, you know, his personality being, you know, quite a significant factor in the end about what may have got the deal over the line.
• 3:17
  When you look back on it 12 months ago, what was the kind of clinching factor in getting Will Brown in your mind?
• 3:23
  Yeah, it was a combination of both.
• 3:25
  You obviously need high skill.
• 3:27
  You need someone that can get in the car and showcase what we do here at AAA, and that's build fast race cars.
• 3:34
  But you can build the quickest car all you like.
• 3:38
  If you can't have somebody to showcase that and get the most out of it, then you're wasting your time.
• 3:44
  We knew Will had a huge skill base.
• 3:46
  He could go out there and, you know, just hold the car on the limit for, you know, the duration of qualifying or the race or whatever he's doing.
• 3:57
  But there's a huge factor.
• 4:00
  We've got a massive corporate partner lineup.
• 4:04
  So personality is a big part of that.
• 4:06
  You know, we can't have someone that just comes in.
• 4:08
  We can't have a Kimi Raikkonen, so to speak, who just comes in, drives extremely well, and then just nicks off.
• 4:14
  after the last race and you don't hear from him until the next event.
• 4:17
  We need somebody that can work with our corporate partners and Will massively ticks that box as well.
• 4:23
  He's easily loved.
• 4:25
  He's a big character.
• 4:28
  He's a bit of a Craig Lowndes in some way, easy come, easy go.
• 4:32
  Out the back signing autographs 10 minutes before he gets in a car, very, very different to how I ran my career.
• 4:38
  So those two factors combined were – and the fact that he got along with Brock as well.
• 4:44
  They've grown up together in some regard.
• 4:46
  They've raced together.
• 4:47
  They, you know, I really knew that those guys could work together for the greater good of the team, which is exactly what happened.
• 4:54
  The stats don't lie though, Jamie.
• 4:56
  I mean, the podiums, the positions that he gained across pretty much every race during the year, that in some ways, I know he is a different character to you, as you just said, but that is a little of the kind of Jamie Wynn Cup approach, isn't it?
• 5:09
  Did you guys talk about that at all?
• 5:12
  Yeah, we certainly did.
• 5:13
  We certainly did.
• 5:14
  But the biggest thing I've had to do this year is just really keep reminding myself that the way I went about my career isn't the way that these young kids should go about their career.
• 5:29
  You know, of course, there's some things that racing drivers did 50, 60 years ago that are still going to apply in, you know, 50 or 60 years now.
• 5:38
  ahead of time or 100 or 200 years.
• 5:40
  You know, there's some core fundamentals that I've sort of helped drill into the boys, so to speak.
• 5:46
  But then separately to that, the way they go about their craft and get the most out of themselves is very, very different.
• 5:53
  So it's been quite a balancing act to me to make sure that I –
• 5:59
  keep them understanding that call, but then let them do their thing and let them, you know, win races the way they want to.
• 6:09
  But the one fact, you know, the big stat out of this year is Will was first driver of, you know, 40 years or something silly to get a podium at every single round.
• 6:21
  Now, that's a...
• 6:22
  That's a massive stat.
• 6:23
  To put that into perspective, anyone that's played a round of golf, it's like hitting the fairway for full 18 holes.
• 6:31
  Everyone knows you can be having a crack around, but every now and again you just miss it.
• 6:36
  You know what I mean?
• 6:36
  And that's gone on for the last 40 years.
• 6:38
  So for Will to podium in every single round, I think that speaks volumes of his championship.
• 6:46
  How is Brock in the wash-up?
• 6:47
  I mean, the way that he attacked Sunday, I thought, said so much about him and perhaps, you know, maybe even clicking another gear in 2025.
• 6:57
  We know he's an incredibly hard worker and how tenacious he is.
• 7:00
  And I kind of sense that things like Bathurst last year, he gets over a bit better now.
• 7:07
  You're in no doubt about his emotions, I guess you could say, but I think he lets that stuff go a bit easier if that makes sense.
• 7:13
  For sure, for sure.
• 7:15
  No, Brock's, he's pretty gutted, you know, no doubt.
• 7:18
  I've been in that position where you've had a fantastic, he's had the best year of his career, you know, second in the championship, second at Bathurst, done some fantastic things, won plenty of rounds, heaps of pole positions.
• 7:29
  He's had a great year.
• 7:31
  But he's come second to his teammate.
• 7:33
  So he's absolutely gutted.
• 7:34
  And less of a character would have started tearing the house down, you know what I mean, and actually, you know, make it known that he didn't win and he's very, very disappointed.
• 7:48
  But once again, he's true character.
• 7:50
  He knew that a...
• 7:52
  He understood it's Will's moment.
• 7:54
  He understood that the team are unbelievably happy with a 1-2 finish.
• 8:00
  He's been very unselfish and knows it's all about him.
• 8:03
  So the way he's conducting himself for a 22-year-old, you don't expect that from a 22-year-old.
• 8:08
  You expect that from someone that's 35-plus.
• 8:11
  The way he's carried himself at his age has been absolutely phenomenal.
• 8:16
  His time will come.
• 8:17
  We know that.
• 8:19
  So for me, I'm saying, mate, you know, feel the burn.
• 8:23
  Feeling the burn's good.
• 8:25
  Having that emotion of I didn't win and the pain that comes with that, that's a good thing, you know what I mean?
• 8:29
  So don't dismiss that.
• 8:32
  But I know for a fact it's not going to make him stronger and he'll be dangerous come 25.
• 8:37
  Great observation.
• 8:38
  I love that.
• 8:38
  What about your own performance back for the Enduros?
• 8:41
  It felt like you were super excited about it.
• 8:45
  Looking back on it now, will you do it again next year and so on?
• 8:48
  How do you feel about it all?
• 8:50
  I did enjoy driving the car.
• 8:51
  I love getting back in and doing the lunchtime stint.
• 8:54
  You know what I mean?
• 8:56
  That whole starting, finishing the race, qualifying, those big moments.
• 9:01
  Do I have that in me?
• 9:03
  I probably could if I dedicated the time, but my life's pretty busy now with running this amazing team, family.
• 9:12
  There's all sorts of stuff going on in my world, so I just can't dedicate the time.
• 9:16
  So to have the opportunity as a racing driver to be able to still be able to get in there and do that thing that I did for 20 years and drive the car to the limit is fantastic without having that massive pressure of qualifying and whatnot.
• 9:31
  No, thanks for asking, Rusty.
• 9:32
  I did enjoy it.
• 9:33
  I'd love to do it again.
• 9:35
  It's all going to come down.
• 9:36
  I've penciled myself in, so to speak, but the start of next year will be a telling tale.
• 9:42
  If I've still got the capacity to be able to keep repairing, then I'll still do it.
• 9:47
  But the day that somebody else is a better option as well is the day I'll step aside.
• 9:52
  You know, I'm here for 888, not for Jamie Winkup personally.
• 9:57
  while I'm the best person for the job, happy days, but the day that changes, I'll move on.
• 10:03
  Okay.
• 10:04
  Do you leave a good thing alone in relation to this team and its structure?
• 10:07
  I mean, you've all collectively done such a good job this year.
• 10:10
  And separate question to that, how big is the threat going to be in 2026 with Brodie Kostecki going to your old foes in Dick Johnson Racing?
• 10:20
  You've seen...
• 10:22
  a resurgence, if you like, toward the end of this year in Tickford and so on.
• 10:25
  It on paper looks like with a new championship structure being a really good year.
• 10:31
  And third year of Gen 3 as well.
• 10:33
  So, you know, the cars are all exactly the same, just comes down to that human element.
• 10:37
  So no doubt, no doubt the championship's going to be going to be tighter, stronger, tougher next year.
• 10:44
  But
• 10:45
  that's been motorsport for the last 20 years you know we've we just have to keep raising the game raising the game where there's no break you can't have a year off you can't just decide to rinse and repeat and do the same thing if you do that you just end up getting dusted so the daunting task as it has been the last 10 years so how how do we step it up again because we because we have to but
• 11:07
  That's what we do here at AAA.
• 11:08
  We just grind it out and challenges come from everywhere and we just work out a way of being able to, you know, respond to those challenges and try to stay ahead of the pack.
• 11:18
  We'll take a quick break here on Rusty's Garage.
• 11:20
  More with Jamie Wincup right after this.
• 11:26
  We're back.
• 11:26
  This is the Motorsport Brief, our short cast option here in the garage, chatting today with Red Bull Ampole Racing's Jamie Wincup as we wrap up the 2024 supercar season for the team that won the driver's title, the team's championship and a special 500 for Will Brown and Scott Pye as Sandown celebrated 60 years of endurance racing.
• 11:49
  Let's dive back into the convo with J-Dub now.
• 11:53
  Quick thought on the wildcard program.
• 11:55
  What Super Cheap Auto have committed to with you guys in helping young talent is to be greatly admired, I think.
• 12:01
  Firstly, to see Cooper Murray placed in a full-time role, admittedly with your rivals at Erebus, there must be a bit of satisfaction in seeing that.
• 12:09
  And what was it about Zach Bates that made you green light?
• 12:13
  He might have had a lot to do with his mum over the years in the media and so on, and even his dad around rallying.
• 12:17
  But for that young bloke to get a go with you alongside Craig Lownes next year, I think is terrific.
• 12:22
  Yeah, no, we're really proud of our wild car program.
• 12:25
  You know, super cheap, absolutely love it.
• 12:27
  They're on board.
• 12:28
  It's actually right behind me.
• 12:29
  I should get out of the way.
• 12:31
  You know, it's front and center there in the team photo at Sandown.
• 12:35
  No, it's such a good program.
• 12:37
  75% of the drivers have gone on to get full-time drives the following year, which is awesome.
• 12:42
  And we want to continue that with Zach again in 2025.
• 12:47
  So it's a great opportunity to team up an old geriatric and loungesie with the latest new talent, you know what I mean, to give them maximum opportunity to grow and to understand the T8 way to then hopefully either drive one of our cars.
• 13:03
  If we don't have a seat because our guys are doing such a good job, which I hope is the case for a long time to come, then see them go on to do bigger and better things elsewhere.
• 13:13
  been awesome program.
• 13:15
  We want to continue it.
• 13:16
  You're not guaranteed a wildcard entry while we've got everything set up for 2025.
• 13:22
  It still comes down to supercars actually allowing you the entry into a sprint round and the Enduros as well.
• 13:28
  But
• 13:29
  And hopefully we're at the top of their list with, you know, amazing background, super cheap, lounges on board.
• 13:34
  And, of course, there's no greater younger talent than Zach at the moment.
• 13:39
  So, yeah, fingers crossed we get a start again for 2025 and we can continue that program for many years to come.
• 13:45
  Let's put a kind of wish list cap on and your seat at the table, if you will, as team manager from a sport perspective.
• 13:53
  Toyota coming on board in 2026, that was fabulous news this year.
• 13:57
  The decision that the sports made to reinvigorate the championship next year with a bit of a NASCAR style sort of playoff element.
• 14:07
  Is there something now beyond that that you'd like to see them perhaps start to work towards?
• 14:14
  there's obviously a lot of 1%ers going on, but I'm really proud of supercars and what they've done the last six months.
• 14:22
  We were, I was very critical and I was pushing them very, very hard.
• 14:26
  They were critical of themselves, you know, in the first half of the year to say, hey, what are we doing?
• 14:30
  We've got this fantastic Gen 3 product, which we've been able to, you know, rely on for the last 18 months.
• 14:40
  But...
• 14:41
  any business is the same.
• 14:42
  If you stop evolving, you eventually become uncompetitive.
• 14:46
  So the fact that the Toyota announcement's huge, I'm very, very happy for the sport and for Walconshaw to be able to bring on
• 14:56
  the manufacturer that sells the most cars here in this country.
• 14:59
  And then for them to take that risk and say, righto, we're going to change up the whole championship.
• 15:04
  You know, we're going to, it's been the same for 20 years.
• 15:07
  We're going to make such a wholesale change in the final series.
• 15:10
  I think it's, I think it's fantastic, you know.
• 15:12
  So they need to.
• 15:13
  They need to grab those two things in particular and keep the momentum going.
• 15:16
  They need to keep making technical changes and whatever other necessary changes that the sport need.
• 15:23
  So, yeah, while there's plenty going on in commission land, it comes down to somebody being, I don't know if ballsy is the right word or whatever it is, somewhat being autocratic enough to say, righto, this is the right thing.
• 15:36
  This is what we have to do.
• 15:38
  We're doing it.
• 15:39
  get on the bus or get off, you know, and Formula One did that with getting rid of V10s.
• 15:44
  And every sport, every business has to keep doing that and keep evolving.
• 15:47
  And supercars have done a great job the last six months.
• 15:50
  Let's hope they keep it going.
• 15:52
  Quick thought on the change of team ownership for you guys, the ownership structure.
• 15:55
  You've obviously got a very important role there now, the new blood that came in and maybe the impact that that has had across the business, not just its racing.
• 16:03
  Yeah, well, we've been very fortunate to have RD, Roland and Jess on our board since RD founded the business here in Australia back in 2003.
• 16:15
  So, yeah, that family will always be in debt to the Dane family for what they've done for us and the people within AAA.
• 16:25
  But yeah, we've got a new era has come along and we've got Earl Evans and Steve Blackmore have brought in 30% share, serious share in the business and they've been nothing but fantastic.
• 16:38
  They love motorsport.
• 16:40
  They love the team.
• 16:41
  They've been in every single round and they couldn't have brought any more.
• 16:46
  youth exuberance into the team than what's possible.
• 16:51
  So couldn't be happy with those guys.
• 16:52
  They've got big plans.
• 16:55
  They want to work with me as CEO to grow the business.
• 16:58
  And yeah, we've got an exciting 12 months coming up.
• 17:01
  As you and I talk, I am on the road with Tony Quinn on a book tour.
• 17:06
  Do you have any advice for me while I am spending about five days with TQ?
• 17:12
  Well, advice, we love TQ.
• 17:15
  He's a bit of a, he's somewhat a silent investor in a way.
• 17:18
  He attends the board meetings and certainly picks up the phone.
• 17:22
  You know, we're on the phone every week or so, you know, chewing the fat.
• 17:26
  But the great part about TQ is he's not trying to work out, you know, what spring rates and roll centres we're at.
• 17:32
  run on the cars you know he can he can let me let me do my job but um no I think we've got a very very powerful shareholder group now um with um with with Earl and Steve and of course TQ and his sidekick Rex Devantier so um no no we're we've got big plans um we've we've come a long way so we certainly it's great to reflect where you've come but um but we're certainly looking forward to the next three or four years.
• 17:56
  Finally, race of champions.
• 17:59
  Now, this is not new for you because where have you been?
• 18:02
  Barbados, Thailand, you've hooked up with Mick Doohan in the past.
• 18:05
  The line-up that's been announced so far from Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Seb Loeb, Molly Taylor, Hayden Padden.
• 18:13
  This is happening 7th and 8th of March next year in Sydney, two weeks after the Supercar season opener, I might add.
• 18:20
  What can listeners expect?
• 18:22
  It's going to be good, isn't it?
• 18:24
  It's going to be huge.
• 18:25
  As you say, I've been to race your champions a couple of times.
• 18:28
  It's such a well-run event.
• 18:30
  It's really, really cool.
• 18:32
  Some of the best drivers from all over the world in all different categories jump in cars, and it's a head-to-head, head-to-head battle.
• 18:40
  Lane A, lane B, like you see in rally, and whoever gets the line first wins, and there's like an elimination process like tennis,
• 18:49
  There's the Nations Cup on the Saturday night, so it's nation versus nation.
• 18:53
  It's going to be fantastic.
• 18:55
  I think Will's going to get the invite, whoever won the Supercar Championship is going to get the invite, so I think it will be me and Will for Team Australia, and we'll go out there and drive it like they're high cars, you know?
• 19:07
  to try to do a good thing for the country.
• 19:09
  So fantastic event.
• 19:11
  If you're around on that weekend, what is it, a couple of weeks after the first round in Sydney, if you're around, certainly come out and check it out.
• 19:18
  It'll be just quality motorsport action.
• 19:21
  And good fun entertainment too.
• 19:22
  Well done, mate.
• 19:23
  Thank you.
• 19:23
  I know this probably, you've wrapped up your ride day recently for those that are very loyal supporters and no doubt a Christmas party in the works for the team who've absolutely earned it.
• 19:34
  Congratulations on everything that you've achieved this year.
• 19:37
  Enjoy a well-earned break and we wish you all the best for 2025.
• 19:40
  Thanks, Rusty.
• 19:41
  And thanks for the great work you do, mate.
• 19:43
  Honestly, you do a fantastic job.
• 19:45
  So appreciate it.
• 19:47
  Have a great Chrissy and we'll talk soon.
• 19:50
  Incidentally, you can find out more on the Race of Champions, which is on at a core stadium in Sydney the weekend before the Formula One Australian Grand Prix just by going to raceofchampions, all one word, dot com, or at raceofchampions on social media.
• 20:07
  That is it for this edition.
• 20:08
  Next week in our short cast, you'll meet the new sporting and technical director at Motorsport Australia, Lisa Crampton.
• 20:15
  And keep an eye out for notifications of our next feature episode too.
• 20:20
  A two-parter with Mark Winterbottom.
• 20:22
  Way overdue to get him on the pod.
• 20:24
  It drops on Thursday.
• 20:26
  That is a fabulous chat from...
• 20:29
  clearing out the locker in the past week at Team 18, heading home to Tickford and behind-the-scenes access to his role or cameo in the movie Cars 2.
• 20:40
  You'll enjoy that, Jan. We'll catch you then.
• 20:42
  Bye for now.