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Transcript

BONUS! The Motorsport Brief: American Superstar Rico Abreu · Rusty's Garage

• 0:02
  A listener production.
• 0:04
  Welcome to the Motorsport Brief.
• 0:06
  It's Thursday the 18th of January 2024.
• 0:08
  Now typically we drop just one of these each week.
• 0:12
  Today we have a bonus ep for you and it is fantastic.
• 0:17
  A global star of sprint car racing who's down under for summer.
• 0:21
  great time back in Oz, hanging out with friends and fans.
• 0:25
  Racing, of course, he is a real entertainer and we are thrilled to get him on for a chat before he jets back to the United States for a huge season of racing.
• 0:38
  Hi, everybody.
• 0:38
  Greg Rust with you for this special edition of the Rusty's Garage Shortcast.
• 0:42
  I love all our episodes or guests.
• 0:45
  I try to be Switzerland and not pick a favourite for different reasons.
• 0:48
  But for me, this one is right up there with our best.
• 0:53
  Rico Abreu is standing by from Warrnambool ahead of this weekend's grand annual sprint car classic.
• 0:59
  It is going to be massive.
• 1:01
  He's been in WA and thoroughly enjoyed racing in the West over the festive period.
• 1:06
  We will talk about that and a whole lot more.
• 1:09
  To quote a friend of the show, Mark Webber, Rico is a great bloke.
• 1:14
  At just over a metre 30 or around 4 foot 4, you'd think that his height is...
• 1:20
  would hold him back given how cruel we can be as human beings at times he has embraced it he's made it almost a superpower and proven that nothing and i mean nothing like that should hold you back in life he's a great inspiration and man he can wheel a race car the way that he interacts so personally with fans is something that we could all learn from in life too
• 1:45
  I won't go through his entire race record here.
• 1:48
  Go to the RAR site, Ricco Abreu Racing.
• 1:50
  So that's R-I-C-O-A-B-R-E-U dot com if you want more information.
• 1:56
  But there are Chilli Bowl wins, USAC National Speed Car titles, four Crown National Sprint Car wins.
• 2:03
  We're just scratching the surface there.
• 2:05
  This is seriously awesome for us and especially for our listeners to get you on.
• 2:10
  Welcome to the show.
• 2:12
  Awesome.
• 2:12
  Thank you for having me on.
• 2:14
  Have you loved, it certainly looks like you have, your time over Christmas, New Year's Eve in Western Australia and so on.
• 2:20
  Tell us about this trip down under and are you surprised at what a good time you've had on this particular adventure to Australia?
• 2:29
  It's really been amazing.
• 2:31
  It was just quite the experience for us to be able to come here and stay with Luch Monty and his family and race at Perth Motorplex and then come over and run Bunbury as well and then come to the Classic here and
• 2:47
  um participate in all the events going on here so i'm looking forward to just putting a solid week together racing and and we got to actually just turn this racing trip into a vacation and holiday and you know it was just uh quite the experience you look recharged you snuck up to barley i think as well which has been good for you can we kind of expect you to maybe duck back down under more often over summer
• 3:13
  I definitely would like to make this a yearly trip and just possibly structure a race team over here that's sustainable and build a brand and grow the Brico brand here in Australia.
• 3:28
  The fan base is amazing here and these events that get put on at the racetracks are amazing and I truly enjoy being a part of them.
• 3:37
  Can we talk a little bit more about that?
• 3:39
  I mean, you could have done the arrive and drive thing, but you opted to bring your own staff.
• 3:44
  I would imagine there's logistical challenges in that.
• 3:46
  And the one thing that has hit me, of course, is that in making that decision, it meant that you missed one of your favorite events in Chili Bowl too.
• 3:56
  Yeah.
• 3:56
  So I had to opt the Chili Bowl out.
• 3:58
  It sucked watching the event a little bit, but it
• 4:03
  and understand and watch it develop and the differences of being there and not being there.
• 4:08
  And the racing was amazing, all the qualifying nights, but it was a good break for me.
• 4:14
  I did it 13 years in a row and to be able to change it up and come here to Western Australia and now Eastern Australia and get to do some traveling, it was good change.
• 4:27
  And it's honestly been a long time away from home.
• 4:31
  I'm with some really good people that have definitely kept the perspective of everything fun.
• 4:37
  And Luch Monty and the Monty household and their whole family.
• 4:43
  It's just we got a lot of good people here.
• 4:46
  So that's what's made the trip so fun.
• 4:48
  And, you know, and we got to win some races and have some good runs and race with Callum and Brad Sweet and Corey.
• 4:55
  And, you know, so it's, you know, the styles are a little bit different here.
• 4:59
  The race Perth Motorplex is amazing facility.
• 5:02
  Got to race there a bunch and just put on some great racing in front of some of the best fans in the world.
• 5:09
  I was going to ask you a little bit more about that.
• 5:10
  I've been over to commentate there on occasion.
• 5:14
  What did you make of Perth Motorplex relative to perhaps other venues in the States?
• 5:19
  I mean, we're proud of it and the events that they put on.
• 5:23
  What did you think of it?
• 5:24
  Yeah, it's definitely a first-class facility.
• 5:28
  So it was cool to get to experience some racing there.
• 5:31
  Boxing Day was packed.
• 5:33
  The final night was packed.
• 5:34
  So they draw big crowds, you know, and I know how much Gavin puts into the events and the people behind the scenes, you know, the volunteers from the pace trucks to the track maintenance, you know, to organizing each race event during the night to seven-plus, you know, national television.
• 5:58
  They definitely, you know, got it going on compared to what we're –
• 6:01
  used to racing in America, you know, and such a beautiful facility.
• 6:06
  Perth is
• 6:07
  a beautiful part of the country here in Australia.
• 6:10
  So, uh, you know, it was, it was quite the trip and, and just thankful that they were able to put something together for me to come and race in my own equipment.
• 6:19
  You know, a lot of that I'd have to thank Looch Monte, um, you know, for splitting a container with him.
• 6:25
  Um, you know, he, his passion for racing, coming back and forth from America to Australia and sending cars and.
• 6:32
  We were able to share some space and I got my car.
• 6:35
  That's a big advantage for a race car driver to travel and just show up and get into his car and car that I race weekly at home.
• 6:47
  statement you made there a moment ago just in relation to Perth Motorplex looking more broadly at at the Australian scene um firstly um what do you think of our uh of the the Aussie stocks if you like the the quality of our drivers you mentioned a few of them there a moment ago and and some of them do compete of course um in the United States is our uh speedway scene in good shape in your mind
• 7:12
  Yeah, for sure.
• 7:14
  Lots of good drivers.
• 7:15
  And, you know, and it's interesting to me to see, you know, the difference in driving styles, which is a lot of that has to do with the WAV tire, the Hoosier tire that, you know,
• 7:28
  they developed a race over here, which we used to race on in California, a similar tire.
• 7:35
  But the World of Outlaws and the National Traveling Series haven't raced on a tire like that in a few years.
• 7:42
  So, you know, it definitely changes the style, a lot more aggressive driving style.
• 7:47
  where in the States you can kind of get away with not having to drive so aggressive on the tire.
• 7:52
  So, you know, it took me a little bit in the first part of the trip to figure out and understand what the tire likes and throttle percentage and braking.
• 8:03
  So, you know, as people have watched our trip here, you know, I struggled.
• 8:10
  the first part of the nights and then towards the end we get going quite a bit better.
• 8:14
  So, you know, and the track conditions are a bit more tacky and gripped up.
• 8:20
  You know, it just, you know, I got to develop a little bit faster pace wise and, you know,
• 8:27
  the learning curve, um, you know, switching it up like that.
• 8:30
  So it's, it's, it's been great.
• 8:32
  It's good for, um, you know, the mental side of the game for me and going, um, to try these new things and racing with a different team, um, and just an understanding, uh, you know, different personnel at the racetrack and, you know, just focusing on getting our race car faster each race.
• 8:50
  From a history or stats point of view, you won the 2017 Australian speed car title in a Keith Coons car that was brought down especially for that.
• 8:59
  It'd be nice to think you could win another blue ribbon event in Australia, wouldn't it?
• 9:05
  It would.
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  And we have the opportunity to do it.
• 9:09
  We just got to put ourselves in position.
• 9:11
  I got a great group of guys here.
• 9:13
  And you just got to break it all down when it comes to these events.
• 9:19
  And the classic is the format's a bit finicky, which could lead to putting us in position to win.
• 9:26
  And we just got to work on our car and get it fast throughout each race event.
• 9:30
  And I know they're
• 9:31
  their heat race formats kind of based off passing.
• 9:34
  You got to start in the back and get to the front.
• 9:37
  And, uh, you know, so it's, we'll see.
• 9:39
  We, we just, uh, you know, the biggest thing for me is just enjoying the experience over here, surrounding myself by great people and, and having fun off the track and just staying active.
• 9:50
  You know, I'm going to go home and, um,
• 9:52
  uh you know next week here and get right into the thick of racing in the month of february in florida with uh high limit series and and flow and world of outlaws and dirt vision and there's going to be lots of races going on in the states so i think it's really great to have a little bit of advantage going home you know fresh off a bunch of racing
• 10:12
  Cool.
• 10:13
  Match fit, as we often call it in Aussie.
• 10:16
  We'll talk a little bit more about that in a second.
• 10:17
  Can we, I mean, we're talking to you in Warrnambool.
• 10:20
  Have you got a sense of how much the classic means to Warrnambool, to the Australian speedway scene?
• 10:27
  Where does it rank in your mind?
• 10:29
  And it would be a special one to win, irrespective of it being in Australia.
• 10:34
  I'm talking in sprint car racing globally, wouldn't it?
• 10:37
  Yes.
• 10:39
  The fans are so passionate here, and that's one thing, and the race car drivers and the race teams.
• 10:45
  You see how much these events get elevated in the fan base.
• 10:50
  I know last year there was around, I heard, 24,000, 25,000 people at this event.
• 10:56
  I'm really looking forward to growing my fan base by competing in it and interacting with all the fans and seeing the fans.
• 11:04
  I know they do a fan appreciation on Saturday morning, I think.
• 11:08
  before the qualifying night.
• 11:10
  So I'm going to qualify Friday night and hopefully we get ourselves locked in or at least high up there in the points where we can start up front in this thing and have a shot at winning it.
• 11:21
  That fan interaction thing is something you're exceptionally good at from what you do on social media.
• 11:27
  And even colleagues and friends have told me about going to Perth Motorplex, seeing queues of like 50 people long waiting for an autograph or merchandise from you.
• 11:38
  And invariably, when they got to the front to buy that piece of merch, it was you selling it to them.
• 11:43
  You were hands-on with the whole deal, weren't you?
• 11:46
  Yeah.
• 11:48
  I like to just make sure I'm a part of everything and
• 11:51
  Um, you know, and make sure that that fan, when they approach me or a specific area that I'm in, that, that is a, that first impression is positive.
• 12:01
  So, um, that goes a long ways for me.
• 12:03
  And I know it goes a long ways for the race fan, especially around the kids.
• 12:07
  And Perth is quite unique because the motorplex there, they allow the children into the pit area right up to the car, which is really cool.
• 12:15
  Um, cause it's a closed pit.
• 12:17
  You're not, you can't drive your race car off the track.
• 12:19
  Um,
• 12:20
  straight to where your race hauler is.
• 12:22
  So, you know, they got to push you nice and slow and it allows the families to interact with the race car drivers, which I think is really important for Speedway.
• 12:32
  You know, one thing that separates us from a lot of the motor sports groups is, is the fan interaction and the access the race fans have with the drivers and the teams, or they can, you know, walk right up to the race car and meet the team or the driver.
• 12:47
  And, you know, there's no dramas there.
• 12:50
  I think that goes a long ways and that's really important for me and my fan base that, you know, I'm very accessible and, you know, and the merchandise is a treat for me that, you know, and making sure I'm,
• 13:03
  giving the fans the best quality merchandise.
• 13:06
  And that's it.
• 13:07
  It's just an introduction to Rico Abreu.
• 13:11
  Is it, is it, there an underlying message there too about you as a human being as well, mate, and the way you go about things.
• 13:20
  I mean, you know, coming up through, through the Speedway ranks as someone who was, was different, was that, was that tough, but you, you have embraced that mate and it's become a powerful thing for you.
• 13:31
  Hasn't it?
• 13:32
  Yeah.
• 13:33
  And I, and I think it's just, you know, it's definitely been an embracement of growth.
• 13:39
  And for me and my brand and my family and everybody involved with Rico Avery Racing and, you know, and it's just been a positive outlook.
• 13:49
  So that's why we kind of ride with it.
• 13:52
  And it's
• 13:54
  put 100% into everything we do.
• 13:57
  And from its fan interaction to racing, to the mechanical side of our team, to my side of just my personal life, being active and positive and surrounding myself by good people.
• 14:14
  So it all just adds up to that impression that we set on the racetrack and to the fans and to people that
• 14:22
  might not have opportunities like this to allow them to follow their dreams as well, just like I did.
• 14:29
  You're to be applauded for that.
• 14:30
  I reckon it sends a really good message to particularly young kids and often that will make them fans of the sport for life, which is hugely important.
• 14:39
  Can we get a couple of takes from you on some drivers?
• 14:43
  We talked more broadly about the Aussie speedway scene before.
• 14:46
  Firstly, James McFadden.
• 14:48
  We had him on the pod last week.
• 14:50
  I'm told you call him Jimmy.
• 14:53
  How is he and how well received is he in the United States?
• 14:57
  Give us that from your perspective.
• 15:00
  No, J-Mac's a good dude.
• 15:02
  You know, I feel like since this trip, I've actually got to know him really well and understand his family and their impact on the sport.
• 15:11
  You know, his father being in Speedway for so long and people racing, you know, out of their shop.
• 15:17
  You know, I know he didn't grow up there, but got to see his go-kart track and, you
• 15:21
  meet some of his family members.
• 15:24
  I get to race against Jimmy throughout the race season quite a bit.
• 15:29
  I appreciate his aggressive driving style and where he came from here.
• 15:36
  um, in Australia and just racing and you understand, you know, where the drivers get their aggression from just because it's the, it's the style of racing here, which is, which is, there's nothing wrong with that.
• 15:47
  It's just cool to see and understand different types of race car drivers.
• 15:51
  So, um, you know, J-Mac coming over to the United States has obviously made him a very, very good race car driver.
• 15:57
  And that's why he wins world of outlaw races and comes home and wins, um, you know, sprint car races and every track he runs at.
• 16:05
  Can we get you to hang on there for a minute, Rico?
• 16:07
  We're going to take a quick break here.
• 16:08
  More on this edition of the Motorsport Brief in just a few moments.
• 16:16
  We're back chatting with Rico Abreu on this ep of Rusty's Garage as a brilliant summer of sprint car racing in Australia continues.
• 16:24
  The Californian is just one of the star-studded line-up of Americans who've come down under during their off-season, and the racing we've enjoyed has been epic.
• 16:35
  Let's get back to the chat now.
• 16:39
  So there is a little bit of mutual admiration between some of our sprint car and speedway races and V8 supercar or supercars racing in Australia, right?
• 16:47
  So in the past 12 months, Shane Van Gisbergen, who won Bathurst last year, he did a bit of racing in New Zealand.
• 16:54
  The reigning or the newly crowned champion in Brodie Kostecki has been behind the wheel of a sprint car as well and has been pretty handy.
• 17:00
  And J-Max family have been running Cam Waters, who's a racer of a Mustang in the supercars championship normally,
• 17:09
  but he is thriving in this sprint car environment.
• 17:12
  Have you seen some of these supercars, guys, and what do you think?
• 17:15
  I've been paying attention to Cam.
• 17:17
  I follow him on Facebook, so I think it's extremely cool for our sport to have that crossover, and that's huge for the sport of sprint car racing for that fan crossover for the Cam fans or –
• 17:34
  Shane fans coming to watch these races and if not just following them.
• 17:38
  So I'm a big fan of that.
• 17:41
  And I think that's really important.
• 17:43
  I think sprint cars are extremely hard to drive challenging.
• 17:47
  So it's cool to see these guys kind of get out of their comfort zone and get into a sprint car and embrace the challenge and see,
• 17:55
  you know, if they could put themselves in position to win.
• 17:59
  You mentioned RAR before, your own racing operation, running your own stuff, running your own destiny.
• 18:06
  Does that get hard at times, trying to sort of piece all that together, logistics, everything else, or do you relish that whole challenge?
• 18:15
  I like the challenge.
• 18:17
  I like working towards just getting better every day.
• 18:22
  I think that's, you know, what makes the challenge so difficult and what makes me show back up with it.
• 18:29
  same amount of energy to want to get better and make sure things are running smoothly.
• 18:34
  Um, you know, I've really got a tight circle around me of people that have allowed me to, to be this successful and, um, just business practice and racing and, um, you know, from Ricky Warner.
• 18:49
  working on my race car to elevating my race team on the performance side of that to, you know, Marty Mello and my fiance Megan and everybody that helps us with the merchandise side of it.
• 19:02
  And then the performance side is just making sure my team is healthy and everybody is on the same page and we're all showing up.
• 19:11
  to the racetrack with the same mindsets of, you know, winning the race.
• 19:16
  For you to get us to the finish line.
• 19:18
  Now, you just mentioned your crew chief, Ricky Warner.
• 19:21
  He's recently been announced in the Speedway Hall of Fame.
• 19:24
  How proud does that make you?
• 19:27
  That's amazing.
• 19:29
  And I know that's been Ricky's lifelong dream, you know, his whole childhood as he's been started being a race car driver to now a mechanic to a 10-time champion.
• 19:39
  with Donnie shots, um, you know, some amazing stats in his, uh, record book, um, you know, to winning all those Knoxville nationals and Kings Royals.
• 19:49
  And, um, you know, that's, that's my goal is to, to win a Knoxville nationals and a Kings Royal with Ricky.
• 19:55
  And in order for us to do that, we got to go race and go compete at the highest level against the best race car drivers.
• 20:02
  That's why we focused on World of Outlaw races last year and High Limit races.
• 20:08
  Now High Limit has really taken off and put us in a position where we can go compete all the 60 races or at least try to compete and just go win races and just worry about winning races.
• 20:20
  If we don't win, we figure it out and show up to the next race and try again.
• 20:24
  Just tell us a little bit more about that.
• 20:26
  I mean, High Limit Racing, it's a series owned by NASCAR star and Kyle Larson, five-time World of Outlaws champion Brad Sweet.
• 20:35
  2024 marks its second year.
• 20:38
  Big prize money, 60 races coast to coast.
• 20:40
  I mean, it sounds huge.
• 20:42
  It is.
• 20:43
  And they got a lot of great people behind the scenes that are making a big effort to, to elevate the sport of sprint car racing.
• 20:50
  And I think it's really important that I support people like that and my relationship with Brad and Kyle and, um, you know, what they're doing for the industry and flow, um, you know, is it's important that, you know, they get some good teams behind them to, uh, to help and be a part of this success and the change of,
• 21:11
  sprint car racing, you know, they're making it better.
• 21:14
  And like I said, it's important that we support that.
• 21:18
  Finally, what would it mean to win the Classic and what is left on your career wish list?
• 21:26
  What's something you'd like to – still like to do behind the wheel?
• 21:30
  Yeah, the Classic would be a big win for me.
• 21:32
  That would be, you know, up there probably –
• 21:35
  If I win, you know, the top, one of the top wins of my career, you know, up there with the Chili Bowls and the Trophy Cups and Lord of Outlaw events.
• 21:44
  I mean, it's you got some amazing drivers competing in it.
• 21:48
  The competition level is going to be probably the toughest it's ever been this year.
• 21:53
  You know, I've seen there's 120 cars nominated.
• 21:55
  That's amazing.
• 21:56
  that's more cars than you get at the Knoxville Nationals.
• 21:59
  That just shows how stout the event is.
• 22:03
  I'm really looking forward to putting a solid race together.
• 22:06
  It's going to be 10 years since, probably 11 years, I think, since I competed in it.
• 22:13
  I think I started 18th and finished 7th, so I got hard charger.
• 22:18
  the year at 2013, I think it was.
• 22:22
  Yeah.
• 22:23
  We came to 2012, 2013.
• 22:25
  And, um, it was, it was a great event.
• 22:28
  Did a lot of good memories.
• 22:29
  Uh, you know, so I'm,
• 22:30
  Looking forward to following it all up.
• 22:33
  Thank you so much for talking to us.
• 22:35
  Go get them.
• 22:36
  Go get them at the Classic.
• 22:37
  This has been fabulous for those that follow the podcast.
• 22:41
  Go well in the United States this year.
• 22:45
  And thank you for what you do for motor racing fans globally and for the sport.
• 22:51
  Well done.
• 22:52
  Yeah, thanks.
• 22:54
  Get along to the classic this weekend or catch the coverage.
• 22:57
  Speedway Australia, their social channels, the driver platforms like JMAC, James McFadden, who we had on the pod last week.
• 23:04
  They'll have the details.
• 23:06
  Or you can go to the Premier Speedway website.
• 23:09
  A reminder, Stephen Richards' short cast was released yesterday too to preview the historic GP on the other side of the ditch in Topor this weekend.
• 23:18
  Craig Lowndes, Greg Murphy, Jack Perkins, they'll all be there
• 23:21
  driving, racing, some seriously cool old race cars.
• 23:25
  Plus, it is the opening round of the Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
• 23:31
  For 10 years, that category has been unearthing stars like Lando Norris, Lance Stroll, Liam Lawson and more.
• 23:39
  It's all on Fox Sports in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand.
• 23:43
  Enjoy.
• 23:44
  Final thought today is with the Gobert family following Anthony's passing overnight.
• 23:49
  Just a sad end to a rider with immense talent.
• 23:55
  Anthony's been in end-of-life care in recent weeks.
• 23:57
  His brothers Aaron or Alex from Moto Online, they're the places to go for info.
• 24:03
  I don't think Anthony actually had control of his Facebook in the past few years, so don't go there.
• 24:09
  There's been an old vid here.
• 24:10
  shared recently avoid that if you can while anthony's off-track record and post-race career form is probably uppermost in people's minds let's try and remember the go show today who had all the skill and daring of the best world champions as a friend reminded me recently he would turn back up at the supercross this is while he was racing and winning in world superbike he'd have a high ace fan and a privateer dirt bike and he would kick butt
• 24:39
  what could have been had the party life not overtaken him that is it for today our next feature ep with driver manager greg siddle gets released tomorrow morning tales of a young larry perkins in europe befriending nelson pk deals to bring nikki louder to australia and mentoring mark larkham sam michael and more we hope you enjoy it bye for now