00:00:06
Murf, Greg Murphy, finally welcome to my
00:00:09
podcast.
00:00:11
>> Why are you so Why are you such a hater?
00:00:13
Why are you so reluctant?
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>> A hater. Just not my favorite subject.
00:00:19
>> So, we've um here at uh Pod Lab where my
00:00:22
podcast is recorded and your new podcast
00:00:25
is recorded. We've got to know you quite
00:00:27
well over the past year. Um, and it's
00:00:28
been really really enjoyable. It's been
00:00:30
fun getting to see
00:00:31
>> spending me spending too much time in
00:00:34
here.
00:00:34
>> I I feel like you you're
00:00:36
>> part of the furniture.
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>> I know. Have you Have you always sort of
00:00:39
like been like a grumpy old man or you
00:00:41
sort of
00:00:41
>> Yeah, I think so. I actually think so.
00:00:43
>> Yeah. I think
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>> you lean into it, though. You
00:00:45
>> I think I think that's I think that is
00:00:46
the case. I think there's a lot of
00:00:47
people that would go, "Oh, yeah. Yeah,
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that's him."
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>> Listen, the um the first time you came
00:00:52
in here for your podcast was maybe a
00:00:54
year ago now, and uh we were chatting
00:00:56
for a bit and
00:00:56
>> is it all ready? Is it already that
00:00:58
long?
00:00:58
>> Yeah. And I I I said, "Oh, you'd be a
00:01:01
good guest on my podcast." And you said,
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"Fuck no. [ __ ] no." Something like that.
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And then then you sort us off and said,
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"Look, if you ever get really really
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hard up, we'll do it one day."
00:01:10
>> And here we are.
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>> And here we are finally. It's like 8:00
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at night, too. It's been a long day, but
00:01:14
we're finally making it happen. Why um
00:01:17
why are you so uncomfortable like
00:01:19
talking about yourself or reflecting?
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>> Uncomfortable. I just I don't know. I've
00:01:23
been living that I've been living that
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living the life. So, you know, just, you
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know, it's it's just um
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I think I've I've talked about it in
00:01:33
things and aspects heaps of times
00:01:36
through TV stuff, you know. Um so, I
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suppose I don't know. I'm just tired of
00:01:42
tired of listening to myself talk about
00:01:45
my my [ __ ] you know?
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>> They're just stories that you've told
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told too many time. You're just sick of
00:01:51
talking about them.
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>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think I Yeah. I
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don't know about Yeah. I just um I think
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there's got to be there's got to be more
00:02:00
uh interesting
00:02:02
things to talk about
00:02:04
>> maybe.
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>> But anyway,
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>> I don't know.
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>> Yeah. So, who is what's the difference
00:02:08
between Murf and Greg? Because one thing
00:02:10
I've noticed from doing this podcast
00:02:11
with you, which is it's a great by the
00:02:13
way, and it's going to go really well in
00:02:14
the driver's seat with Greg Murphy. Um
00:02:17
everyone, like I say, everyone in New
00:02:18
Zealand knows you, but people know you
00:02:20
as Murf. Yeah. But I'm guessing your
00:02:22
your wife your wife like your Greg.
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What's the difference between Greg and
00:02:27
Murf?
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>> Oh my god.
00:02:30
Okay. So when I when I said you need to
00:02:32
find questions that I have been asked
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before.
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I don't know if I meant that to be fair.
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Um
00:02:41
I don't know if there is much of a
00:02:43
difference.
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>> Yeah.
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>> Uh potentially. Um
00:02:47
I uh maybe Yeah. Um, Murf is probably
00:02:52
the
00:02:54
the person that was the the real
00:02:57
competitive um uh angry sort of race car
00:03:03
driver and you know was shortfused and
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and uh you know was lived that in that
00:03:11
professional sort of spotlight kind of
00:03:14
world maybe. Um, Greg is the one that
00:03:17
that my wife had to put up with probably
00:03:20
um, you know, coming home and um, after
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after [ __ ] weekends and things like that
00:03:25
and and uh, and yeah, had to had to sort
00:03:30
of traverse your way probably sometimes
00:03:33
carefully around around me because of
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because of the, you know, the way I
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brought everything back with me after
00:03:39
after weekends of of in my professional
00:03:42
capacity. Maybe
00:03:43
>> don't know if that's a good description
00:03:44
or not.
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>> Were you Were you Were you highly strung
00:03:46
when you were racing? Like like in the
00:03:47
leadup to a big race? Were you a
00:03:49
nightmare to be around?
00:03:50
>> Oh, no. I was more after when there when
00:03:52
things didn't go well. I think probably
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um uh yeah, you know, it was I just
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really did
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um expect high, you know, a high level
00:04:04
from myself, but I also expected it from
00:04:07
other people as well that were involved
00:04:08
in, I suppose, providing me with the the
00:04:11
tools to to go to go racing. Um, so I I
00:04:15
think I was always, you know, probably
00:04:18
too often thinking about those kinds of
00:04:20
things through my professional career,
00:04:22
you know, and and it was, you know, it
00:04:23
was just it was full on. It was, you
00:04:25
know, um, traveling a lot away a lot. Um
00:04:29
and you know probably and definitely
00:04:31
took took a lot of the things that were
00:04:33
happening at home took it for granted
00:04:35
and that you know that my wife was doing
00:04:38
all the all that that hard work
00:04:41
>> and you know and I just was like okay
00:04:44
well you know she's taking care of that
00:04:45
I'm taking care of this and and um you
00:04:48
know yeah it was it was it was pretty
00:04:50
pretty challenging I think for many
00:04:53
times but you know and I put myself in
00:04:55
positions through in the professional
00:04:56
side of things that probably didn't make
00:04:58
that um you know some of the decisions
00:05:00
that that I made around what I was going
00:05:02
to do you know definitely you know put
00:05:06
more pressure on that you know wasn't
00:05:09
wasn't healthy
00:05:11
>> like being being being a being a
00:05:12
hotthead.
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>> No is what you mean?
00:05:14
>> Yeah. No, just decisions around um
00:05:16
actually, you know, where I was where I
00:05:18
was going to to race and some stuff that
00:05:20
happened that didn't didn't play out the
00:05:22
way it, you know, it we wanted it to or
00:05:24
I wanted it to or expected it to and and
00:05:27
um you know, so you know, just I think
00:05:30
there was a there was a period for you
00:05:31
know, my my professional career that was
00:05:34
really good um and and then it sort of
00:05:37
unraveled unraveled for quite a little
00:05:39
for quite a while. So it wasn't able to
00:05:42
wasn't generating the you know the
00:05:44
results that you know that I needed and
00:05:46
so that that it sort of became you know
00:05:49
bit of a chore and quite difficult.
00:05:52
>> Yeah. I can't imagine I know nothing
00:05:53
about motorsport by the way but I can't
00:05:55
imagine how stressful that is because
00:05:56
you are you so reliant on sponsors and
00:05:59
stuff. So you're literally only as good
00:06:00
as your last race really aren't you?
00:06:01
>> In in many in many cases yeah I mean you
00:06:03
you you get reprieve you get you get
00:06:05
sort of you know given a fair bit of
00:06:08
string. Um but but when it becomes very
00:06:11
repetitive you know of of not achieving
00:06:14
then you know then things start to sort
00:06:17
of change. you lose power within the
00:06:19
ranks. It's just like any sport really,
00:06:21
you know, when when you're not having u
00:06:24
or you have a period of of, you know,
00:06:26
not achieving, you know, and and you
00:06:29
know, you watch it in on all sports,
00:06:32
right? If either it's individual sport
00:06:34
or or team sport. Um, you know, people
00:06:37
go through waves some, you know, the
00:06:39
elite, the best the best in the world,
00:06:41
you know, have less of that. You know,
00:06:43
there's great examples again through
00:06:45
lots of different sport. Um, and
00:06:47
motorsports the same. You know, there's
00:06:49
there's those that have just who are got
00:06:52
that golden touch or just maybe that
00:06:55
little bit better who who managed to,
00:06:57
you know, strike gold wherever they go.
00:06:59
And that's that's because, you know,
00:07:01
they they do set themselves apart from
00:07:03
from the rest in many cases. But you
00:07:05
know I had period of pretty good success
00:07:08
and you know I've got you know some
00:07:10
pretty good achievements but I expected
00:07:12
it to be more you know um I don't I
00:07:16
don't I don't have any regrets or
00:07:17
anything any you know at all but you
00:07:20
know through when you're actually in
00:07:22
there and it's your job it's your
00:07:23
profession um you know there was there
00:07:26
was a quite a long period there where it
00:07:28
just it was not I was not getting out of
00:07:31
it what I wanted and it wasn't it wasn't
00:07:33
just be you know I wasn't just there to
00:07:34
make up numbers and and you know it was
00:07:37
my job. I was getting paid to do it. So
00:07:38
I wanted to be wanted to be better.
00:07:40
Wanted to be better.
00:07:43
>> That's a champion mindset. Eh.
00:07:45
>> Well, yeah.
00:07:45
>> High expectations for yourself, high
00:07:47
expectations for those around you.
00:07:49
>> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, but I never was a
00:07:51
champion in in supercars, you know,
00:07:52
never never achieved that that level.
00:07:54
Um, I felt I was I there was, you know,
00:07:58
seasons where I could have, but then I
00:08:00
also, you know, reflect and look back
00:08:02
and and there was I was in seasons where
00:08:05
I knew I was wasn't going to be and that
00:08:07
was incredibly difficult and frustrating
00:08:09
not to have what you needed to do it.
00:08:11
>> Yeah. I I typed into chat GPT. Are you
00:08:14
are you familiar with AI?
00:08:16
>> Yeah. Well, yeah, I've used Chat GBT.
00:08:17
Yeah.
00:08:18
>> I I typed into Chat GPT. Who are who are
00:08:20
the, you know, New Zealand motor racing
00:08:22
goats?
00:08:23
>> Right. They are. Um, yes.
00:08:25
>> Oh, you Oh, sorry. You that's what is
00:08:26
that what you typed in?
00:08:27
>> That was the prompt,
00:08:28
>> right?
00:08:29
>> And it gave subcategories, you know,
00:08:31
with different classes or whatever. But
00:08:33
if it said this is chat GPT, not me. If
00:08:35
they had to boil it down to the top five
00:08:37
New Zealand racing goats overall
00:08:39
classes, it's Denny Holm, uh, Bruce
00:08:41
McLaren, Scott Dixon, Chris Ammon, and
00:08:44
you.
00:08:46
>> I think it might be a bit out of date
00:08:47
now.
00:08:47
>> No, then then it says in brackets after
00:08:49
you for touring car influence.
00:08:51
>> You're right.
00:08:51
>> But
00:08:51
>> that's probably right.
00:08:53
I wouldn't say no, but I would say
00:08:55
that's a little bit out out of date.
00:08:56
Now, if you if you're taking it up to
00:08:58
the current day, I would I would, you
00:09:01
know, I'd be putting probably Scott
00:09:03
McLolin, Shane Van Ginsburg, and above
00:09:05
me.
00:09:05
>> You're bumping yourself out of the top
00:09:07
five last year.
00:09:07
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:09:09
Totally.
00:09:09
>> You're um Yeah. One thing I've noticed
00:09:11
about having you in our offices doing
00:09:12
this podcast is you're um like it makes
00:09:16
your skin crawl when someone calls you a
00:09:18
legend. Eh,
00:09:18
>> I hate it.
00:09:19
>> Do you? Why?
00:09:20
>> Cuz it's just not true.
00:09:22
But if if other people think that surely
00:09:25
that's
00:09:25
>> No, no, no. Because No, it's become
00:09:27
because it's a fashionable word. It's
00:09:29
abused. I I hate it even more now
00:09:32
because because it gets abused. There's
00:09:34
so many words now that just become that
00:09:36
roll off the tongue
00:09:37
>> that are not completely not relevant to
00:09:40
to the the the terminology or the
00:09:43
definition. And that's one of them. It
00:09:45
gets used ridiculously too much. It's
00:09:48
become a very fashionable use. ah you're
00:09:50
a bloody legend and just rolls off the
00:09:52
tongue you know you know and it's just
00:09:54
if you you know so I get caught people
00:09:57
say oh you're a legend to me now it's in
00:09:59
the context of what I've what I've done
00:10:02
in as a professional you can use it in a
00:10:05
you know ah that you're a blade legend
00:10:07
you know that kind of thing use it in
00:10:09
that different context
00:10:10
>> that's okay but but when it's people are
00:10:13
saying it you know they they're
00:10:15
referring to your to what you've done as
00:10:18
your career it's just I just feel it's
00:10:20
it's it's overused massively. Just
00:10:23
because you race cars and you won a bit
00:10:25
of [ __ ] and you're on television, that
00:10:27
does not constitute being a legend.
00:10:30
>> What about um King of Poka Koi? Are you
00:10:32
comfortable with that nickname?
00:10:33
>> Uh
00:10:35
a
00:10:37
little bit more, but no, I but I
00:10:39
appreciate that because it is a bit of
00:10:40
slang, you know. It's it's it's a it's
00:10:43
just a a fun, you know, it's a bit of a
00:10:45
a madeup label and and you know, and I
00:10:47
did have a period of time that was
00:10:48
pretty good. Um, so you know, sort of
00:10:51
that one that one I can put up with a
00:10:53
little bit more, but um I I appreciate
00:10:55
it, but um I don't Yeah, I just Yeah,
00:10:58
the the legend thing is just again it's
00:11:00
just it's just too widely widely used. I
00:11:02
mean that should be saved for true, you
00:11:06
know, the true definition of the word
00:11:07
and and you know and and in many cases
00:11:10
those people are dead, you know, in some
00:11:12
cases, you know. Um, so and and those
00:11:14
that have really influenced and created
00:11:17
such significant um uh trails like like
00:11:21
the Denny Holmes, the Chris Ammons, the
00:11:23
Bruce Bruce McLaren, they they paved the
00:11:26
trail as to why I did what I did and and
00:11:29
and all Kiwis that are have been
00:11:31
successful since it was because of those
00:11:34
guys,
00:11:35
>> you know, that's why. So I think that
00:11:37
they fit with the with that label a
00:11:39
little bit better
00:11:40
>> or much better. I I think but I think
00:11:42
maybe you don't you don't see yourself
00:11:44
the way that a lot of New Zealanders
00:11:46
sees you. Would that be fair?
00:11:47
>> Yeah, maybe. But but that's also again
00:11:50
because of of um basically because
00:11:52
you've been put on TV.
00:11:56
>> No, you've done some [ __ ]
00:11:57
>> Yeah, but that but that's right. But
00:11:59
that's but that's that's why and I and
00:12:01
again appreciate it. But you got to
00:12:03
remember the first the reason I I went I
00:12:05
wanted to go racing cars was not because
00:12:07
I wanted to be famous or be recognized
00:12:09
on TV. I wanted to cuz I wanted to I
00:12:11
wanted to win I wanted to win car races.
00:12:13
All that other stuff just comes with it,
00:12:15
right?
00:12:16
>> And and I do appreciate all the you know
00:12:18
all the the people that um you know come
00:12:21
up and you know and go hey not you know
00:12:23
hey man how are you and chat and oh I
00:12:25
love what you do all that kind of that's
00:12:27
it's all a very it's it's amazing. It
00:12:29
really is. Um, and I and I I don't want
00:12:32
to belittle that at all because it it is
00:12:34
really really really special and and I
00:12:36
appreciate it. But it it's a strange
00:12:37
world that you know that people that are
00:12:40
put on pedestals
00:12:42
um for you know perceived you know got a
00:12:46
success in that respect is you know it's
00:12:48
it's it can it's a little bit it's it's
00:12:52
a bizarre sort of situation really in
00:12:54
many respects. It it is. It is. But like
00:12:57
the way um yeah, social media is now,
00:12:59
there's there's people that have big
00:13:00
profiles that actually haven't done
00:13:01
anything. But at least you've you've
00:13:03
done something though.
00:13:04
>> Yeah. Sure. But again, again, it's
00:13:07
perception, right? That's how those So
00:13:09
yeah, someone who's successful on
00:13:10
YouTube for making videos, you know,
00:13:13
it's like got millions and millions and
00:13:15
millions. I mean, that's that's a whole
00:13:17
different space. And and you got these
00:13:18
kids that want to be these people and
00:13:20
all this kind of stuff. And and yeah,
00:13:22
it's completely different. I I struggle
00:13:24
to comprehend that, you know. It really
00:13:26
just doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
00:13:27
>> Yeah.
00:13:28
>> I I watched a documentary online
00:13:30
yesterday that you were on a 20-y old
00:13:32
documentary called um Extraordinary
00:13:33
Kiwis.
00:13:34
>> Oh, yeah.
00:13:35
>> It was like it's on a website called NZ
00:13:36
on screen.
00:13:37
>> Um and in this one day, I think
00:13:40
>> I think it followed me in 200 2005, I
00:13:42
think, wasn't it?
00:13:43
>> Yeah, it's 20 years old. So, it would
00:13:45
have been in 2005 or 2004. They followed
00:13:47
you in Burst. Um
00:13:48
>> there were three sponsor events this one
00:13:50
day. Um, 527 autographs. 527.
00:13:54
>> Someone counted that.
00:13:56
>> Really?
00:13:56
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:13:57
>> Oh my god.
00:13:58
>> So, this is like before I I suppose
00:14:00
smartphones with cameras on, but um
00:14:02
>> Yeah. Do do you miss that or was that
00:14:04
just an annoying thing that you had to
00:14:06
do in order to drive the cars?
00:14:07
>> No. Again, it's it was a it was a
00:14:09
timing, you know, it was always a timing
00:14:10
thing. I mean, that was all part of what
00:14:12
you had to do. there's, you know, and
00:14:14
and hey, there were days when it was
00:14:16
great and then there was days where you
00:14:18
just you would rather poke [ __ ] in your
00:14:20
eyes, right? It's just that's just the
00:14:22
way that's just the way it was because,
00:14:24
you know,
00:14:26
a lot of people see you as as um
00:14:30
uh
00:14:33
some, you know, because because they
00:14:36
look at you a certain way, you you know,
00:14:38
you you have to give back. you you know
00:14:40
because of that because you're on
00:14:42
television and you know um you're you're
00:14:46
promoted through all these different
00:14:49
sponsors and you're driving a race car
00:14:51
and everything you know some people
00:14:53
think that you you owe them something
00:14:55
because they watch you or they follow
00:14:58
you or you know want a signature you
00:15:00
know and some days some days it's really
00:15:02
really hard you know to to be put on you
00:15:05
know give them what they want as well so
00:15:08
it's really hard work sometimes because
00:15:10
some days it's just your days are [ __ ]
00:15:11
You have [ __ ] days. It's a day that's
00:15:13
work. You you know when you're playing
00:15:16
when you're a sport, when you're a race
00:15:17
car driver, that's your job. It's not
00:15:20
you're not doing it. I mean, you want it
00:15:22
to be fun and some days it is. It's
00:15:23
incredibly enjoyable. And then other
00:15:25
days it's just goddamn hard just like
00:15:26
every other job, right?
00:15:28
>> The difference is you're seen through a
00:15:30
different lens, right? Because you're
00:15:32
you're on TV, right? And and you you've
00:15:35
been given this platform and you're good
00:15:38
at something. So, you know, then all
00:15:39
you're open to all sorts of other, you
00:15:41
know, judgments and opinions and and all
00:15:44
that kind of stuff. And that that stuff
00:15:45
didn't worry me one bit, but some days
00:15:47
are just [ __ ] days, you know, and it's
00:15:48
it's that's really challenging to to
00:15:50
deal with. And we we you know as race
00:15:52
car drivers I think you know we get um
00:15:55
uh the comment is a lot of the time is
00:15:58
like oh you guys really are good in
00:16:00
front of media you know had we had to be
00:16:02
because if you wanted to last you wanted
00:16:04
to have a career you had to be able to
00:16:07
deal with all the different aspects of
00:16:09
the sport. One you had to be good race
00:16:11
car driver. Two you had to uh be good in
00:16:13
front of the camera. you had to be able
00:16:14
to speak well for your sponsors because
00:16:16
that they were judging you and and you
00:16:18
were being you know marked on on how how
00:16:21
much exposure you were getting with
00:16:23
their brand and all that kind of stuff.
00:16:24
So we had to work really hard at that
00:16:26
because there was always someone else
00:16:27
that was you know you know nipping at
00:16:29
the heels ready to come in. So it's it
00:16:31
was it's full on. I mean and the guys
00:16:34
today it's exactly the same. they, you
00:16:35
know, there's good bad days and ugly
00:16:37
days and days they don't want to see
00:16:39
anybody and and they don't want to have
00:16:41
to sign autographs cuz it's just it's
00:16:43
just it's just one of those days. So,
00:16:45
you know, massively challenging
00:16:48
constantly when things are going really
00:16:50
well. Everything's easy. Everything's
00:16:52
really really easy. Um so, yeah.
00:16:54
>> Were you were you always good at those
00:16:55
at those things? Um one one thing I've
00:16:57
noticed about you which I which I love
00:16:59
and I I don't have but you do, it's um
00:17:02
the courage to be disliked. Oh yeah, I I
00:17:05
couldn't, you know, I really I think I
00:17:08
think that the thing is with that is
00:17:10
there's more people that will respect
00:17:12
that than those that don't or or that
00:17:15
don't like. And I haven't got time to
00:17:18
waste on on caring about what people
00:17:21
think, you know, and and the outcomes
00:17:24
are determined by the people that want
00:17:27
to engage you or be be a part of
00:17:29
utilizing you to to help them and and
00:17:32
use your IP and promote this and d
00:17:35
whatever. That's that's how you it's
00:17:38
determined on, you know, if um you're
00:17:40
doing a good job or not.
00:17:42
>> Where where did that come from? Is that
00:17:44
your your upbringing? Is is that
00:17:46
something that you leaned into over as
00:17:47
you got older or
00:17:48
>> Yeah. Um
00:17:50
>> was there a time in your life where you
00:17:51
could suffer falls?
00:17:53
>> No.
00:17:55
>> I don't remember. H There probably was,
00:17:57
but it was a long time ago. It's
00:17:58
>> it's a it's a great space to be playing
00:17:59
in. Like I genuinely I I don't think
00:18:02
I've met anyone that cares less about
00:18:05
what people think than what you do.
00:18:07
>> Well, it's just I haven't got the who's
00:18:08
got the time. Seriously, I I got so much
00:18:12
so many things that I want to do and be
00:18:14
a part of and and and you know, hobbies,
00:18:17
fun stuff I don't have enough time for
00:18:19
and and there's things I want to do that
00:18:20
want to help other people and I enjoy,
00:18:23
you know, the rewards from from doing
00:18:24
that. And, you know, I got I got
00:18:26
important [ __ ] to do with with trying
00:18:28
to, you know, I really want to um really
00:18:32
improve road safety in this country. I
00:18:34
haven't got time for people that don't
00:18:35
get it. They're going to get that are
00:18:37
getting in the way. politicians and
00:18:39
bureaucrats that just are are completely
00:18:42
full of [ __ ] and don't don't see the
00:18:44
bigger picture, don't understand the
00:18:46
bigger picture. I haven't got time to
00:18:48
to, you know,
00:18:50
um tell them what they want to hear and
00:18:52
and and waste, you know, days upon days
00:18:56
bloody trying to infiltrate through the
00:18:58
the right channels. You know, it's time
00:19:00
everyone woke up and understood. None of
00:19:03
us have that time. We can make changes
00:19:05
to really important things. and my focus
00:19:07
is, you know, that one thing. There's
00:19:08
lots of other people trying to get
00:19:10
changes on lots of other really
00:19:11
important things.
00:19:12
>> Um, but they can't because of the
00:19:15
systems that um that get in the way. And
00:19:17
I I just haven't got time for that [ __ ]
00:19:19
I just I know things can be better in in
00:19:21
my chosen sort of focus of expertise.
00:19:25
I'm not getting there anywhere near as
00:19:27
fast as I want to, but I haven't got
00:19:29
time to sort of just you know um be
00:19:32
there and um you know and um say say
00:19:35
what they want to hear and and wait cuz
00:19:38
we'll keep waiting. We're going to keep
00:19:40
waiting and it's just been the same.
00:19:41
I've been you know been in a hurry I
00:19:43
think my my whole life. M
00:19:45
>> yeah it's funny that you bring that up
00:19:47
because um on that TV show I was talking
00:19:49
about extraordinary Kiwis there's a
00:19:50
quote from you in there you say
00:19:51
something like I feel a lot safer
00:19:53
driving 300ks on a track than 60ks on
00:19:56
the open road. Um so even this isn't
00:19:59
like a postracing thing. This is
00:20:01
something that you've always had
00:20:03
>> that off cuz that is
00:20:06
freezing and I've got a jumper off
00:20:08
>> when you turn on. Yeah. So so even even
00:20:10
in um in your racing heyday you were
00:20:12
still passionate about road safety then.
00:20:14
It's not like a post racing career
00:20:15
thing.
00:20:16
>> No, no. I I I think that was probably
00:20:18
that statement was probably really just
00:20:21
emphasizing, you know, how safe it is
00:20:23
because again, it was the perception of
00:20:24
motorsport, right? And it still is
00:20:25
today. The perception of motorsport is
00:20:26
it's really dangerous and that's what
00:20:28
gives it a little bit of intrigue is
00:20:30
because you're going really fast and
00:20:31
we're always talking about speed, speed,
00:20:33
speed.
00:20:34
>> Um, so probably when I made that
00:20:36
statement, it was more about the fact
00:20:37
that, you know, we've we're we're
00:20:39
incredibly safe in these cars. you know,
00:20:42
they're built really strong and and I
00:20:44
don't feel in danger at all traveling at
00:20:46
300ks, but out there on the open roads
00:20:48
when there's there isn't the safety that
00:20:51
we have and you know, everyone's
00:20:52
traveling in the same direction on a
00:20:54
race supposedly you're up against it
00:20:56
very differently. So, I think that it
00:20:59
was two sort of different things at that
00:21:01
time. I was more focused on just trying
00:21:03
to to not um oversell, you know, the
00:21:07
sport being this, you know, really
00:21:10
incredibly dangerous kind of place. Um
00:21:13
and I feel it was it was a lot safer.
00:21:15
Now, um that statement is true and um it
00:21:19
can be used more in that road safety
00:21:21
sense, you know, that and without doubt
00:21:24
still it's still the same thing. You are
00:21:26
much safer. You never you do not want to
00:21:28
have a crash at 50 km an hour in a road
00:21:31
car. Um you just don't want that to
00:21:34
happen. It is a it is an incredibly
00:21:36
horrible experience, you know, and and
00:21:38
it and it's um the outcomes are
00:21:40
determined by things at that point you
00:21:41
have no control over.
00:21:44
>> You've had a crash. I you you I didn't
00:21:46
know this until you brought it up in one
00:21:47
of your podcast episodes. You um rode
00:21:50
off a car when you were young.
00:21:51
>> Yep. Y
00:21:52
>> what age?
00:21:52
>> Uh I was um 19,
00:21:54
>> right?
00:21:55
>> Yeah. Uh,
00:21:56
>> yep. 19.
00:21:57
>> [ __ ] And your your your passenger,
00:21:59
female, almost died.
00:22:01
>> Uh, well, no. Uh, didn't, but very
00:22:04
easily could have like um it was a it
00:22:07
was just a a yeah, just a terrible
00:22:11
experience and, you know, reasonably
00:22:12
vivid still to this day. Um, yeah, I I
00:22:16
was driving my little Daton 1200. uh
00:22:19
dropped a maid off out uh at his place
00:22:21
which was only 15 20 minutes 15 minutes
00:22:24
out of Havlock North um out towards the
00:22:27
beach and you know I dropped off at home
00:22:29
and and we were on our way back into
00:22:30
town so really dark and we were in the
00:22:32
country basically and um yeah just it
00:22:35
was I was fatigued absolutely dead set
00:22:38
without doubt fatigued so I had I did
00:22:40
have alcohol in my system as well um
00:22:42
wasn't over the limit but it's when it's
00:22:45
when it was 400 milligrams per 100 ms
00:22:49
That's when it was 400 and I I think I
00:22:50
was like 300. So well over the limit
00:22:52
today, but not at the time. But it was
00:22:55
without question it had it was an
00:22:57
influence on on on me at the time. And
00:23:00
again, I thought I was 10t tall and
00:23:01
bulletproof and I thought I was fine.
00:23:03
Didn't I don't think I remember I know I
00:23:05
didn't feel intoxicated. I felt okay,
00:23:07
but it was in it had been in my system.
00:23:09
I hadn't driven for for hours and hours.
00:23:11
Well, no, for yeah, a long time. But I
00:23:14
don't I can't remember now how long it
00:23:16
was before I'd had a last drink. It was
00:23:18
it was probably four or five hours or
00:23:20
something. But anyway, it was it was it
00:23:22
was like after midnight and you know it
00:23:25
had been one of those uh it had been a
00:23:27
weekend Easter weekend and we'd been you
00:23:29
know me and my mates and everybody.
00:23:31
Kanye's trying to get out.
00:23:33
>> Yeah. Um uh we'd all had um a pretty you
00:23:38
know large weekend catching up was just
00:23:40
you know lots of lots of enjoyment, lots
00:23:42
of fun, lots of
00:23:44
>> you know l and uh yeah anyway I decided
00:23:47
he wanted to go home. I said oh yeah I'm
00:23:48
fine to drive no problem. So off I went
00:23:50
road I'd driven heaps of times, heaps
00:23:52
and heaps. Come back um just not
00:23:55
concentrating enough and drifted
00:23:57
slightly wide and dropped the left hand
00:23:59
side of the car off the edge of the you
00:24:01
know the tar seal onto a gravel verge
00:24:03
kind of thing and before I well I didn't
00:24:06
even know it was just rotated 180° and
00:24:08
was was on the other side of the road on
00:24:10
a grass bank and down a down a slight
00:24:13
bank and it came to a stop against some
00:24:15
trees. I mean, we're talking, you know,
00:24:17
1970s technology of car safety, so there
00:24:20
isn't any.
00:24:22
>> And it was one of those things, you
00:24:23
know, the the B-pillar the B-pillar was
00:24:25
pushed in behind the passenger, you
00:24:27
know, so you know, if the seat had been
00:24:30
slightly different or we'd hit at a
00:24:32
slightly different point, you know, the
00:24:34
outcome would have been completely
00:24:35
different without doubt. So, um, you
00:24:38
know, in the middle of nowhere, pitch
00:24:39
black and, um, and no one anywhere to be
00:24:44
seen. No, no cell phones or anything.
00:24:45
This is this is 1991.
00:24:48
>> So, um it was Yeah, it was it was a
00:24:51
terrifying moment and it was a massive
00:24:53
wakeup call. Massive wakeup call.
00:24:55
>> [ __ ] It's amazing how how different so
00:24:57
many lives could have been.
00:24:57
>> It's sliding it's sliding doors.
00:24:59
>> Yeah,
00:24:59
>> absolutely. That's second chances.
00:25:01
That's the epitome of of second chance,
00:25:04
right? Yeah. I mean, yeah, as I say,
00:25:07
couple of centimeters or a couple of
00:25:08
inches, whatever, one way or the other.
00:25:11
Um, and yeah, the there's a very good
00:25:15
chance my life would have um been very
00:25:17
very different.
00:25:18
>> So that's young, Greg. Um,
00:25:21
let's go even younger though. So um,
00:25:23
your dad Kevin was that was sort of
00:25:25
where the love of motorsport came from?
00:25:27
>> Well, he was just a he was just a avid
00:25:29
fan. Um, that was all. So, uh, there was
00:25:33
a little bit of speedway back in not
00:25:34
from him, but you know, he had a little
00:25:36
bit of a um I think attachment through
00:25:41
um his dad through some speedway stuff,
00:25:44
>> but that was about it. And so he never
00:25:46
competed or did anything. And then and
00:25:47
we um one day just turned up at the
00:25:50
Hawks Bay cart track uh for something to
00:25:52
do on a Sunday. and and um and that was
00:25:54
the beginning of a of a you know
00:25:57
a pretty intense kind of journey in in
00:26:00
the carting space in New Zealand. Yeah.
00:26:02
>> Did you you won a TV or something? First
00:26:04
up.
00:26:05
>> Uh well, not first up. So I mean that
00:26:07
was a little bit later on. So um you
00:26:11
know I'd been racing carts at this stage
00:26:12
for I think it was it was it was
00:26:14
probably around 10 years and you know
00:26:18
listen you know we came from a very
00:26:20
modest um background. It was simple as
00:26:22
that. Um you know u dad had sort of a
00:26:25
bunch of different jobs throughout you
00:26:27
know that that period that we were we
00:26:29
were racing at that point. He was he was
00:26:30
doing a he was a um um a rep for
00:26:34
agrochemicals company. And so he used to
00:26:37
travel around the um sort of the bottom
00:26:39
half of the of the North Island uh doing
00:26:41
that job um agrochemical stuff and bits
00:26:44
and pieces. and you know he loved his
00:26:45
job. Um and uh you know so you put
00:26:49
everything we put everything into cart
00:26:50
carting my carting and um anyway there
00:26:54
was this one the or the sort of the
00:26:58
motorsport bible at the time was called
00:27:00
the speed sport magazine which was
00:27:02
really really famous amongst um you know
00:27:05
motorsport heads in New Zealand and it
00:27:07
used to come out I think it was monthly
00:27:10
um and this one day we got the mo got
00:27:13
the speedport magazine and uh Insight
00:27:15
was an ad for this Formula Ford
00:27:18
scholarship, first of its kind in New
00:27:20
Zealand effectively. And the the prize
00:27:23
basically was, you know, do an
00:27:24
evaluation and and you could win a
00:27:27
season racing Formula Ford in New
00:27:29
Zealand, which was a category I was very
00:27:31
aware of because I knew some guys that
00:27:32
had gone from carding into Formula Ford
00:27:34
and, you know, we used to go to the
00:27:35
tracks, go to Manfield and and Bay Park
00:27:38
and stuff and watch car racing. And
00:27:39
Formula 4 was the, you know, was the the
00:27:41
start of the the journey to go wherever.
00:27:46
Um, and it has been, still is now.
00:27:48
Formula Ford still a an absolute dead
00:27:51
set stepping stone. Actually, in many
00:27:52
countries, it still is. Um, so I was
00:27:54
like, "Wow, that that's amazing." So I
00:27:56
remember looking at the ad and and
00:27:58
going, "Geez, that would be cool." You
00:28:00
know, wow, I'd have a drive in a a real
00:28:01
car. But it was it was $475 to enter.
00:28:05
And you know at that time that was um
00:28:08
two and a half sets of tires and a
00:28:10
couple of rebuilds on one of my engines
00:28:12
and bits and pieces. So it was like you
00:28:15
know you're robbing Peter to pay Paul
00:28:16
effectively. So um I never never thought
00:28:19
much more of it. Um but the old man had
00:28:22
seen it as well and it was a bit of a he
00:28:24
had come up with a bit of a plan. Um
00:28:27
it turned out to be a good plan but it
00:28:29
could have very easily been just a
00:28:30
really [ __ ] plan. Um and there was this
00:28:33
there was this race meeting. It was at
00:28:35
Manawat 2 uh the Man 2 car club and I
00:28:37
used to go quite good there. I love the
00:28:38
track down there. We used to go down
00:28:39
there quite a bit and there was I can't
00:28:42
remember exactly what the event was but
00:28:43
there was there was a it was like a
00:28:45
bigger event than normal and um there
00:28:47
was some big prizes and it was being
00:28:49
advertised and stuff and um uh the first
00:28:53
prize in my class which was the senior
00:28:55
senior light so senior Yamaha light
00:28:58
first prize was a um was a color
00:29:00
television. So this is what I say 1990.
00:29:04
This is 1990. 1990.
00:29:06
>> Yeah. The fact that you you state it's a
00:29:08
color television that sort of ages the
00:29:10
conversation.
00:29:11
>> Yeah. Yeah. But it was a bonus.
00:29:13
>> No flat screens. Remember you remember
00:29:15
big box?
00:29:16
>> Yeah. With tube massive big tube in it
00:29:18
or whatever. And I Anyway, so I I was
00:29:21
aware of this that this was the first
00:29:23
prize
00:29:24
>> uh for my class. I was like, "Oh [ __ ]
00:29:26
I'll win that." you know, stupidly
00:29:28
going, "Well, even if I want it, why
00:29:30
would why would I be allowed to have it
00:29:33
at home in my bedroom?" You know, it's
00:29:36
like brand new television, you know, I
00:29:38
was stupidly thinking that I was going
00:29:39
to have it if I won. Of course, if if
00:29:42
I'd won it,
00:29:42
>> family.
00:29:43
>> Yeah, exactly.
00:29:44
>> It's like Anyway, but I was like, I won
00:29:47
it, you know. Um, so anyway, uh, we went
00:29:50
to this meeting and I won I won the
00:29:51
event and um, uh, I'm like, "Yes, yeah,
00:29:55
I got new TV." Anyway, little did I
00:29:59
know, my old man had already sold the TV
00:30:01
before I'd before the event. Sold it for
00:30:05
enough money. I don't know. I can't
00:30:07
remember what it was worth, but I mean
00:30:09
back then a TV dec so expensive.
00:30:11
>> They must have been expensive. So, um,
00:30:14
so he'd already sold it to someone based
00:30:17
on me winning the event, which hadn't
00:30:19
even taken place. And so I'm thinking,
00:30:21
here I am, got this and and basically
00:30:23
next, you know, my old man's [ __ ]
00:30:25
giving the TV to the new owner, you
00:30:28
know, which was already who I think was
00:30:29
someone at the track maybe or something.
00:30:30
I I can't quite remember that detail,
00:30:32
but anyway. Um, he's like, "No, no, no,
00:30:35
no, we got the money. I'm we're we're
00:30:37
entering that scholarship. So that money
00:30:39
was used to enter the the Formula Ford
00:30:41
scholarship um which um I duly well I
00:30:45
was up against a lot of my peers that I
00:30:47
was racing carts against and and at the
00:30:49
final the final to to get judge the
00:30:52
winner there was um out of the six uh
00:30:55
finalists. Five of them were guys that I
00:30:57
was racing week in week out carts with.
00:31:00
Um um but I was lucky enough to win that
00:31:02
scholarship and that was the start of
00:31:04
the the journey in the car racing stuff
00:31:06
which would never have happened if I
00:31:08
hadn't won that.
00:31:09
>> So you your dad must have it sounds like
00:31:12
he had unwavering belief in you. How
00:31:14
long did it take you to have that same
00:31:16
belief in yourself?
00:31:17
>> Uh yeah I listen I don't know. I mean um
00:31:21
I think it was it wasn't about
00:31:22
unwavering belief. Um there's something
00:31:24
about my old man. He's never He's never
00:31:27
uh ever
00:31:29
um
00:31:31
you know gone out of his way to make
00:31:34
noise about me. We just he was he was
00:31:37
just uh he was just someone that wanted
00:31:39
to be a part of the you know whatever
00:31:41
happened and would be there regardless.
00:31:44
You know um these days we just see so
00:31:46
many parents that are just completely
00:31:49
out of control. um you know who who want
00:31:53
their kids to be and they want to live
00:31:55
vicariously through their kids, right?
00:31:56
Because sport and sports people have
00:31:59
become very fashionable. Back when I was
00:32:01
when I did this in 1990, mate, all
00:32:03
blacks weren't professional. No one was
00:32:05
professional. I mean, it was a you know,
00:32:07
there was no motorsport New Zealand was
00:32:09
was was actually quite strong, but it
00:32:12
was it was only it was amateur, you
00:32:14
know, hardly anyone was looking at going
00:32:16
and and going overseas to go car racing.
00:32:19
It was a very, you know, there was one
00:32:21
or two people and it was very expensive
00:32:23
and it just seemed like, it just seemed
00:32:24
like a ridiculous thought. Now the sport
00:32:27
is like there's so many people want to
00:32:30
be a part of it, right? Because they
00:32:32
fame and money
00:32:34
>> and it's everywhere today. It's
00:32:36
everywhere in our sport everywhere. You
00:32:38
know, just and it's been driven by so
00:32:41
and you know and you know them straight
00:32:44
away the parents that go, "Oh, no,
00:32:46
that's what he wants. He that's what
00:32:48
that's what she wants. You know, we're
00:32:50
not you know, we could give or take it,
00:32:52
but um you know, it's it's what they
00:32:53
want. It's what you know, and it's just
00:32:56
like, oh my god, you've got Yeah. It's
00:32:59
just like so obvious that it's what you
00:33:02
want.
00:33:02
>> Yeah.
00:33:03
>> Um um and they might think they want it,
00:33:05
but at 13 they don't know. 14 and 15 or
00:33:08
whatever. So, you know, he didn't he
00:33:10
wasn't he was just along for the ride.
00:33:12
We had no idea where it was going to go.
00:33:14
There was no But the dreams were
00:33:15
different back then, as I say. You know,
00:33:16
now it's like fame and fortune,
00:33:19
>> a drive to survive.
00:33:20
>> Yeah. Yeah. I mean, 0.00001 of a percent
00:33:24
are gonna make it to that out of out of
00:33:26
the numbers. Back then when I was doing
00:33:28
it, there was there wasn't there wasn't
00:33:30
that many. There wasn't that many
00:33:31
people. There wasn't that many there
00:33:33
wasn't uh, you know, hundreds of kids
00:33:36
thinking that they're going to be
00:33:37
Formula 1 drivers coming out of New
00:33:38
Zealand or thousands.
00:33:40
>> There was there was pretty much nobody.
00:33:42
It was just, you know, we were doing it
00:33:44
for fun. we were actually doing it and
00:33:45
enjoying it along the way and and it was
00:33:48
it was a it was a community. So that's
00:33:50
that was that was what it was about. So,
00:33:52
we just went with the flow and um you
00:33:55
know, and dad whenever there was
00:33:58
something that needed to be done, I mean
00:34:00
I mean he did he did all the logistics.
00:34:02
He did he did all the all the bloody uh
00:34:05
administration, all the stuff like that.
00:34:07
Um that was that was the bit that he was
00:34:10
really good at and that's the bit he was
00:34:12
happy to do and whatever else to to be
00:34:14
able to go to the next race meeting and
00:34:16
see what happened and and everything was
00:34:18
done through that that kind of process.
00:34:20
And it was it was tough because we
00:34:22
didn't we didn't have anything um you
00:34:24
know we I mean beauty one of the really
00:34:29
great things back then was um for the
00:34:32
sort of the second third fourth year of
00:34:34
my New Zealand racing there was still
00:34:36
there was prize money where you would
00:34:38
actually get the sponsors were amazing
00:34:41
you know you there was money coming into
00:34:42
the sport you were getting paid prize
00:34:44
money and my second season of racing was
00:34:46
funded through prize money you know we
00:34:48
got more money in prize money than we
00:34:49
did in the sponsorship ship we got um
00:34:51
that's the only thing we only reason we
00:34:53
got through the season. Um from there I
00:34:55
started to get you know much much bigger
00:34:58
sponsorship monies to go racing but and
00:35:02
um my first run in Australia came about
00:35:05
through prize money and um you know
00:35:08
coming out the other side of a of a race
00:35:10
season uh with money in the bank. Um
00:35:13
that was the only reason we managed to
00:35:14
to um to go to Australia and do a race.
00:35:19
>> What was plan B? What would you be doing
00:35:20
if um if motorsport didn't work out as a
00:35:23
profession?
00:35:23
>> Yeah, I I was I had actually applied to
00:35:26
the Air Force when I was still at
00:35:27
school. Um I wanted to be a pilot. Um I
00:35:29
got knocked back on that, but I was uh I
00:35:32
loved actually aircraft and I was
00:35:34
actually looking at going to New Zealand
00:35:36
to do engineering as well. I I really
00:35:38
enjoyed that side of things um and
00:35:41
understanding how things worked and um
00:35:44
that kind of stuff. And I loved I love
00:35:45
aeroplanes and things. So I I I was sort
00:35:48
of yeah looking at the same time sort of
00:35:52
deciding between um trying to go do some
00:35:56
more or find a way to go motor racing. I
00:35:59
had applied for New Zealand engineering
00:36:01
at the same time and I actually turned
00:36:04
down an opportunity to go for an
00:36:05
interview because I decided I wanted to
00:36:08
see where the where the car racing thing
00:36:10
might go. um you know and it could have
00:36:14
very easily not gone anywhere but it
00:36:15
just happened to happened to go in the
00:36:17
right right direction.
00:36:18
>> Did you did you appreciate um your
00:36:20
parents sacrifices and effort at the
00:36:22
time or is it only as you got older and
00:36:24
maybe had family of your own that you
00:36:25
thought [ __ ] that was that was that was
00:36:27
cool.
00:36:28
>> I think I've I've appreciated it for a
00:36:29
very long time. Um
00:36:31
>> yeah, there was periods where I didn't
00:36:33
you know I didn't probably appreciate
00:36:34
the work that the dad was putting into
00:36:36
it and and stuff.
00:36:37
>> Young the world sort of revolves around
00:36:39
you, doesn't it?
00:36:39
>> Yeah. Uh yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I just I just
00:36:41
don't think you're that smart to really
00:36:43
necessarily think about it. Um
00:36:46
>> um but there's no question
00:36:49
>> without sort of um his prowess and skill
00:36:52
set in in the logistics and administr
00:36:56
and organizing and his and and he had
00:36:58
you know great sales chat you know um
00:37:01
you know without all that probably yeah
00:37:03
wouldn't have it would have been a lot
00:37:04
harder if or maybe not have gone
00:37:06
anywhere at all to be fair. I mean, he
00:37:08
was always prepared to, you know, to,
00:37:11
you know, go that extra yard and in in
00:37:14
um taking me somewhere to to go and see
00:37:17
someone or um um or just those extra
00:37:20
hours or, you know, finding ways to come
00:37:22
up with a you know, proposal or
00:37:24
whatever. And we're talking back in the
00:37:26
early 90s, you know, it's things were a
00:37:28
little it was a bit tougher um to you
00:37:31
know, we didn't and we had no um
00:37:33
experience or knowledge in any of that
00:37:35
stuff either. Um but you know through
00:37:38
the carting stuff we you know we'd
00:37:39
obviously built really good
00:37:40
relationships with a lot of people. So
00:37:43
you know and they are motorsport fans.
00:37:44
They were all motorsport fans too. So
00:37:46
you know there was it was pretty cool
00:37:48
that when I got into it there was there
00:37:50
was a lot of people that you know we had
00:37:51
spent many years um with at cart
00:37:56
meetings and all that kind of stuff to
00:37:57
have have those people also you know
00:38:00
>> you know going hey that's it's awesome
00:38:02
to see you doing so well or doing that
00:38:03
kind of thing. But um um you know it was
00:38:06
it was it was a as I say it wasn't I
00:38:08
wasn't dreaming of world domination in
00:38:11
cars. I was just loving and I did
00:38:14
appreciate the opportunity what I was
00:38:16
doing at the time for sure because I
00:38:18
think I was working pretty hard at it as
00:38:20
well.
00:38:21
>> I found this photo of you. How how old
00:38:22
are you here? That's a that's a tight
00:38:25
mustard suit you're wearing.
00:38:26
>> Yeah man. So that's um that is the the
00:38:29
Shell scholarship that I won. So that
00:38:31
would that was at I think that photo was
00:38:33
at Timaroo,
00:38:35
pretty sure. Um uh January 1991.
00:38:38
>> Wow.
00:38:39
>> Yeah. So that was my first ever foray
00:38:41
into cars.
00:38:42
>> Hold that up to the camera. Look at that
00:38:44
bird.
00:38:44
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:38:45
>> Who's is it a borrowed suit?
00:38:47
>> No. No. That was my suit. It got made. I
00:38:48
mean it's that was a bit different back
00:38:50
then, mate. The embroidery and bloody
00:38:52
bits and pieces was a bit, you know,
00:38:54
>> looks painful on the testies.
00:38:55
>> Oh, you know I thought I was I thought I
00:38:57
was looking quite good, mate. You should
00:39:00
try you should try being in in a race
00:39:02
suit and sitting in one of those things
00:39:04
with um crutch straps up through around
00:39:06
and bloody and tightened in as as tight
00:39:09
as you can be. You know, I used to have
00:39:11
big balls back then and now they've just
00:39:12
all they just been crushed.
00:39:14
>> Melted away.
00:39:15
>> Yeah. Crushed into, you know, tiny
00:39:17
little peanuts thanks to the seat belts
00:39:19
in a racing car.
00:39:20
>> Um one thing I've noticed in doing like
00:39:22
as much research about you as what I
00:39:24
possibly can, there's there's very
00:39:25
little about um about you off the track
00:39:28
out there. Is that sort of by design?
00:39:30
Have you deliberately sort of kept
00:39:32
>> You mean family and stuff?
00:39:33
>> Yeah. Monique, your wife, you've sort of
00:39:34
kept her out of it.
00:39:35
>> No. No. Well, um, you know, it was,
00:39:39
uh, yeah, like it's probably a bit of
00:39:41
me, but also she didn't, I mean, she
00:39:43
would nothing to do with motor racing.
00:39:45
She couldn't have given two bloody dicks
00:39:47
about it to be honest. It was, you know,
00:39:49
um we met through um unrelated stuff and
00:39:54
um yeah, she's was never a
00:39:57
>> had knew nothing about car racing. You
00:39:59
know, she's from Wellington and when the
00:40:00
Wellington Street Race used to be on
00:40:02
down there, it was a pain in the ass and
00:40:04
annoyance to her cuz there was all these
00:40:06
people in town, you know, in Wellington
00:40:08
that, you know, don't belong and they
00:40:10
should bug bug her off where they came
00:40:11
from, you know. So it's like couldn't
00:40:13
have cared less and you know but um
00:40:17
she's obviously was the absolute rock
00:40:19
behind it all but she you know she
00:40:21
doesn't wasn't she didn't want to be at
00:40:23
the racetrack being seen and in front of
00:40:25
cameras and things. It wasn't you know
00:40:26
as far as she's concerned they had
00:40:28
nothing to do with her. So
00:40:29
>> yeah this isn't something that I noticed
00:40:31
but Jazz who's the studio manager here
00:40:33
she noticed whenever you come in you've
00:40:35
always got like nicely pressed shirts.
00:40:38
It's me. Is it you? I was thinking
00:40:41
>> Oh, [ __ ] No. Oh, no. Yeah, you do.
00:40:43
You've always got nasty shoes.
00:40:45
>> No, she It's
00:40:48
There is no way that um you know, she's
00:40:51
going to She's not that kind of um
00:40:53
>> Oh, she's not pressing all your shirts.
00:40:54
>> Oh [ __ ] No. No.
00:40:55
>> You're pressing your own shirt.
00:40:56
>> She's like, I'm not doing that. [ __ ]
00:40:58
hell. Do it yourself.
00:41:00
>> Absolutely. She's done She's like, I've
00:41:02
done enough in my life for you. I'm not
00:41:04
really doing that [ __ ] Yeah. And and
00:41:07
you know I'm like it's fine with you you
00:41:10
press your own shirts you
00:41:12
>> hardly. Yeah. I mean I I I think I must
00:41:14
just hang them up really well.
00:41:16
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:41:18
How funny. Jazz. That's so funny.
00:41:20
Anyway,
00:41:20
>> so and and u so yourself and
00:41:22
>> I don't mind ironing actually. I don't
00:41:24
That's weird. I mean I think it's one of
00:41:25
those anal bloody things, you know. It's
00:41:27
like, you know, then once you start
00:41:31
I'll go through I'll go through the
00:41:32
entire rack, you know, once I get going.
00:41:36
It's It's quite sad.
00:41:38
>> Is it a perfectionism thing?
00:41:39
>> Oh, it could be a little bit of that.
00:41:41
Yeah. I am about lots of things. I'm not
00:41:43
about lots of other things, too.
00:41:44
>> Yeah.
00:41:45
>> Um, yeah. So, your wife Manique, you got
00:41:46
three kids together, Ronan, Cormack, and
00:41:49
Ne. Yeah.
00:41:50
>> Um, and the two boys are are drivers.
00:41:53
>> Yeah, they've both dabbled. Yeah, they
00:41:56
both dabbled. I'm I'm their worst
00:41:57
nightmare because um yeah, I'm I'm the
00:42:00
opposite dad because I I want them to go
00:42:03
off and do other things that are much
00:42:05
more um achieve well much more
00:42:07
achievable and much more uh productive
00:42:10
and and beneficial in their lives than
00:42:12
going car racing,
00:42:13
>> right? So like the almost the opposite
00:42:15
of nepotism.
00:42:17
>> Yeah. I
00:42:18
>> discouraging them.
00:42:19
>> Yeah. It's just it's it's it's a tough
00:42:21
game. It's a tough tough game. Um, and I
00:42:24
I you know, as I say, I'm not one that
00:42:26
wants, you know, um I I don't need my
00:42:30
sons to be racing to um to live
00:42:33
vicariously
00:42:34
>> through them in that way. Um because
00:42:36
I've been there and done that.
00:42:37
Unfortunately for them, I'm the worst
00:42:39
nightmare because I've been there and
00:42:40
seen it and done it all. And I just I
00:42:42
know how challenging and how difficult
00:42:44
and hard it is. And and the only way the
00:42:46
only way to to get there uh these days
00:42:50
is um really there's only one way. One,
00:42:53
you've got to be an incredibly talented
00:42:55
race car driver and you've got to have a
00:42:57
bottomless pit of money.
00:42:59
>> Um you some some will get there with um
00:43:02
just talent. Um for sure the there if
00:43:07
they get the right support from other
00:43:10
people and it's recognized, their
00:43:12
talent's recognized. There's some good
00:43:13
examples of that. Um, and and sometimes
00:43:16
timing comes into it as well. But, um,
00:43:18
it's the money. The money is just it's a
00:43:22
it's an excessive amount these days
00:43:24
compared to what it was when I was doing
00:43:25
it. And, um, you've got to just keep
00:43:28
spending and spending and spending and
00:43:30
spending and spending and and you've got
00:43:31
to be able to you've got to be able to
00:43:32
commit it and justify it. If you can't,
00:43:35
you know, if you don't have it and you
00:43:37
have to go looking for it, your time um
00:43:42
wanting or needing or or being a race
00:43:45
car driver is going to be very limited.
00:43:47
Yeah.
00:43:49
>> It's just you've got a p you've got a
00:43:50
piece of equipment, you've got this got
00:43:52
this tool, you've got this, you know,
00:43:54
this thing that needs endless amounts of
00:43:57
money spent on it. You've got, you know,
00:44:00
tires that need to be put on it all the
00:44:02
time. You've got maintenance. You got
00:44:03
people that need to do the maintenance,
00:44:05
so you got to pay them to do it. There's
00:44:06
just there's just there's no freebies
00:44:08
anymore. There's no freebies. Yeah.
00:44:11
>> Must must be real stressful when you
00:44:12
like have a ding or or a severe crash.
00:44:16
>> Uh if you're paying for it expense.
00:44:17
Yeah.
00:44:18
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. And and
00:44:19
and there's just no there's no form of
00:44:21
the sport that's that's um that's cheap
00:44:24
anymore. Yeah. It's very challenging.
00:44:26
>> Has it been hard for your boys with the
00:44:28
same?
00:44:28
>> I think so. Um I think so. uh you know
00:44:32
um and it's and it's also you know how
00:44:35
they see it you know cuz I you know
00:44:37
obviously with the way I sort of am um
00:44:40
it's like you mate you're not doing it
00:44:41
for anybody else you're doing it for you
00:44:43
so if you're going to do it don't care
00:44:45
about what anyone else is looking
00:44:47
thinking don't you your name you know
00:44:49
you name anything you've just got to do
00:44:50
it for you and and focus on on that and
00:44:54
just um uh accept what happens and
00:44:58
accept what it is Um and so they've
00:45:00
worked both of them have put a lot of
00:45:02
well Ronan's put a [ __ ] ton of effort
00:45:04
in. He he he funded self-funded um a
00:45:08
year in Australia um doing a
00:45:10
championship um and um and then you know
00:45:15
ended up coming back to New Zealand and
00:45:17
has looked at trying to do a few other
00:45:18
bits and pieces but is sort of uh
00:45:20
focused now on other things and doing a
00:45:23
little just a bit of hopefully enjoyable
00:45:25
fun stuff here in New Zealand. And then
00:45:27
uh Cormarmac has um had a couple of
00:45:29
cracks at one of the championships here
00:45:30
in New Zealand and and um you know has
00:45:33
has struggled a bit to to get it to be
00:45:37
where he wanted it to be and you know
00:45:40
has realized you know what's actually I
00:45:44
think more important at the moment in in
00:45:46
in his life and um that probably doesn't
00:45:49
involve going car racing. So
00:45:51
>> yeah.
00:45:52
>> What about um what about them driving on
00:45:54
the road? Are they all of driving age?
00:45:56
>> Oh, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yeah. No.
00:45:57
>> Did you teach them all to drive or?
00:45:58
>> Uh, I did a bit of it. Yeah, I did a bit
00:46:00
of it.
00:46:01
>> Did Do you worry senseless
00:46:03
>> when they're in the car with friends or
00:46:05
>> Oh, I I do worry. I do worry um a bit. I
00:46:08
think I think that um you know learning
00:46:11
some of the skills that they have
00:46:13
learned uh doing other things um you
00:46:16
know uh motorsport related stuff uh more
00:46:19
you know Ron has done a bit more than
00:46:20
well a lot more than Cmarmac but I think
00:46:22
they have you know and I've
00:46:24
unfortunately again been their their
00:46:26
little um little Grig on their shoulder
00:46:29
you know in their ear reminding them of
00:46:32
what uh and they know what I did when I
00:46:35
was young and I've told them being open
00:46:37
and honest And I'm just like, you you
00:46:39
just cannot afford to do
00:46:40
>> the things that I did because it's just
00:46:42
you've just got too much too much other
00:46:44
good stuff to do. So, you've got to
00:46:46
you've got to be able to, you know,
00:46:48
understand that access the you know,
00:46:49
know the risks and and be better. Um uh
00:46:53
these days on on our roads to look after
00:46:55
yourselves and and you know, if you need
00:46:58
to do do something stupid, then we'll go
00:47:00
to the you know, we'll go to a racetrack
00:47:02
and you can do do it there rather than
00:47:04
rather than do it um you know, in
00:47:06
public. So, you know, hopefully so far
00:47:09
touchwood um it's been okay, but um I'm
00:47:12
sure I'm sure they've done a few things
00:47:14
that I don't know about.
00:47:15
>> Yeah, I was going to I was going to ask
00:47:17
that like
00:47:18
>> or maybe a lot. I don't know.
00:47:19
>> If if um if if one of them got a got a
00:47:21
fine for a $75 fine or whatever it is
00:47:23
for talking to your cell phone, would
00:47:25
would they told they told your wife
00:47:26
Monique, would they keep it from you, do
00:47:28
you think?
00:47:29
>> Don't tell your father.
00:47:30
>> Probably not. Um
00:47:32
>> how would you be would you? I they I
00:47:33
don't think they I don't know if they
00:47:35
would uh trust their mother to keep it a
00:47:37
secret from me either actually. Um I
00:47:40
think they've both I think they well I
00:47:41
know they've both had um you know uh
00:47:43
speeding fines of you know small degrees
00:47:46
but um who knows what else they've got
00:47:48
away with that I don't know but um yeah
00:47:50
I mean they know how I think I've
00:47:52
explained it better in the respect of
00:47:55
you know being distracted
00:47:56
>> you know is is
00:47:59
uh it's not so much you know if they got
00:48:01
caught doing it I I I would be just
00:48:03
disappointed because they understand and
00:48:05
they know what the risk is and they know
00:48:07
how how much I I despise
00:48:10
um you know that you know that thing of
00:48:13
being distracted with a mobile phone and
00:48:16
how dangerous it is and how many people
00:48:18
are actually getting hurt and injured be
00:48:20
and killed because of it. So I think
00:48:22
they probably um understand that very
00:48:25
clearly. Yeah.
00:48:28
>> Yeah. Because that I mean they'd be
00:48:30
letting you down so badly.
00:48:31
>> Well yeah they Yeah. I mean, I can
00:48:33
understand. But the thing is, too,
00:48:35
because it's become an epidemic in New
00:48:38
Zealand,
00:48:40
it's just like everywhere you look,
00:48:41
someone's on their phone or got their
00:48:44
phone in their hands or texting or
00:48:45
watching something or whatever
00:48:47
>> that you can almost, you know, be
00:48:49
disappointed, but you sort of go, well,
00:48:51
it's so hard to
00:48:53
>> to to do something different to the
00:48:55
majority of the people that are actually
00:48:57
out there as well in some respects. So,
00:48:59
they just know that they just know how
00:49:01
risky and how quickly it can all go
00:49:04
wrong. So, that's been drumed into them
00:49:05
for for a number of years.
00:49:08
>> If if you're at um like a stop sign or a
00:49:10
red light and there's someone next to
00:49:11
you on their phone, do you
00:49:12
>> often I will toot.
00:49:14
>> Yeah. Yeah.
00:49:16
>> I can imag
00:49:17
the other day.
00:49:19
>> Um Oh, where the hell is that? Man, did
00:49:22
that person freaking get rid of their
00:49:25
phone in a hurry.
00:49:27
Um, not because I they recognized me,
00:49:29
but I just was I was so furious. It was
00:49:32
in a situation that it was just like
00:49:34
what? It was on the Oh, no. What it was?
00:49:36
It was on the motorway. It was at Mary
00:49:38
Mir. I'd left Hampton Downs and I was on
00:49:39
the motorway. That's right. And and I I
00:49:42
drive up behind this car doing 80ks an
00:49:45
hour and it's, you know, it's 110. Uh,
00:49:48
no, it's back to 100ks at that point.
00:49:51
And it's moving in and out of the white
00:49:52
line. And um I pull up alongside it and
00:49:56
it's a guy probably 50s something years
00:49:58
old. Um it might have I don't think it
00:50:01
had signw writing or anything on it. He
00:50:02
had the phone he's got his his hand on
00:50:05
the steering wheel holding the phone
00:50:06
with one hand and
00:50:08
>> oh one finger texting
00:50:10
>> on top of the steering wheel
00:50:12
>> and I I slowed down and I was like on
00:50:16
the horn like next to him and he finally
00:50:18
went and I went [ __ ] like that. He's
00:50:20
like, "Put the phone down." And then
00:50:23
he's then all of a sudden he's doing
00:50:24
100ks again like and he's behind me. He
00:50:26
wouldn't pass me. I was just I was
00:50:29
hoping there was going to be a cop. I I
00:50:31
was hoping there because there's often a
00:50:33
cop just up the road. I was going to
00:50:34
pull in and go that bloke there cuz it's
00:50:37
just it is despicable behavior. And it's
00:50:40
um and it's just so ignorant. so so so
00:50:43
ignorant that you know if something had
00:50:47
happened and he was never going to be
00:50:49
able to react in time you know you just
00:50:51
don't know what the outcome is and
00:50:52
that's that's the ignorance to it is
00:50:54
that you you are you're just a you don't
00:50:56
care you're oblivious it's more
00:50:58
important right now to be writing a note
00:51:01
>> on your phone than focused on driving
00:51:04
your two-tonon car at 80ks an hour you
00:51:07
know on a road with all these other
00:51:09
people
00:51:10
>> what do you think the solution is it
00:51:11
tougher
00:51:13
Draconian. Yeah.
00:51:14
>> How tough How tough do you think they
00:51:16
need to go? What is it at the moment?
00:51:17
$150 fine.
00:51:18
>> It's only It's like $150. It's pathetic.
00:51:20
It's absolutely pathetic. We are We are
00:51:23
just so weak here when it comes to
00:51:25
things like that, right? So so weak. And
00:51:27
you know, can't pay the fine. I'll come
00:51:29
and get your car.
00:51:33
>> Take your phone. Oh, you can't do that.
00:51:36
What? So So what would you prefer? that
00:51:39
person actually drives into the person
00:51:41
saying you can't do that. Would you like
00:51:43
them to drive into your family?
00:51:47
>> Oh no, that's a bit extreme. Why? Well,
00:51:49
why wouldn't it happen? Why can't Why
00:51:51
can't that happen? Why can't you, the
00:51:53
one saying you can't do that? Why can't
00:51:55
you be affected by someone else doing
00:51:57
something like that?
00:51:58
>> Oh, no. I haven't thought of that, have
00:52:01
I? But it it happens every day. Other
00:52:04
people get affected by other people's
00:52:05
stupidity. Why can't it be you? You've
00:52:08
got to go draconian. You've got to
00:52:09
change you've got to change the laws.
00:52:10
And it's just like we are not having
00:52:13
this anymore. It's really easy. Don't do
00:52:16
it.
00:52:17
>> It's so simple. It's a law. It's it's a
00:52:19
law now. You're not supposed to do it,
00:52:20
but people do because it's like we're so
00:52:22
weak and pathetic when it comes to, you
00:52:25
know, um making, you know,
00:52:28
holding people to account for their
00:52:30
stupidity or or breaking the laws. We
00:52:32
just are like, "Oh, got to give them a
00:52:34
second chance and a third chance and a
00:52:36
fifth chance. Oh, they killed someone.
00:52:37
Oh [ __ ] we should have done something
00:52:38
about that, shouldn't we? You know, it's
00:52:40
just it's just it's just rubbish.
00:52:41
>> Yeah. I think so so many people do it.
00:52:43
The police don't even sort of police it.
00:52:44
Are you Are you good 100% of the time?
00:52:46
Or if you're at a red light, will you
00:52:48
glance at your phone or is your phone in
00:52:50
the glove box? What?
00:52:51
>> No, it's not a glove box. It's connected
00:52:52
to blue. It's connected to Bluetooth. I
00:52:54
use um I use uh what's the name Siri and
00:52:56
stuff to if I need to do things.
00:52:58
>> Um I Yeah, 100%. You know, red light in
00:53:02
a queue of traffic. I've I've Yeah, I've
00:53:05
looked at it. I'm not going to say I'm
00:53:07
not. It's that would be that'd be a lie.
00:53:08
But I'm not driving I won't drive down a
00:53:12
road or on a motorway, you know, um and
00:53:16
be looking watching my phone and texting
00:53:19
on it while driving.
00:53:21
>> Well, if you're if you're behind
00:53:22
someone, you can always like you were
00:53:23
saying this person was going over the
00:53:25
white lines, you can tell when someone's
00:53:26
on their
00:53:26
>> Hey, if I and and if if I if I did that
00:53:29
I and I got caught, it would be like,
00:53:31
"Yep, okay." I mean, you just Yeah,
00:53:34
absolutely.
00:53:35
>> Um, and it's it's just the amount of
00:53:36
people that you see,
00:53:37
>> right? Um,
00:53:39
you know, I mean, they think you can't
00:53:41
see them. You can't you think they think
00:53:44
you can't see them looking at their
00:53:46
phone because it's below the dash, you
00:53:49
know.
00:53:49
>> Oh, no. You can tell them look. Yeah.
00:53:51
You're looking down. It's obvious. It's
00:53:53
it's the amount of it's the amount of
00:53:54
people
00:53:55
>> um in the mornings around schools
00:53:58
>> in their
00:54:00
uh Bluetooth capable cars all connected
00:54:04
can be connected to stuff on their phone
00:54:06
or or driving and looking at their
00:54:08
phones with their kids in the back.
00:54:11
>> It's just like it's just it's insane.
00:54:14
It's like these people
00:54:16
>> just have got no comprehension of what
00:54:18
the hell they're up to. And it's because
00:54:20
it's again because they're addicted.
00:54:21
they are so addicted. Um, and Nathan
00:54:24
Wallace on on, you know, on my podcast
00:54:27
and stuff we've done with AutoSense, he
00:54:29
just explains all that stuff so
00:54:30
incredibly well about why this is the
00:54:33
case. So, yeah, it's a real it's a real
00:54:36
real hate of mine.
00:54:39
>> This is going to be your legacy, eh, the
00:54:41
road safety.
00:54:42
>> I don't know and I don't care. Yeah, I
00:54:43
just all I want to all I all I all I
00:54:45
want to do is actually get some common
00:54:47
sense within the law makers and within
00:54:50
the people that um um you know determine
00:54:54
these things. That's all I that's all I
00:54:56
want because I just it is it is it's
00:55:00
just in it's ludicrous that they that
00:55:02
they don't make this most simplest
00:55:04
simple changes to try and improve the
00:55:08
situation out there. Unfortunately,
00:55:10
there's no there's hardly any experts if
00:55:12
any in, you know, in in transport in
00:55:15
that space anymore. Um, you know, you
00:55:18
got ministers that are just absolutely
00:55:20
under the pump
00:55:21
>> because they've got so many serious
00:55:24
portfolios. They're not experts. You
00:55:27
know, we've had transport minister after
00:55:29
transport minister is not experts.
00:55:30
They're not experts in in road safety.
00:55:32
They're not experts in transport. Um,
00:55:34
they all behave like they're, you know,
00:55:36
they are, but they're just not. And you
00:55:38
can't blame them for that, but they're
00:55:40
not surrounding themselves with actually
00:55:42
experts. They re, you know, they're
00:55:44
surrounded by people that do research
00:55:46
who don't know, you know, um, and so
00:55:50
therefore we're, you know, the out
00:55:51
trying to get, you know, the outcomes
00:55:54
required are incredibly challenging and
00:55:57
it's not the only portfolio. Transport's
00:55:59
not the only one. There's plenty of
00:56:00
other things. I'm sure
00:56:01
>> there's other people that are experts in
00:56:02
those areas would be just as frustrated
00:56:04
as what I am about it.
00:56:07
We've been going almost um an hour. You
00:56:09
you said to me this podcast won't go for
00:56:11
longer than 15 minutes.
00:56:12
>> Very disappointed in myself.
00:56:13
>> We um we we we're just scratching the
00:56:16
surface.
00:56:16
>> Oh god.
00:56:17
>> We haven't even got to the fun bit yet.
00:56:18
Reflecting on your remarkable career on
00:56:20
the track.
00:56:21
>> Well, that's that's where we'll stop.
00:56:23
>> What what what do you miss and don't you
00:56:25
miss about competitive driving? Um,
00:56:29
I don't miss the disappointment and the
00:56:32
um the frustration and
00:56:37
uh yeah, not being able to
00:56:40
to get out of it what you you know what
00:56:43
you signed up for. Um, but I do I do
00:56:46
miss I I definitely still miss that that
00:56:49
really that feeling of uh driving a car
00:56:54
really fast with
00:56:56
a car 6 in off the front and 6 in off
00:56:59
the back, you know. Um, the buzz and the
00:57:02
thrill of of that that kind of
00:57:04
competition is is something that was
00:57:06
just Yeah.
00:57:08
>> It was which is is why I why I wanted to
00:57:11
do it, you know, that thrill and that
00:57:12
buzz. I mean, winning is incredible, you
00:57:14
know. It's it's a
00:57:18
um
00:57:19
all you want to do is win. Sometimes I
00:57:21
wish I didn't because because that's all
00:57:23
you want after you've won. After you've
00:57:25
had one win, that's all you want. That's
00:57:27
that's the only thing that matters
00:57:28
anymore. And that's the there's nothing,
00:57:31
you know, second means nothing after
00:57:33
you've, you know, achieved something at
00:57:36
a at a you know, reasonably high level.
00:57:38
And supercars in Australian touring cars
00:57:40
was a was a very high level. And you
00:57:42
know so managing to achieve in that you
00:57:44
you knew you had um delivered you know
00:57:48
and um it was it was incredible
00:57:50
absolutely incredible
00:57:52
>> um to to be able to be successful
00:57:55
amongst such a um an incredible um group
00:57:59
of of talented individuals
00:58:01
>> and that's that's the thrill.
00:58:02
>> Yeah. But I didn't but when I finished I
00:58:06
was I was relieved because um you know I
00:58:10
didn't I didn't see that I was going to
00:58:12
be able to do you know achieve that
00:58:15
feeling again.
00:58:17
>> What brings you the same sort of joy
00:58:19
post racing?
00:58:20
>> Um watching um new skilled talent
00:58:24
watching and uh supporting the the the
00:58:27
the upand cominging talent coming
00:58:30
through. watching when I was doing the
00:58:32
TV stuff for supercars, watching Shane
00:58:34
Van Gizburg and Scott McLolin and those
00:58:36
guys just doing the most incredible
00:58:38
things in in the in the teams and in the
00:58:40
cars that they were driving. That gave
00:58:42
me a huge huge buzz and the other Kiwis
00:58:45
all over the world competing at the
00:58:47
highest level. I just I I that yeah
00:58:50
sends shivers down my spine and I just I
00:58:52
really really love seeing them achieve
00:58:54
and and still and wave the Kiwi flag and
00:58:57
I get huge reward out of you know um uh
00:59:00
offering advice and and being supportive
00:59:03
and and working with uh you know anyone
00:59:06
that wants to wants to you know be be
00:59:09
successful and it's got a drive and a
00:59:11
passion. Um and sometimes it's really
00:59:14
tough because uh the limiting factor is
00:59:16
money. Um, and that's that's the thing
00:59:19
that you you would love to be able to
00:59:21
take away from from them having to, you
00:59:24
know, having to worry about that part of
00:59:25
it and just go racing, you know.
00:59:27
>> Yeah. Focus on the the thing that you
00:59:29
that you want to do and the thing you're
00:59:30
good at.
00:59:30
>> Yeah.
00:59:31
>> Yeah. So, it was um got a podcast like
00:59:34
this is always going to be tricky
00:59:35
because I've got such a broad audience.
00:59:36
There's going to be like Murf fans that
00:59:38
listen to it that'll be pissed off at
00:59:40
the lack of depth with the racing or the
00:59:42
dumb questions. And then there's people
00:59:44
that don't know anything about that. And
00:59:45
you know, you got to sort of play to
00:59:46
both of those, I guess. But it was um
00:59:48
Beth where you sort of became a legend.
00:59:51
>> Oh, Tom.
00:59:53
>> So, four victories.
00:59:54
>> You're pushing it.
00:59:56
>> Peter Brock was a legend icon.
00:59:59
>> Yeah. We'll get into Brocky.
01:00:02
>> So, you won that four times. What's so
01:00:03
special about Ba'ist?
01:00:05
>> I just grew up um you know, idolizing
01:00:07
that that event, that race. I mean, it
01:00:09
was it was on my radar from a reasonably
01:00:11
young age. I think uh really the vivid
01:00:14
my first well not it wasn't that young
01:00:16
to be fair I think because my first
01:00:18
vivid reme uh memory is was actually
01:00:21
1984 so before that I can't really
01:00:24
recall um having the attention span or
01:00:27
or or being really in tune with with
01:00:31
touring car racing in Australia at that
01:00:32
point. Um I don't really even remember
01:00:34
following much other motorsport at that
01:00:36
point but remember that's in the 80s.
01:00:39
Um, so 1984,
01:00:42
uh, and and dad was a, you know, loved
01:00:45
that event. I mean, that was the only
01:00:46
event that was actually live on TV. I
01:00:48
don't know when it first became
01:00:50
>> live on New Zealand Motorsport, on New
01:00:51
Zealand television, I should say. Um,
01:00:53
but 1984 it was. And I remember lying on
01:00:55
the on the floor and at um at home and
01:00:59
and and
01:01:01
watching Peter Brock and his daylow
01:01:03
orange and white group C VK Commodore.
01:01:08
um you know do the shootout, start from
01:01:11
pole and win that win that race that
01:01:13
year and it was just like wa that is the
01:01:16
it was it was the car to start with. It
01:01:18
was it was like I was just like that is
01:01:20
the coolest car I have ever seen. Um and
01:01:24
I was just you know fixated on it and
01:01:26
that's that's sort of when when I really
01:01:28
became um I suppose much more attentive
01:01:32
to the to motor racing. I mean, I've
01:01:34
been racing carts for three or four
01:01:36
years at that point, but um uh then it
01:01:39
was car racing after that and then
01:01:40
that's when the you know, just couldn't
01:01:42
wait for the new magazines to come out
01:01:44
and look at all the pictures and read
01:01:45
the articles and bits and pieces and and
01:01:48
stuff. So, and then I my I then my cart
01:01:50
number became 05. So I was, you know, I
01:01:54
ran '05 because I was because Peter
01:01:56
Brock was the was the icon and um, you
01:01:59
know, had the merchandise and all that
01:02:00
kind of stuff, which, you know, back
01:02:02
then you had to send off a coupon to
01:02:04
Australia with a check and then wait
01:02:08
weeks
01:02:10
hoping that it came back the other way.
01:02:12
>> Yeah, kids these days that they've got
01:02:14
no idea what delayed gratification is.
01:02:16
>> Freaking idea. And so um uh so yeah, so
01:02:20
that was that was really the beginning
01:02:21
of it back then and and then from that
01:02:24
point on I was you know I was an avid
01:02:26
avid sort of follower and I remember dad
01:02:28
going down to the you know to the
01:02:29
Wellington Street race and it was just
01:02:31
like he went down with mates and I
01:02:33
didn't go and it was just like whoa God
01:02:35
what's this all about you know and then
01:02:36
I finally got to go down there
01:02:38
>> um uh 19
01:02:42
1988 I think it was the first time Um,
01:02:46
just hearing that stuff, the way you
01:02:49
talk about Peter Brock, it almost gives
01:02:50
me goosebumps because um, you know, it's
01:02:53
like a full circle moment later on as a
01:02:55
grown man. You a teammate with him. Um,
01:02:58
>> well, you know, it was it was at the
01:02:59
Wellington Street race.
01:03:00
>> You know, my mate and I were down there
01:03:02
um, we'd gone down there with dad and
01:03:04
whatever and we were just wandering
01:03:05
around and, you know, I mean though it
01:03:07
was it was quite quite incredible kind
01:03:10
of experience. It was the first time I'd
01:03:12
been at a tra track track with, you
01:03:16
know, these heroes that were there. And
01:03:18
actually Brock was Peter was driving a
01:03:20
um I'm pretty sure it was was that 80 no
01:03:22
it was 80 it was 88 I think he was in a
01:03:25
BMW at an M3 which which was like oh my
01:03:28
god he's you know he's he's not not
01:03:30
driving a Holden cuz um sort of there
01:03:32
was changes going on and bits and pieces
01:03:34
and he had sort of sort of soured the
01:03:36
relationship with Holden but anyway he
01:03:38
was still Peter Brock and it was still a
01:03:39
mobile sponsored05 and all that and um
01:03:43
we were just standing there looking at
01:03:45
his car in the in the one of the big
01:03:48
sheds on the on the um uh the dock or
01:03:52
the you know what's the name the warf at
01:03:55
Wellington and um and he was just
01:03:58
standing there and we were just I was
01:03:59
just like and he wandered over and he
01:04:01
started Goodday fellas how you going I
01:04:03
was just like
01:04:05
who's he
01:04:07
Peter Brock's talking to me holy [ __ ]
01:04:11
holy [ __ ] you know was just and he was
01:04:13
just chatting away oh you know blah blah
01:04:15
blah and I you know I I I can't even
01:04:17
remember if I spoke but he was just you
01:04:18
know there was he was there and I was
01:04:20
just like and then and I just that just
01:04:23
um and reinforced not reinforced it just
01:04:26
solidified my just you know
01:04:30
his his icon status with me you know and
01:04:33
um yeah so that was the first time that
01:04:37
um you know we engaged and then um
01:04:40
>> what age
01:04:41
>> uh so I would have been I was 16.
01:04:43
>> Wow. Still at school?
01:04:45
>> Yeah. Yeah.
01:04:47
And uh yeah, and then and to think, you
01:04:50
know, um a few it was a number of years
01:04:53
later, as it turns out, but um um the
01:04:57
first touring car I ever drove, first V8
01:05:00
touring car um in 1995
01:05:04
was Peter Brock's05
01:05:07
Holden Racing Team Commodore.
01:05:10
And I don't think I had I don't think
01:05:12
I'd met him again before that. I don't I
01:05:16
can't remember. Maybe I had because I've
01:05:18
been in Australia through a bit of 1994.
01:05:21
So I may have may have maybe although I
01:05:24
don't recall. Um but so
01:05:26
>> did you did you tell him like we had a
01:05:28
brief conversation with us?
01:05:30
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And he was always you
01:05:32
know he was always really interested in
01:05:33
all that kind of stuff. But yeah, the
01:05:35
first ever touring car that I drove,
01:05:37
like it's like V8 touring car I drove
01:05:40
was his car in in um about May May or
01:05:43
June 1995.
01:05:46
>> Yeah.
01:05:47
>> And you end up becoming like friends.
01:05:49
>> Yeah. Yeah. We I mean he was he was a he
01:05:52
was incredibly easy to get along with
01:05:55
and always, you know, really um offering
01:05:59
of advice and information, but he just
01:06:00
he just treated you like he'd known you
01:06:02
for 20 years,
01:06:03
>> you know. Um, that's what he was like.
01:06:06
And so he's very easy to spend time
01:06:08
with. Incredibly easy to spend time
01:06:10
with. Um, so yeah, it was it was quite
01:06:14
surreal.
01:06:15
>> Were you able to be yourself around him
01:06:16
or was that
01:06:17
>> Yeah. Yeah. Because he he he he
01:06:19
>> he just made you because you were so
01:06:22
comfortable.
01:06:23
>> He was again he was not he was not
01:06:26
someone that um
01:06:28
um you know his ego wasn't he didn't he
01:06:31
didn't sort of show that. He didn't show
01:06:33
an I mean he had every right to have a
01:06:36
giant ego but he was just he was like
01:06:37
that with didn't matter who you were he
01:06:39
treated everyone the same absolutely
01:06:40
treated everyone the same
01:06:42
>> it was he was and that was that's I
01:06:44
learned a lot about a lot a lot from him
01:06:46
around a lot of that stuff was never as
01:06:48
good at it as what he was
01:06:50
>> um he just had this incredible patience
01:06:52
and and ability to to give time and that
01:06:55
was he he got a lot of reward from that
01:06:58
um
01:06:59
>> personally um whereas you know I just it
01:07:02
was incredible that he was able to he
01:07:04
was like that. Yeah.
01:07:05
>> And you guys won um the Beth 24-hour
01:07:08
race together in 2004.
01:07:10
>> Three.
01:07:11
>> 2003.
01:07:12
>> Yeah. Come on, mate.
01:07:13
>> So [ __ ] research.
01:07:15
>> Um
01:07:16
>> and I just took that car back to
01:07:17
Goodwood um a few months ago and ran it
01:07:20
at Goodwood. That that actual car. Yeah.
01:07:23
Which was received incredibly well.
01:07:25
>> Yeah.
01:07:27
when when you're um probably not when
01:07:30
you're when you're during that race with
01:07:31
him, but afterwards once you've won like
01:07:34
is it a pinch myself moment or a reflect
01:07:36
myself reflection moment cuz
01:07:38
>> oh was for many reasons but yeah it was
01:07:40
you know and again at that time Pete was
01:07:43
just Pete. Um I don't think any of us
01:07:46
probably really um
01:07:50
sort of saw what it meant. I mean it it
01:07:52
was an interesting race. It was a
01:07:54
bizarre race because there was really
01:07:55
only two cars in it that could win it
01:07:57
and that was that car with Pete um Jason
01:08:00
Bright and Todd Kelly or the sister car
01:08:02
which was was exactly the same car with
01:08:05
um with four other Holden supported
01:08:07
drivers in it. So you know it it's it
01:08:10
means a lot more now. Um I suppose I
01:08:13
mean it was a big achievement then
01:08:14
because he had to last 24 hours and and
01:08:17
no one you know these
01:08:20
there was only two ever races at Ba'is
01:08:21
that were 24 hours and and the the hold
01:08:24
Monaro won both of them and um uh so
01:08:28
that was a huge achievement just to get
01:08:29
two cars to the finish like that. Um but
01:08:32
it means more now to have done that and
01:08:34
it and it you know has done for a long
01:08:36
time that I got to do that race with
01:08:38
with with him and and um and do that.
01:08:41
Yeah. And and I was in the car at the
01:08:43
finish so sort of that that sort of adds
01:08:45
to the sort of um uh how special it was.
01:08:51
>> Yeah. To do that with someone that you
01:08:52
grew up idolizing. It's crazy. It's
01:08:54
cooked. But as I say, he he never he
01:08:57
made you feel so comfortable and and and
01:09:00
that like you were,
01:09:02
>> you know, that you weren't
01:09:06
>> um
01:09:06
>> you were an equal.
01:09:07
>> He was no different. Yeah, he he that's
01:09:09
exactly right. He he never he never made
01:09:10
out that he was anything anything
01:09:12
special.
01:09:13
>> Maybe that's where I get my bloody thing
01:09:16
from about, you know, hating being He
01:09:18
would have hate he hated being called a
01:09:20
legend, too, I think. Oh [ __ ] it'd be
01:09:21
terrible in 2025 when everyone's called
01:09:24
a legend or the goat.
01:09:25
>> Um, yes, you mentioned before like his
01:09:27
kindness and his patience. Um, what
01:09:29
other big lessons did you get from him
01:09:31
for your own racing career?
01:09:32
>> Uh, you know, and again, I haven't been
01:09:34
probably haven't been anywhere near as
01:09:35
good at him good at it as him, but you
01:09:38
know, treat everyone treat everyone the
01:09:39
same. He just he did he really did he
01:09:40
respected everybody really really well.
01:09:43
Um um uh he yeah he had a lot he had a
01:09:46
lot of you know sort of um interesting
01:09:50
sort of sayings um some of them used to
01:09:53
probably
01:09:55
I don't know probably used to annoy me a
01:09:57
bit you know live your dreams um that
01:10:00
was his one of his favorite ones um but
01:10:02
I I just I I think
01:10:04
>> Why did that annoy you?
01:10:05
>> Oh I don't know I think it's just a
01:10:07
>> cheesy for you.
01:10:08
>> Yeah I think so. I think so. But um it
01:10:11
was one of his his ones and he used to
01:10:12
write it on he used to write it on so
01:10:14
many things before he autographed
01:10:16
graphed them you know but you know
01:10:18
people they resonated to every you know
01:10:21
everything and what he did and what he
01:10:23
said it was and fair enough too.
01:10:25
Absolutely. Um but I I think he you know
01:10:29
the way he dealt with people and and the
01:10:32
respect he had was was such a important
01:10:35
thing as say I I don't think I've been
01:10:37
anywhere near as good at it as what he
01:10:38
was for sure. Do you remember your last
01:10:40
conversation with him?
01:10:41
>> Oh [ __ ] I don't
01:10:46
don't know. So it's 2006.
01:10:49
Uh I would have seen him somewhere. I
01:10:52
don't but I I remember I know where I
01:10:53
was when he was when um
01:10:57
um found out that he had been killed. Um
01:11:00
>> yeah. Where was that?
01:11:01
>> I was in Sydney and I was at a big
01:11:03
event.
01:11:04
um big I think it was a um I know was it
01:11:08
I know the location I was and it was a
01:11:10
it was a big sports event um and there
01:11:12
was lots of people there I think it was
01:11:14
something to do with CUB Car United
01:11:16
Breweries
01:11:17
>> and there was lots of um well-known
01:11:21
sports people there and and one of them
01:11:24
was Eddie Magguire Eddie Three
01:11:26
Millionaire
01:11:27
>> Yeah. Yeah. and you know uh Collingwood
01:11:28
Football Club, all that kind of stuff.
01:11:30
He was there and I and there was some
01:11:32
others and I got a phone call from um
01:11:36
one of the media guys, Holden Motorsport
01:11:39
media guys and saying, "Hey, listen.
01:11:42
There's some [ __ ] really [ __ ] news."
01:11:45
And as I got off the phone, I saw other
01:11:50
people sort of like and then I saw Eddie
01:11:52
Maguire and he was like,
01:11:56
"Is this is this is this is it true?"
01:11:58
And I'm like, "I've just had a phone
01:11:59
call." And he and and you could see it
01:12:02
was almost like when you see these days,
01:12:04
you know, um a notification comes up
01:12:06
about something bad in news or whatever
01:12:08
and they go ding ding ding ding ding. It
01:12:10
didn't quite happen like that cuz it's
01:12:11
not 2006, but um it was just all of a
01:12:15
sudden the spread of the news around
01:12:18
hundreds of people in this room just and
01:12:20
and the noise just disappeared
01:12:23
>> and um and and they actually you know
01:12:26
everyone was like we need to is this
01:12:27
confirmed? Is this you know and it did
01:12:29
it got you know it was confirmed and and
01:12:31
it was actually there was an
01:12:32
announcement made at this this event
01:12:34
that we were we were all at. So it was
01:12:36
um it was incredible.
01:12:37
>> [ __ ] you must have been devastated. Oh,
01:12:39
just the the the country was devastated.
01:12:43
>> Absolutely. And you didn't need to be a
01:12:45
motorsport fan to know who Peter Brock
01:12:47
was. I mean I mean as say if you want to
01:12:50
put um epitomize what the definition of
01:12:53
legend means. Well, that's it.
01:12:57
>> Now, who's who's done and achieved what
01:12:59
he's achieved? I certainly haven't. So,
01:13:01
you know,
01:13:02
>> it's it's funny you say that because um
01:13:05
yeah, I I I read some interviews about
01:13:07
him during the week. I got in a bit of a
01:13:08
wormhole when I was doing this research
01:13:09
and um apparently he just before he died
01:13:13
like he had a conversation with his wife
01:13:14
Bev and he he told her he had feelings
01:13:16
of um regret and failure like he let his
01:13:18
family down and hadn't achieved anything
01:13:20
worthwhile. So I wonder if there's
01:13:23
parallels with you and him. It's like
01:13:24
you Yeah. He he wanted more, you wanted
01:13:27
more.
01:13:28
>> Yeah, I think you know he'd broken up
01:13:30
with be and um uh was with someone else
01:13:33
and um so I think I don't know. I I
01:13:36
think that was a bit of it, you know, he
01:13:37
>> an overarching thing about his entire
01:13:40
>> Yeah. Yeah. Um he but he he'd become
01:13:42
very spiritual in many ways and you know
01:13:45
um was he had a very different look
01:13:48
outlook on things. He he and he because
01:13:50
he wasn't a he wasn't an um a possession
01:13:53
guy. He he he was just so happy on his
01:13:56
farm driving a tractor and mcking
01:13:58
around, you know, he didn't have a lot
01:14:01
um because he he never cared about
01:14:03
money. He really Yeah, he was he was
01:14:06
terrible actually. He was a shocking
01:14:07
businessman from all accounts, you know,
01:14:10
because he just it wasn't important to
01:14:12
him. He he just other things were but he
01:14:14
you know I think um that was yeah
01:14:17
something that he felt he hadn't done
01:14:19
well I think I think was um yeah was how
01:14:23
he'd sort of gone through that phase of
01:14:25
his life and you know um had left be
01:14:27
bits and pieces. So yeah,
01:14:29
>> apparently in his last conversation with
01:14:31
her, he said something like, "I've I've
01:14:33
lost my timing and I just know this is
01:14:35
it." That wasn't long before. So he he
01:14:38
died by I think crashing into a tree in
01:14:40
a rally.
01:14:40
>> Yeah, he was at a at a tarmac rally.
01:14:42
Yeah. In Perth. Yeah.
01:14:44
>> Can Can you resonate with that quote?
01:14:46
Like as a driver, do you feel like you
01:14:48
you know if your timing's off? Is that a
01:14:50
thing?
01:14:50
>> Uh no, I don't know. No, I don't. Yeah.
01:14:53
Who knows what he exactly meant by that?
01:14:56
>> I don't think they were related.
01:14:57
>> Yeah. um you know um he was still I mean
01:15:02
we don't know a lot of us don't know why
01:15:04
he was doing those those rallies and
01:15:06
doing that stuff either. Um I think he
01:15:08
gave his reasons but
01:15:09
>> they didn't it didn't make a lot of
01:15:11
sense as to why he'd be putting himself
01:15:13
in that position to do that stuff you
01:15:15
know
01:15:16
>> so very it was yeah incredibly tragic.
01:15:20
Yeah, as we've talked about in this this
01:15:21
chat, like it's um far safe safer to be
01:15:23
in one of these cars than what it is to
01:15:24
be on, you know.
01:15:25
>> Well, not that one. He wasn't he wasn't
01:15:27
safe in that. I mean, yeah, that's a
01:15:29
whole different situation because those
01:15:30
those those types of rallies, target
01:15:32
rallies, they're they're the risk is
01:15:35
very high. And he was actually in a car
01:15:36
that was a kit car effectively. It
01:15:38
wasn't a racing car. Um so it was it was
01:15:41
yeah, the mix of trees and the vehicle
01:15:43
he was driving were never going to go
01:15:46
well if they if they combined. Um, so
01:15:49
yeah, he wasn't on a racetrack in a safe
01:15:50
environment. He was in a in a very risky
01:15:53
environment. So it was it was Yeah. Oh,
01:15:55
>> it's not one of those situations where
01:15:57
it makes you think, "Fuck, do I want to
01:15:58
be doing this? Is the risk too high?"
01:16:01
>> Um, I don't know. Yeah, as I say, I'm
01:16:03
not really sure why he was doing it in
01:16:05
the first place. Um, and what made him
01:16:07
think it was a good idea? Um maybe he
01:16:09
was just he did en he listen he did
01:16:11
enjoy doing lots of different things but
01:16:13
>> it just didn't seem to stack up as to
01:16:15
you know why be why we would be putting
01:16:18
himself at that kind of risk. Um so it
01:16:20
was a
01:16:21
>> yeah I think there was some other
01:16:22
circumstances I don't recall you know
01:16:25
about it but um yeah it was just um one
01:16:28
of those things you just look back on
01:16:30
and go Jesus
01:16:33
>> shouldn't happen.
01:16:34
>> Yeah.
01:16:37
One thing, oh god, I'm I'm almost
01:16:38
getting nervous to bring this up. Um,
01:16:40
one one thing at B at Ba'ist which um,
01:16:45
uh, cemented your status as a legend.
01:16:48
Are you about to throw?
01:16:49
>> You really keep pushing yourself and
01:16:51
pushing your luck here, chief.
01:16:52
>> The the lap of the gods. The lap of the
01:16:55
gods.
01:16:55
>> I didn't name that, by the way.
01:16:57
>> Yeah.
01:16:58
>> Just just to just to ensure people
01:17:00
don't, you know, think I'm a real
01:17:01
wanker.
01:17:02
>> No, no, no. But um yeah, for anyone that
01:17:04
doesn't know motorsport, what is the Lap
01:17:06
of the Gods?
01:17:07
>> Um it was um the the top 10 shootout in
01:17:10
in at Ba'athist 2003. Um uh
01:17:16
that year.
01:17:18
Um yeah, just I the shootout time that I
01:17:22
did was um was substantially faster than
01:17:25
anyone had ever been around the
01:17:27
mountain. And um you know it was a was a
01:17:29
time that shocked everybody including me
01:17:31
and my team and you know something that
01:17:35
just didn't
01:17:37
if someone had said that to you prior to
01:17:40
to the shootout that year that someone
01:17:42
was going to do that lap time everyone
01:17:43
would just go you you bonkers. You
01:17:45
obviously don't know anything about the
01:17:46
sport kind of thing. And I would have
01:17:48
agreed. Um um but it was a moment that
01:17:51
you know uh
01:17:54
just
01:17:56
was was pieced together through I think
01:17:58
a bunch of different things and and
01:18:01
including being given a a a really
01:18:04
really good race car that I had a huge
01:18:06
amount of confidence in driving as fast
01:18:08
as I could and I think a subliminal
01:18:11
desire to to give the big middle finger
01:18:14
to the officials that had given me a
01:18:16
fiveminute penalty the year before
01:18:17
during the race Ba'ist. So sort of um a
01:18:22
uh underlying sort of anger potentially
01:18:27
um and yeah just uh a desire through you
01:18:31
know
01:18:33
um the things I'd sort of spoken about
01:18:36
before.
01:18:37
Um
01:18:39
you know when I was talking about 1984
01:18:42
with Peter Brock and the shootout. It
01:18:45
was a it was a um the shootout all of a
01:18:46
sudden became this focus for me. I just
01:18:48
I just thought it was the best part of
01:18:50
the whole weekend of this weekend was
01:18:52
watching the the 10 fastest cars go out
01:18:55
there and lay down a lap time all by
01:18:58
themselves on that, you know, amazing
01:19:01
race circuit
01:19:03
um and get the chance to to to see how
01:19:06
fast they could go fit to shoot shoot
01:19:08
out for pole position. And I just
01:19:09
thought that was the coolest thing ever.
01:19:11
And then I got a chance to go to
01:19:12
Ba'athist and I'm like, "Holy [ __ ] I'm
01:19:14
here." And then I got a chance to, you
01:19:16
know, be in the in the shootout and you
01:19:19
are you're like, "I'm not going to waste
01:19:21
this opportunity. I'm not going to waste
01:19:22
the chance that I've been given here.
01:19:24
This is this is so incredible." And so
01:19:26
every time I got to do it, which God, I
01:19:28
can't remember how many times I did it.
01:19:29
But um, you know, it was the same kind
01:19:31
of idea. It was just like you got to
01:19:32
make the absolute most of it. But this
01:19:34
year in 2003, I was the quickest
01:19:36
qualifier. So I was the last car to go.
01:19:38
and and um you know I just there was
01:19:41
yeah it was just something a little bit
01:19:42
extra that year and um managed to it was
01:19:46
perfect conditions like conditions were
01:19:48
absolutely spot on as far as weather and
01:19:50
everything goes and you know been a um a
01:19:53
race car that um had been fastest in two
01:19:57
or a couple of the practice sessions at
01:19:59
least and fastest in the in the
01:20:01
qualifying and um you know so it was it
01:20:04
was a the best race car I think I've
01:20:06
ever had there and And you know, I was
01:20:08
determined to not leave anything on the
01:20:11
table and that's what I did.
01:20:12
>> So it was two minutes and six seconds.
01:20:14
>> Yeah. Two minutes six seconds. 08
01:20:16
something 85.
01:20:17
>> What would um what would a standard lap
01:20:19
be for you?
01:20:20
>> Well well we we had qualified the the
01:20:23
day before Friday afternoon again which
01:20:24
was actually pretty good conditions very
01:20:26
good weather conditions. Um the there
01:20:29
was three cars myself uh John Ba and
01:20:32
Mark Sca. We all qualified
01:20:36
um on a 207.9.
01:20:39
So 2 minutes 7 seconds.9.
01:20:42
All three of us were on the same lap
01:20:44
time. Basically the same lap time
01:20:45
separated by hundreds of a second. And
01:20:48
no one had ever been under the 208
01:20:50
bracket. So three of us had gone under
01:20:52
the 208 bracket and that's the fastest
01:20:54
anyone had ever been around there. So I
01:20:57
was the fastest anyone had been around
01:20:58
the mountain on Friday afternoon and
01:21:01
then on so on Saturday um for the
01:21:04
shootout it was just it's a matter of
01:21:06
being the fastest again
01:21:08
>> not about how much faster than the next
01:21:10
bloke you can be just you need to be the
01:21:12
fastest and that's all I was setting out
01:21:14
to do was just be the fastest and it
01:21:16
just happened that it was over a second
01:21:17
faster than the next guy which which was
01:21:20
a very unusual thing.
01:21:22
>> Um but
01:21:23
>> what what are you thinking during those
01:21:24
two minutes and six seconds? you're not
01:21:26
you all you're thinking about is each
01:21:27
corner. You're thinking about um
01:21:29
maximizing every component of piecing
01:21:33
that lap together. So, as far as you
01:21:35
know, changing gear, braking,
01:21:38
accelerating, all those pieces, all
01:21:40
making them as good as they can be, you
01:21:42
know, it's a it's arriving at the first
01:21:44
corner and and breaking as late as you
01:21:47
possibly feel you can do and making and
01:21:51
still get off the other side of the
01:21:52
corner without losing any time. Um it's
01:21:55
it's just it's but it's built in. It's
01:21:57
it's you know, you've already done
01:21:59
hundreds and hundreds of laps around
01:22:01
there, you know, including the the
01:22:03
practice that year and then the racing
01:22:07
and the practice the year before and and
01:22:08
so and I'd been there since, you know,
01:22:10
1994. So I was, you know, and I I never
01:22:14
took the place for granted. Ever took
01:22:15
the place for granted. I think anyone
01:22:17
that takes the place for granted
01:22:18
shouldn't be allowed to race there to be
01:22:19
fair. Um because it is it is really
01:22:22
really a special place. Um, and that's
01:22:24
because of the history that's been
01:22:25
generated. So, so it was just, you know,
01:22:27
I knew I, you know, as a race car
01:22:29
driver, a professional race car driver,
01:22:30
when you go there, you know, you you
01:22:32
know the place, you understand it. And
01:22:34
it's it's about um feeling completely
01:22:38
comfortable with the environment,
01:22:39
feeling completely comfortable with the
01:22:41
vehicle and and and having hugely huge
01:22:45
amount of confidence in your own your
01:22:47
own ability as well. And it just one of
01:22:48
those things that all combined on the on
01:22:50
the day.
01:22:51
>> Yeah. and the um the like so it's on
01:22:53
YouTube. It's been viewed millions of
01:22:54
times. It's iconic. I believe there's um
01:22:56
Australians that can like quote the the
01:22:59
2 minutes 6C commentary like word
01:23:01
probably word for word. Um and you see
01:23:04
the clip and at at the end you're in the
01:23:06
you're in the car you you're shaking
01:23:07
your fist but were you are you aware of
01:23:10
the time or you just know that you've
01:23:12
raced really good?
01:23:13
>> No, we we I am at I'm when I cross the
01:23:15
line I know the time. Yeah. Yeah. But um
01:23:17
not not until that point. I mean, it's
01:23:20
um you know, I I I don't really uh I
01:23:24
never really felt or remember feeling
01:23:26
anyway through the lap um that it was
01:23:29
anything, you know, special. I knew it
01:23:31
was good because I I felt, you know, you
01:23:34
know, when it's good because you're
01:23:35
you're hitting your marks. You're
01:23:37
getting on the throttle early. you know,
01:23:38
you're looking at the rev the rev
01:23:40
lights, the lights on the dash, you
01:23:41
know, which you rev, you know, where the
01:23:44
engine the engine RPM, and you know when
01:23:47
when it when the lights are at a certain
01:23:49
spot that it's good, all that kind of
01:23:50
stuff. But I missed a gear. So, I came I
01:23:52
I went uh because we're talking 2003, so
01:23:56
you know, now we've got gearboxes that
01:23:58
are sequential. So, you just, you know,
01:24:00
to change up, you just pull the lever
01:24:01
backwards, and to change down, you just
01:24:03
push it forwards. you know, when in
01:24:05
right through till 2007, we had um H
01:24:08
pattern gearboxes. So, normal normal
01:24:10
manual sort of style gear boxes that you
01:24:12
go across the gate as well as forward
01:24:14
and back. And so, um yeah, come over the
01:24:19
top of the mountain, start going down
01:24:20
and come out of the very famous dipper
01:24:23
out of there. And I actually
01:24:26
slotted um you go from second there,
01:24:28
second gear, so you're hard on the gas
01:24:31
and you just basically jam the gear
01:24:33
lever across to third. So you go across
01:24:35
a gate to third, but I'm I actually was
01:24:39
probably a bit tense and I um slotted it
01:24:41
straight into first. So So the engine
01:24:43
over revs, you know, quite a lot. And
01:24:45
it's and it and you're not accelerating,
01:24:48
you're decelerating because you're in
01:24:49
the wrong gear. And I did that and I and
01:24:52
that was a that was a real sort of
01:24:55
wakeup moment.
01:24:58
>> Um and I thought I' I'd also I thought
01:25:00
that's it. I've ruined it. I've ruined
01:25:01
the lap. But the run from where I did
01:25:03
that to the next break point was quite
01:25:05
short. So if I'd done that coming onto
01:25:06
the main Conrad straight, I would have
01:25:09
it would have lost heaps of time. But I
01:25:11
did it at a at that point which it cost
01:25:14
me a couple of ten of a second as it
01:25:16
turns out. So I I was really angry with
01:25:18
myself for a split second and then but
01:25:20
then knew I just had to finish the lap.
01:25:22
So I I did not think I was going to be
01:25:24
fastest because I'd done that.
01:25:25
>> It's amazing. So it wasn't a perfect
01:25:27
lap.
01:25:27
>> Nah [ __ ]
01:25:29
>> Um
01:25:30
>> see Yeah. See another reason not to not
01:25:33
to be named the L word.
01:25:35
>> What um I don't know if it had any Yeah.
01:25:37
What impact did it have on your life if
01:25:39
any?
01:25:40
>> The doing that.
01:25:41
>> Yeah. Yeah, that
01:25:42
>> I mean it's it has been a huge it has
01:25:44
been a big impact because um and and it
01:25:48
was it it was more so because of uh the
01:25:52
reaction from the pit lane and also the
01:25:55
fans um because it was a and I think and
01:25:59
I know there's there's people that still
01:26:01
come up to me now and goes I was there
01:26:02
that year you did that and you go
01:26:05
[ __ ] hell wow okay and they go you
01:26:08
know it was the best thing and you're
01:26:10
like far out it's like Oh, really? Wow.
01:26:12
I really appreciate that, you know.
01:26:14
Yeah. And you got, you know, hardcore
01:26:16
Ford fans, hardcore, you know, bleed
01:26:19
blue who hated holding drivers and
01:26:22
hated. They go, I was a Ford fan, but
01:26:24
that was [ __ ] cool, you know, and
01:26:26
you're like, I really appreciate that.
01:26:28
It's, you know, it's amazing. So yes, it
01:26:29
was a it was a
01:26:31
>> and the fact that it still gets
01:26:33
referenced today and it's still
01:26:35
mentioned as a you know as a moment in
01:26:36
the in the um
01:26:39
>> the history of the sport and ba'ist
01:26:41
history um is um yeah it's a really
01:26:44
special thing. So you know not not
01:26:46
everyone gets that gets to experience
01:26:49
something like that um at all and um
01:26:53
>> Oh mate yeah 999 people out of a
01:26:56
thousand would never get to experience
01:26:57
something like that in their life. No,
01:26:58
it's probably more.
01:26:59
>> Yeah. Oh, absolutely.
01:27:00
>> Yeah. Yeah. Correct. And so that's, you
01:27:02
know, I am very uh I'm very humbled and
01:27:04
privileged and I and I I find it hard to
01:27:06
fathom that that it's still a still a
01:27:08
you know, I didn't think at the time
01:27:10
that it was um that that would be
01:27:13
something that would be remembered the
01:27:15
way it is and and and and historically
01:27:18
uh significant moment in Ba'athist
01:27:20
history. Didn't I just didn't consider
01:27:22
that at all. I started to get sick of
01:27:24
people going, "Oh, is it gonna is your
01:27:25
lap tie is it gonna get beaten this
01:27:26
year?" You know, three years in it's
01:27:28
like, for God's sake, can someone just
01:27:30
hurry up and beat it? I'm sick of this.
01:27:32
And then five years in, still going.
01:27:34
It's like, and I'm going, why can't I
01:27:36
beat it? It's like, Jesus Christ. And
01:27:38
then it gets to seven years and it's
01:27:40
like, oh, don't ask me if it's going to
01:27:43
get beaten again, you know? And then it
01:27:45
got beaten. I was like, "Oh, [ __ ]
01:27:47
Shit."
01:27:47
>> It was like 10 years though, right?
01:27:49
>> Uh 10 years ago.
01:27:50
>> It was No, no, no. It was only It was
01:27:52
seven, right?
01:27:52
>> Seven years.
01:27:53
>> Um, yeah. How do you feel when you see
01:27:55
it on YouTube now? when you see a replay
01:27:57
on TV.
01:27:58
>> Yeah, it's uh No, it is it's I mean it's
01:28:00
Yeah, it's it is significant. Yeah.
01:28:02
Yeah. I mean it Yeah, it's hard to
01:28:04
explain. I think um you know
01:28:08
and again I suppose this this is part of
01:28:11
it. I I get all the credit for it, but
01:28:14
um all the credit you know and it's
01:28:16
wonderful to see some of the camera
01:28:17
shots of it. you know, my engineer, he's
01:28:19
on the road and he's just you could just
01:28:20
look on his face and you know, um,
01:28:23
>> he played such everyone did. All the
01:28:26
guys working on that car,
01:28:28
>> the the whole organization cuz we we we
01:28:31
had to re, you know, reassemble from a
01:28:34
disaster 12 months before. And I think
01:28:36
everyone was on the same we was unspoken
01:28:39
almost. I don't think we ever talked
01:28:40
about revenge, you know, on what had
01:28:42
happened uh the 12 months before when I
01:28:44
I got a fivem minute penalty. It was,
01:28:46
you know, go from the lowest of the lows
01:28:49
getting given the world's largest
01:28:51
penalty ever given during a race to the
01:28:54
highest of the highs. And I think it was
01:28:56
just again this, you know, subliminal
01:28:58
desire. But my, you know, my engineer,
01:29:02
um, Eric Pender, um, we had a really
01:29:05
great bond and, and, you know, and, you
01:29:07
know, he's the guy that
01:29:10
turn, you know, had that car turn up the
01:29:12
way it was and and and
01:29:14
gave me the tool to be able to do my
01:29:17
job,
01:29:18
>> you know. So, and that's where the team
01:29:20
thing comes from,
01:29:21
>> I heard a quote from you in another
01:29:23
podcast. Um, the quote was, um,
01:29:25
>> I haven't done I haven't done any
01:29:27
>> talking about the lap of the gods. Um,
01:29:29
why the hell did this happen to me?
01:29:32
>> Yeah.
01:29:33
>> But what what do you mean? Like it
01:29:35
didn't happen to you. You You did it.
01:29:36
>> Yeah. But but but but how how and why? I
01:29:40
mean, again, I went back 12 months
01:29:42
later. I was the fastest in qualifying
01:29:44
again 12 months later.
01:29:46
>> And then I couldn't I couldn't go and I
01:29:48
couldn't go and replicate that lap the
01:29:50
next day.
01:29:52
You know, why not?
01:29:54
>> It's just And so why did it happen then?
01:29:56
I mean, you know, I
01:29:59
asking big questions. It did, but but
01:30:01
it's like the the factors that had to
01:30:04
all fall into place. It's all the pieces
01:30:06
of the puzzle, you know, to do that. Um
01:30:10
yeah, why I don't know. Why didn't why
01:30:11
wasn't someone else able to do it on
01:30:13
that day? These, you know, I'm not going
01:30:16
to not going to bloody sweat over it by
01:30:18
any means, but it's just, you know, um
01:30:20
yeah, I'm incredibly thankful, but
01:30:22
Jesus, you know, why did it happen to
01:30:24
me? M and a a a question here that um
01:30:28
could potentially get you in a lot of
01:30:29
trouble at home. Um so there was the lap
01:30:31
of the gods. Then you came back to New
01:30:32
Zealand and um you and your wife you had
01:30:34
a baby shortly after that. What was the
01:30:36
biggest highlight of that year?
01:30:38
>> Holy [ __ ] It was a big year. It was
01:30:41
just a it was like a everything
01:30:44
culminated. I mean the Ba'is 24-hour
01:30:47
race with Brock um you know Cormarmac
01:30:50
was born in October. Uh,
01:30:53
well, yeah. And
01:30:56
and that was only a couple of weeks
01:30:58
after Ba'ist. Oh my god.
01:31:01
>> Oh, that's a stitch up. Don't answer
01:31:03
that. You're on hiding to nothing.
01:31:05
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm not going
01:31:08
to. No, you can get [ __ ] I'm not
01:31:10
going to answer.
01:31:10
>> You're in the Perth. Yeah. Miracle of
01:31:11
Life is special, but have you seen my
01:31:13
lap of the gods?
01:31:17
>> Could have could have made a t-shirt.
01:31:19
That could have been a t-shirt.
01:31:20
>> So, yeah. You've mentioned the
01:31:21
fiveminute penalty. Um Jesus hot in here
01:31:23
a couple of times. You turn it turn that
01:31:25
back on. Um yeah, I've got a card here
01:31:27
called crashes and controversies. So
01:31:29
we'll touch upon a couple of these.
01:31:31
>> Home stretch. Home stretch. Meth the
01:31:33
five-minute penalty. What was that?
01:31:34
That's considered really controversial,
01:31:36
right? Like you were hard done by.
01:31:37
>> Um we deserved a penalty. It was a balls
01:31:41
up, but where they pulled the five
01:31:42
minutes was out of their ass stewards. I
01:31:45
didn't have a very good relationship
01:31:46
with officials. I was um yeah not uh not
01:31:50
overly welll liked. Um and uh yeah we we
01:31:55
you know it was a it was a mistake. It
01:31:56
was an error. It was a team mistake
01:31:58
unfortunately and um it was just a it
01:32:02
was a comedy of errors almost in some
01:32:04
respects. Um so uh yeah I drove away
01:32:08
from our pit bay with the fuel hose
01:32:11
still attached. So this refueling was
01:32:13
still happening and it caused a big fuel
01:32:15
spill and you know one of our my
01:32:17
refueler um Ian he got flung across the
01:32:21
bloody pit and stuff and um he was
01:32:24
bruised and battered and um you know so
01:32:26
it was a breach of a pit lane you know
01:32:29
um
01:32:30
situation
01:32:32
and um yeah it was it was a pretty
01:32:34
serious incident. Yeah. So, but the
01:32:37
officials just pulled out of their ass.
01:32:39
So, you know, you can come into the pit
01:32:40
lane, a 5m minute stop go penalty, which
01:32:43
was um yeah, incredibly well. Yeah,
01:32:46
that's it. Day done all over.
01:32:47
>> Well, yeah. Even for someone like me
01:32:48
that knows nothing about motorsport,
01:32:49
like you talked before about the
01:32:50
fractions of seconds involved.
01:32:53
>> It was a two-minute, you know, 2 minute
01:32:55
um 10 lap.
01:32:58
>> Yeah.
01:32:58
>> And so you were in the you're in the pit
01:33:00
lane stationary for over two laps.
01:33:02
>> So immediately you're Yeah. two and a
01:33:04
half laps behind after overnight.
01:33:06
>> Um, and there was a controversial
01:33:08
drive-thru penalty at Winton in 2004
01:33:10
that cost you a win.
01:33:12
>> Um,
01:33:12
>> what's a drive through?
01:33:13
>> That was three as well, I think. My
01:33:15
dates are all over the place.
01:33:16
>> Yeah. Well, they're close. You're a year
01:33:18
out. Um,
01:33:20
uh, so yeah, that was I was actually in
01:33:22
the hunt for the championship that year.
01:33:24
Um, it was going pretty good. That was
01:33:25
in Kmart racing. So, yeah, 2003 you had
01:33:28
lots of [ __ ] going on.
01:33:30
Jeez, you might be right. I can't even
01:33:32
know. I don't even know. We need to
01:33:34
search that. It's one of those years.
01:33:35
Anyway, I was in the hunt um and uh I
01:33:40
was um catching it's quite a long race.
01:33:43
300k races we had back then. So, they
01:33:45
were, you know, couple of pit stops and
01:33:46
a bit of strategy involved and bits and
01:33:48
pieces. They were quite good, but they
01:33:49
were long. Um and um I was chasing Craig
01:33:53
Louns and he made a mistake going into
01:33:56
um a long sweeping left hand corner at
01:33:59
Winton um and got it a bit wrong and
01:34:03
then tried to recover and doing that he
01:34:06
he got on the brake pedal right in the
01:34:07
middle of the corner and and I was right
01:34:10
behind him and so he got on the brake
01:34:12
when you should have been getting on the
01:34:13
throttle and so I was right behind not
01:34:16
on the brake on the throttle and he's
01:34:19
got on the brake and So, I've hit him
01:34:20
and he's gone off off the road, but he
01:34:22
was going off the road anyway. I just
01:34:24
finished him off. He was already heading
01:34:25
off the road. Um, and I there was I
01:34:28
couldn't do anything about it. Like, it
01:34:29
was it was his mistake, not mine. And um
01:34:33
I got um I got blamed for it. And it was
01:34:36
clearly obvious on all the on the
01:34:38
replays before they gave me the penalty.
01:34:41
It was just clearly obvious that um it
01:34:44
was his mistake and I was I was just an
01:34:45
innocent bystander in the wrong place at
01:34:47
the wrong time. And yet, I still got a
01:34:49
penalty. So, um I got I had to drive
01:34:52
through and and um Neil Crompton who was
01:34:54
commentating at the time and and um I
01:34:57
just absolutely rammed them for the most
01:34:59
terrible mis you know judgment um of of
01:35:03
anyone that's ever and Colin Bond who
01:35:05
gave me the penalty at the time. Um he
01:35:07
never ever came and apologized, never
01:35:09
ever said a word and he's a he was a bit
01:35:11
of an icon seen by many as a bit of a
01:35:13
legend of the sport, but I've um I've
01:35:15
never willingly spoken to him ever again
01:35:18
for
01:35:18
>> Wow. M I've hold I hold a big grudge on
01:35:20
that one.
01:35:21
>> Wow.
01:35:22
>> He he just he I may not have won the
01:35:25
championship but it it actually it
01:35:26
certainly um certainly made my life a
01:35:29
lot harder and I was it was Yeah. I
01:35:31
didn't don't think we recovered from it.
01:35:33
>> If you saw him in a room now like at a
01:35:35
function
01:35:35
>> I just ignore him.
01:35:36
>> Yeah. You're just indifferent.
01:35:38
>> I just I just Yeah. I just don't care.
01:35:40
Yeah. Yeah.
01:35:40
>> Uh then there was um I only saw this on
01:35:44
YouTube the other day, a 1997 crash at
01:35:46
Philip Island
01:35:48
>> um where your car um goes off the track
01:35:51
and sort of like caren in a straight
01:35:53
line towards um towards a bank at high
01:35:56
speed.
01:35:57
>> Then there's a a like a um a dust cloud,
01:36:00
but you the car flips
01:36:02
>> y
01:36:02
>> and then um you you're in the car and no
01:36:04
one knows if you're moving. First guy on
01:36:05
the scene is some dude in a black
01:36:07
t-shirt and jeans and a mullet. I think
01:36:09
he might even be holding a can like from
01:36:11
the crowd. What What are your
01:36:13
recollections of that? And that's
01:36:14
>> not a huge amount, but he he's he ended
01:36:17
up being um I'm I'm thinking I'm pretty
01:36:19
sure it's him. Um he ended up being
01:36:21
quite a good mate of mine, but not for
01:36:22
years later. Um yeah. Um he's no one no
01:36:26
one turned up so he jumped the fence cuz
01:36:27
he was like, "Holy [ __ ] is this guy
01:36:28
okay?" Um and yeah, I had a tire blow
01:36:31
out, right hand right hand tire blowout
01:36:33
going through that corner. It's like a
01:36:34
180 km an hour corner and and tire blew.
01:36:37
So, it just went straight ahead and the
01:36:39
bank was a lot closer than what it is
01:36:40
now. They moved I don't know when they
01:36:42
moved it, but it did get moved um at
01:36:44
some stage a lot further back. So, yeah,
01:36:46
it was um that was a sizable impact and
01:36:49
and the the energy from it, it basically
01:36:51
went in on a pretty sharp angle. Um and
01:36:55
just the energy from it rolled Yeah.
01:36:57
rolled the car over. It was quite
01:36:58
bizarre. I don't remember going over
01:37:00
really anything.
01:37:01
>> Do you go off the track and it's like
01:37:03
maybe two two seconds, maybe 3 seconds
01:37:05
before you hit the wall. Like, do you
01:37:07
remember that?
01:37:08
>> Uh, mate, it's 1997.
01:37:11
Not really.
01:37:13
Not really. Not hugely.
01:37:15
>> That must be terrifying though, like
01:37:16
being in an out of control car. Out of
01:37:17
control car going at that.
01:37:18
>> Yeah. It's it happens so quick. You
01:37:20
don't you know, you're just like, you
01:37:23
pretty much go, [ __ ] Yeah.
01:37:26
>> And then it's probably 30 seconds until
01:37:27
you you you open the door and you
01:37:29
>> Well, you're winded very badly winded. I
01:37:31
mean, the energy because it's an
01:37:32
earthfield tire bank um that you've gone
01:37:35
into. So there's there's the which in
01:37:38
some circuits in New Zealand they still
01:37:40
deem as safety which is absolutely
01:37:43
just archaic. Um they're very dangerous.
01:37:46
Earthfield tires are incredibly
01:37:47
dangerous um because there's just enough
01:37:50
movement in them for the energy to be
01:37:52
absorbed
01:37:53
but then the energy comes back. So it's
01:37:56
like a double hit. you you hit earth
01:37:58
filled tires and the and as I say the
01:38:01
the earth in the tire just hasn't you
01:38:03
know there's enough movement in there to
01:38:06
to actually take take that impact and
01:38:09
the energy that's being generated from
01:38:11
it but it's got to go somewhere and it
01:38:13
and it what it does is it recoils
01:38:15
bounces back and so that then it goes
01:38:17
back into the car back where it came
01:38:19
from basically so the impacts are really
01:38:22
really pretty d very dangerous and
01:38:24
that's why you know you don't see an
01:38:26
international or circuits anymore. That
01:38:27
kind of safety because it's not safe.
01:38:29
It's actually very unsafe. And so that
01:38:31
energy came back through the car. So,
01:38:33
and then it that which made the car
01:38:35
roll, but it also goes straight into you
01:38:38
and your body and seat belts and Yeah.
01:38:40
Let's just say that the uh um the old
01:38:44
between between the legs was a bit
01:38:45
purple for for a few days,
01:38:47
>> was it? From the Yeah, the seat belts.
01:38:50
>> Yeah. Cuz you get out of the car and
01:38:51
then you sort of like peel over and
01:38:53
collapse.
01:38:53
>> I It's one of those things. the first
01:38:54
thing to do is try is to get out because
01:38:56
you know fire you know anything and then
01:39:00
and it's like you still can't breathe
01:39:01
still can't breathe still can't breathe
01:39:03
you know yeah but I was all right the
01:39:04
beauty of work uh of being at a team
01:39:06
like HRT back then was was the like it
01:39:09
was like got spare cars so or spare cars
01:39:12
so it was like I was I was within three
01:39:14
or four days I was I was at the
01:39:16
racetrack again um driving um because it
01:39:19
was just like right the best thing to do
01:39:21
is is get back in another car and do
01:39:23
some laps and we were able to do it.
01:39:24
Back then there was wasn't any any rules
01:39:26
around it. So it was um it was that was
01:39:28
pretty cool.
01:39:28
>> How how do you not lose your mental
01:39:30
edge?
01:39:31
>> Um cuz you're selfish.
01:39:36
Just it's what it's part and parcel
01:39:37
with. That's the risk. One of the risks,
01:39:39
you know.
01:39:40
>> Were you married then?
01:39:41
>> No.
01:39:41
>> No.
01:39:42
>> No.
01:39:43
>> No. No. And and to be fair, I had I've
01:39:46
had crashes since and you just get back
01:39:47
on and go again,
01:39:48
>> you know. It's not um again that's that
01:39:51
selfish selfish part of it. I never I
01:39:53
never I never I've never considered I've
01:39:56
never ever been um scared of driving
01:40:00
scared of my life driving a race car.
01:40:02
It's just it's just not it's just not
01:40:04
there. Um
01:40:07
and I've driven a lot of very fast race
01:40:10
cars in in lots of different
01:40:11
environments and bits and pieces and I
01:40:13
just it's I think that's the it's still
01:40:15
the buzz and the thrill and the
01:40:17
excitement of it, you know, but they're
01:40:19
so safe. I mean,
01:40:21
>> yes, things do happen, but um they have
01:40:24
to there has to be a lot of pieces of
01:40:26
that puzzle that come together at the
01:40:28
wrong time for for it to be to be bad
01:40:30
enough.
01:40:31
>> Oh, yeah. Well, you look at the road
01:40:32
toll on on the track, it's it's so
01:40:34
minimal.
01:40:35
>> That's and that's that's the thing.
01:40:36
Still got a stigma. It's got a stigma
01:40:38
that it's, you know, so incredibly
01:40:39
dangerous. But, um, if you look at the
01:40:41
stats, people go, "Oh, well, how many
01:40:44
races could it be?" Well, there is there
01:40:45
is thousands of races going on every
01:40:47
week all over the world in various
01:40:49
different degrees. and people using
01:40:50
racetracks in racing cars and stuff just
01:40:53
you'd be millions of kilometers a week
01:40:56
done by race teams and race cars all
01:40:58
over the world and the the number of
01:41:00
fatalities from it is just absolutely
01:41:02
minimal. It didn't used to be that way
01:41:03
obviously used to be used to be a lot
01:41:05
more
01:41:05
>> you I wasn't going to go there but you
01:41:08
you mentioned your your bruised um
01:41:09
testicles just a second ago. So while
01:41:11
we're talking about um that part of the
01:41:12
body with with a long race um what
01:41:15
happens if you need to go to the
01:41:16
bathroom? Uh if you are in that that way
01:41:19
inclined and you can't you're not
01:41:20
getting out of the car, well it's it's
01:41:22
pretty uncomfortable to hold it in. And
01:41:24
by the way, it's your bladder, not your
01:41:26
balls.
01:41:28
>> No, it's that neither region.
01:41:30
>> So you just piss in your piss in your
01:41:31
race suit.
01:41:32
>> Yeah, it's happened. And people some
01:41:34
people are really bad at it.
01:41:36
>> What What's good at it? What's bad at
01:41:38
it?
01:41:39
>> Not doing it. Not doing it good.
01:41:42
>> But doing it and then doing it again and
01:41:44
again and again is bad. Yeah.
01:41:48
Well,
01:41:48
>> it's certainly it's certainly very bad
01:41:50
if you just expect your mechanics are
01:41:51
just going to keep cleaning it up.
01:41:54
>> The thing about a hot race car is that,
01:41:56
you know, if you do it during a race and
01:41:58
then um you know, there's still another
01:42:00
however many laps to go. It's, you know,
01:42:03
it it it Yeah, you need to get that seat
01:42:06
out and get it get water on it and flush
01:42:08
it pretty quickly.
01:42:10
>> Does Does your support crew get real
01:42:11
mad?
01:42:12
>> Oh [ __ ] What do you reckon?
01:42:14
>> What do you reckon? Especially if you
01:42:16
don't own up to it and you and you just
01:42:18
expect they're going to do something
01:42:19
about it.
01:42:21
>> That's funny. Um um another incident is
01:42:24
with um this Marcus Ambrose.
01:42:27
>> Yeah.
01:42:27
>> Um so there there's a crash.
01:42:29
>> Yeah.
01:42:29
>> Um caused by him.
01:42:31
>> No, caused by both of us.
01:42:32
>> Right. Okay. And then there's a big pile
01:42:35
up on the track um of cars. You you both
01:42:38
get out you you get out of your car. He
01:42:40
gets out of his car because there's no
01:42:42
cars going past. Um, and there's a stou
01:42:45
on the track.
01:42:46
>> Well, it's not really stou. It's just a
01:42:48
It's just a heated conversation.
01:42:50
>> Well, get said obviously you're not
01:42:51
miked up, so
01:42:52
>> just rubbish. Absolute rubbish. Yeah.
01:42:54
>> You [ __ ] idiot.
01:42:55
>> Just blaming Yeah. Blaming each other,
01:42:57
you know, and you know, we we'd had a
01:42:59
we'd had a pretty um sort of volatile
01:43:02
couple of years, you know, just racing.
01:43:04
Um and he was on his way to America at
01:43:07
the end of the season that of 2005 and
01:43:09
>> and doing that. But yeah, another one of
01:43:11
those moments. um uh just two BS aiming
01:43:16
for the same bit of road and and not
01:43:18
willing to really give each other um the
01:43:21
room they we deserve in a in a pretty
01:43:23
pretty precarious position on the
01:43:25
racetrack as well.
01:43:26
>> So yeah, it was it was you know again it
01:43:29
was in the height of the Ford versus
01:43:30
Holden time. It was in you know
01:43:32
incredible time to be racing in this in
01:43:33
supercars. um was just it really was and
01:43:36
we were you know he was a um uh top four
01:43:39
driver and I was one of many uh
01:43:42
competitive Holden drivers and and um
01:43:44
you know we were it was red versus blue
01:43:46
and the fans were incredibly passionate
01:43:49
and we we we were passionate about our
01:43:51
jobs and what we were representing and
01:43:54
um you know it's one of those things
01:43:55
that happens
01:43:56
>> but it was again it was a significant
01:43:58
and for the fact that it was a a big
01:44:01
crash and and it blocked the track and
01:44:04
you It was at Ba'ist and all that stuff.
01:44:06
So,
01:44:06
>> did you guys both get disciplined for
01:44:08
that or
01:44:09
>> uh it was it was deemed a racing
01:44:10
incident. So, you know, it was just left
01:44:12
it was left alone, but um you know um
01:44:15
obviously lots of judgments and lots of
01:44:16
opinions and and all that kind of stuff.
01:44:18
>> Do do you think conflict like that is
01:44:20
missing from the sport now?
01:44:21
>> Yep.
01:44:22
>> Yep. I do.
01:44:23
>> It adds another I don't think you want
01:44:24
to have, you know, monster shunts like
01:44:27
that um um very frequently,
01:44:30
>> but it crashing is part of it sometimes.
01:44:32
Um, and but we want close battles and we
01:44:35
want drivers to to, you know, not not
01:44:38
necessarily always like each other.
01:44:39
>> There was there was another little ding
01:44:41
I saw. Um, it was an accident caused by
01:44:43
you with a guy called Jonathan Webb and
01:44:46
um
01:44:48
yeah, you you you bang into him and then
01:44:50
you you're straight.
01:44:50
>> It wasn't caused by me. It was actually
01:44:52
caused by him.
01:44:52
>> Okay. But you were straight away on the
01:44:53
radio saying, "Oh
01:44:55
>> I own it. I caused it."
01:44:56
>> No, I just um uh I Yeah, I didn't. Yeah.
01:45:01
whatever came what it was said was I it
01:45:04
I didn't it wasn't like it mean it was
01:45:06
my fault it was just I you know um yeah
01:45:08
I can't remember exactly but it it
01:45:10
wasn't my fault it was his fault cuz he
01:45:12
I was actually on a qualifying lap and
01:45:14
he was doawling around on the racing
01:45:16
line waiting to start a lap so he was
01:45:18
actually in my way
01:45:20
>> oh okay you you sort of claimed
01:45:21
responsibility
01:45:22
>> I can't remember yeah something about
01:45:23
that but it certainly yeah I whatever I
01:45:26
said at the time was probably based on
01:45:28
[ __ ] LA being in Laand or something I
01:45:30
can't when maybe you admit having a piss
01:45:32
in your suit at that that point.
01:45:34
>> No, that was in qualifying. Was it
01:45:35
right? You should never have a piss in
01:45:37
your suit in qualifying because um
01:45:39
because you're only in the car for like
01:45:40
15 minutes. So that's never acceptable.
01:45:43
>> It's inexcusable.
01:45:44
>> Um you when when that happens is is is
01:45:48
Web's team mad at you as your own
01:45:50
>> They can't be mad at me because it was
01:45:51
his fault. So yeah. Um, I was very
01:45:53
disappointed that actually split open a
01:45:55
disc in my back which started started
01:45:57
really the the the the end of my
01:46:00
full-time career to be honest, that
01:46:02
crash. Um, uh, and and he was never held
01:46:06
responsible for it either. It was it was
01:46:08
a real [ __ ] show to be fair. And we
01:46:10
obviously both of us were out of that
01:46:12
race. The cars were just they weren't
01:46:13
weren't repairable. So that was the end
01:46:15
of the day uh for both of us. Um, and
01:46:18
yeah. Yeah. Um he I think he got away
01:46:21
unsanctioned from it and I don't quite
01:46:23
know how that was the case cuz um it was
01:46:26
it was yeah it was an open and shut kind
01:46:28
of situation really.
01:46:30
>> Um but yeah I split open my disc and and
01:46:32
which required um my back to have a
01:46:35
fusion um a couple of months later and I
01:46:38
missed a bunch of races that year and it
01:46:40
was a it was the end beginning of the
01:46:42
end.
01:46:43
>> How's the body now?
01:46:44
>> Oh, it's good. Yeah, it's good. don't do
01:46:46
enough exercise, but um other than that,
01:46:48
it's working. My back's good. Um that's
01:46:51
because it's bionic, so that's good.
01:46:53
>> Do you do you have like a man cave at
01:46:55
home or any memorabilia?
01:46:56
>> Uh a little bit. Not a huge amount. I I
01:46:58
got um it's one of those things you you
01:47:00
end up collecting a lot of stuff over
01:47:02
the years. And um when I came back from
01:47:06
New Zealand, I just had boxes and boxes
01:47:08
and boxes of all sorts of, you know,
01:47:10
race suits and and um uniforms and all
01:47:12
this kind of stuff. So, I had a big did
01:47:14
a big auction at Hampton Downs actually
01:47:16
and sold a lot of stuff. Um because it
01:47:18
was just it was going to always be in
01:47:19
boxes cuz not one to have it all, you
01:47:22
know, plastered around the house or
01:47:23
anything like that
01:47:24
>> and it was just going to rot if I didn't
01:47:26
do something with it. So, um did that
01:47:28
and um gave a whole lot of money away to
01:47:31
um type 1 diabetes research at the time
01:47:34
because both both Ron and Cormack got
01:47:36
type 1 diabetes. So, we did that and got
01:47:40
rid of a lot of stuff. Yeah. But I've
01:47:42
got I've got, you know, significant
01:47:43
trophies and and bits and pieces. I've
01:47:45
got a big cabinet that's got a lot of
01:47:47
all, you know, all the supercar model
01:47:49
cars and stuff that I've driven and bits
01:47:51
and pieces, but I don't have don't have
01:47:53
a a significant, you know, man cave.
01:47:56
>> Yeah. From from what I've from what I
01:47:58
can gather about you, you're not a guy
01:48:00
that dwells on the past too much. Like
01:48:02
you're busy enough now and you're busy
01:48:03
enough looking forward to what's next.
01:48:05
Um, but does it feel good when you when
01:48:07
you see those things around the house?
01:48:09
>> Uh, well, they're not around the house.
01:48:11
hidden in a hidden in a corner
01:48:14
>> in the in the garage um where all
01:48:16
trophies should be. Um uh not really I
01:48:20
don't see I don't really reflect on it
01:48:21
that often really. Um
01:48:25
I yeah listen it's nice to have uh you
01:48:29
know uh reference and you know I've got
01:48:32
enough it's I've got enough reference I
01:48:34
don't you know I don't you know I also
01:48:36
gave away regrettably now a [ __ ] ton of
01:48:38
my helmets and things. they've actually
01:48:41
something that I wish I had had kept
01:48:43
more of. Um albeit a lot of them did go
01:48:46
to special people that had really done
01:48:48
huge things for me and and and
01:48:50
contributed to um you know significant
01:48:52
parts of my career. So you know I'm
01:48:54
happy about that. Um but uh you know
01:48:57
they they really are a um I think they
01:49:01
identify a driver you know because
01:49:03
they're significant piece of of their
01:49:05
equipment and and everyone you know a
01:49:07
lot of guys do have you know uh a design
01:49:10
that sort of signifies you know them. Um
01:49:13
so I've still got quite a few but um
01:49:16
yeah would have probably liked to have
01:49:17
kept a few more.
01:49:19
>> What about cars? What have you got? Do
01:49:20
you have many cars? Do you have you got
01:49:21
a holden? Yeah, I've got I've got um
01:49:23
I've got one Holden Holden ute um that
01:49:26
was the last of the the um Holden
01:49:29
Australia built well yeah that no one
01:49:32
else built utes. Um so I've got one of
01:49:34
those but that's that's the only Holden
01:49:35
that I've got.
01:49:37
>> What about your mental health over the
01:49:38
years? How's how's that been?
01:49:40
>> I'm pretty mental. Yeah.
01:49:42
>> Um no pretty good, you know. Yeah, I've
01:49:45
had had moments. I had uh yeah, this you
01:49:48
know, but no, no. Um
01:49:51
uh yeah. you know, I've I've not not
01:49:53
really
01:49:56
um really felt that I've needed to
01:50:00
>> I think I think you know
01:50:04
quite significantly
01:50:07
um
01:50:10
there's been some some stuff over the
01:50:12
last few years that I think it's really
01:50:15
um
01:50:17
not really given me a huge amount of
01:50:19
help. or be it, you know, it's been a
01:50:20
couple of times I've had conversations
01:50:22
with people and, you know, just about
01:50:24
um, you know, maybe some some moments or
01:50:27
some things that, you know, you want to
01:50:29
talk about. So, I've I've sort of felt
01:50:31
that I that that's always been there,
01:50:34
whereas obviously people a lot of people
01:50:35
don't feel that they can do that.
01:50:37
>> Who who do you talk to?
01:50:38
>> Oh, goodness. I got some very close
01:50:40
mates and things. Yeah. So, you know,
01:50:42
and actually to be fair, you know, with
01:50:44
what the guys at the Rock have done, you
01:50:47
know, um and you know, done their
01:50:50
fundraising and stuff around mental
01:50:52
health, you know, I've um talked to them
01:50:54
um number of times as well, you know,
01:50:56
and just engaged and and
01:50:58
>> like off the air.
01:50:59
>> Yeah, off the air and and on but um done
01:51:01
stuff but but off the air as well, you
01:51:03
know. Um, so yeah, a couple of times
01:51:06
just around that time of when they've
01:51:08
been talking about it as well. And
01:51:11
that's that's,
01:51:12
>> you know, and I think uh I mean, yeah, I
01:51:15
can easily sort of
01:51:18
I think um be quite open about that kind
01:51:21
of stuff. It's not, you know, I don't I
01:51:23
don't feel like I should be holding
01:51:25
anything in at any given time. So, as I
01:51:27
say, I've got some got some, you know,
01:51:29
still a really good close group of
01:51:32
mates. don't see them enough, but you
01:51:34
know, they're always always there.
01:51:37
>> That's really cool. Um, I think that's a
01:51:39
really big thing. I'm about the same age
01:51:41
as you, and I know a lot of guys our our
01:51:42
age and our demographic in particular
01:51:44
find it really hard to like open up and
01:51:46
have those open and vulnerable
01:51:47
discussions. So, it's that's really
01:51:49
powerful.
01:51:50
>> Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't I I've not I
01:51:53
can honestly say I don't think I I'm
01:51:55
sure I don't feel like I've really ever
01:51:57
struggled in that space, you know.
01:51:59
Um
01:52:02
uh so yeah um I I think I'm pretty
01:52:06
>> pretty good in that space and I would
01:52:08
hope that my other people I know my
01:52:11
mates that I know too would be would
01:52:12
feel the same to be able to you know
01:52:14
talk to me if they needed to.
01:52:16
>> Oh good on you. What
01:52:19
>> because it is a challenging space and
01:52:21
world and for all sorts of so many
01:52:23
bloody reasons these days.
01:52:24
>> Oh it's tough and there's been a lot
01:52:25
going on the last 5 years probably since
01:52:27
the beginning of the pandemic. There's
01:52:28
been a lot and yeah totally it's been a
01:52:30
tough time for a lot of people
01:52:31
>> and I and I don't you know and it's it
01:52:34
it sometimes is really
01:52:36
>> it's difficult isn't it to
01:52:39
you know to see things from different
01:52:40
perspectives but it you know and
01:52:42
understand some of these things that
01:52:45
people are going through um and how
01:52:48
they're seeing things and how you know
01:52:50
>> uh they might not see an outcome or a
01:52:53
way through stuff and that you know that
01:52:56
that is it's Uh yeah, really must be so
01:53:00
difficult to have to try and deal with
01:53:01
that. Really must be.
01:53:03
>> Yeah.
01:53:03
>> Yeah. So difficult if people can say,
01:53:06
"Oh, keep going, you know, and nothing
01:53:07
last's going to change." But if your
01:53:09
last 100 days have been [ __ ] and today's
01:53:11
[ __ ] then of course you're going to
01:53:13
think tomorrow is going to be no
01:53:14
different, right? Um, no, but it's I
01:53:17
think that's um probably one of the most
01:53:18
powerful parts of this podcast today,
01:53:20
like you you sharing that that that
01:53:21
you're okay to have these open and
01:53:23
honest conversations with friends
01:53:24
because I don't know, a lot of people
01:53:26
probably think from um the murf that
01:53:28
they know, the hard-nosed racing guy,
01:53:31
they probably think he's not the sort of
01:53:33
guy that would have those conversations
01:53:34
with people.
01:53:34
>> Oh, maybe. But um you know, you're just
01:53:38
a normal person at the end of the day.
01:53:40
As I say, I didn't I didn't um
01:53:44
um set out at 10, 12, 15, 20 years old
01:53:49
to to to have the life that I had. I
01:53:53
mean, I didn't know what was I didn't
01:53:54
know what was in store, you know.
01:53:56
>> So, I'm I'm, you know, I've had uh some
01:54:00
amazing moments
01:54:02
um which again I did for me primarily.
01:54:06
At the end of the day, it was it was it
01:54:08
was because that's what I wanted to do
01:54:10
for me. It just so happens that it was
01:54:14
in a um open
01:54:17
arena where a lot of other people were
01:54:19
watching, right?
01:54:22
>> And they were able to decide if they
01:54:26
were like if they like that, didn't like
01:54:27
that, like me, don't like me, like
01:54:30
Holden, don't like Holden, whatever. to
01:54:34
come up with their own their own um uh
01:54:38
belief or thoughts around who I was,
01:54:42
what I am. You know, I've had that many
01:54:44
people go come up to me since I've
01:54:47
stopped racing and go, "Oh, used to be a
01:54:50
Ford fan. I used to think you're a real
01:54:51
[ __ ] dick,
01:54:53
but you know, I've seen I saw you doing
01:54:55
this and like, oh, you seem like you're
01:54:56
an all right guy." I'm like, "Thanks,
01:54:58
man. That's cool. I don't mind. That's
01:55:00
okay." um you know and that and and
01:55:03
you're perceived as something they don't
01:55:05
know who you are.
01:55:07
>> Never spoken a word to you. You're
01:55:09
judged because of what you said on
01:55:11
television.
01:55:12
>> That's it.
01:55:13
>> Or a persona really.
01:55:15
>> Yeah.
01:55:16
and and and and
01:55:18
all because they like motorsport and you
01:55:21
just happen to be a driver that's in in
01:55:23
there and you've gone and crashed into
01:55:25
their favorite driver or you've beaten
01:55:26
them or you've said something on TV that
01:55:29
they don't like and it's like you're a
01:55:31
dick. It's like we've never met.
01:55:35
>> You know nothing about
01:55:36
>> we could be best mates.
01:55:37
>> Yeah.
01:55:39
>> For so many reasons and yet that's how
01:55:42
you that's how you're perceived. That's
01:55:43
how you're judged. which is a which when
01:55:45
if you honestly want to think about that
01:55:47
and again look at social media and the
01:55:49
the most heinous horrible things people
01:55:52
are prepared to [ __ ] write
01:55:55
on a on a on a um comment
01:55:59
>> about someone or something that they
01:56:01
know nothing about.
01:56:03
>> Don't know backstory. Don't know
01:56:04
anything. Don't know the person, but
01:56:06
they're prepared to write something
01:56:09
abusive and heinous about that you know
01:56:11
is beyond me. I just am in I just cannot
01:56:15
fathom that people get so wound up about
01:56:18
stuff that's not certainly when it comes
01:56:20
to sport
01:56:21
>> which is just there's there's it's not
01:56:24
important it's entertainment
01:56:26
>> in so many ways
01:56:28
>> it just makes no sense I mean but okay
01:56:30
some people are very passionate about it
01:56:32
but when it comes when you go that far
01:56:34
you've gone way way too far way too far
01:56:38
I don't mind if you go ah you're a
01:56:40
holding driver you know, [ __ ] I don't
01:56:43
like you because you're a holding
01:56:44
driver. That's fine. No problem.
01:56:46
>> But if you know, it's like, I wish you
01:56:48
would I wish you would die.
01:56:50
>> You know, the amount of things that
01:56:52
people say that are just, you know, you
01:56:54
really you really should have privileges
01:56:56
taken away from you for that kind of
01:56:57
stuff. It's just the damage and
01:57:00
dangerous the harm that's done, you
01:57:01
know, through that stuff is just
01:57:03
horrendous.
01:57:03
>> Does make you wonder what those people
01:57:04
have got going on in their
01:57:05
>> own and obviously challenging. Obviously
01:57:07
massively challenging but it still
01:57:09
doesn't that still does not give
01:57:11
>> any you know permission to to or reason
01:57:16
to do that kind of stuff.
01:57:17
>> No absolutely not. I suppose there's no
01:57:18
way of knowing this because most of your
01:57:20
career was done like pre social media.
01:57:22
>> Well when I you know when Marcus and I
01:57:24
had our bingle on the mountain um um I
01:57:29
got my death threats came through people
01:57:30
writing letters
01:57:32
and and sent to Kmart Racing. Oh no
01:57:36
sorry. Super Cheet Racing. It's like
01:57:37
you're a [ __ ] wanker. I hope you you
01:57:39
know bloody hell [ __ ] hope you die
01:57:41
and all this kind of that was people had
01:57:43
to write that [ __ ] or type it and print
01:57:46
you know and put it through a word
01:57:47
process or a printer or something and
01:57:49
put it in an envelope and lick a stamp
01:57:51
and [ __ ] send it to you.
01:57:52
>> Then the next morning wild week later
01:57:56
it's like so old news. You've missed the
01:57:58
boat, mate. You've missed the boat.
01:58:00
>> You can understand like typing on your
01:58:02
phone and then hitting send and it's
01:58:03
gone. But to write a letter and then
01:58:05
take some effort. I actually I've got to
01:58:07
give that credit, you know. You've got
01:58:09
to give that credit.
01:58:10
>> Yeah.
01:58:11
>> What's um what is a perfect day for you
01:58:12
these days?
01:58:13
>> Oh, shoot.
01:58:15
>> What brings you What brings you the most
01:58:16
joy?
01:58:17
>> Um
01:58:19
what brings me the most joy? I I mean,
01:58:21
honestly,
01:58:23
uh
01:58:26
doing bugger. Um you know, um
01:58:31
it's great. I I mean I I spending time
01:58:34
with you know with your with your kids
01:58:35
is is is always um pretty amazing if
01:58:39
they can be bothered anymore. I missed I
01:58:40
missed a lot of the time that I you know
01:58:42
with them when they actually wanted to
01:58:43
be with you. I wasn't around. Um so you
01:58:49
know and then they they grow up and
01:58:50
they're teenagers and then all that sort
01:58:51
of changes. Albeit when they want money
01:58:53
they they all of a sudden you're pretty
01:58:55
friendly. Um
01:58:58
>> want to go want to go car racing dad.
01:58:59
you know, uh, what are we going to do
01:59:00
about what am I what are we going to do?
01:59:02
What are Yeah.
01:59:04
>> Um, listen, I I I like riding my dirt
01:59:07
bike. I like, you know, um, I like doing
01:59:11
sweet FA as well. You know, I'm quite
01:59:13
happy being at home. I'm quite happy,
01:59:16
you know, mucking around at home. Um,
01:59:19
you know, I'm quite happy mowing the
01:59:20
lawns to be fair these days. Um, if I've
01:59:23
got the time. Um, you know, so it's it's
01:59:28
a lot of different stuff really.
01:59:30
>> Um,
01:59:32
a lot of things that I I would like to
01:59:33
do more of that I don't do more of. I
01:59:35
like flying, but I don't get to do a lot
01:59:37
of that at all anymore.
01:59:39
>> Oh, you're a helicopter guy?
01:59:40
>> Yeah, helicopter license. I've got a
01:59:41
helicopter license, but it's just not
01:59:42
being utilized in any way, shape, or
01:59:44
form, which is which is something that's
01:59:45
um
01:59:47
>> um yeah, I would like to do more of, but
01:59:49
it's again, it's time and
01:59:51
>> and resources. But um um yeah, I got
01:59:55
bunch of stuff I like doing, but I I
01:59:57
also yeah, I'm also very happy not doing
01:59:59
a lot at times too. So yeah,
02:00:02
>> I like boating, you know, in summer. I
02:00:04
like we spend a bit time at Lake Topo
02:00:06
and and um you know, like wake surfing
02:00:09
and doing, you know, those kinds of
02:00:11
things. Sort of anything. I like my
02:00:12
mountain biking. Not doing as much as
02:00:14
that at the moment, but I'm quite happy
02:00:16
firing faring down steep hills as well.
02:00:18
Quite like that. But again, it's all
02:00:19
sort of adrenaline stuff.
02:00:21
>> Yeah. Oh, so so you're still scratching
02:00:23
that itch or finding ways to scratch
02:00:25
that itch.
02:00:25
>> Yeah. Yeah. I I don't know much of it
02:00:27
needs um I mean if I don't do it for
02:00:31
don't do something for a month. It's
02:00:32
it's not like it's it's driving me mad
02:00:34
kind of thing, but I do enjoy doing it.
02:00:36
>> Yeah.
02:00:36
>> Yeah.
02:00:37
>> What are if anything um what are you
02:00:39
still working on as a man?
02:00:41
>> What are the
02:00:41
>> Oh Jesus?
02:00:43
It's endless.
02:00:45
>> Yeah. I um Yeah. Still lots of improving
02:00:48
to do in many areas. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
02:00:52
Is this you saying this or your wife
02:00:54
tells you or your kids tell you what you
02:00:55
need to work on?
02:00:56
>> Well, you know, it's so there's I think
02:00:58
a part of my personality is is has made
02:01:01
it made u pissed them off for from for
02:01:04
many years, I would say. Um
02:01:06
>> well, I saw um an Instagram post um
02:01:09
happy birthday Instagram post to you
02:01:11
from one of your sons.
02:01:12
>> Oh, really? It was really nice. And
02:01:13
there was a carousel of photos and he
02:01:14
goes,
02:01:15
>> "Happy birthday, Dad. I love you." And
02:01:16
then in brackets like even though you
02:01:18
can be a real cactus sometimes. That's
02:01:20
the That's about right. I think if you
02:01:21
go back through um every 12 months prior
02:01:25
to that, there might be a similar one to
02:01:27
be fair.
02:01:28
>> What What does that mean? Like prickly
02:01:29
on the outside.
02:01:30
>> Real prick. I think
02:01:33
um
02:01:33
>> if they're being if they're being
02:01:34
honest.
02:01:35
>> What about regrets? Any regrets?
02:01:37
>> Oh, far out. That's that is really
02:01:41
difficult because um yeah there lots of
02:01:44
moments in time you regret you you know
02:01:47
you wish you'd done things differently
02:01:48
or whatever and and some of that is
02:01:50
definitely um yeah trying to should have
02:01:53
been around more when my wife was
02:01:56
dealing with three kids and stuff and
02:01:59
you know it's just uh was yeah I just
02:02:01
probably was focused on some of the
02:02:03
wrong things.
02:02:04
>> It's funny you say that. I've had so
02:02:05
many guests on the podcast and the ones
02:02:07
that spring to mind just off the top of
02:02:08
my head like um Peter Leech, Lori Mains,
02:02:12
Grant Fox, they all say the same thing
02:02:14
like um that's the one thing they regret
02:02:16
like the time that they didn't have with
02:02:18
the kids.
02:02:19
>> Yeah.
02:02:20
>> You can't get it back.
02:02:21
>> No, you can't. Um
02:02:24
>> Yeah. You just It's just like the focus
02:02:27
was just not right, you know? you're
02:02:29
just just so caught up in professional
02:02:32
life and and stuff
02:02:36
and you just sort of you're like I don't
02:02:38
know how I would have done it better but
02:02:39
I'm sure you could have
02:02:40
>> you know
02:02:41
>> um and then when you are there be real
02:02:44
present be more present you know um a
02:02:47
lot of the time
02:02:48
>> suppose that's yeah just being ruthless
02:02:49
with time management so when you're
02:02:51
there you're you're fully engaged
02:02:53
>> yeah yeah
02:02:54
>> what about future goals like where do
02:02:56
you see yourself in 5 years 10 years
02:02:58
>> oh god Oh, cheese. I asked I asked
02:03:00
everyone in that um in that podcast that
02:03:02
I've done, you know, that same question
02:03:04
and think it's easy to answer. It's not
02:03:06
easy to answer, is it? Um uh I don't I
02:03:09
don't want to be this busy in 5 years is
02:03:12
what I am. Um I would like to be able
02:03:16
to, you know, um be putting a little bit
02:03:19
more time into some of these passion
02:03:21
kind of projects like, you know, um
02:03:23
fixing fixing road safety and stuff like
02:03:26
that. Um, I would like to be able to,
02:03:29
um, yeah, spend I think my wife and I
02:03:32
would both like to be able to be be
02:03:34
Yeah. Uh,
02:03:37
enjoying
02:03:39
more
02:03:40
more of the things that we do like doing
02:03:42
together. Um, and and not be so caught
02:03:46
up in in um, in trying to make a living
02:03:50
and and set ourselves up maybe for the
02:03:52
future. Um, you know, cuz at the end of
02:03:54
the day, you know, it's not like it's
02:03:56
not like we're
02:03:57
>> we're uh certainly in Struggle Street,
02:04:00
but you just tend to keep saying yes and
02:04:02
keep doing things and um cuz it's it's
02:04:06
it's sort of in your it's just the in
02:04:09
your in your bu in your in your makeup,
02:04:11
you know? It's sort of the way it's
02:04:12
always been.
02:04:13
>> So, I've got to I've got to do better at
02:04:15
that. I've got to do better at saying
02:04:16
no. Um but the thing is I enjoy I enjoy
02:04:19
everything that I do.
02:04:21
Uh, which is a problem as well. You
02:04:23
know, you go, "Ah, gez, I wish I wasn't
02:04:25
as busy." And then if you're not, you're
02:04:26
like, "What the hell? What, you know, I
02:04:28
need to be busier." It's just
02:04:30
ridiculous.
02:04:31
>> It really is. So, I enjoy I enjoy
02:04:33
everything I do with the people I work
02:04:35
with.
02:04:36
>> So, that makes it sort of challenging to
02:04:38
to say to say no.
02:04:40
>> Um, I don't I mean, done a bit of
02:04:42
traveling. It's not like I I need to do
02:04:45
a [ __ ] ton more of that, but I um I
02:04:48
would like to actually spend some more
02:04:50
time um in some parts of New Zealand. I
02:04:53
love Central Targetgo and spending time
02:04:56
down there and I, you know, I would like
02:04:59
to do some more fun stuff like riding my
02:05:01
adventure bike and and doing a bit more
02:05:04
mountain biking and a bit bit more of
02:05:05
that stuff and seeing actually some more
02:05:06
of bits of New Zealand that I haven't
02:05:08
seen to be fair. M
02:05:10
>> um I don't know. There's heaps of other
02:05:12
stuff.
02:05:12
>> What about fears? A lot of people
02:05:14
probably think Greg Murphy is fearless.
02:05:16
>> Uh
02:05:19
>> well, I think that's a valid fear. It's
02:05:21
very reasonable.
02:05:22
>> [ __ ] hate crocodiles.
02:05:25
>> Terrified of them.
02:05:27
>> Same. Like sharks get a bad rap because
02:05:30
I feel like sharks when they attack
02:05:31
humans, it's seems
02:05:33
>> Yeah. But they're not as ugly.
02:05:34
>> Yeah. Mistaken identity when sharks do
02:05:36
it. I feel think they feel bad about it.
02:05:37
Yeah. Didn't give a [ __ ] Yeah. Yeah.
02:05:40
>> Um
02:05:42
it's your funeral and um there were
02:05:44
three words that you your your family
02:05:46
and your friends had to
02:05:47
>> god Dom
02:05:50
three words that you
02:05:51
>> you've found my weakness. Fears
02:05:54
answering these questions.
02:05:59
>> Three words that that that you'd like
02:06:01
family and friends to use to describe
02:06:03
me.
02:06:03
>> Oh Jesus Christ.
02:06:06
Did all your podcasts go this long?
02:06:08
>> This is quite a long one, but I've I've
02:06:10
probably deliberately stretched this one
02:06:11
out because I knew how much you were
02:06:12
dreading it. No, actually, I've cut I've
02:06:14
cut corners. There was a lot to talk
02:06:15
about that I've sort of edited out as
02:06:17
we've gone.
02:06:17
>> Does that mean I've talked too much?
02:06:18
It's
02:06:18
>> been engaging. How's this been for you?
02:06:21
Has it been awful?
02:06:22
>> No.
02:06:23
>> No.
02:06:24
>> But, you know, it's not it's not
02:06:26
life-changing.
02:06:28
>> I know you'd rather be like back in your
02:06:30
hotel room just on your own right now
02:06:31
rather than
02:06:32
>> Yeah, I'm quite happy in that space. So
02:06:34
am I. So am I. I think I'm like um
02:06:37
>> probably I'm suppose I'm like
02:06:39
extroverted introvert.
02:06:40
>> Now you've got me thinking I would hate
02:06:42
to I don't know. What would what would I
02:06:44
like people to say? Three words.
02:06:45
>> Yeah. Like so so so you you're dead,
02:06:48
your family and your your three kids are
02:06:50
there and your wife's there. Like how
02:06:52
would you like them to see you?
02:07:00
>> God Jesus. You know I haven't thought
02:07:03
about that. Eh
02:07:12
That's not going to come quickly.
02:07:15
>> How would I like them to feel? Do people
02:07:18
answer that really quickly?
02:07:20
>> Some do. A lot. A lot don't.
02:07:21
>> Yeah. Right.
02:07:22
>> Yeah. Just It varies.
02:07:25
[Music]
02:07:30
No, I'm have to I'm have to um
02:07:37
I'm going have to get inv I'm going to
02:07:38
have to get advice on that one.
02:07:41
>> If Eddie McGuire was here, I'd get you
02:07:43
to phone a friend.
02:07:44
>> Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
02:07:46
>> No, I'm not sure.
02:07:48
>> What? At least one of the three words.
02:07:50
>> Oh god. I I think if I'd thought of one,
02:07:52
I would have told you.
02:07:53
>> Yeah. Loyal. I reckon you you'd be you'd
02:07:55
be fiercely loyal. Like once once you
02:07:57
once once you're lock once you're locked
02:07:59
in with Murf, as long as you don't [ __ ]
02:08:00
you over, you'll be loyal for
02:08:02
>> Well, yeah. Well, I was very loyal. I
02:08:04
was I was very loyal to the to uh in
02:08:07
during my career to to the brand to to
02:08:10
the Red Side. Um you know, I think
02:08:12
that's that's a big big part of it. Um
02:08:17
they would probably they might say that.
02:08:20
I think my friends would probably say
02:08:21
that. M
02:08:23
>> um
02:08:23
>> that's a great quality.
02:08:25
>> Um
02:08:28
>> yeah, that would probably I would hope
02:08:30
Yeah, maybe I'd hope that would be one
02:08:31
word.
02:08:34
>> They might all struggle to find any more
02:08:39
be I I would probably be accepting of a
02:08:41
few, you know, derogatory ones to be
02:08:43
fair. Yeah. Cuz I'd go, "Yeah, man. It's
02:08:45
true."
02:08:45
>> Yeah.
02:08:46
>> Yeah.
02:08:46
>> Competitive.
02:08:47
>> He's a bit of a prick. Yeah.
02:08:50
>> No, I I like the funeral thing because
02:08:51
it's like no one has anything bad to say
02:08:53
about someone.
02:08:54
>> No, I like like I tell you again because
02:08:56
I am not a uh religious person. I am so
02:08:59
far not. And um so it would be you know
02:09:03
it would be a it would just be
02:09:06
everyone would be it would be a demand
02:09:08
that everyone gets pissed
02:09:10
>> and just you know
02:09:12
>> um you know some kind of you know sort
02:09:14
of it's a it's just a acceptance of the
02:09:17
situation and and move on you know but
02:09:19
it's like you know all right have a
02:09:20
drink and
02:09:21
>> celebrate the what it was and and and
02:09:24
move on really that's that's what it's
02:09:26
got to be.
02:09:28
>> Okay.
02:09:28
>> Can I try and answer that one for you
02:09:29
then? We'll go we'll go um again I don't
02:09:32
know you very well but I've spent a bit
02:09:34
of time with you in this past year. Uh
02:09:35
we'll go loyalty integrity.
02:09:38
Um blunt.
02:09:40
>> Mhm.
02:09:41
>> Blunt's good.
02:09:42
>> Two out of two two out of three ain't
02:09:44
bad with good words.
02:09:45
>> Yeah.
02:09:46
>> Yeah.
02:09:46
>> Yeah.
02:09:47
>> Can we lock those three in?
02:09:48
>> That's fine.
02:09:48
>> Y
02:09:49
>> I'm okay with that.
02:09:51
>> Why is he scared of crocs? They are just
02:09:54
they they're just prehistoric
02:09:57
killing machines and they're terrifying
02:10:02
terrifi like there's a so the supercars
02:10:05
goes to Darwin every year right and um
02:10:08
the place and like people love Darwin.
02:10:11
Oh, it's great to go up there. It's
02:10:13
like, okay, well, oh, it's hot and you
02:10:16
know, it's on the water. I'm like, the
02:10:17
water is full of sharks, crocodiles, and
02:10:20
and um um jellyfish. Bottle uh what are
02:10:23
they? The bad ones.
02:10:24
>> Oh, the blue bottles.
02:10:25
>> Yeah, whatever they are. Right. And it's
02:10:27
like, so I'm sorry, but a place that's
02:10:29
surrounded by water, but you can't go
02:10:31
in, not that attractive to me. And and
02:10:34
then they've got this this thing there
02:10:36
that you can swim in a tank and on the
02:10:41
other side of the thick glass is a
02:10:43
[ __ ] crocodile.
02:10:45
>> No thanks.
02:10:45
>> And you're like, I don't give a [ __ ] if
02:10:47
the glass is 12 ft thick.
02:10:51
It, you know, don't tell me there's not
02:10:54
a chance that that's going to end up in
02:10:55
the same place as you. It's not
02:10:57
happening. Also, I think sharks like you
02:11:00
go into their their ter you're in their
02:11:02
house when when you get attacked. But um
02:11:04
yeah, the fact that crocodiles can go on
02:11:06
land as well. I don't know. They're a
02:11:07
threat on land animal.
02:11:09
>> Okay, last one. Greg Murphy, are you
02:11:11
proud of yourself?
02:11:13
>> Uh
02:11:14
I don't know. I think there's there's
02:11:16
room for improvement
02:11:18
across the board.
02:11:20
>> Yeah. when you when you sit and do a
02:11:22
podcast like this and a lot of it sort
02:11:23
of like a highlights reel of some of the
02:11:25
stuff you've accomplished. Um you know
02:11:27
you've built this family, you've got a
02:11:29
successful marriage off the track and
02:11:30
then there's the racing stuff. Um
02:11:32
>> I got I got I got three I got three
02:11:34
amazing children. Um and I've got a an
02:11:36
incredibly incredibly um oh how do you
02:11:41
describe my wife?
02:11:42
>> Tolerant. a she's ma incredibly
02:11:45
tolerant, but also um she's got a she's
02:11:48
got a a uh she's also got a great
02:11:50
temper. Um she's very stubborn. Um but
02:11:54
she's brilliant and you know is uh
02:11:58
raised three incredible kids almost by
02:12:01
herself in some respects.
02:12:03
>> Um you know, and she's incredibly smart
02:12:05
and determined and and uh very
02:12:08
motivated. Incredibly motivated. She
02:12:10
leaves me for dead as far as motivation
02:12:12
goes. Um, you know, so, you know, I'm
02:12:15
I'm just so lucky. I know. I mean, I'm
02:12:17
proud, but I think I feel I'm more lucky
02:12:19
than than than anything else to have
02:12:21
have that. Um,
02:12:24
>> that's a huge success.
02:12:24
>> You create your own luck, though, don't
02:12:26
you?
02:12:26
>> Well, you do. You do, but it it comes
02:12:28
But it's a but that that partnership is
02:12:30
just um
02:12:32
>> Yeah. So critical, right? to to have,
02:12:35
you know, to have got the three children
02:12:37
we've got and have them the way they are
02:12:40
um is is um it's testament to yeah a bit
02:12:44
of teamwork I suppose but um yeah uh the
02:12:48
foundations were probably more built by
02:12:50
what she was up to
02:12:52
>> what she did um through all that time
02:12:54
cuz you know see we had two two boys
02:12:56
under three that had type 1 diabetes um
02:13:00
which is was just in you know I had a
02:13:03
lot of lot of parents go through some
02:13:04
incredibly challenging things with their
02:13:06
children, no doubt.
02:13:07
>> Yeah.
02:13:08
>> Um and this was, you know, it was
02:13:09
something we knew nothing about. It was
02:13:10
it was quite challenging and she she,
02:13:12
you know, became an absolute dead set
02:13:13
expert on on that
02:13:16
>> um that issue and and um you know, had
02:13:18
to deal with that, you know, uh let's
02:13:23
say five days a week by herself pretty
02:13:24
much, you know, if not more sometimes.
02:13:27
>> So, you know, that's that's pretty
02:13:29
amazing. Um
02:13:32
um so yeah. Yeah. Listen, I I think
02:13:36
you know I feel
02:13:39
that maybe um hopefully if I can
02:13:43
get some proper change going on a few
02:13:45
things especially around the road safety
02:13:47
thing that would make me pretty proud to
02:13:48
have been to be a part of trying to
02:13:50
actually improve that.
02:13:51
>> Yeah,
02:13:51
>> I don't think we've achieved bugger all
02:13:54
at the moment. Um, I'm proud of um the
02:13:56
Street Smart program that um I'm a part
02:13:59
of that was set up with Holden in back
02:14:02
in 2017 and and is off the ground again
02:14:04
now thanks to thanks to some incredible
02:14:06
contributors like Tony Quinn who's who's
02:14:08
allowed us to get that cracking again
02:14:10
because I I know that's making a
02:14:11
difference. I know we're we're um
02:14:13
improving safety and making kids that do
02:14:16
the course. I know that they are better
02:14:19
off and I think the parents that come
02:14:20
with them are also better off because
02:14:22
they've got a better understanding. And
02:14:24
so that is um really significant in a
02:14:27
professional
02:14:28
>> sort of space and and more important
02:14:31
than winning ba'ist and more important
02:14:33
than than winning races in cars. That
02:14:36
stuff making a difference changing
02:14:38
outcomes for people so that their live
02:14:40
lives aren't destroyed. That is the most
02:14:42
I think that's that's as at a
02:14:44
professional side of things that's the
02:14:45
most important thing you can do. So
02:14:47
hopefully we can can continue to do more
02:14:50
of that. Um and if I can, you know, get
02:14:53
some stuff um changed or support and be
02:14:56
a part of hopefully instigating some
02:14:58
change in our road safety space in New
02:15:00
Zealand, then um that will be that'll be
02:15:03
something to be very proud of as well.
02:15:05
But um I'm not holding my breath at the
02:15:07
moment because I don't believe we've got
02:15:09
a a political system that is is smart
02:15:11
enough to do it.
02:15:14
>> I think that's a great place to end it.
02:15:16
Um I want to change that word, too.
02:15:18
We'll go um loyalty, integrity, and um
02:15:22
passionate. You Yeah. I mean, this is
02:15:25
what you
02:15:25
>> passionate can be Yeah. can be construed
02:15:27
and and be seen in many different ways.
02:15:29
>> No, but like um your your passion
02:15:31
towards um making the roads a safer
02:15:33
place is um it's commendable.
02:15:36
>> It's commendable. And that's a big theme
02:15:38
with this new podcast series that you've
02:15:39
got coming out.
02:15:40
>> Um and I've learned a lot from being
02:15:42
>> I just don't get I just don't get why
02:15:44
it's why these things are so difficult.
02:15:46
Yeah,
02:15:46
>> it makes honestly the amount of money
02:15:50
that we waste in this country and get
02:15:52
nothing for it
02:15:53
>> is I don't think it's any different to
02:15:55
most countries, but in this little
02:15:57
country we can do so much better and we
02:15:59
are just we are doing a [ __ ] job in so
02:16:02
many spaces and yet and yet wasting so
02:16:06
much along the way and it's it's uh very
02:16:08
frustrating.
02:16:10
>> Well, Greg Murphy, you're a great New
02:16:12
Zealander,
02:16:13
>> not a legend.
02:16:14
>> Yeah, good. Great news agree with that.
02:16:16
Um even yeah racing aside like this the
02:16:19
the stuff that you're doing in the road
02:16:21
safety sphere. It's um incredible and
02:16:23
it's been great to finally get you on
02:16:24
the podcast. I know there's a hund
02:16:26
places
02:16:27
>> you'll judge that by how many people
02:16:29
listen to this and then comment on it.
02:16:33
>> No, I'm I'm happy with it. I think it's
02:16:34
a great podcast. Um
02:16:37
>> I do ask that question to a lot of
02:16:38
guests. It wasn't that long ago.
02:16:40
>> What was it? What Yeah. Are are you
02:16:42
getting more emotional in this chapter
02:16:43
of your life?
02:16:44
>> No. No, it just um um a really um tragic
02:16:48
um uh moment in mine and a lot of other
02:16:52
people's lives um um about six weeks
02:16:56
ago. We lost a lost a very close mate.
02:16:59
So yeah, at a young age.
02:17:02
>> Yeah, I'm sorry to hear that.
02:17:05
>> This has been great. Thank you, mate.
02:17:07
Really appreciate it.
02:17:08
>> Don't ask again.
