Rusty's Garage

With thanks to Oscar and the team at McLaren Rusty continues something of a Singapore tradition of catching up on the eve of the event. Some reflections of last week’s crazy GP in Malaysia and his decision to pit at a critical moment to change tyres. Even with all the data in this game now drivers making a call like that from the cockpit shows their brilliance. Coping with heat and humidity for ba...

Rusty is joined by Craig ‘Junior’ Lowndes, former HRT team boss Jeff ‘Hog’ Grech & loyal Brock Lieutenant Graeme ‘Mort’ Brown for this special edition. A group of colleagues and co-workers who became close friends share their stories of the King of the Mountain. Being in awe of him….what those first meetings were like and the impact he had. The cars….the co-drivers…..the unforgettable races. Mento...

His vivid memories of a frightening crash at Lakeside in a Sierra and how he’s since brought that car back to life. What it was like working with the late greats - Peter Brock and Allan Moffat. Recollections of passing an “electrical apprenticeship” during the Bathurst 1000. The joy of racing with his son George and winning some significant races. Keeping an eye on future talent like Blake Tracey,...

Growing up in the Apple Isle and being wowed by some absolute heroes of the day at the legendary Longford track. Borrowing money from his Mum and channeling it into a race car. Getting into the car business and working in Sydney’s epicenter then on Parramatta Road…the lessons it taught him for the future.  Chasing the open wheeler dream and going to England only to be told he probably didn’t have...

We’re at Sydney Motorsport Park for this one to chat with the founder of SRO Motorsport Group Stephane Ratel. The story of how it all started & the incredible footprint they now have around the world. Why he says they’ve “built the house, now they want to furnish it”. His impressions of the great work being done in Australia as the headline act of the Shannon’s Speed Series. Plus the global growth...

Rusty headed to Wellington for this one for the announcement that Race of Champions is coming back down under for two shows in January 2027. It’s the first time since the inception of ROC that the event will be staged in New Zealand. The boss, Fredrik Johnsson, who founded ROC back in 1988 with rally legend Michele Mouton, talks to us about signing F1 stars Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas….wh...

This ep was recorded on Father’s Day 2026 & TM is in great form as we launch into part 2 of a collection of his business & motorsport memories. Going with his gut on a big freight or transport deal with the Kelly’s. How time ‘wounds all heals’, that’s not a typo, I let Terry explain. A shortlived Bathurst win for Paul in the 90’s and watching on as his son finally climbed that Mountain with Chaz M...

Leaving school at a young age but always being industrious and with an eye for opportunity. Becoming a member of the Gippsland Car Club and helping to build the Morwell Hill Climb. Earning enough to buy a rare beauty - a Zephsca (pictured). Racing the Sandown 500 in an HD Holden and convincing the local dealer that it would help them sell cars. Riding shotgun with his son Paul well before ‘The Dud...

From swimming to singing and ultimately ending up managing the internationally respected Race Driver Training complex on the Gold Coast. The opportunities she saw as Paul Morris championed the brand and now working with all sorts of manufacturers right round Australia. School runs with a young Broc Feeney and Nash Morris and using her love of elite sport and PT qualifications to improve the fitnes...

Code Sports’ Matt Hickey is back on the pod ahead of Round 13. What are Kimi Antonelli’s chances of winning at home, or will the Tifosi get a Ferrari fairytale? Lando Norris is in hot form as McLaren aims to turn up the heat on the Scuderia in the chase for second in the Constructors’ Championship. Has Liam Lawson done enough to keep his place on the F1 grid next year? Rusty reckons he has. Is Ast...

Rusty is in rally mode for this one catching up with an Aussie Off-Road legend and a Kiwi WRC star. Fresh from Rally Tasmania a week ago Toby headed over the ditch to contest round 4 of the New Zealand Rally Championship. How much he’s enjoying playing in both series and some insights on the different cars he’s driving. You can find out more about the growing GR Yaris Rally Cup in New Zealand here...

The decision, around the time of the pandemic, to buy a team, why he was ready and relished the new challenge. Working with the Kelly’s and Ford as they set out to build a leading outfit in the ultra competitive Supercars pit lane and why he believes they are not there yet. Reflections on his drivers Kai Allen and what makes him so good. Negotiating speed humps with the brilliant Matt Payne and wh...

A long form feature interview like this is something new for the Penrite Racing team owner & we’re delighted he’s joined us in the Garage studio. Building golf courses in the early days including one for the Sultan of Brunei. A window into his success mindset - stopping to savour the 2025 Bathurst 1000 win isn’t something he did for too long, it’s the same in business. Going back to Uni while jugg...

The Australian Speedway great amassed 10 national Sprintcar titles during his decorated career. Recorded in 2019 many fans may not realise that ‘Rushy’ is in our library. This relaxed and candid convo remains a personal and professional highlight of Rusty’s career having captured Garry’s autograph as a young fan, something Greg has kept to this day. We also talk Speedcars,...

Originally from Adelaide but beaming in from his base in LA now Miguel talks about how a childhood love of sport, admiration for athletes and early collecting habits that started him on this journey. The teenage trip to America that opened his eyes to the memorabilia business while hoping to meet and watch the legendary Michael Jordan play. Being trusted by Muhammad Ali for a decade and the surrea...

How he frames the highs and lows (with the benefit of time now) at DJR. The standard SVG and Scott McLaughlin lifted the sport too just as he was hitting his straps in Supercars. Mentoring and paying it forward by working with the likes of Broc Feeney in his early days and more. Regularly spending time at Team 18 HQ and hanging out with the crew (even when they’re not racing) for things like...

Starting karts later than others but catching up real fast! Learning from people like Michael Ritter in Formula Ford and finding his way onto Larko’s (Mark Larkham) radar. Heading to Europe to race Formula Renault in 2014 and scoring 7 wins, plus another 2 in the non-championship Nurburgring races, on the way to the title. Some memories of racing at legendary places including Spa, Assen, Zol...

Discussing his revolutionary online platform that harnesses clever tech to help event organisers as well as participants and ultimately fans. Tom is a familiar face in the Australian Rally Championship. We talk about that passionate pursuit, some of the success he’s enjoyed there and how he saw opportunity within the sport. The learnings from another industry, applying it Motorsport and how...

It’s not that long since we spoke to the great man on the pod! Back in July 1980, he was part of a 500cc Grand Prix-winning team in Belgium with a young Randy Mamola. It was Randy’s first premier-class victory and the first of many for JB. Graziano Rossi was in that same race. Years later, JB would become crew chief for his son, Valentino, who became one of the sport’s all-time g...

Twisting Brad Jones arm to race an Audi in the Australian Super Touring Championship but falling in love with the rival BMW. Taking on a motorsport tyre distributorship for Michelin and BF Goodrich and expanding the footprint into New Zealand and Asia. Bringing a Toyota Racing Series car to Australia in the hopes of broadening the successful Kiwi series to our side of the pond. And giving Neal Bat...

There are so many stories in our sport…not just those that take home the silverware. Trevor Sheumack has been a bit of a constant for decades in various forms of Motorsport but his story isn’t limited to just Australia.  His likeable nature and co-do approach to things saw him land roles with teams in Europe off the back of engineering his own cars at home. Learning valuable...

Rusty is joined by Code Sport’s Matt Hickey for a GP convo that could have been fueled by a Schnitty and some Apfelstrudel! George Russell is back in the winner’s circle for the first time since Australia. Was he lucky to keep that pole lap? Toto Wolff’s quote of the week and how Kimi Antonelli drove with real speed and smarts on the way to the podium. Max Verstappen keeps making...

From last minute driver call ups to team manager take outs this is a snapshot of story lines at the end of another sensational Supercars weekend in the Northern Territory. How Mark Winterbottom suddenly ended up racing at Hidden Valley while his Tickford stablemate Thomas Randle recovered from a brutal Saturday. What went wrong for Walkinshaw TWG’s Chaz Mostert almost within sight of the fin...

The serious health scare as a youngster and how it made him determined to realise his dreams. Mortgaging the family home and vital funding coming through while he was on track. Reality TV wins and putting the suit on for a critical meet with Matt Stone. Surrounding himself with good people to win Super 2 in a car that was stickered from top to toe. Timing and the commitment needed to graduate to t...

Why didn’t we do this sooner! Rusty catches up with Bathurst and former Super 2 champion Todd Hazelwood for a gripping convo. His Dad’s Desert Racing and why “Rusty” traded the bike to Hill Climb a special family car. Todd begins his own racing journey on dirt and is immediately hooked. Moving to bitumen and coming up against a young Cam Waters and Anton de Pasquale. Making...