Chequered Flag Chat

S1 E14: Phil Alexander

He has more than four decades of experience racing in events such as the Bathurst 1000, Bathurst 12 Hour and Nurburgring 24 Hour, and now Phil Alexander is using that expertise for the benefit of the motorsport community, providing the knowledge and logistics to help new people enter the sport.

 

On this episode of Chequered Flag Chat, Phil fascinates us with some of the enthralling stories from his career, as well as talking about the services provided by his RaceAway Track Time operation.

S1 E13: Maddi Scordia - The Changing Nature of Motorsport Sponsorship

Motorsport sponsorship used to be solely about exposure and brand awareness – put a sticker on a race car, spectators will notice and recognise the brand. These days though, sponsorship is about so much more than that – it involves elements such as staff and customer incentives, business-to-business networking opportunities and various other benefits.

 

On this episode, we look at the changing nature of motorsport sponsorship – why companies continue to invest and how they justify the expenditure.

 

Our guest is Maddi Scordia-Smith, who has a wealth of experience in the digital marketing arena, inside and outside the motor-racing industry.

S1 E12: Matt Braid

Matt Braid is CEO of the Australian Racing Group (ARG), which runs a suite of national categories including TCR Australia, S5000, Trans Am Australia and Touring Car Masters, along with the Bathurst 6 Hour and Bathurst International events.

 

In our chat, Matt talked about his time at Supercars, and prior to that, his roles in the automotive industry including his stint as Managing Director of Volvo Cars Australia.

S1 E11: Category Critique - Formula Ford

The Australian Formula Ford Championship has been in existence for more than half a century and it’s still going strong. In our category critique, we look at Formula Ford's history, advantages and disadvantages and investigate why it has such an amazing record for breeding future stars of the sport.

 

2015 Australian Formula Ford Champion Cameron Hill joins podcast host Lachlan Mansell to break down the ins and outs of the category.

S1 E10: Chris Lewis-Williams

The Benalla Auto Club is unique among Australian car clubs in that it owns not just one, but two permanent racing circuits – Winton and Wakefield Park. It also controls the Australian Auto Sport Alliance (the AASA) and the Australian Motor Racing Series (the AMRS).

Our guest this week is the CEO of the BAC Group - Chris Lewis-Williams. 

Chris has been in the top job for almost five years and in our chat he talks about the progression of the businesses in the last five years, highlights, challenges and plans for the future.

S1 E9: COVID Conversation

What will the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic be on the Australian motorsport industry? How will the current circumstances change the progression pathways for young racing drivers aspiring to forge a professional career? How will state and national categories be affected?

On this episode of Chequered Flag Chat, Lachlan Mansell and Dave Stillwell tackle the big questions.

S1 E8: Craig Denyer

He may not have quite reached the household celebrity status of his son Grant, but Craig Denyer has an extensive CV that includes program director roles at some of Australia’s biggest commercial radio stations, motorsport commentary at some of Australia’s largest events and administration for categories such as V8 Utes, Australian GT and TA2 and events such as the Bathurst 12 Hour.

In a fascinating podcast episode, Craig talks about his career and also offers some forthright views on the current state of play in the Aussie motorsport industry.

S1 E7: Lucy in the Sky in Timing

Lucy Hatton is an experienced motorsport timekeeper, who has officiated at some of Australia’s highest level motorsport events including the Supercars Championship and Bathurst 12 Hour.

As well as explaining her journey from car enthusiast to motorsport official, Lucy discusses the evolution of timing technology. 

WARNING: some aspects of this podcast reach three pens in the pocket levels of nerdiness.

S1 E6: Garth Walden

When it comes to motorsport, Garth Walden has done a bit of everything. He's raced V8 Supercars in the main-game, including a start in the Bathurst 1000. He’s also raced production and improved production cars, GT cars, Porsches, Radicals, Sports Sedans, LMP3 cars and won the World Time Attack Challenge three times.

These days, Garth is kept busy managing his large-scale GWR Australia operation, which runs more than 35 cars across a widespread array of motorsport categories.

In our Chequered Flag Chat, we discuss all of the above and also delve into the original "Team Sydney" concept that almost - but not quite - made the V8 Supercars Championship grid in 2008.

S1 E5: Gerald McDornan - Part 2

Gerald McDornan may not be widely known outside of the motorsport industry, but he was one of the key figures responsible for ensuring motorsport received the widespread mainstream media coverage it deserved.

In Part 2 of his chat with Lachy Mansell, Gerald talked about running his Veracity Media communications business, the current state of play in the Australian motorsport landscape, and he opened up on his infamous altercation with a high-profile Aussie motorsport personality in a Texas bar in 2013.