SPEAKER_05 0:00

Ash is having a fantastic season. And not to take one bit away from his results. It's fair to say that some other drivers haven't had a great season.

SPEAKER_02 0:09

And then like Aaron came over and he didn't even drive for us anymore and leave us crying.

SPEAKER_00 0:14

Hopefully then we can go faster and we beat Ash next year. Or even this year. Who knows?

SPEAKER_02 0:18

There's no point really kind of getting too emotional over it.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

I don't know. I think he's probably been more emotional this year than any year.

SPEAKER_05 0:25

A lot of things can go wrong in 40 races. Yeah. We haven't got just four weekends left. 16 races. 16 races left.

SPEAKER_00 0:32

And for him to be getting up on podium to get his jack's ears.

SPEAKER_02 0:35

I mean, that's everybody's favourite moment in the fact that David's incredible, yeah. They're all great, and I'm very, very proud of them. But the outright drivers' championship is the reason I'm still here. I will have that outright drivers championship.

SPEAKER_00 0:47

And of course the drivers, I mean, Tom Ingram joining us, taking the risk to join us back in 2021.

SPEAKER_01 0:52

Yeah, we all told him not to.

SPEAKER_00 0:54

Thanks, Alan.

SPEAKER_01 0:55

If you can only pick one championship to win, is it the drivers, the manufacturers, or the teams?

SPEAKER_00 1:02

I'd like to win all three. One two last year. That's good.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Sorry, sorry.

SPEAKER_01 1:17

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the latest BTCC podcast, and um what a panel we have with us today. We've had drivers in recent weeks, um, but today we have Justina Williams, um owner of Accelerate Motorsport, Alan Gowell, Chief Exec of the BTCC, and Adam Weaver, team principal and owner of PowerMax Racing. How are we all doing?

SPEAKER_00 1:39

Very good, thank you. Yes. Good, good.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Justina, I have a list of uh accolades here. Team owner at Accelerate Motorsport, Motorsport UK Inclusion Ambassador, Girls on Track and Race for Diversity, and a female STEM ambassador to the British Army. Is there anything anything else I've missed?

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Or uh the one that springs to mind is the Lord Wakefield Challenge Trophy that I won last year, which I was very delighted to receive. Didn't expect that one coming. So yeah, that's one to add to the list.

SPEAKER_02 2:12

Can you explain more of that to MLB? Well, it's to do with I'd rather have just left it as uh wondering what that was forever.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Come up with a whole lot of things. You all have to educate me on that one.

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Well, it's um a panel of judges that choose um a female in the in motorsport that has been um seen to be progressive, giving a lot back, and um very much high standards of performance in the sport. And very luckily I was chosen.

SPEAKER_02 2:42

You raced as well, didn't you? I did use the race. In carts, or did you do that?

SPEAKER_00 2:46

In cars in the mini challenge Cooper class.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

Right.

SPEAKER_00 2:48

So yeah, I wasn't a bad peddler either. Wouldn't mind doing it myself again soon.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

Easier being a driver than a team owner, I think.

SPEAKER_00 2:56

Definitely easier being a driver because you have no stress. Whatever happens to you in the car, you can you can control as much as you possibly can, bar other racing drivers on the track with you. But when you've got all your drivers out on track, yeah, I'm far more stressed and nervous because I can't control what happens. And I want them to have the best time possible and get the best results, but you can't control it.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

And females in motorsport is obviously something that we're all very passionate about. And how do you feel that has developed over the last five to ten years? Still lots to do, I imagine.

SPEAKER_00 3:28

Yeah, there's still lots to do. I mean, we have very luckily quite a few females in the team, whether that's engineers, managers, uh, technicians, and honestly, they are fantastic. I'd love to have more. Uh, they are very organized as well, and just fit in with the team so, so well. I think it's good to have that different angle and that different view on things. I think sometimes females look, as I do, at things in maybe in a different way. Uh, but I think it's incredible. I'd love to have more. We need to do more, and I think the way to do that is educating people, and that needs to start at a young age, like you know, eight from even from the age of eight, to be able to show people the opportunities in motorsport. And it's not just on track, it's off track. It can be marketing, it could be social media, it could be hospitality. There's so many careers within motorsport. Uh, so yeah, having more females would be great. We're we're not we're not there yet, we've still got a long way to go. But um, we're making good movements within that side of things. We just could do more.

SPEAKER_02 4:28

Completely agree. On that, my marketing team, we're up to three now with marketing and social media, they're all females. Oh, fantastic. It's uh it's a I think it's a really gentle way to get them into the sport in some respects. But you know, some of these have have joined us and weren't really that interested in motorsport and then kind of got the bug and and you know, they're very passionate about motorsport and really enjoying being sort of this side of the fence working in the industry. So um I'd second that. I'd I'd absolutely love more females applying for the jobs that we've got.

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Yeah, and I should plug our own driven by sport initiative at this point because obviously we we invite schools down a number of times throughout the season. And um to see, obviously, we it's boys and girls, but to see the girls fully engaged, um, they've seen all of the different careers that you can get involved. And as you quite rightly say, whether it's on this side of the camera or engineering, mechanics, or or a driver, um, it is great to see, but still lots of hard work to do.

SPEAKER_00 5:22

Yeah, absolutely. And I won't stop at it, I'm sure none of us will. It'd be it'll be great.

SPEAKER_05 5:26

I I think we underestimate the amount of achievement that's gone on in the last probably 30 years. You know, when I started um managing this championship, there would uh there would probably be one or two females in the garages. Um, the rest are in all hospitality or PR and media and everything else. And now there's one or two or three in every garage. Um so the and it's it's just a normal now. Back in the early 90s, it was really abnormal to see it. So uh I I I concentrate less on female drivers and more on the p females in motorsport. I think and I think that's what we need to do. Um female drivers will come through regardless, because they'll have the talent uh to come through. But the ones that have realized that there's more to motorsport than holding a grid board or working in hospitality industry or working in PR and media, and can be engineers, data engineers, mechanics, that's the part that I'm really proud of. And it's just eye-opening to see how many females are involved in our paddock. And actually, not just the BTCC, all throughout the support races as well. Have a if one day we'll do a count-up of how many females work. Well, I have to, so you're you're a good idea. Well, you said you're gonna find it. You said you were gonna fire me earlier, so but we should do a count-up and see how many females actually work in our events. And I think that would be a real idea.

SPEAKER_02 6:55

There's only so much we can do, though. I mean, like we're all very welcome and open to it, but you know, we we can do a lot of these things to try and encourage females to apply. But you know, like you said, it's got to go back to a younger age. There's got to be more done at schools to basically empower young girls to know that these things are accessible and it's possible.

SPEAKER_00 7:15

Well, that's part of why we do an educational programme with Draper Tools, because we get people at a young age just going into college, obviously not eight years old, but going into college to think about what they could do other than just being maybe a mechanic on a on a road car. There is motorsport as an option. And it's just that's like so females as well, which uh you know, there is an opportunity there for sure. And just having them knowing there is that opportunity and having people to come to see what you do is really, really the thing to help them with.

SPEAKER_05 7:45

And and to be fair, the explosion in interest in Formula One over the last you know eight years, six or eight years has increased the the female attention on what is also available within motorsport. So um uh you can't underestimate the the impact that that has had, or the positive impact that that has had. And it's the old story is you know, rising tide floats all the boats. You know, if there's more people want to get involved in Formula One, they've got to start somewhere. Yeah, and hopefully they'll start here.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Well, actually, on that point, we have had a number of females that worked with us starting as an assistant running one of our Mini Coopers, and some of them are now in Formula One. And as much as I've lost them, and I'd love to have kept them, they've got a future ahead of them and they're doing really well, and that makes me feel proud that we gave them an opportunity to start from scratch, you know, start from the bottom, work their way up, and look where they are now. Um, yes, I've lost them as a fantastic team player, but I'm proud that they've gone and achieved what they've achieved today.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

That's great news. And we shouldn't forget our fantastic fan base as well. I think we did a recent survey a couple of years ago now, and um the female male split, I think it was 46% female, 54% male. And again, I'd be fantastic if it's 50-50, but it's getting somewhere around that mark. And you look around the crowds, the banks, there's families there, there's you know, the entire family with their children. So um, yeah, it's fantastic to see, um, but onwards and upwards in in that regard. Over to Adam. Um, you're our first returning um panelist on the podcast because you were on the pay. Very little.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

I haven't paid on the thing. Very little.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

You're on the first, um, and which was great when we came down to to visit yourselves in the in the off season. You were in the middle of the recovery program after the horrendous fire last year. But just um, I guess just updates on this last six months. You were in the process of building the new Audi's and um you've seen them now hit the track, and you've you've now got four cars on the grid.

SPEAKER_02 9:44

I um I'm not sure I saw the time where we'd be building three more BTCC cars, let alone four. So that came as a bit of a surprise. But obviously, when when Nick made the call and and and asked if it was something that we'd consider, then you know, um we're all mad. So we said yes. And uh, you know, we're now here for four BTCC cars, um, looking good, very competitive. Um, you know, we're we're kind of leading all the championships that I think we're capable of of leading at the moment. So um, you know, we're in a really good place.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

That's great. We'll come back to to this season in a bit. We're gonna go back to some BTC memories for you. Alan Gow. I'm sure people will be interested to hear this. Maybe. Well maybe not, I'm not sure, but I'm sure they will be. To hear about your first or early memories of this championship. Um, was this when you were in Australia still? Was that where you first kind of learnt and knew about it?

SPEAKER_05 10:37

No, because to be honest, the beat uh the BTCC in Australia is is it or was invisible in those days. Um no, it's uh in the in the late 80s I was running a race team uh with a guy called Peter Brock, who's a very famous driver in Australia. And we were changing cars. We went from a Holden to a BMW, and then we needed to buy some Ford Sierras because they were the things you had to have, they were the winning cars. Uh so Peter and myself came over here to go and visit um a guy called Rudy Eggenberger in Switzerland, who was building the Ford Works cars, and Andy Rouse in Coventry, who's running the Ford Works team in the BTCC. And we did a deal, bought a couple of cars from Andy. Andy then came, we bought the cars. Andy then came out and raced with us a couple of times at Bathurst and everything else. Cut long story short, I still hadn't seen a BTCC race. Um and then I moved over here in 1990. Uh, I'd sold, Peter and I sold a business. Uh, and uh I moved over here in 1990 like a typical Australian wanting to have a look around and everything else. Um, and uh Andy said, Why don't you come and help me out? So um I did, and that was my first introduction to BTCC was sort of mid-1990. Um uh, but purely as just sort of hanging around with Andy and having a look at what was happening. So I hadn't had any preconceived ideas of what the BTCC was um or could be or whatever. I just didn't know anything about it.

SPEAKER_01 12:16

Do you ever have enough to I know life is busy and it one season rolls into another, but do you ever look back at that and think kind of a lot of unique chance? I suppose for a lot of us, you know, you kind of end up in sometimes it's it's moments in time, but that must be quite strange.

SPEAKER_05 12:30

It's always a sliding doors, isn't it? You know, um that was just an opportunity that came. I'd I'd back in Australia, I'd sold my businesses. As I said, Peter and I sold a race team. For the first time I was at a loose end, I'd also um uh um I wasn't married to that stage. So it was just an opportunity to come over. I didn't come over here with anything other than the idea of using the UK as a springboard to go and do more travelling because I've already already travelled widely around the world anyway. And um, so um, and I didn't even have anything lined up with Andy. Andy didn't offer me a job and said come over to the UK. It was just we we got together, had lunch in Coventry, and he said, Why don't you come and work for me and do some things?

SPEAKER_02 13:13

Can't believe you had lunch in Coventry and then decided to stay in the UK.

SPEAKER_05 13:17

TGI Fridays, of course. Um and uh and that's uh and that's how it happened, and and it's just from that then we looked at we can make this championship bigger and better than what it was, because it was running at a fairly low level in those days, and it was run by the uh uh the RAC or the MS RAC MSA, the Motorsports Association. And so we thought as a group of us we got together. There's myself, Andy, Dave Richards from ProDrive, um, and Dave Cook from uh who's then a Voxel uh uh team owner, and uh we got together, approached uh the MSA and said, we can do better than you. Um so we did a deal and boarded off them.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Incredible.

SPEAKER_05 14:05

But it was just it was an opportunity. I'm I'm not a I'm uh you know, I'm I'm nothing more than an opportunist. You know, so I didn't I didn't invent the BTCC. It was already here, it had a really good fan base, it already had some limited um BBC TV coverage, but you know, it was only 20-minute highlights on grandstand all that stuff, but it was still it it had the makings of what could be better. And they also were going through a new change of regulations to change it to the new two-litre formula from the multi-class formula before. So the timing was just right to have a go at it. So that was it.

SPEAKER_00 14:42

It's funny that you had an opportunity because it was similar to me. I didn't ever expect to have a race team. Um, I was racing, but uh it was an opportunity given to me by the owners at the time of Mini Challenge because my background was business and customer service more than it was, you know, I wasn't a mechanic, I'm an electrician, but not a mechanic. Um, and they said, Yeah, I think you could run a really good race team. So sold the Porsche off the drive, got someone to build us our first race car, and got bought a race trailer, and we won the championship in our first year.

SPEAKER_05 15:14

That's usually how the best things happen. I I I've never had a plan in my whole life.

SPEAKER_02 15:20

Do you want to admit to that? I'm not even winning it, right? I've been winning it all my life.

SPEAKER_05 15:26

Um I've never sat down with a three-play-play. Yes, you do yes, you can. You can be honest. I've never um I've never sit sat down with a three or five-year plan, all that sort of stuff. I just believe that you should always be reactive um and responsible to what's going on. So um I'll bet you you don't sit down with a chance.

SPEAKER_02 15:44

Oh no, I don't have that plan.

SPEAKER_05 15:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:46

I mean, I I was a sponsor. So I was a sponsor to um a team running a Chevrolet um in the in the championship. Um it was at the time the original BTC racing with Chris Stanton.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Um didn't know that as well.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Interesting. Um we we sponsored him, and then at the end of the year, um, I mean, it's probably best I don't name some of the suppliers and issues that we had within the team. Um, but um they they asked for quite a lot more money um to sponsor them at the end of that year, and I said absolutely no chance. I said I'd want to own the team for that. And it was kind of like a throwaway comment, and then basically about six weeks passed after the end of the season, and I got a telephone call and was like was that serious, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:28

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Um and then um met Chris at a hotel um near us to have a conversation about it and drove back down the drive, having shook hands on a deal to own a BTCC team.

SPEAKER_05 16:40

So and that's uh most people I know in business, that's how things happen. It's it's it's it's an opportunity. It's a matter of matter of whether you take that opportunity or not, as to how brave you are and everything else.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Yeah, the same thing happened to me with this job as well. I'm still undecided whether I took the right opportunity or not. But um 15 years later. Thanks, thanks, Alan. That leads us to our next um in regards to earlier memories, but was uh the BTC something that you were aware of, fond of, even from afar as a fan, or yeah, I think because I was racing myself, it was very much a bit of an eye-opener to BTCC, and it is the pinnacle of motorsport in the UK, without a doubt.

SPEAKER_00 17:23

And I think for us, we had the minis and we were doing really well with running the minis, but we always had the ambition to come into touring cars, but at the time we we couldn't afford to. It just wasn't possible. And then things started to change, and some of our staff were actually part of the reason for going into BTCC, not just because I like it, love it, is that we were going to lose potentially some of our staff members because they wanted to do it, and we couldn't offer that opportunity. So we were losing good staff because they could go to someone that was in BTCC and we couldn't. And I was thinking, there's so many good members of the team that I don't want to risk losing. And then uh a few years later, Anthony and I sold our financial planning business, which gave us some some money to then think, okay, well, maybe now what do we do with the money? Maybe this is the time.

SPEAKER_02 18:14

We can find a way to get rid of that money for you. I mean, the old saying is how do you make a small fortune in motorsport? Is start with a large one. Yes, um, it's going well.

SPEAKER_00 18:25

Yes, so we uh decided to set up the team in touring cars, and none of us, bar a couple of members like Marvin and Sandra, no one had you know done touring cars. We'd never even built our own car. And then for us to build our own. Yes, absolutely. Yeah, there I was.

SPEAKER_05 18:45

What was really impressive is how quickly you went from you bought the old MGs, yes, um, and only ran them for one year before you decided to then build new your own cars.

SPEAKER_00 18:55

We did because the reason we bought those was because we wanted to have the license to then have the you know the license per car to then build uh we thought build our own cars.

SPEAKER_02 19:04

I actually had a serious conversation with them about actually selling our cars to them at that point.

SPEAKER_00 19:09

Oh, okay. But we chose to build our own cars because for well, we hadn't done it. I thought it was a really good story, it's something new, it's another opportunity, it's a risk. We could have failed we could have failed, luckily we didn't, but for the team to pick that up and build our own race cars was incredible. Um, and they did such a good job. And I think on the shakedown we had one seal that leaked, and that wasn't even us, that was because it was from the supplier. So for the team to build the first two cars off their own back, never done it before. That's great, uh, was amazing. And then I really probably annoyed them because the following year Arsenal took order number two. And then I think the year after we then decided to go and have our own engines. So we've always tried to move forward uh because you you just can't stand still in in BTCC. You want to be as at the front as much as possible as you can.

SPEAKER_03 19:59

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

Um so yeah, but the team did an incredible job. Yeah. So for me, it was the case I had been racing. I wouldn't have minded racing in touring cars myself, if I'm honest. Um, and even Anthony years back, he said to me, he'd never really praised me on my racing ability before. And we're actually at um Rockingham before the Fort She Closed with Mickey Butler, good year. And uh they were talking about racing, and this is before we were in touring cars, and Anthony said, Oh, Justina was a really good racer, she'd do really well in this. I'm like, where did that come from? You never complimented me on my racing before.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

You could have bought another car, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:39

Um, but it was he just said you were fearless, and I think I think I was fearless, and that was part of why I end up being actually quite good. So, yes, I do feel a bit uh begrudging that I'm not in one myself, but still time.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yeah, I was gonna say it's not too late. You've not even had a test. You must have been tempted to have a test.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

I haven't had a test. I would like to have a test.

SPEAKER_01 20:59

Maybe this is what we need comments. Maybe we should never comment then together.

SPEAKER_02 21:02

I'll drive one of my cars and you can drive one again.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Can you imagine that?

SPEAKER_02 21:05

So that's another connection.

SPEAKER_01 21:07

A team owner race would actually be.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

It would. And um I mean, I actually sponsored the mini challenge for three years and was title partner, so before I owned a touring car team and actually did a couple of um race weekends with with Accelerate in in the minis, which was very enjoyable. Um, so again, there's a bit more of a connection between us there. Um, but yeah, I was very much the other side of the fence as a sponsor and kind of ended up getting kind of I mean, I was already in love with motorsport and BTCC, but uh, you know, it was one of those things that I thought was I'd never even entertained it because I thought it was so far out of my reach. And then I suppose from sponsoring it and being slightly more on the inside, you realised that actually this might actually be possible.

SPEAKER_00 21:50

So yeah, brilliant. Yeah, I hadn't realised your story as well. Incredible. We're all very very much.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

We all just criticize each other. All weekend, so we don't none of us actually stop and talk. None of us talk to each other. No, no, exactly. So that's what this podcast has made us realise. But uh let's bring it back a bit more to uh to the modern day uh era. We've touched a little bit on the the Audi's being built over the offseason. Um, you must have been extremely proud with winning first time out of the box and uh the way it's gone so far this season.

SPEAKER_02 22:19

Yeah, obviously that was fantastic. I mean, I'd said all weekend that I just wanted it um wanted the guys and girls to get what they deserved in terms of the amount of effort that everybody had put in. So for us to to win the first race of the new season in the new car, um, you know, I they they genuinely deserve that result, to be honest. Um, but then on the kind of flip side, it kind of set the bar incredibly high. Um so uh, you know, I I emotionally, I think we've we all feel like we've underachieved for the rest of the year because you know, we we had such a strong first weekend, and then um, you know, we're we're still where we want to be. And I think winning an outright drivers' championship in our first year is a is a big ask and and and not a claim that we were gonna make. Um, but we um you know, we're we're winning independent drivers, independent teams, Jack Sears Trophy. Um, so in terms of the championships that I kind of think we were eligible for, we're leading those, and and I think it would be very difficult to stop us from winning those. So, you know, you have to kind of focus back on that. But I you know, we all love a race win, you know, it's great finishing second and third, but it's it nothing compares to winning a race. So um we want to do some more of that, but we've got plenty of track still to come, and obviously we were strong here first time round, so hopefully we can do that again and maybe get our guys on the podium.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

And the guys are doing great. You mentioned the the two championships that you're you're really going for three, but Dexter's doing a great job. He's he's a real talent, isn't he? And he's starting to grow into this championship over these last couple of years.

SPEAKER_02 23:45

Yeah, weirdly, I think like he's now starting to realise that he can actually drive quite well again. I think maybe he forgot that a little bit because you know, those the the the Cooperas, you know, they they weren't a competitive car, simple as that. And um, you know, we all kind of knew the talent that somebody like Mikey Doble had got in our Astra, and then he gets in a Cupra and he is driving his absolute socks off to try and get this car inside the top 15. Um, and then you look and Dexter's either one in front of him or one behind him. So then it makes you realise, well, hold on a minute, then obviously clearly this guy's got some talent too if he's he's somewhere around Mikey because we know how good Mikey is. So um I think initially getting in the car, I think you know, he'd almost started coming to race meetings to endure it, to survive a race weekend, do the best he can. And, you know, for us to go back to knock ill, obviously uh a year since the fire, you know, to the day anniversary. Um, we had a fourth with Mikey in the first race and an independent win. But then um, I suppose more emotionally in the last race, Dexter had his best ever result in BTCC finishing fourth in the last race and again another independent win. So, you know, and and before that, other than maybe uh a rain in the wet uh race in the wet, that he'd kind of ended up finishing seventh. I think more often than not, he was somewhere between 12th and somewhere further back, you know. So it's a big leap forward.

SPEAKER_05 25:07

So I I agree. I think Dexter's pleasantly surprised me this year, and I'm guilty of pidging holding him because I thought he was actually too nice to be a really determined BTCC driver. And if you know what I mean, yeah, you get really nice guys, and he is a nice guy. Um and you think I don't know if you've got the killer instinct enough.

SPEAKER_02 25:27

His dad owns a scrapyard in Glasgow. I didn't know that, so I should have if I don't know that I I would say that Dexter and his entire family they are lovely people, but I'm pretty sure if you were having a fight, you'd be happy to have him on your side.

SPEAKER_05 25:40

Sure. I'm happy to know for now. I'm not gonna begin argument with him, but um it's just yeah, look, we all we all take initial impressions about people, and um, and I just thought he was just a bit too nice.

SPEAKER_02 25:50

But I think it shows that like how uh people underestimate how important the team is. Um, you know, I you can give all the people in the world the credit the the the previous recent champions. I honestly believe if you'd have stuck them in that Cupra, they would have still struggled to be anywhere near the front. And um, you know, you get lots of people come along after our first race win here to saying how great Mikey Doble is. And sarcastically, I said, Well, he never got anywhere near a podium in the Cupra. You know, it's not all down to the driver. Yes, he is a talent, but you you need a decent car with a decent team around you to be able to get the results. So it very much is a combination sport, to be honest. Yeah, you can't win it on your own.

SPEAKER_01 26:30

Over to you, Justine. I mean, talking about that team ethic, you must be so proud how much your team has achieved in what is a relatively short space of time, as you say, at the pinnacle of a British motorsport. It's it's pretty phenomenal. Less time than me. Sorry, Adam.

SPEAKER_00 26:47

Yeah, it's been incredible. I mean, the team I have around me, I'm I'm such a lucky lady to have the team I have. If it wasn't for them, you know, I know you're sitting here talking to me, but I I'm only successful is because of the team. And of course the drivers, I mean, Tom Ingram joining us, uh, taking the risk to join us uh back in 2021.

SPEAKER_04 27:08

Yeah, we all told him not to.

SPEAKER_00 27:10

Thanks, Alan.

SPEAKER_04 27:10

I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

Um, with his engineer Spencer. I mean, you know, we also, I think it was our first year of the new engine, so it's all so much at risk uh that who knows what was going to happen in the you know this first couple of years with what we were we were doing as a team as well. But they just go above and beyond. I mean, when we have cars that might have been damaged, and you think sometimes people just put it, oh, we'll just put it in the race trailer and you know, we can't get it out, they will always do their best to get the car.

SPEAKER_02 27:38

I don't know about you, but I feel really quite strange when people come up to you and go, Well done, you've done a great job, you've you know, and they put the praise on on me. And and I really struggle with that because you know, it's it's not me. Like I would sarcastically say, all I did was have the stupid idea to try. Um, and but without everybody else in the team doing what they do, that there's no way any of the teams could achieve the things that they achieved. But it's it's very difficult. Uh how do you, every time somebody comes and congratulates me personally, how do I then go and translate that back to the team? You know, I I find it really difficult. I don't know about yourself.

SPEAKER_00 28:13

Yeah, I I always try and make the effort to let the team know. And even if somebody says it's an email because it's too busy on a race weekend, but just to give that feedback because then, you know, and a thank you from me as the team owner, the boss. And that's quite funny. Some of them call me boss, which I find quite comical. But you know, just a thank you from me and uh and to recognise their work.

SPEAKER_01 28:33

I've just done one for eyeball, and um just laughing because they're talking about thanking their staff, and I just thought you were gonna jump in.

SPEAKER_02 28:41

I'm waiting, I'm still waiting. I'm still waiting for the opportunity to thank you. I was gonna say the bit you've missed about your team have to do a really good job to get a thank you.

SPEAKER_00 28:50

So uh But no, like eyeball, uh his real name is Paul, but he likes to be called eyeball. So anyway, eyeball has just been doing a management course because I won't I said to him, you know, how can we help you with what you're doing because you're sort of progressing within the business? He said, I wouldn't mind doing a management course. So we sorted it out. I like to do things rather than hold people back, I like to action it. And he's just passed his first modules of this management course that he's done, which to me is amazing because he's fitting that in between a race meeting sometimes every two weeks. So that's commitment. So I had to reward. So I've just given him a little card today, and he's just messaged me back saying, Oh, you know, thanks, boss. That means a lot to for that coming from you, which is really nice. But I think you have to, when they go above and beyond, just you know, a little thank you, a little treat to go out somewhere, like carting. The team are going carting tonight at Team Sport Carting, one of our team partners.

SPEAKER_02 29:42

Tonight on a race weekend. Let's hopefully remain injury free.

SPEAKER_00 29:46

No, no. Um, but yeah, so the team are just I'm just very lucky. Of course, we have people do, as we say, move into Formula One and they move on to different different roles. But that's great that I have as there's a saying that Richard Branson had is that um always employ people better than yourself.

SPEAKER_02 30:04

That's easy. And then that's not difficult for me. I don't struggle with that one.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

And then also not to be fearful of training people up, even if you're at risk of losing them.

SPEAKER_02 30:14

Yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 30:14

Because you never know, might one day they might come back.

SPEAKER_02 30:17

Yeah, true. But if you do it, do it well enough, they're your best advert. You know, we've we have it with you know, our sales businesses, you know, we look after a lot of the people who buy our products incredibly well, but you know, that they they might leave a company that we've done a load of work with, but then they go to work for another company and they then become our best salesperson telling their bosses that they should stock, say, the Paramax products. And it, you know, I don't I don't think you should ever be afraid of sort of I can't understand people who kind of work in such a guarded way that they don't want to uh sort of give away their secrets. I just I don't think it's the right way of doing it. I think I think you've got it right to be doing it that way, to be honest. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_01 30:54

And Alan, um obviously going in, it was still talking about this season, of course, but um going into the season, Justina and her team come in with the proven package, but it was also nice to see three new models hit the track this season, and obviously the new rules have been consolidated with a slight tweak coming in to widen that net. Is that is that the correct way of saying it?

SPEAKER_05 31:14

So the new the new regulations come in in 2027, um, which are really 90% of the regulations we have now, we've just widened the homologation aspect. So uh until now it was the car had to be sold in the UK. Um uh now we've widened it out to say that as long as the brand is sold in the UK, the model can come from anywhere. Um, and that's why you have Nappa racing the uh Ford titanium. That saloon car is not sold in the country, but the Ford badge obviously is. So it it enables a a greater variety of cars um uh that are going to be available to race because you know, sort of semi-uniquely in the UK we've we've we've reduced the amount of saloon cars and hatchbacks and going more and more SUV, but that's not happening around the rest of the world. So there's plenty of saloon cars available around the rest of the world to choose from, and there's also new Chinese manufacturers coming in and everything else. So so I think the grid will take a really different shape over the next three to five years as the current cars or the rest of the current cars see that's sort of the end of their usable life, if you like, and need reshelling. So the the basic regulations are the same. As I said, the homologation requirements are totally different as far as numbers and whether it's sold in this country or not. And that's already paying dividends by seeing. I mean, that focused saloon is a good looking car. Yeah. But it's 90% of the the previous cars. There's no there's no mechanical.

SPEAKER_02 32:46

It's strange that it's only used as a taxi and qualitumper, isn't it?

SPEAKER_05 32:49

No, it's actually a big it's a big seller in Mexico, apparently. But uh, it's a fast taxi in this case. As long as as long as the as long as a manufacturer sells cars in this country, then you can use a model anywhere. And I think that's great. Because when you go, I don't know, world touring car racing, they race in countries where models are never even seen as well. Yeah. So it's it's no different to what happens when you're doing a world championship.

SPEAKER_01 33:11

And the world's a much smaller place in that regard, of course it is. So um, yeah, and I I mean looking at the competitive side this season, just said Ash Sutton's obviously having a great season before got these eyes on me from from other teams, but it doesn't tell the full story, does it? Because we just looked um with the guys this week, and there's there's 20 drivers that have done every race so far this season, and 10 of them have won races. So it does show the competitive nature still is is uh a real item.

SPEAKER_05 33:39

You know, Ash is having a fantastic season. Uh and not to take one bit away from his results um and his success and his and and the team's ability, it's fair to say that some other drivers haven't had a great season. I'm not looking over that side of the table. And that's uh that's widened the gap, if you like, from where they should be with Ash. You know, I I you know I'm I'm sure Justina would be happy to admit that there's quite a few results that Tom hasn't should have had this year and didn't have, whether it be through driver error or mechanical problems or whatever. Um and so that gap wouldn't be there that Ash has got. So good luck to him. He's he's he's driven superbly as he always does. The team has presented a great car as it always does. Um and you know some of the other teams have have made it a little bit easier for him on the way through. That's not gonna always happen, but that's just what happened as you.

SPEAKER_01 34:41

Yeah, absolutely. And that was actually taking my next question away from from you. I was gonna say it's not certainly not for a for a lack of pace at all, is it? It's there's just been a few moments, as Alan says, whether it's misfortune or whatever, that's just not quite gone quite your weight.

SPEAKER_00 34:54

Yeah, I think uh coup things we've dropped the ball and unfortunately had some technical issues, which hopefully now we've resolved. Uh so that's not down to Tom. If Tom had had the calf, he would have driven as he normally does, and we would have probably most likely again be on the podium and having greater results.

SPEAKER_02 35:12

Yeah, I mean those DNFs have generally come from him leading a race or being very close to it, isn't it? So it's been very unfortunate.

SPEAKER_01 35:18

Yeah, so you should emphasize by your standards, it's still a very good season. I mean, he Tom is second in the championship. We're not talking about um this being a poor season by any chance, are we? Just that the heights that you hit last season are hard to uh always match, aren't they?

SPEAKER_05 35:33

And I guess annoyingly for you is that Ash hasn't had a problem all year.

SPEAKER_02 35:38

He has, but they've generally been on a Saturday and he's then managed to recover on the Sunday, hasn't he?

SPEAKER_05 35:42

But yeah, he hasn't really lost uh points this year from the drivers.

SPEAKER_02 35:47

I mean, if you likened it to football, it'd be you know it's almost like you know, getting 98 points in a season, 100 points in a season, and still not winning the championship. Yeah, you've you've you've you can't drop a game. It's you know, it's your Man City is Liverpool, I would say Arsenal, but um but yeah, you've got to be you've got to be getting your results in every single race to you know, those two against each other, you can't be giving three points away to anyone, can you?

unknown 36:13

You know?

SPEAKER_00 36:14

Anyway, credit to Tom of how he's dealt with it in the team. I mean the team are gutted, I'm gutted. We feel like we've let him down, but he just sort of puts his head down, maybe gets out of the way for a short while, and then he just goes back to knowing he just needs to do his thing in the car.

SPEAKER_02 36:27

Just out of interest, would he have been that way if he hadn't already wrapped won a championship? Do you think having that championship under his belt already and kind of, you know, he's kind of got that monkey off his back sort of thing, does that then make mean he takes it a little bit more in his stride? He's got that confidence that he'll be in the championship long enough to win another one that there isn't that there's no point really kind of getting too emotional over it.

SPEAKER_00 36:49

I don't know. I think he's probably been more emotional this year than any year, to be honest. Um I really do. And again, I we you know, we are a team at the end of the day. Uh, and I feel you know, lots of the things that have happened have nothing to do with Tom at all, and you can't control what happens on track. Uh at Nock Hill, when we didn't finish race two, and the team got the car ready for race three, which again did a cracking job to do that. And then I know when he's got a fire in his belly, if he's at the back, he'll try his best to come through. So it's some good racing that you know all the fans get to see as well. But you know, if we can be a bit closer this weekend on points, uh I think everyone will be in the team happier, I'll feel a bit happier. And uh, you know, all our team partners support us in it. So to be able to come back, they know we're trying our hardest.

SPEAKER_02 37:36

As long as you're not getting a decent amount of coverage out of it, you know, you're thinking you're doing all right.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

And we are only 60% through this season. We've still got four events, so it's we're only just over the midway stage, and you never know in this championship. You know, we've said this many times somebody's looking like they're going to cruise to a title, and something's gonna be. Oh, look at there's no way Ash is not winning this thing.

SPEAKER_05 37:57

Ash could have a terrible weekend, but unfortunately, he can afford to have a terrible weekend.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

As much money as you want on Ash being that time.

SPEAKER_05 38:04

I I don't think there's any doubt that Ash will win the championship, but but it's only a matter by how much, you know. Um and if you can close that gap down and and keep him honest, that's fine. But uh undoubtedly he'll put he'll have a he'll have a bad weekend somewhere, you'd think. Um but I think also a lot of people forget how much racing we do in a year. You know, you you're taking you're saying we're 60 percent. We do 40 races a year. And it's uh it's that's a huge amount of races by anyone's uh um uh uh judgment. And and a lot of things can go wrong in 40 races. Yeah. Uh so you know, it's we're not we haven't got just four four weekends left. 16 races. Okay. Did you work that out before that? No, yeah, I was just so slowly doing that.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

So there's 16 races left.

SPEAKER_05 38:59

Look, yes, uh you'd be mad to bet against Ash winning the championship, of course. Um but yeah, this in 16 races, anything can happen.

SPEAKER_01 39:07

Yeah. And in terms of the championship overall, Alan, we've just announced a new ITV deal. You've mentioned the rules, the teams, um, the way we're presented at the moment, the crowds are up. Um moving forward, everything seems to be in a good place.

SPEAKER_05 39:21

So far, yeah. You know, there's no doubt the economy out there is is is is tough for everyone. Um but all we can do is keep on presenting the best program that we can present. And if you know, doing the ITV deal was paramount uh to me. Um uh I've always told all the team owners and everyone else is I'll do everything I can to keep it as as free-to-wear. Um and the fact that we've achieved that, whilst everyone else has disappeared off the free-to-wear TV screens. And the fact that we're the only UK motorsport that's live on free-to-wear TV, or is on Champship Long Free-to-Air TV, is is uh is is says something, you know. Um and that's and and with that comes large TV numbers. Then of course, I'll sort of feather your butt nest a bit, is you know, we've we're getting much better on social media, we're getting much better on YouTube, you know. All of our numbers thank you, I think.

SPEAKER_01 40:16

That's uh it's not all down to him, but it's the guys behind the camera like you say it's got nothing to do with it.

SPEAKER_05 40:21

But we're just bet we're we're getting better as a championship, we're getting better with everything we do. So so uh it's not just ITV, ITV is a cornerstone, absolute cornerstone of of of our program. But but you can watch it live wherever you want in the world. Um you can watch it free wherever you want, um, and you can watch it on any device at any time of the day or night, wherever you are. But you can't get any better than that.

SPEAKER_01 40:49

No, absolutely. And um on the team side, Justina, Virtue have been a fantastic title sponsor for you guys. Plans, I know it's that time of year, isn't it? I mean, people think we're in the well, we are in the midst of a season on track, but those types of people in your role, you're already thinking ahead. Um, plans for the for the next couple of years.

SPEAKER_00 41:08

Yes, and I know we talked about not planning, but I always do try and plan for the next three years. Um, just be I feel responsible for the people that work for me, and that's just how I do things. Um, I haven't in the past though. I've always got to be.

SPEAKER_02 41:22

I think mine's more about, and Alan, I think, is probably the same. I don't really have so much of a I definitely plan in work. I don't have so much of a plan as a personal like a three or four year person.

SPEAKER_00 41:30

Well, do we have a personal life at all?

SPEAKER_02 41:32

Yes, but you have to have a personal life without a personal plan, don't you?

SPEAKER_00 41:35

Absolutely. Um, always planning for the future because you know, nothing stops, everything has to keep evolving, and you want to continue to race. And without the you know, the investment we get from the team partners, not just because they're investing in us, but their support on a race weekend means a lot to the team. So, yes, this is an important time to be looking at the future and also bringing on new team partners is is crucial. And so, my saying is I'm forever selling. So I never stop, and it's uh it's crucial for us to grow as a team. The more I can help the team with getting people to support and invest in us. Um, hopefully, then we can go faster and we beat Ash next year. Or even this year, who knows?

SPEAKER_01 42:19

Or even this year, yeah. Adam, uh the junior championship as well. You've not only taken on four new Aldi's, um but there is the the junior championship that's coming up, big undertaking, exciting project, though.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

Yeah, again, it's great seeing the the guys and girls in the team kind of getting their teeth into things like that. You know, the guy that's done the kind of the lead designer on that project is somebody that joined us as a um a junior kind of data engineer still at university. You know, we we brought him through. He's then become a race engineer in BTCC, he's currently Dexter's engineer. Um, and then basically he he's you know he's led the design really of that car. And it's it's just really nice seeing people on that journey and kind of being able to facilitate that is something I take a great deal of pleasure in. So that's really nice. And um, you know, I'm really looking forward to seeing this thing out on on track sometime soon. Croft. Yeah, I did a deal. I did a deal with, I mean, I've got to be honest now, I did a deal with Dan Mayo at the start of the year and uh made uh an agreement with him that it wouldn't run anywhere else until till Croft.

SPEAKER_01 43:27

So um Dan has got his wish. We will be seeing the the car at Croft. We're making it public.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

The car's here, the car's here, it's built, it's re it's it's ready to run. Um and um we've got to run my isn't it? Oh long story, you don't want me to do that on the air. Um but it it is it's ready to run. Um and um we've we've got some taste today booked in and and and things like that. And uh we're looking at organising a taste today at M Sport and using their wonderful facilities up there at Dovenby Hall to kind of um kind of showcase the car, and then we're looking at running. It on track for the first time at Croft, which is uh you know a venue very closely linked to the uh the championship.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

That's great. We are gonna end with a quickfire question each. Well it doesn't have to be quickfire, actually. But you've all got one question each. Um we're gonna start with Alan. What is your favourite race car of all time? It doesn't have to be BTC.

SPEAKER_05 44:22

Well it would well it won't be BTC.

SPEAKER_01 44:24

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_05 44:26

Um it's a Lala T330 Formula 5000 car. There we go. Um fair enough.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

That's my dog's name for that very reason.

SPEAKER_05 44:36

Yeah, yeah. Um I grew up with Formula 5000 in in in Australia. I was a gopher and a mechanic on on Formula 5000 cars. Um and I just loved the Formula 5000 era. Um and that was that was my time. So that was my favourite car by a long shot.

SPEAKER_01 44:56

Oh now I want to know, it wasn't a qu it was a question just for Alan, but now I want to know both of your answers as well, I'm afraid. I'm putting you on the spot. Your favourite race car of all time. Um you can't say the high-end II 30N fastback, hatchback, sponsored by Virtue.

SPEAKER_00 45:12

No, I wasn't thinking that actually. I mean, for me, because it's the only car I have raced in, was my Mini Cooper. It was just incredible to drive, honestly. Um, fun to drive. And if I'm looking at it as a racing driver, my only experience, then on Mini Cooper, I'd love to get back into that again. I would drive that hard.

SPEAKER_02 45:31

There is a Lola link to this actually, but and I'm not a massive Ford fan, but it would be the Ford GT40.

SPEAKER_05 45:38

It is a classic. It's hard and I dislike that one.

SPEAKER_02 45:41

And again, it's as much about the story, um, you know, and and the beating Ferrari and the whole story behind that kind of goes into the romance of the car. And then uh when I was growing up, my dad used to build Ford GT D40 kit cars in the garage. So that was one of the first kind of cars that I drop spanners in the fuel tank off. So uh yeah, it's um yeah, it would be something like that, classic Ford GT40.

SPEAKER_01 46:05

Justina, your question as a team owner is if you can only pick one championship to win, is it the drivers, the manufacturers? Not even a question of the teams? Not even a question.

SPEAKER_00 46:16

I'd like to win all three. Um won two last year. Uh sorry, sorry. So didn't we? Some people are gonna hate me for saying this. I think it's the drivers. Always.

SPEAKER_02 46:27

Always, outright.

SPEAKER_05 46:30

I think every Formula One team owner would would say the same, even though they pretend the manufacturer's championship is is is important to them or the constructors championship. They'll always rather win the driver's championship because that's the one that has all the attention.

SPEAKER_00 46:43

Yeah, and I think for me as well, though, for for team virtue, I'd like to win the team teams championship because that's what they've wanted us, hopefully, to do. Uh so if I could do that, that would make them extremely happy.

SPEAKER_02 46:55

But they almost come as a byproduct of winning the outright driver championship, though, don't they? Really? As long as you've got a reasonable team, mate, you it's it's it's it it's doable, but it it has to be the driver every time. You know, that's the one I have. We've got independent teams, we've got independent drivers already. We've had multiple jacks trophies, they're all great, and I'm very, very proud of them. But uh, the outright drivers championship is the reason I'm still here. Um, you know, if the others were as important, I might have considered retiring before now. But I I will have that outright drivers championship at some point.

SPEAKER_01 47:28

And you've got the final question. You've sort of touched on some of those successes then, but you've got to name your finest day in the BTCC or your favourite day.

SPEAKER_02 47:37

Still to come. Oh, you can't. That's such an easy answer. What a coming soon way to end the podcast, man. My greatest day.

SPEAKER_01 47:48

I I I thought I'd knew the answer to this. How many outright wins have you had?

SPEAKER_02 47:52

Oh, I don't know, mate, to be honest. Um, I'm not sure. Um obviously the first one with uh first win with Senaproptor in what was that, 2018? Um that was a pretty decent day. Um, you know, Jason Plato taking, I think probably his last win in the championship was with us, wasn't it? I should think. So you know that's that's cool. Um, you know, Jason said quite a lot of nice things to us at the time, which is um which was nice to hear with somebody with so much kind of experience in the championship and so many wins and kind of you know thanked us for giving his mo giving him his mojo back and all that sort of stuff. So, you know, that was nice. Um, and then Snetterton as well, Mikey Doble. So again, it's like a lot of the moments really in terms of um, you know, we've been with Mikey and Mikey's family, his family are here at every single round, mum, dad, brothers, you know, lots of aunties, uncles, and you know, the that they come to the core family come to every round. And to be a part of that and for him to get his first race win, it's for being a part of that moment, to be honest. Um, and and those are really, really special. So, you know, again, coming into this weekend, um, you know, it would be great Mikey or Aiden taking a win, but to have Dexter have his first win in the championship, that would be so much better than one of the others winning a race and to kind of sharing that with him and his family, to be honest.

SPEAKER_00 49:07

Well, that's similar with us, with Nicholas Hamilton getting his first trophy in 15 years.

SPEAKER_02 49:12

I mean, that's everybody's favourite moment, in fact. I can't believe I've forgotten that. Yeah, that's my favourite moment.

SPEAKER_00 49:16

And I I think it was just I was so pleased to be able to be there to experience it because it was such an emotional time. Um, and for him to be getting up on the stage, you know, to podium to get his jack Jack Steers, it was just an incredible moment because that's been his dream is to have a podium, and then his addition to that was a podium with accelerate, and he's achieved that and he keeps getting points, he just keeps driving faster. Yeah, and it there's so much more that he can achieve. We're just not quite there yet, and that's partly down to us as a team, our fault, because we're trying to adapt the car to him, and some it works, sometimes it doesn't work, but we're working with him to help to get him quicker. But he's he's a good racer.

SPEAKER_02 49:59

We have this conversation, I think, at Louis Browns.

SPEAKER_05 50:02

Nick Hamilton fan.

SPEAKER_02 50:03

Yeah, yeah. So I think it would be really interesting to adapt everybody's car to be the same as Nick's and then watch every other driver drive the same car as Nick and see just how well they do in the same kind of conditions because uh I genuinely believe Nick would surprise a lot of people. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 50:22

Yeah, definitely. No, he's he's done a fantastic job, and it's been brilliant having him on the team. Um, yeah, really enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_01 50:30

Fantastic. And I have actually really enjoyed this, believe it or not, it's been quite pleasant. I'll have to do it again. You'd have to say that because I employ you. You do employ me, and I love my job so much, it's absolutely fantastic, and I've really enjoyed this podcast. It's been the best moment of my life. Um I'm only joking. What moment did you think?

SPEAKER_02 50:48

What moment did you think I would say?

SPEAKER_05 50:50

Knocking on last year.

SPEAKER_02 50:51

Well, actually getting there.

SPEAKER_05 50:53

Being on the group. I mean, it's difficult for that.

SPEAKER_02 50:56

It's difficult for that to be my favourite moment because like a week before.

SPEAKER_05 50:59

My favourite moment and most significant moment.

SPEAKER_02 51:01

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I mean that it was hell of an achievement.

SPEAKER_01 51:03

But I must admit, that was uh Nick Hamilton moment has probably been the most emotional one this season, but I must admit, on the pit wall on the when we had to give you special dispensation to run the car on the Friday, and and everyone came out onto the pit wall to see. Somebody managed to get them to put the boys back in town on the town road.

SPEAKER_05 51:20

Yeah, I mean like everyone clapped as as the car came down.

SPEAKER_02 51:24

When when you look round and all the teams were there and were kind of clapping in the room. And then like Aaron came over and he didn't even drive for us anymore, and he was crying. It was uh yeah, it was emotional, but it's difficult to I don't, you know, it was such a painful period of time that I don't, you know, I'm not sure I want to link that to be my best memory in uh in BTCC.

SPEAKER_01 51:46

Anyway, guys, I think that is a wrap.

SPEAKER_02 51:48

Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 51:49

Um appreciate it, Justina, Alan, and Adam. Thanks for joining us. I'm sure we'll do it again soon sometime. Um make sure you watch it via all of the relevant channels, both audio and visual. So thanks for joining us and see you on the next one.