MY ROLE as Tyrepower’s Ambassador is fundamentally about helping to promote the brand, and draw attention to tyre related issues such as the important role tyres play in road safety.
But one of my favourite aspects of the job is getting out to the stores to meet owners and, most importantly, engage with their customers and local community.
I’ve made a number of these visits now, and while the racing schedule means I can’t do it often, it’s always fun when I do.
My latest visit was to Federation Tyrepower in Corowa, on the NSW side of the Murray River bordering Victoria, where owners Joe and Barbara put on a great day for the hundreds of people who turned up to say hi.
When I arrived mid morning there were lots of people there already, with plenty of things to sign and it didn’t really let up until I had to head for the airport mid afternoon.
Joe and Barbara had also organised a sausage sizzle, cars on display and chats with the local radio station. There was a real festival atmosphere, the only down side was that I didn’t get time to try out the jumping castle!
The regional stores get fewer chances to engage in this way than those in the metropolitan areas, so the greetings from owners and customers alike are always warm and you are made to feel very welcome.
It’s fun, and I am delighted to be able to help promote the Tyrepower name and the merits of the store owners.
Good people, good times.
MOTOR RACING people have spent too many years viewing the world in tenths, hundredths and even thousandths of a second.
But in the real world most people struggle to think in terms of measuring time in mere seconds, let alone increments smaller than that.
Competition in Supercars is so competitive these days that it’s not unusual to have the whole field separated by less than a second.
That’s fastest qualifying lap to slowest qualifying lap.
Think about that for a moment … think about what sort of timespan a second is, and then think that you can have a field of 25 cars so evenly matched that they all do a best lap within a second of each other.
Not that many years ago, a second was the measure of the gap between fastest and second fastest … not any more!
All of which is a long winded way of telling you that I missed out on making the top ten in qualifying for both legs of the Supercar season-opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, by less than a tenth of a second!
On the Saturday we just didn’t have the car quite right, and on Sunday when we did, I made a small error on my best lap … it sure can a frustrating business when the margins are so fine!
Both days we had a good run and ended up inside the top ten at race’s end, but our reality is that we’re not there just to make up the numbers.
As far as I am concerned there is no reason why I shouldn’t be contesting for race wins with my Triple Eight teammates Jamie Whincup and Shane Van Gisbergen …which was why Adelaide was a bit frustrating.
You live and learn, though, and we’ve done that … now it’s time to use that knowledge to get back to the sharp end of the field, where we belong.
Let others worry about being a tenth of a second outside the top ten!
Keep smiling.
