AUSSIE GRIT

Anyone who has given a more than a cursory glance at TV coverage of a Formula 1 motor race can’t help being drawn to the glimpses of the “behind the scenes” in the garage and the frenetic work to get the car out on the track. Gone are the days when a team – even the most professional – turned up, rolled the cars off the transporter and into the garage, adjusted the tyre pressures, filled the car with fuel and invited the driver to climb behind the wheel.

I raced a 356 Speedster in the 1960’s and the procedure was much the same. I drove to the track, removed the hub caps, lifted the spare wheel from under the bonnet and asked the pretty girl to step out of the passenger seat. Because it was a Porsche, that was enough to beat virtually all the opposition in British, front-engined cars.

Now I want to know how it has changed from those days and what better than spending time with one of the world’s most competitive 911 GT3 Carrera Cup teams here in Australia – the team put out by the Porsche Centre Melbourne. And I have been very fortunate