Rusty's Garage

One of the all time greats of Motorsport from the Tasman region is finally on the pod.
Ken Smith has been racing since 1958 and he’s still going!
The family’s love for another kind of horsepower and how Kenny would sometimes hold up the motor racing schedule to check how his horse went.
Competing against (and socializing after) with some absolute legends of the 60’s and early 70’s….Graham Hill, Bruce McLaren, Jimmy Clark, Jack Brabham and many more.
His gravitation to single seater racing and winning the prestigious New Zealand Grand Prix for the first time in 1976. He then had an agonizing 14 year wait to do it again in 1990 and then another 14 year gap to his third in 2004.
Even at age 84 Kenny is still razor sharp and the memories that surround us in his workshop where we recorded make for constant conversation starters.
How he helped bank roll a good portion of Roberto Moreno’s summer of racing in NZ without dipping into his own pockets. (You can hear more about this in Roberto’s Feature Ep in our library).
And a friendship with Jimmy Richards that dates back to their early days.
We won’t get to every one of the 160 plus cars he’s raced but the chat gives you an incredible snapshot of a life lived at full throttle.
Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1987 for services to Motorsport Ken Smith wasn’t about to let that be a book end to his career. There was still so much more he wanted to do.
His eye for talent and the significant help he gave in the background to sure up the future of some modern day stars.
Working with Indycar great Scott Dixon, World Sportscar and Le Mans 24 hour winner Brendon Hartley, 4-time Bathurst winner Greg Murphy (in his early days) as well as Shane van Gisbergen and Liam Lawson.
Trading blows with Craig Baird and Paul Radisich as they climbed the ladder.
Reflections on the lovely constant for so much of his racing, his late Mother Dorothy.
And we’ll talk about the cool cars that surround us in the 5-time Gold Star winner’s workshop.

Plus the odd saloon car drive and much more.
The numbers seem hard to comprehend, 50 starts in the New Zealand Grand Prix, almost 70 years of continuous racing, success overseas in Asia as well as countless wins at home.
We don’t get to every podium or memories of every high or low but this is a well rounded summary of an incredible career so far and Ken Smith has no plans to hang up the helmet just yet.
Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rally QLD winner Harry Bates and rookie Jackson Long join us for this edition of the shortcast fresh from the opening round of the EROAD Australian Championship.
Long is part of the expanded two car Pedder’s squad and despite a scary diff issue late on Sunday he really impressed!

How Jackson is adjusting his pace notes with the help of his codriver (his Dad) because of the faster speeds of his new ride, the R5 spec Skoda Fabia.
And the SIM time that’s helped him adapt so quickly. It’s way better than the old arcade games.

Bate’s was in good form on the stages around Gympie no matter what road position he was in.
That ‘grove’ he and Coral Taylor found early in the event was great for confidence and they just kept building.
Harry is now gearing up for Rally Portugal. How an opportunity to compete in the ultra competitive Rally 2 class came about.
Plus the words of motivation from Kiwi legend Greg Murphy at the end of the WRC event in New Zealand in 2022 that really sank in.

Rusty is battling the early onset of a cold here but we’ve tuned him up and pulled together a couple of cool rally chats. Head to the stage start and get into it!
Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The vivid memories of driving the V10 Jaguar Formula One car at Monza and a frightening crash at Ascari that wasn’t his fault.
How Michael Schumacher stopped to help, off the charts crash data and the injuries James suffered that would keep him out of the car for months.
Taking a career detour and conquering Japan plus the little known Indycar option and a potential second chance at F1.
Moving into Supercars and a moment at Darwin in 2005 that necessitated a switch to SBR when HRT had been the first option.
Winning the title for DJR against a backdrop of financial hardship for the team at the time and how proud he is of the way his crew rallied to get it over the line.
How a move into broadcasting almost happened before his recent stint at the Blanchard Racing team.
Overcoming fears that date back to school to get his Real Estate Licence and selling one of the best homes on the Gold Coast that belonged to Tony Cochrane.
Plus the potential driving career bookend with his good mate Charlie Schwerkolt.
A big thanks to Martin Collins and the Taupo International Motorsport Park team for letting us record there and Supercars TV for giving us nearly two hours of JC’s time ahead of the first leg of the Kiwi double header.
Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How sampling a kart at Lithgow started the journey and it clicked straight away.
Borrowing chain oil from the late Jim Morton and how his generosity put JC on course for Europe.
Living alone in Italy in his mid teens and the future F1 stars who tried to scare him at the Karting World Championships.
Thinking he was at the end of the road until a chance catch-up with Neil Crompton opened the door to car racing.
Alan Gow stumping up serious cash for a move into Formula Ford.
Realizing the dangers of the game when a friend was killed in a crash at Oulton Park.
The ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ moment with Marino Franchitti and why they didn’t tell his legendary brother Dario about it for years!
Plus a candid conversation around ADHD and how James has learned to live with it.
There are some fabulous takeaways for young racers in this 2-parter and we’re indebted to James for sharing
Head to Rusty's Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and give us your feedback and let us know who you want to hear from on Rusty's Garage
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.