Meet the Hosts: Part 1 - Mohan

Mohan takes us back to where his love of Formula 1 began — from the late-80s legends and rivalries to the Australian GPs that made it all real. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Box now, boxing up, box, box, box.

SPEAKER_01 0:22

I think that's a Pokemon. I think that's a Pokemon.

SPEAKER_02 0:27

Welcome to Boxbox Box, your friendly neighbourhood Formula One podcast. My name is Scott. I am joined today with Mohan. How are you, Mohan? I'm very well, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:36

Good to be speaking to you in this uh hiatus spirit at the end.

SPEAKER_02 0:39

Yeah, I know. It's it's um it's it's a bit of a mess, isn't it? Uh and it's um yeah, it's not much going on, so at least well look, it's been timed with me being unwell, so that hasn't been too bad for me. But uh certainly we wanted to record a bit more than we have. So um we're here today, and quite a good topic, I think, is uh is is all about you, Mohan. Just want to pick your brain about your um experiences with with motorsport and um at least give the listeners a bit of background into just your your thoughts, opinions, and everything um uh uh around the sport. Um whether or not we do me in the future um remains to be seen. I I'm a dish of that. It'll uh uh it'll uh I think once again it'll be I'll be talking about Mario Kart, so I don't know. I don't know how interesting that'll be. But um maybe, maybe it'll be all right given the um the uh the the current era we're in. So so um uh I mean first of all, Mohan, um I really enjoy doing this podcast with you. It's um uh great to pick your brain on all these things. And you're you're certainly well versed, and if you're if if you're not, you you certainly find things out. But tell me, what was your your earliest memory of any kind of motorsport?

SPEAKER_00 1:46

Uh it was actually quite at a young age. And I was uh born in Sri Lanka and and grew up there and moved to Australia as a teenager. And living in Sri Lanka, um we have obviously uh a lot of influence that the British left behind. And one of the things, many things that the British left behind was their love of motorsport. And I grew up in the hill country where once a year in April, there's what they call the season uh where it's probably the peak of the weather, the entire country descends on that on that part of the world, a town called Norelia. And one of the many things that would happen was a series of motorsport events. There was everything from a reliability trial to a hill climb to an actual race that was set around the town. Uh it was about a three-kilometer circuit around which. And so my father was quite uh heavily involved in a lot of that, and I had a great uncle who was in time. So I used to get dragged into it. I actually didn't need to be dragged into it. I was quite keen to uh get involved. And my that sort of kicked off my love of motorsport from that from that very young age, and have been following it ever since and have built a love of it and uh a growing knowledge, but also um uh have developed my own opinions as I've gone along as well.

SPEAKER_02 2:59

So that's really interesting. I don't think most people would know about any sort of motorsport scene in Sri Lanka. Is is that just is that particular to that town, or is that is that like a is that the is that area the, I guess, how would I say this, the the sporting capital of of Sri Lanka or anything like that?

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Or is that they set around the country that this happened to be per particular time of the year where it was focused. Um, but it seemed to be that uh when the British were there, obviously they needed things to fill their time and would set up all these uh events, which then translated to to larger events around the country. And I think it's progressed to the fact that I think we currently have a driver in F2 now, who is is of Sri Lankan heritage. And it's it's a tradition that's continued for well on 80, 90, close to 100 years in different formats. And there are pockets of the country that are quite involved in developing motor vehicles for these, customizing cars for these particular situations. And it's a tradition that has continued well after the British left the country.

SPEAKER_02 4:00

Sri Lanka's, I guess, motorsport scene. Is there enough funds around that to kick that off there? Or is that is that one of the uh the I guess the the ceilings that uh and challenges they have?

SPEAKER_00 4:12

It's uh very often uh they are privately funded teams and there isn't as as a country, obviously not a rich country, so it it tends to be people's personal wealth that is put into it. So there are pockets of it where uh it is not quite an elitist sport, shall we say, but it is it is quite a quite an expensive thing to do. So uh any teams that exist and any uh drivers that actually put into it are uh privately funded, uh funded. Uh but there is a there is a a massive following regardless of the fact that not everyone can afford to do it.

SPEAKER_02 4:44

Who would the I guess if there are no Sri Lankan drivers in F one, who would would the country like de facto support? Is there like a is there I suppose for us in Australia we m might support a New Zealand driver, for example? Maybe we don't, I don't know, we've got decent rivalry there as well, right? But is there is there a nation that um Sri Lanka would piggyback off in F1?

SPEAKER_00 5:06

I guess up to given that up to the up to recent times there hasn't been any any drivers in that in that at that elite level, it has largely been around teams, personalities, and and drivers as such. And so it's it's purely that over the years teams have supported a particular team or a particular driver. Um and that's kind of where the rivalries have come into it uh across the nation. So uh rather than supporting a local driver, or even when Team India existed, I guess, uh it didn't necessarily translate to support the drivers from that particular team. Supporting the likes of Williams and McLaren and Ferrari has always been there. And that's that's kind of where the split happens, I guess.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

So was there anyone that was is particularly pop popular in Sri Lanka, or is it, or is it just kind of like anywhere else where like the the champion is, you know, the guy like it like it was is Lewis quite popular there?

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Uh he's very popular over there. Um and uh but it even goes back to the the days of Prost and Senna. Senna, for instance, you know, was there was a legendary figure over there, and particularly the likes of Schumacher. So the the key figures that have formed even my love of the sport over the years are from those teams and from those from the That's fascinating.

SPEAKER_02 6:17

It's a it's a country I've never been to, but certainly would love to go at some point. Tell me, Mahan, uh, what first drew you in? Was it the noise, the speed, the uh the rivalries you discussed, or just the the overall spectacle?

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Um the answer to this question, actually, obviously the the the noise and the speed are are basic functions, but the one of the first things that actually drew me to it is the smell. Um and and given the given the older cars that used to race, when I'm talking in the in the late 70s and early 80s, there was a certain smell to a racetrack. Um and I think Yeah, good answer. Um and and even now it's whether it's the fuel or the oil's burning or whatever, and it's sort of it's it's almost like a drug sort of thing, I guess. And as soon as you walk and you smelled that you knew, oh, there's some racing happening here, or so that that was probably the first attraction. Well above well uh ahead of the speed and the noise. But the second closest thing to that to me is a noise. Even now, when I walk onto a racetrack, and regardless of what particular category is racing on that track, as soon as you hear that noise, your heart rate increases basically, and you think, no, I'm I'll loving this absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

This has already been answered pretty much. I don't know if you want to expand on it, but was motorsport something that was always around you growing up, or did you was there a part of it you discovered yourself?

SPEAKER_00 7:32

Uh certainly around me, and I think uh I didn't need to be uh encouraged too much to follow it as such. I certainly obviously had a had a very underlying passion for it and an underlying want for it. It's I think the people I was around, and particularly my father and my granduncle that was around, they kind of fed that passion, I guess. I didn't have to look too far. So somewhere in my genetics I've obviously had had a love for this sport, which has been fed along the way.

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Were there any other categories of racing you followed before Formula One really became the main focus?

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Uh largely after migrating to Australia, and I think uh before, not that I hadn't discovered Formula One, but before my true love for Formula One, it was to do with the V8s, which are called the supercars these days. And um, this is back in the days of the likes of Peter Brock and Alan Jones and Alan Moffat and people like that. And following the V8s and their progression, and we at one point we lived fairly close to the sand down racetrack. So on many weekends I could hear the cars in the background, and in every opportunity I'd go there and watch them. And then following, you know, something like the Bathurst 1000 or races like that. And you watch these cars and drivers being pushed to the absolute limit and taking these vehicles and which were modified streetcars effectively. Uh, and I think that was probably uh my uh lead into Formula One, following following that class of racing. Uh and then it sort of flowed into Formula One from there.

SPEAKER_02 8:53

Were you a big fan of Eddy Brock?

SPEAKER_00 8:55

Uh I was certainly. And and I think um I was actually uh I was a bit disappointed because when I fully discovered him, he'd he was probably a little bit past his peak. And he was sort of almost on the way out, but he was still punching well above what he should have been at that stage. And I think just particularly something like Bathurst, the King of the Mountain, as they used to call him, what what he could actually do with the car. And I remember him once driving a car without a front windscreen because it had been smashed and literally punched out the windscreen and drove the rest of the race without a windscreen. So they would do things like this, and he watched in awe of what these people were capable of.

SPEAKER_02 9:30

Being a fan of him, what was that like when he passed away?

SPEAKER_00 9:33

Sad, I guess, as much as any elite sports person passed is the fact of whether you will see uh the likes of them again, someone like that again. And someone it wasn't just it wasn't just his racing ability. I think it was just his his personality overall, and he embodied what the sport was. And um he's just a larger than life kind of character. So it's a gr it's a great sadness when someone of that class of any sport passes away, and you think, Navi, that's that's an it's an era that is coming to an end. Will you see the likes of someone again who will bring uh that sort of following to the sport?

SPEAKER_02 10:10

What year was that, 2003-ish?

SPEAKER_00 10:12

Uh that's right, yeah, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 10:14

So best guess. Um Yeah, yeah, quite I was I was a bit younger when it happened, but um, it was um yeah, it's it's certainly sticks in the memory. Um tell me, Mohan, uh at what point did Formula One become your main category of racing?

SPEAKER_00 10:29

So my love of Formula One, I guess came into it in stages. So from the late 90s, I had kind of been drawn into the sport when it kind of felt that at that time the f sport was packed with uh a lot of large personalities. And if you look at from an individual driver point of view, the likes of Senna Prost Mansell, and from a team's point of view, uh the likes of uh McLaren McLaren, sorry, Ferrari and Williams. But even at that point, Formula One seemed to offer more than just racing. It was as much as I understood at the time, there was it was the rivalry, it was the politics, it was the innovation uh at the front end of motoring, not just motor sport, and the pressure that these drivers would have to deal with to get these cars on the track. Um, that was sort of all seemed to be wrapped up into one inner sport, and I thought, wow, this is fantastic. What deepened that interest even more was when Australia got the Grand Prix, uh, and when it uh when when we had the initial Grand Prix in Adelaide, that suddenly made it a lot more tangible, and uh it made it even more tangible when that race was poached to Melbourne in the midnight. Uh and that I guess took it to a whole nother level for me, and the fact that in my hometown now we actually have a race. Uh, and it was gonna give me a chance to attend a local Grand Prix, uh, to experience all those things I said before about the smell, the noise, the sound, the speed, uh and to actually be uh a significant part of it. And uh that was kind of the the um the point where it it stopped becoming a sport where I was simply following the sport uh to something where I was actually quite significantly uh invalid.

SPEAKER_02 12:13

You've told me before you've actually you've been to most, if not all, of the Grand Prix.

SPEAKER_00 12:18

I've tried my very best uh when uh time and funds are permitted, basically. Uh and even sort of talking about I think we talked earlier about the uh the very first one in '96. And I remember the awe with which I watched these track, these cars, and to watch them live and to watch the blur of speed which which they travel around. And including watching uh Martin Brundle fit uh flip his car at turn three and snap his chassis, land land on it, get out of the car and go pick up the spark and keep racing again.

SPEAKER_02 12:50

Yeah, yeah. It's quite incredible to uh to to I don't know, to for me realising that this sport is here. Like because I I you know I was a bit quite a bit younger when this this was coming when I was seeing this and you take it for granted so much, right? And then you realize a lot just how I don't know magnificent it is and that it's it's in it's in your hometown, it's it's it's profound. So uh so tell me, uh do you remember the first F1 race or season or or moment that really pulled you in?

SPEAKER_00 13:21

Uh I think it's just more seasons, I guess, and certainly sort of through the the late 80s, any of the seasons along there to into the to the early 90s, and but it was more about for me, it was largely around the Senna Prost rivalry, and which was sort of initially, I guess, was casually following the sport, but when this materialized and the ra that particular rivalry materialized, it just felt massive. And that the teams and the drivers had a sort of a real identity, as shall we say. And and the fact that no, this uh it it there was a certain level of glamour and danger combined into one, and it it was impossible to ignore it, I guess. Uh, and that that that certainly drew me in, drew me in. And and as I mentioned before, the the arrival of a local dress, regardless of whether it was in Adelaide or in Melbourne. So this having been drawn in through these rivalries, having that local link took it to another level and has been a lasting uh love and an interest ever since, basically.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

And who was the first driver or team, I suppose, that you felt genuinely attached to?

SPEAKER_00 14:26

For me, definitely Aiden Senna. Um you he was one of those people, and I've I've come across this in in other sports where uh you watch someone like Michael Jordan on the tra on the court and you watch and you watch his people perform and you almost think you are too good to be out there competing with the rest of them. And and he often and that was my that was my view of Senna, um, that he sort of almost transcended the sport. Um and um just the the the emotion he he he he portrayed, um he's driving in wet weather. I've never seen anyone do it the way he did it. Um and yeah, and as a bit, he just felt larger than the sport itself. Um and then you got a driver like Nigel Mansell, who was actually um quite quite a big pull for my interest of the sport, uh, because I guess he he was like an everyman to me, in the sense of the fact that no, he had uh um seemed like you know, uh dad who'd be watching his kids down at soccer at the farm, and you know, down to the typical thing of someone of the day struggling to maintain their weight to be able to get into a car. So, you know, that that was that sort of made it normal for me, I guess, following a driver like that. And then later on, uh someone like uh Schumacher and the dominance with which he rode he drove. But for for me, he also embodied what um uh the eliteness of athleticism of a of a Formula One driver. And for me, he was that what were a benchmark of what an athlete in Formula One should be. And so there was a progression, but if I ever had to pick one, it would definitely be Senna, and to this day it still continues basically, and he was such a tragic loss to our sport, but he will forevermore be remembered for his feats, and his image will always be a young one that will be preserved forevermore.

SPEAKER_02 16:17

Yeah, I guess I got a similar question to Peter Brock. What was that like for you? Did you watch that race with Senna?

SPEAKER_00 16:23

And that was obviously at watching it at the time, and I remember for myself actually thinking this is catastrophic. And I bl and I obviously subsequently found out the story about why they were trying to, obviously, because of what happened to Ratzenberg the day before as well, they were the officials were trying to keep it quiet before they pronounced him dead because it would have meant that they would have had to cancel the rest of the weekend. But if you look at the impact and and the the vision that has since been floating around as well of what actually happened after that crash, I remember thinking at the time there is no way anyone survives this crash. Um and the good thing that's come out of it is obviously it forced the sport to develop many more safety functions, which I enjoyed today and have saved a lot of drivers since that time. And in addition to the many legacies that he's left in the sport, his death actually did leave that legacy as well.

SPEAKER_02 17:14

Yeah, and certainly in more recent times, the some of those crashes that the the the halos of it's like it's insane. Like you'd never remove the halo at this point. You just have as many halos on the car as you want, you know, like it's it's um you just yeah, you'd never want these things to happen again. Uh so I guess um uh was there was there a race or moment that turned your your casual interest into genuine passion?

SPEAKER_00 17:40

Uh I wouldn't actually say it as one particular race as such, but it's just a realization as I went along that, and it's even now that it's it's almost like a soap opera, that it's it's this one part of a connected story and it's uh it's a long connected story, and I think that's that's kind of where how I look at it. Um obviously there is the immediate draw of drivers and teams and rivalries. Uh but over time you've realized that there has been uh these eras, and each of these eras have got kind of flowed from one to another. And you look at the um Senna and Prost era to the Schumacher and Ferrari era to Alonso, Riken and Vettel, Hamilton and Nava Steppen. Um each of those for me is a continuation of that story. Um and they seem to have not uh there there's been a constant progression. So I I tend to I tend to look at the sport in that manner rather than one particular race or one particular moment. And in each season and in each era, we've seen massive moments and massive stories that have come out of it. But for me, it's all part of a larger tapestry, I should say.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

And did family or friends play a role in shaping the way you follow motorsport?

SPEAKER_00 18:54

My father was was actually quite uh quite interested in it. And I think, as I mentioned before, his involvement in a lot of the races up in Aurelia and a great uncle who was who was actually president of the Motorsports Association back then. So he they were as a result of it, access was good. So I when these races won, you could actually get almost front row seats. And uh I remember when I got to a certain age, have been given this massive responsibility in those days. They would use manual wound-up uh timers basically. And you would have to you would have there would be a pro if there were ten drivers in a race, there'd be ten people clocking you. And one day I remember being given this clock and said, You're gonna time this driver. And you have to literally stand on the on the front on the starting line with the clock ready. As soon as the front wheel hits it, you've got to click uh click the clock, basically. And I remember at that point, maybe it's just the perfectionism that has come from that point onwards, being so involved in it, and then even getting the feedback, oh, you did that job well, basically. So I remember even at that early stage being involved and being so serious and committed to a job like that. And that again has fed that passion.

SPEAKER_02 20:03

So I also remember just just just from our our own experience, I remember uh trying to sell the uh the because the the streaming service, the KO streaming service, came out here and had F1 tethered tethered to it, right? So I remember at the the train station trying to sell you this this KO thing that just came out. Like I was trying to sell the idea of it so I had someone to watch F1 with. But I don't remember that. I was I remember at the train station quite clearly because it was it was only it was only out for a week. No one even knew what it was at that point, I don't think. Yeah. But um but I'm I'm glad we um both we both dove pretty hard into watching everything back when we worked together. But so so tell me what was it about F1 that made it stand out from the the other forms of racing for you?

SPEAKER_00 20:42

For me, this and it still is the same. It's for me it is uh it is the pinnacle of the sport. And um I'm a scientist by uh basic qualification, and so uh I'm always interested in the development of new technology, in the improvement of current technology. And for me, that's kind of where it sits the fact that the the best of the best in the world as drivers are there, but the best of the best in terms of technology is actually there as well. And also the interest of how that translates into road cars and and the conveniences that we have in roadcasts these days were all developed in Formula One. And that that is for me is why Formula One will sit at the at the highest level. And I understand the fact that there is massive investments to be able to develop that technology, but that is true of any industry that that in that investment has to happen uh to glean the benefits which can then be fed into uh more day-to-day functions. Uh, and motor racing is no different, and Formula One is no different, hence the reason that is that is why it is the ultimate for me.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

It's also the soap opera for grown men, right? Isn't that the um I think you told me that. I'm pretty sure I got that from you. Very much so. Tell me, when did you start going beyond just what The races and and paying attention, I guess, to the wider storylines in F1.

SPEAKER_00 22:05

Certainly, actually going back to the Senna Prost eras and and obviously there was back then, even obviously we we were ahead of the time of social media, and so you tended to rely on the press a lot to try and get the stories that went on behind these rivalries. And you also uh I'm I'm I'm a curious person by by nature, and I'm also a person that doesn't rely on uh one source of information. I will always go and try and look at three or four sources of information to try and get the truth that sits in the middle there somewhere, basically. And and this was no different. So very often there were stories portrayed about the fact that these drivers didn't get along, the teams didn't get along, they didn't help each other, they did not like each other. But in the background, you knew they were mates, you know what I mean? The fact that they were on the track here, it was almost a white white line feel. Uh, but off track, they were really good mates and looked after each other and took care of each other. And so I think that that kind of um as want of a bit of soap opera in the background actually drew me into it because I was curious to find out how they all functioned. It is you know, as this this circus of whatever number of cars that were in the on the track at that particular time would move from track to track to track. And it is not possible to think that they didn't have lives outside of the sport. And it happens now. There is, you know, talk on track of drivers that don't get along. But these drivers, you know, travel around together, they holiday together and they get along together. Um and that I think that all that background story was very interesting to me to see that these people lived normal lives and they had normal families and uh they behaved like normal people, as much as they were uh put on a podium for want of a better expression. Where the sport was actually concerned, there was more of a story behind it.

SPEAKER_02 23:52

And and what first got you interested in the technical side of the sport?

SPEAKER_00 23:57

Uh this is this is my f feeding my fundamental curious nature. As a, as I mentioned before, as a scientist by qualification, I am always looking to investigate the whys and where for's of things. Um I'm very curious to think how work out how things work. And I drove my parents mad as a ch child, pulling things apart and trying to see and breaking a lot of things around the house because I was always curious to see how things would work and not knowing how to put them back together. Uh and I think that interest has continued uh into following this sport of um how things work, why they work, how that translates into road cars, uh, why they need to do it a certain way, why it's not done another way. All of those questions are constantly flowing around in my head. Uh and it actually encourages me to go and do a fair bit of research as a result of it, because even if it's not for a podcast, it's for my own knowledge to understand how the sport actually works. And also how, if you look at any sport, the elite in any sport know the rules and regulations. They know it absolutely perfectly, but they also know how to exploit that rule or regulation to the absolute limit. And Formula One is no different. If you look at the way teams develop cars, the way drivers perform, they will take it to the absolute limit of that regulator. And it's I'm always curious to know where that line sits. So the fact that you, as much as it might be seen as oh, someone's done this or they've done it wrong, or they've done it in uh in an unethical way, shall we say, it's interesting to see the fact that no, they're actually still within the rules of regulation. They just work out how to exploit it more than someone better than someone else. And we see that even in the current 2026 cars, the cut the teams that have done that better. So that curiosity, I think, is the fundamental driver for my interest in the technical side.

SPEAKER_02 25:42

And do you did you love a m did your love of motorsport um grow steadily over time, or was there one period where it really took off?

SPEAKER_00 25:50

It's been a it's been a steady, uh steady progression from from being introduced to it at a very young age. But as been a progression of the type of motorsport that I've actually followed. And if time permits, I would follow a lot more. But I thought, well, let's let's follow one properly. And I know you've been talking me into trying to talk me into following a lot of the other grades and some of the other cars, and I would love to do it, but obviously time, time doesn't permit it. But uh also the factors I mentioned before, I think I think I see Formula One as the pinnacle of all of this. So why not follow the best as such? So that that is that has been a progression from those early days to following the V8 to discovering and following Formula One, that has been a gradual progression. But now it's a matter of deep diving into the sport, basically.

SPEAKER_02 26:36

Yeah, I'm definitely gonna lobby for some sort of early retirement for yourself so you can spend more time on this, I reckon. So tell me, what was there a uh a particular era of F1 uh that made you feel especially connected to the sport?

SPEAKER_00 26:48

Uh definitely, as I mentioned before, it's sort of that late, late 80s and the late 90s. And it wasn't just the likes of Sino Senna, Prost Mansell, and sort of the iconic teams that that lived around that time. It was also a lot of the drama, I guess, that happened around that time as well. And the rivalries that would happen and the true personalities of some of these drivers that would come out on track. Um, and I think that's for me that that actually it put a human side to a lot of these drivers, the fact that these people are, you know, the elite of the world, the top drivers of the world, but they actually had a human side side where they could get angry, they could lose their temper, they could have a bad day, and some days they could just put it together better than anyone else. So all the factors that people on a day-to-day basis go through, they could take it to another level and do it. So I think that that human factor for me I guess was was was was a big connection to the sport.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

And which drivers or teams had the biggest influence on how you experienced F1.

SPEAKER_00 27:51

That's that's grown. Uh and I think as I mentioned before, I would put Senna at the top of that list because I think he was almost mythical, I guess, in terms of the sport. He certainly is now, wasn't he? Exactly. And in and not just sport, not just Formula One, but sport in general. And Schumacher for me changed how to perceive I know Senna had a certain ruthlessness about him, but I think Schumacher for me took it to another level as well. Um and I think his his level of discipline was incredible, and how he actually performed and how he had an ability, and I see that in Verstappen to some extent of being able to drag a substandard car around a track better than anyone else. And I think that was the fact that this is not you have to be good to do that in a substandard car or a car that isn't the best, and that is purely a talent, a God-given talent that you've developed and maintained. If you look at someone like Alonzo and Hamilton, they have been an indication of the fact that there is longevity in this space, in this sport. Um, the fact that you can into your 40s, you could still be racing. You might not be winning championships and you might not necessarily be winning races, but you're certainly punching in the middle of the field very well, better than some junior drivers. And then someone like Verstepan for me has defined a whole different era of this sport. Um, and in all the times I have followed sport, there aren't many drivers that I have seen with that level of ruthlessness and the things that he can do with the car. And he's a person that is, you know, who, I mean, lives to race. You get the other some of the other drivers who will take time off and go have holidays or whatever. I've seen interviews with him where he will suddenly wake up at 2 o'clock in the morning and say, uh, I've got to test something. He'd get on the simulator at 2 o'clock in the morning to test it because that's just how he is. He's off weekends, he's off doing other races, basically, just a bond racer. So he's he's taken it to uh to another level. Um, and I think that through each of those eras, a different driver has has had that influence. Um and it's actually nice to see that as much as I revealed these older drivers, that there are newer drivers coming through that will sustain the sport moving forward.

SPEAKER_02 30:01

And do the reasons you love the sport at the start change as you got older?

SPEAKER_00 30:06

Uh, didn't actually change, but it certainly improved access, I guess, and certainly as I'm saying, something like having a Formula One race in Melbourne, being able to afford to go to it and to be able to actually visit it and see that and being able to follow the sport a lot more. And also, as you get older, you tend to learn to manage your time a lot better in terms of how you commit your time to work, to family, to sport, to all the other responsibilities that you have in your life, but also to be able to allocate a certain amount of time to follow this sport. That is something uh you've be you become smarter as you get older, so that you can actually lock away uh and and become a lot cleverer about how you manage your time following it.

SPEAKER_02 30:47

So, what part of motorsport culture um do you think shaped you the most?

SPEAKER_00 30:53

Um funnily enough, actually, learning to drive. And I was fortunate enough that I learned to drive at quite a young age, and you know, Bell before I got my license, you were living in Sri Lanka. And I learned to drive on very windy hill roads, uh manual transmission, no power steering, uh a driver's side left-hand mirror and a reverse, no, no, no, right hand, sorry, uh right-hand side mirror, no left-hand side mirror. Uh, and it's interesting that that those skills have translated into how I still drive a car and still try not to rely on modern conveniences as much as possible. And I think that has given me an appreciation for motorspray. If you think of what we do day to day on the road driving a car, and we can only imagine uh that we could ever be ever close to these drivers, and whether it's Formula One or any other motorsport, you have an appreciation for what these drivers are capable of doing with these cars that is just beyond comprehension. And the skills that they have, the reflexes that they have, the multitasking ability that they have. And I think that as a driver, that gave me a whole different appreciation for motorsport in general.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

So looking back, what made your journey into this F1 world uh different from just being interested in racing generally?

SPEAKER_00 32:14

Um mentioned before, it's it's just more a case of identifying that this is this is this is the the pinnacle of the sport. It doesn't get any higher than this. And so that there was a progression to get to that point. And the fact that this is the ultimate of any any motorsport ends here, and whether that's drivers, whether that's technology, whether that's even things like fuels, you know, the fact that and the fact that you know you look at hybrid technology now, which is uh there's been a gradual progression of all of that. Um and I think that um differentiates F1 um from all other motorsports for me, because I think it has the largest amount of in um investment, but it also I think has the largest amount of translation into day-to-day road cars. Uh and I think that drives a lot of my interest. I'm always curious to see, oh, they've introduced this particular aspect. Will we see this in road cars in 10 years' time, for instance? Um, you know, and and and obviously there are parts of Formula One which have back been backed off, which are still continued in roadcars, but it was developed in road cars. And I think that's that's why I see F1 as different to all other motorsport, because it's the absolute ultimate of that sport.

SPEAKER_02 33:28

So how did that passion eventually turn into wanting to talk about F1 on this box box box podcast?

SPEAKER_00 33:36

Well, uh, I had a friend called Scott actually approached me first and said to me Dragged in, kicking and screaming, I think was the uh situation. I actually didn't he didn't have to do too much because I think I was always keen on it.

SPEAKER_02 33:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:47

It was he just needed the opportunity on the platform. And uh, I guess I'm a kind of person as I've got older, I've I've uh become very comfortable with giving my opinion, not just on more resorts, but a range of items. And I think my work has has helped with that as well. That I thought, no, why not why not actually put this to good use and actually do this in a structured, considered way rather than sitting around a beer at a pub offering opinions. And I think this is where we, I think when we first started this coming up to a year and a half ago now, that let's let's give this some structure. And what it actually has translated to is the fact of obviously it's it's it's continued my love of the sport, but it's also fed my curious nature of the sport, of the technical side of it, and allowed me to do a lot deeper dive into a lot of things so that um uh I'm able to commit a significant amount of time to follow it, but also uh to to offer up even more opinions. And that's something we actually have to stress very often. What we talk about here is a point of view, but there is a significant amount of fact in there. There is also a lot of it which is a point of view, and this is something that's important to convey to our listeners that this is a conversation, and we obviously welcome their c their input as well as part of this conversation. But this has been a progression to something I probably in the back of my head always wanted to do, but just needed the opportunity and the correct platform and the correct mate to do it with, basically.

SPEAKER_02 35:14

Also, I suppose it's probably nice to stumble across something you're you didn't know you'd be good at. And I think you are quite good at this. So tell me, Mohan, if money was no object, what what would your ultimate motorsport bucket list dream be?

SPEAKER_00 35:28

If money was an object and time was no object as well, I guess. Um my ultimate dream would be to follow this sport around the world for 12 months a year. And uh um and and I've had a I've had a travel dream that is a personal travel dream that if ever won the lottery, for instance, I would love to follow autumn around the world. And I think my sport dream is this, is to is to follow this sport around the world, given how far and wide this sport is uh conducted, all the different uh continents, all the different countries, the different cultures, the different weathers, and you get to experience all of that. And if if neither of those factors were uh if money or time weren't a factor, this this would be what I would actually be doing. And hopefully uh that materializes one day. That the fact that uh a lot of these conversations could be brought to our listeners live from the track all the time.

SPEAKER_02 36:22

Yeah, and I think that's the you know, certainly places we can go to, but uh Monaco uh is not one of them. So, you know, um until yeah, until the until the lottery changes that, we'll see how we go. But no, thank you, Mohan. Uh that's all I've got for you. Is there anything else you want to add just in general?

SPEAKER_00 36:37

Thank you. You know, it's actually it's been so useful to have this conversation because particularly it's made me it's made me reflect on quite a few things and particularly my younger days of where this actually started back growing up in Sri Lanka and and some of the some of the things I think I sent your video the other day off that particular hill climb and this 600-meter track that had about 10 hairpins in it, and these drivers would do it in under 30 seconds, basically. And I think that was like day one of my love of motor racing. So thank you for the opportunity to to to deep dive into this. Don't worry, your turn's coming. And um it's been nice to actually reflect on all of this and share my passion for the sport with our listeners.

SPEAKER_02 37:15

Absolutely. I suppose just like F1, uh, it's better when you know the drivers. So I suppose it's better for the listeners when they know us as well. So thank you again. Um, our socials, Mohan, you want to shout them out? I've I've mentioned before, but we'll we'll we'll start throwing all these in the show notes or at least the main directory and so you can find them. But would you like to mention anyway?

SPEAKER_00 37:36

Website is boxboxbox.net.au. It also points to our socials, which is particularly on Instagram, which is on boxboxbox Oz A U S. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and sorry, X, I should say, and uh TikTok. And yeah, please send us your feedback, like, comment, share, subscribe, and we look forward to any feedback that you have and also any topics that you want us to discuss or raise. Uh, we're more than happy to to take them on board and come back to you.

SPEAKER_02 38:05

Thank you so much, Mohan. Thank you for joining us, everybody. And uh we'll be back uh as many times as we can during this F1 lull and hopefully uh be able to give you uh more things to listen to and to talk about while we wait for the season to return. So thank you, Mohan. Um, I'll see you all again soon. Thank you.