Jason Grima – From Automotive Apprentice to International Drag Racing Champion

In this episode of Beyond the Title, Kristelle sits down with Australian drag racing champion, business owner and international competitor Jason Grima.

From starting an automotive apprenticeship at just 14 years old to building a successful family business and competing on some of the biggest drag racing stages in the world, Jason shares the journey behind the achievements. He opens up about the work ethic instilled in him from a young age, the lessons learned from entrepreneurship, and the sacrifices required to pursue excellence both in business and motorsport.

Jason takes listeners behind the scenes of professional drag racing, including his rise through the Australian ranks, winning multiple championships, and ultimately fulfilling a lifelong dream of racing in the United States. He also shares the story of a terrifying high-speed crash and vehicle fire in St. Louis, the long road to recovery, and the determination it took to return to competition stronger than ever.

Whether you're an entrepreneur, motorsport enthusiast, aspiring athlete, or someone chasing a dream of your own, Jason's story is packed with valuable insights and inspiration.

Join us for an honest and engaging conversation about business, racing, perseverance, and the relentless pursuit of excellence.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Welcome to Beyond the Title. I'm your host, Christelle. Today I have a very special guest today and friend, Australian Drag Racer Multi-Category Champion Pro Stock and Super Sedan turned international drag racer in the USA, NHRA, and currently racing in the International Hot Rod Association, IHRA Mountain Motor Pro Stock, Outlaw Series, and Business Owner. Please welcome Jason Groma.

SPEAKER_00 0:35

Thanks for having me, Chris.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Thank you for being here, Jason. It's lovely to have you here. So let's start from the beginning. How it all started. So let's go back to when you were younger, younger years. Yep. Tell us a little bit about Jason.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

Yeah, well, life was simple. Back in the 70s, I was born, and you know, marbles and playing in the backyard, and just things were easy them days, you know. It's no no electronics, so we just TV was a a big thing them days. The best days? Yeah. So it was uh quite uh interesting times and growing up, and then you know, when you could progress to older days and then start work, that's that's all you knew is just become growing up, get a job. And them days was an apprenticeship, that's what I did. And I I got an apprenticeship with the money.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

How old were you when you got your apprenticeship?

SPEAKER_00 1:25

14 when I started my apprenticeship.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

I finished my apprenticeship off and started my business currently.

SPEAKER_01 1:32

What was your apprenticeship? What was that? What apprenticeship did you do?

SPEAKER_00 1:34

Automotive electrician we did. Nice. Okay, so yeah, I finished that off and started my own auto electrical business, and then we ran mobile and uh ran from my mum and dad's house for a long time and then progressed to buying a property where I worked from home and progressed again and bought another block of land, built that and just kept going and employing people and built up a little empire.

SPEAKER_01 2:00

So when you bought your first block of land, how old were you?

SPEAKER_00 2:02

Uh 21.

SPEAKER_01 2:03

21. Hear that, people? 21. It can be done. So that's the old school uh work ethic there. Yes. And who inspired it?

SPEAKER_00 2:09

That's when the interest rates was 20%.

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Oh, wow.

SPEAKER_00 2:13

You can't do it now. Just imagine getting 20% on a million dollars.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah. And who inspired you? I guess that work ethic was obviously there from a very young age. Do you think your parents might have had an influence there?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Yeah, my dad pushed very hard. After school on the Fridays, we used to go and work with my dad on the weekends. So it was always instilled into me that uh and being Maltese descendant, that's what happens. You just got to work hard. You don't work, you don't get anywhere.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

Yeah, who knew that?

SPEAKER_00 2:43

There's no handouts from your parents.

SPEAKER_01 2:45

That's how it was back then. I was a you know I worked at Park Lear Markets when I was a very young age. Not even legal to work, but I was working very young. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

So that's how it all eventuated. So I had a good b uh working ethic, and I had an ethic of always progressing.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

Yep. So it was built into you at a young age. So in your journey throughout that time, your siblings around you, were they uh in influential in any way?

SPEAKER_00 3:10

Look, I had an older brother, he was a mechanic, and he was back in the days, early days, he was very structured in the way that he'd show me the right way of doing being particular with our work, and then I then eventuated and I over look, I just manicured how he did it and just went forward from there and did my own deal. He stayed as a motor mechanic, he then progressed over and doing his own business something else. He got out of the trade eventually, and then my younger brother, he's 10 years younger, he then started working for me as an apprentice, and he still currently works in the business, in the family business.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Yep. And along the way in business, I mean we all face these challenges, it's not easy, it's always it always looks so much easier than what it actually is and the sacrifices that we make as a business owner. But did you along the way, I'm sure there were some challenges? Were there any significant moments in business where you felt I'm gonna continue or geez, I'm just done?

SPEAKER_00 4:11

Yeah, look, evolution of how the paperwork system has taken over. You have to keep in touch with a lot of the systems in place that uh get thrown at you from the higher companies that you work for. Back in the day, you when we used to go and work for people, the Mount Druid bases of customer clientele, and the working out of mechanics workshop, panel shops, and all that, that was just so easy. You just worked harder, the work the more you work, the the more money you made. More rewards. Yeah. Now the harder you work, the more taxes you pay.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

The less you get.

SPEAKER_00 4:53

So that's it.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

It's very tough. I think most business owners are facing that challenge, I think, currently as well. We're under a lot of pressure.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

Yes. Yeah. Yes. The current status is not great. And pressure's been put on our company as well. You know, we've got taxes, we've got insurances, and they're all going up, but our incomes going down because people aren't driving their cars due to fuels and whatnot, they don't want to repair their cars. So it's becoming a quite a task.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Mm-hmm. And have you found due to the the new technology with electric cars, has that affected your business?

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Look, it hasn't affected us uh too much. There's a lot of combustion type vehicles out there still. So we do keep up with the technology. We currently are sending one of our staff members off to a Australian-made company called Red Arc down in Adelaide. They're having a conference for three days so he can have further training and on-site check of how the facility is structured and just to open our eyes up a little bit more, and he'll come back with a, you know, future uh on the moving forward, the differences in the models on how they're making products and and how we can utilize them in our company.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

So innovation. Yes, that is, yes. Got to move with the times. Yep. And so how did the Australian Pro Stock race being a being a racing car driver?

SPEAKER_00 6:29

Okay, we're not. Well, what happened back in the day? I had a Datson 1600 that I Datson, I remember the Datson. Yeah, Datson 1600, and it was mum and dad's car, and I purchased it off him and I pulled the motor out and put a turbo motor rotary in it, and I drag raced that to start with, and it was a street car, and then I progressed to buying a full chassis car where it was a jag and I won multiple Super Sedan championships here in Australia.

SPEAKER_01 7:02

And what year was that?

SPEAKER_00 7:03

Sorry, that was back in '96 and '97.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 7:06

I won those championships, and then I purchased a Pro Stock car from the USA. That was my first one, and then from there on I bought another two more in 2008 and then 2010, Mustangs, and then 2013 I won my first championship in Pro Stock. Straight after that, I retired from racing in Australia.

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Oh, and you retired after that? Why was that?

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Look, started a new life with my current wife, and we were expecting children at the time, so I thought it was time to hang the boots up.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

And they never really hung up, are they? They're just lying dormant. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 7:48

So I uh hung the boots up and then after a little bit, Jonathan, my brother, yeah, approached me and said, Maybe we should go go follow the dream because I always wanted to race in America, always been to America, been going there for 25 years now, watching races over there. I was inspired by them guys over there.

SPEAKER_01 8:10

What inspired you about them?

SPEAKER_00 8:12

The way their professionalism on how they race over there. Yeah. And I used to go and watch them, and I used to bring those ethics back to Australia and put them to use in my own race team. Then once we made the decision to go over to America, I then set up camp over in Jerry Bickle race component race cars, sorry, in uh in the USA, and we raced in Comp Eliminator with one of my Mustangs, and we uh then won last year in Compol Eminator, which was a big deal for us. It was our first national event, and we were very happy, but it's not been all smooth sailing. In 23, I had a major accident in St. Louis and rolled the car over on a by run to the final, and the car was on fire, and I had a few injuries, so I had to sit out for about 12 months while we rebuilt.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Wow, that sounds like 12 months as in for yourself physically from the injury?

SPEAKER_00 9:18

Both, yeah, because I had a coxic uh injury which took a fair while to heal. It's a natural healing. There's nothing you do about it. So to be in the car and be strapped in, it puts a lot of pressure on that point of your body. So we sat out for 12 months.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

Was it easier to get out of the vehicle? Uh I'm out of curiosity. When it's on fire and you're locked in, you're you're you got your seatbelt on, got a big helmet on. How does someone in that moment, you're obviously in a shock, it's there's fear going, there's worry to get out of the vehicle. Was it is it an easy exit? Was it hard? Obviously, the car's upside down at this point.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

Yes. Yeah. Well, um well, at that time, I didn't know we were on fire because I was pancaked upside down and the fire was going through the floor upwards, and I couldn't see anything. And my m major thing was to get the seat belts on, fall to the uh to the roof, which was on upside down at the time, and then crawl out. And I did that. The worst fear once you do get out is not being able to get out. I didn't want to get burnt. That's the that's the biggest fear you have in in racing is not to be burnt.

SPEAKER_01 10:25

So that fire was obviously quite.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

It was fueled because when I went upside down, the fire crew didn't get to the isolation switch at the time, and it kept the fuel pumps running and whatnot. So there was a lot of fire, did extensive damage on the car. We rebuilt the car. So I'm more worried about you.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

I just want to hear your story how you survived and got out. And then the I mean, obviously, your young family at the time. Yes, I did. Partner at the time, wife uh would have had a phone call.

SPEAKER_00 10:55

Yes, yeah, and yeah, that was a it was a wake-up call. But look, at the time the adrenaline gets you out of the car. Yes, yeah. You just got to think smart. And if you're a bigger bodied person, it would have been a little bit difficult.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

You don't train for it as such, but you stay physically alert and physically you know, strengthened so you can hold yourself in there. I had to hold myself up with the steering wheel and then undo the buckles with the other hand. So yes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

You obviously uh quite fit as well. If you look after yourself, that happened.

SPEAKER_00 11:31

But that helps fit, but I'm I'm my age, I'm I'm I'm uh doing okay.

SPEAKER_01 11:35

Yeah, yeah. So that that might have helped a little bit in your exit strategy.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

Arm strength and all that, yes. That that's the that's a good factor. You need that to push yourself to get out of the car and kick the door open, and that was it, you know. So it was one of those deals where it was a sickening deal, to be honest with you. After the fact, I didn't really feel the injury for a couple of hours after. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Is that for the adrenalines? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I think so, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

Yeah, because the medics come up and see me and I said, No, I'm quite fine, I'm quite fine. Then two hours later I had to call the medics over because I was uh in uh extreme pain.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Yeah, of course. Yeah. Wow. And then you said the vehicle itself was you rebuilt it?

SPEAKER_00 12:17

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 12:17

And how long did that take to rebuild?

SPEAKER_00 12:19

It was about six to nine months to get it done. We weren't because I was still living in Australia and going backwards and forwards, I had to rely on my US people to do as much as they could. My crew at the time after the accident pulled the vehicle apart so it could get repaired. And then when once it was repaired, painted, myself and Jonathan went back to America. We rewired the car and put the car back together, tested the car, and it was quite fine. Actually, had to race down the first time I ever raced the car again was down the same lane at the same racetrack that I crashed in.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Oh you face your fears again. Did it help?

SPEAKER_00 13:06

Did you just face the fears? And and you know, I haven't looked back. It's probably made me stronger mentally. But I've since bought a new car, this mountain motor deal, and I haven't been a bit scared of it at all. It's a new deal, and people were explaining to me how the reaction of the car, what I had to do, because it's a lot different to drive. And I I knew what they were talking about, so I I sat in the car and mentally got myself focused and and drove the car accordingly. Look, I haven't been perfect, yeah, but the car hasn't been perfect to me yet either. We've had a few little niggling problems yet. We we've done so far so uh so good so far, so we're pretty happy with what we've done. Yes, yeah. Um IHRA have been very acceptive to us as well. We've got a few good people over there running the sport and in the sport, and a couple of Australians over there, so yeah, it's easy to uh dial into it for for them guys as well.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Yeah, yeah. And how many Australians are at up there at the moment?

SPEAKER_00 14:14

Yeah, we've got um Pete Beaumont and Angus Beaumont in the IHRA working for the IHRA outlaw series, and and they've been of great help because we didn't know that series at all. It's an East Coast series, and we're really we're from Midwest to the West Coast before. So we don't know the racetracks, how it's all run and and whatnot. So they've been very helpful with us. And then back here in Australia, we've got Morris Allen, he is the IHRA coordinate here. So IHRA is running international, so I could see a lot of future with the IHRA group, and hopefully they get stronger.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Yes. So people the viewers out there that don't know much about that, what would the IHRA, what do what exactly do they do?

SPEAKER_00 15:07

They're the governing body. They own racetracks as well. Okay, yeah. Yeah. So over in America, they're buying up racetracks, so they're putting a lot of money and investing a lot of money into the racetracks. So racers can go race. It's not like in Australia. Australia can race today, and then in two months you might have another race that's a major race. In America, you may have six opportunities in the one weekend to race somewhere. There's always a racetrack available somewhere, yeah. And it's just more opportunity. That's why I went to America for the opportunity. Yeah. Yeah. So we didn't have to always wait.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

Yes, okay. And what's your favorite car to race?

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Look, I'm a Ford guy. Yeah, okay. So my Mustang is my favorite car, but the new Camaro that I've got now, I like I enjoy racing that.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

So we've got some photos that you can share with us. We're gonna pop them up on the page. Yeah, no problem at all.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Yes, we've got some and we've got some live coverage inside the car as well of me rolling through the gears and uh some parachute action from the back of the car. So people can we'll we'll show you some and share some with you. That'll be great, you know. So you know, people can go in and like our our Facebook page.

SPEAKER_01 16:21

Yes, and I know you're quite big on the Facebook at the moment and now your IG is just great.

SPEAKER_00 16:26

Yeah, we'd like to get some sponsorship uh and and help over in America or an Australian-based company that utilise their deal over in America as well. So we we want a partnership with somebody or multiple people if they want to come on board with us as well. Sure, there'll be plenty.

SPEAKER_01 16:45

There will be.

SPEAKER_00 16:48

Well, we're flying the flag for the Australians as well. So selling Australia?

SPEAKER_01 16:52

Yep. Yep, and the West. Yeah, that's it. So what's in the pipeline now, currently, and back to America anytime soon?

SPEAKER_00 17:00

Yes. We go back again. There's a challenge going up, it's a triple challenge, and we oh triple crown, sorry, it's a triple crown, and it's opportunity to win a million dollars US. Excellent. So you've got to win all three races, and it's 16 cars in each field, Mountain Motor Pro Stock that we run. So you have to make it to win that race. Then if you win the first race, you've got to win the second race and then the third race. So it's it's gonna be a big task.

SPEAKER_01 17:32

Very competitive.

SPEAKER_00 17:33

Oh, yes, very competitive. We we need to get a lot a lot better with what we're doing first before we can make it to that status. But you've got to be in it.

SPEAKER_01 17:44

Got to be in to win it.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Yeah, so we're going to try. So we should be there beginning of June. We're going back to do some testing. Soon. And then we'll be racing the the triple crown is our next race.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

Excellent. Well, I hope that goes really well.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

First place, yeah? Well, we'll try. Hey, if I if well, first of March, you know. Yeah, that's it.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

Yeah, yeah. That's Pisces.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

Pisces.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

That's it. Look, uh, at the end of the day, we've got to get back there, do some testing.

SPEAKER_01 18:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

Like I said, and my crew in America, they're very good guys, the two mics. And I've got Jonathan, which is my other crew guy that I fly over with him, which is uh which is my brother, and I trust them. Yeah. Um, and they will give me a hundred percent chance of uh trying to to win. So it's my job to do trust. Yeah, it's my job to be on the game, and it's got a gel. The car's got to be good and Jason's got to be good. Because it's all you know, on the start line, it's won and lost, uh especially because we're running eighth mile track. You cut a bad line, you can't catch it up. There's very seldomly you'll catch that up unless the guy breaks or does something silly. So if you're second to leave on the start line, you're gonna lose.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Yeah, right. I've I've got a lot to learn. I know I'm going in the track, you're gonna you're gonna be taking me to the track.

SPEAKER_00 19:02

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 19:03

That's one of my visions, my dream. I do love racing cars, I love race cars, and I do have a nice race car. But what I've heard Jason tell me how he and the videos, I'm like, mm, yeah, that'll be interesting for me. But I'm I'm willing to learn.

SPEAKER_00 19:16

That's right. Well, I can coach you all along the way, so that'd be great. I'll take you for a drive, show you the how to drive it first, and then you can take over from there.

SPEAKER_01 19:24

Yeah, we'll do. I can't wait. So on your journey along the way from childhood to being a teenager, 20s, and that maybe becoming having your own business, going into being a race car driver, all your experience for anyone out there, anyone, young teenager, adult, anyone, what advice would you give them? And if they look at you and think, you know, I'd love to race a car. Don't know where to start. Okay. Or start a business. Yeah, no worries. There's very few answers there.

SPEAKER_00 19:51

Firstly, work ethic always gets you somewhere. So if you work hard, you you can go to the next level and race. To race, you can go out to Eastern Creek if you're in Sydney, or you can go to Willowbank, which is in Queensland.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

Sorry, can I just touch back on the work ethic when you say good work ethic? What does that mean to you?

SPEAKER_00 20:13

You've got to work hard and and and be loyal to the people around you, even if you're a worker, you can be loyal and still make good money. So just do the right thing by people, you know? If you say you're going to do something, do it. Don't don't weigh it sway away from it. Just do what you're gonna do, and that's it. That'll be on your word. Yep. That'll that'll get you through every time, okay? So give it your best. Look, you're gonna fail along the way, and it's how you fix your problems. Don't don't just say, Oh, well, that's the best I've got, that's it. Try and excel from that and learn from that.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

And make yourself accountable. Yeah, I think that's a big thing. Accountability is accountable. Accountability.

SPEAKER_00 20:57

Yeah, you've got to be accountable for if you do the wrong thing, uh be accountable. Don't blame the guy next to you.

SPEAKER_01 21:03

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

Don't do the pass the ball competition, you know what I mean? That that don't lie with me real good now.

SPEAKER_01 21:09

I don't see well with me either.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Just own up. I t I tell my my people all the time, if ha something happens, just tell me.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:18

Yeah, I'm not gonna be happy.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

You're human, we make mistakes.

SPEAKER_00 21:21

I'm not gonna be happy, no, but at least I know it didn't come out of nowhere and it just happened from somewhere else. I know how it happened and we can try and rectify the problem.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

I agree.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

So yes, that's it. And with the racing side of it, kids can get into racing from a junior drag star, mums and dads can take them out there, and that's what we want. The future of dracing is in the children, and what I see at the moment drag racing is for an older person sport in the pro categories, and we need To get the younger kids in there. So they need to start young and build up an ethic where they instead of getting onto their computers and and and all that on the weekends, they go out in the into the shed with their parents or father or mother or uncle or somebody and work on their own race cars. Work on the trailer that they're gonna cart around with the with the with the junior dragster. They've even got motorbikes, mini bikes now, so they can ride a motorbike at in that level now. So and then they progress as they get older, they're allowed to get into a faster category.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

Yeah, yeah, interesting. So and if they didn't have their parents to do that with, are there is there any organizations that offer that service?

SPEAKER_00 22:46

Well, they can go to the racetra and align align themselves with a race team.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 22:52

Friend be friends with somebody and and maybe ask somebody if they need help. And you know, see if you can find someone that's local. I'm sure there's somebody that needs help because all race teams need help. Yes, okay. Okay, yeah. And in Australia, it's not a paid deal. It's all for love and help. You know what I mean? So if you want to be paid for it, no, it's not the sport for you. Go to go go join F1 later on or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 23:19

Well, that's great advice, thank you. All right, so in regards to the Ohio race, tell me a bit more about that and how fast were you going when that parachute came out?

SPEAKER_00 23:28

Yeah. Yeah, we did a bit of a video on that and we put it on our Facebook page just to show people how fast down the track we go. That was to the eighth mile, that was 4.08 seconds from the start to the time that we pull the chutes. In that the car has a five-speed Liberty transmission in it. So what essentially happens when I get on the accelerator and put it on the two-step, which is Rev limiter, yeah, and then let my clutch go. 1.5 seconds into the run, the shift light will come on, I'll pull second gear, and then I'll go third, fourth, and fifth before four seconds.

SPEAKER_01 24:15

Jeez, that's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_00 24:17

You have to wait for that one-two shift, and on that run, I didn't wait long enough for the one-two shift. I pulled it a little bit earlier, and what it did is it drove through the clutch a little bit because the RPM didn't go up high enough and it affected the tune up on the car. So essentially we have to do everything perfect so my guys can tune the car. Yeah, clutch, motor, everything has to be exact.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Yeah, right. Well, that's quite precise.

SPEAKER_00 24:49

Yeah, and we've got some in-car footage that that it shows a lot of that, and you'll see the shift light flick on, and you'll see me pull a gear. Flick on, pull a gear, flick on, pull a gear, flick on, pull a gear, and that'll be the end of the race. And then I've got to then press a button or push the parachute lever. So I've got electric for the parachute lever, which is electric over air, or I can mechanically push the parachute lever to stop.

SPEAKER_01 25:17

And so what before your race, our curiosity, how are you feeling before it? Obviously, nervous, are you are you focused? What do you do to prepare yourself?

SPEAKER_00 25:27

Sometimes you can be nervous, sometimes you can be relaxed. Look, if the car is good, you can become a lot more relaxed because you know that it's going to react the way that you wanted it to, and stuff like that. So if you've had two good qualifiers on the day, because that's all you get, you get two qualifiers, and then it was straight into racing. If you get one or you you fluff one up, because last race in Columbus Ohio, I fluffed one up, I two-stepped the clutch on the launch, so we only got one running, and then we did some changes, and I wasn't quite confident with the car. That's probably why I short shifted one too, because I wasn't confident. You've got to be confident. The confidence level that needs to happen in a race car has to be nearly at a hundred percent. And you've got to set set your heart rate down, and you've got to be amped up at the right time. You can't be amped up four or five cars in front of you. You've got to make sure you're amped up as soon as you start that race car, focused. Yeah, you're on. Yeah, it's game game day.

SPEAKER_01 26:36

Yeah, right. Wow. So fascinating, such a different world.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:40

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 26:40

I find that if we race continuously, so if I do back-to-back-to-back runs, I it's it's it's easier for me. So yeah, so the more you do it, the little easier the that's what happened in Pomona last year. It was a Thursday and race day finishes normally on a Sunday. And they said we're going to qualify ews and race years all in one day. That fell into my hands.

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

So qualified and raced and raced and raced and raced and all the way to late in the night, and it rained right before the final, and I just I just sat there and I said, Please God, just let me finish this race off so I know if I'm gonna be a runner up again or I'm gonna be a winner. And we come out come out the the cleared and we raced and I I won. So it was a good deal.

SPEAKER_01 27:40

Congratulations, that's amazing. What an achievement. Yeah, that's that's an amazing story.

SPEAKER_00 27:45

There's only a handful of people in Australia that have ever won that Wally trophy and brought it back to Australia. So we're uh where's that trophy now?

SPEAKER_01 27:54

It sits somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 27:55

It sits uh at my office at Australia. Yeah, it sits in my office at Australia. Nice, yeah. So um it's there. Just so I can remind me and my workers, all the hard work that goes into getting me to America to race, because they hold the fort while you're not there.

SPEAKER_01 28:14

Yes, of course, yeah. Yeah, so you've got a great team, which is a credit to you as well. Yeah, it doesn't happen over, doesn't happen by magic. It's hard work and it's the work ethic and what you started and what you've and the culture that you've created for your company, and you create a little family and a community there. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

My the culture I have, I don't want to turn over staff all the time. I like keeping the same stuff, and you know, sometimes it's testing. They might might not do what you want them to do all the time, but you've just got to sit back and and work with their strengths and weaknesses, empower them, and then just work with that.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

So I'm not strong with everything. And there one guy's not strong with something, but someone else is, and you put them into that position and and get them to do that job and that task and manoeuvre it around, and that's where you become from a good boss to a great boss.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Yes, building a team and empowering them and putting them and them being in the right seat.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

And I don't look at them, I don't look down at them, I look down, uh I look at them as a level.

SPEAKER_01 29:14

Always.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

And I also have a motto, and my motto is GSD, and it stands for get shit done. So that's what I like doing.

SPEAKER_01 29:23

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:24

Keeps the customers happy too. Yeah, so we want to get their work in and get their work out, so they're happy as well.

SPEAKER_01 29:30

Yeah, and then and looking at that, that's a very humble way to be and to live your life, and that's a reflection through your company as well.

SPEAKER_00 29:38

Yeah, that's right. Look, customers that come to us, they don't want to spend money. It's it's something that they don't feel it's a need, but it's a have to because otherwise they don't have their car. Yeah. It's not like food and people enjoy or going out for dinners and stuff like that, where they want to go out and enjoy themselves. They don't enjoy coming and spending money with our with our automotive business with West Side. They come there because they've got a problem and they need to get it rectified the best way and the cheapest way sometimes. So but sometimes the cheapest way is not the best way either.

SPEAKER_01 30:15

No, definitely not.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

Good's not cheap and cheap's not good.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

That's right. All right, now so this is the fun question. I'm gonna spring on you, which I'm sure you may know about this one. So if you could be any movie character or cartoon character, who would you be?

SPEAKER_00 30:30

Right. To start with when I was younger, Humphrey Bubert.

SPEAKER_01 30:34

Do a lot of listening and not talking.

SPEAKER_00 30:37

Now I'd probably think that I'd the roadrunner. I want to do everything fast.

SPEAKER_01 30:42

Yeah, nice, that's suited, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

And suits my uh racing especially.

SPEAKER_01 30:47

This new path, yeah. Yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

So there's the two differences.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Yeah, very two, very two different characters there. All fictional, but you're almost quite close to that one. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for being here today. It's been an absolute pleasure having you here. Thanks, Chris. And thanks for sharing your story. No worries, appreciate it. I'm really excited to share your story with the community and the world out there. Yeah, thank you very much for this. See you.