MOTORSPORT: Race car driver initiative launched

Retired racer Marcos Ambrose is looking to give back to the next generation of Australian motorsport hopefuls with a new coaching and evaluation program.

The two-times Supercars champion, who also won NASCAR races in the US, is teaming up with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) to create a four-day program that will boost potential professionals and help guide their career choices.

It will be built around an intensive four-day track program at the Symmons Plains and Baskerville circuits in Tasmania as drivers are taken through Trans Am and TCR race cars, and potentially also an S5000 single-seater, under the wing of GRM’s engineers, mechanics and professional drivers led by James Moffat.

The ‘Combine’, as Ambrose has named it, is a personal passion project but also a way to keep the GRM crew active and focused.

Typically, Ambrose has very clear objectives for the Combine.

“This is not about making money for GRM. And it’s not about finding a superstar driver,” Ambrose told carsales.

“It’s for young drivers who are on the path and want to know where they sit, how they compare to pro drivers, and give them a platform to go forward.

“We’ve got a whole bunch of cars, and all this equipment and people and knowledge, and it’s not going to the track enough. This is such a great Australian asset. This is one way to use it and to help people.”

Ambrose had stepped away from Australian motorsport after a failed comeback to Supercars competition, but has become heavily involved this year, firstly to help his friend Owen Kelly in Trans Am racing, then as a Supercars commentator, then joining the management team at GRM.

He is now also hoping to help a new generation of Australian racers through the Combine.

“Really, for me, it was about finding where the next wave of young professional drivers is coming from. It’s about the health of Australian motor racing, and helping young drivers navigate through the early stages of their career,” he said.

“We are not looking for kids out of go-karts. It will be very heavily vetted. We’ll be keeping numbers low so we can do the job properly.

“I’m looking at drivers, not amateurs, but people who are already on the journey to be a professional. It’s to show them how to navigate through the broken list of various categories in motorsport.

“The idea is to cost-contain this as much as we can. Motorsport has become very expensive in Australia. With our company and our team, I’m pushing them to use our resources. You do the hard work in the workshop and during testing, then on a race weekend it’s time to execute.”

The full Combine program is still being developed, but the starting point for drivers is to register their interest by emailing to: combine@grmotorsport.com.au.