October 18, 2024 • 30 mins
Liam Lawson, New Zealand's tenth Formula One driver, has had the world's premier motorsport category in his cross hairs since for as long as he can remember.
In late 2018, at age 16, he joined D'Arcy Waldegrave and Bob McMurray in studio to talk about his hopes and dreams for the wonderful wide world of race cars.
He had just signed up for a drive in the Toyota Racing Series, a series he went on to win in his maiden year. It was that contract that alerted Red Bull to his talent, and the rest is history.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Liam Lawson somebody that he's big raps generally, I'm going
to say, right in front of him now, he's been
a stunning talent over the last couple of years, one
way or another, and his talent was exemplified even more
recently when he went to Malaysia. Just talking with him,
he was invited up there for one race effectively, well
(00:33):
one week race weekend, when he got a qualified top
in every single qualifying session, won every single race in
a strange car with a strange team, on a strange track,
with strange overalls, with strange everything. Probably your own helmet,
wasn't it. Okay, He's got his own helmet and still
won everything. Liam Lawson announced during the week at the
(00:55):
Giltrap function that he's driving Toya Racing Series this coming season.
It's probably one of the worst kept secrets going, but
it was a secret until the announcement. Liam. You know
you must be looking forward to it, is all I
can say.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, really really excited. As I said before, I've watched
Terrius for a lot of years now. I raced alongside
it when I was being Formula Ford and then last
year even traveled up and down the country just to
watch and to learn about it, and then to finally
race this year is really really cool.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Because you only just missed out last year. Didn't you
buy by age or leg of it?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Exactly? Yeah, I was. I wanted to do the series
last year, but I was four weeks too young to
do the series, and then I wanted to do the
Grand Prix around the last morning and I was two
days too young for that. Yeah, that was pretty frustrating.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Just as well had a bit of practice leading into
it now, Yeah exactly. I mean you saw what the
competition is like in TRS and it is pretty fierce,
but the car is not going to be totally You've
driven that car effectively, but it's not going to be
totally unusual to use. The car is fairly similar to
something between the Formula three drove in in Asia and
Formula four that sort of thing, Same sort.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Of car, yeah exactly, and also the same competition. Like
the guys A lot of the guys that are raced
against this year and the guys around me are the
same people that are coming to and same drivers that
are coming to do it this year, so it should
be pretty familiar and it's going to be really really
nice to race at home as well. You know, I
know the tracks from Formula forwards, so it's going to
be cool.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And you know, it's a pretty tense and stressful five weeks.
I mean you're on track Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a
couple of days off, then on track again and again
and again. I mean, it really does. It's a microcosm
of a season in Europe, isn't it, Except as you say,
you know most of the tracks here.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, exactly like you say, the cars as well is
pretty similar. The only thing that is the big difference
as the tracks. We have very unique tracks in New Zealand.
But yeah, five weeks of straight racing is going to
be pretty intense.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
You referenced your Formula Ford and that was a couple
of years ago. Now extraordinarily successful.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
What one loss?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, we had forty out of the fifteen wins in
that season. Technically should it should have been all of them.
We lost the race because Marshall forgot to put out
the last lapboard and then he put the chicken flag
out too early. And stuff like that, so it didn't
really work out well. But no, that was that was
a really really cool season. That that was when I
(03:21):
got to learn all the tracks in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Let's wind the clock back a little further. You're sixteen
years old. When did you first get into a car
and what was the start of that. Was there a
light bulb moment where you said I am going to
be at in center or how.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
Did it work?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
What happened?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Yeah, I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
That was a good career.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Honestly, I don't know. I don't know. I've always liked
cars since I was just before I could talk. I
was making canois and stuff like that. And yeah, my
breast friend at school started go karting and I went
and watched him for his first couple of meetings, and
you know, asked dad to get into it. So we
got a cart and used to go watch, even before
(04:03):
I could drive, because you didn't want to jump straight
into to a race been before you've done any testing.
So we even when I was learning, I had my
race suit and i'd just go watch. Even when I
wasn't driving, I'd be at the track in my race
suit pretending I was a driver just to watch. And
then yeah, I did seven years of carding until I
was twelve years old, and then when I was thirteen,
(04:23):
I did the Speed Sports scholarship for Formula first did
that for a season and then to Formula Ford and
then after that, yeah, overseas.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
So when did you get the.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Hint that you actually might be quite good at this?
It's all very well doing it for a very long time,
and a lot of people have a lot of things
for a very long time.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
There's still no good. But was there a moment you went, oh,
oh I've got this? Not really have you had that
moment yet?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
No?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I don't think so. I've been very very lucky to
keep racing and to keep going forward and moving up
through higher categories. But yeah, still not convinced.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Well, you must have a hint now after going over
to Asia and going wha wait wait, three races and
as Bob quite succinctly pointed out, foreign soup, foreign car,
foreign track for and everything else, you must have some hint.
Actually you've got a rough idea about how to plant
those things.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, we had a very very good car in Asia
that worked really really well.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So what about before that? You were in Formula four
in Europe. Now that must have been the same sort
of culture shock. You were straight from here to Europe.
You didn't go with anybody, presumably you just arrived there
and started racing in Formula four with what would have
been a strange team, strange car, the whole bit, and
you did pretty dumb well there.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
How did that come about?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, that was a big step we've been I mean,
my goal has always been to head to Europe and
push for Formula One. So from when I was in Australia.
After that, we looked at a lot of different series
in Europe. We looked at British EF four in Germany
four and decided that the German Championship was the most
competitive arm so we pushed for that and it was
(05:59):
very last minute to get all the funds and stuff
together to do it. But yeah, I went over the
first couple of weeks with the first couple of months
with my mum just to settle and but that was
definitely the biggest step in terms of when I've gone
to a new carra to a new championship. That was
was really really big. The way the teams operate, a
(06:20):
lot of the teams are IF three teams as well
and higher even GP two teams or IF two teams,
so they're very very professional. They have huge facilities, lots
of money behind them, so there the teams are really professional,
and then the racing is extremely competitive, really really aggressive.
The guys are are not afraid to crash, so it
(06:41):
makes it makes it really interesting. So I definitely learned
a lot from this year.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And you really had to put your big boy pants
on as well, didn't you, because some of those track
you were on Grand Prix tracks effectively floating around Europe
just driving on these you know, they're a little bit
different to Timaru, just a little.
Speaker 5 (06:57):
A lot different actually bad mouth levels.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I'm not bad mouthing wonderful anymore with terrorists, but I
mean you were straight into these big tracks, which that
must have been pretty eye opening as well, huge speeds.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, yeah, it's a lot different, and yeah, I mean
the amount of the biggest thing was also the testing,
like I've never normally like in Australia, I didn't do
any testing throughout the season. We kind of just went
from track and I learned the tracks and the practice
on the Friday, whereas this year every single round where
that at least done one or two. We do every
(07:31):
time we did a test, it was at least two days,
and we'd go from from track to track testing before
we went to the actual to the actually race meeting.
So yeah, a lot of learning funding.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
I got to ask about this because this is always
the problem, isn't it with any young old driver, doesn't
matter who they are. So obviously worked out from a
pretty early age that unless Dad's not telling me something,
that money don't grow on tree. So this is an
integral part of a young driver's career as understanding the
value of sponsorship and how to attract that sponsorship.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
How did that go for you? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
As I said, I've been very very lucky to keep
racing and to keep moving up when I when I
went from go cutting gokating, was funded mostly by Dad,
but we had a lot of help from a karting
team that I was very fortunately picked up by at
a young age. And then when I did the Speed
Sports Scholarship, we met Grant McDonald who was one of
(08:29):
the judges on the judging panel for that scholarship, and
he basically has been alongside us ever since, and he's
he's the only reason, the only reason that I'm racing
right now.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
So he organizes and it's just all the funding and
the like.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
He's gone and gotten all the funding. Really for everything
that we've done, What do you have to do for.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
That besides just drive flat out, which is plenty the
main thing. But outside of that, because I suppose you
mentioned didn't really test before. You just turned up the
track and get raced.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
And that's the yeah, wasn't it?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
And Center talking about the raw races or the true races,
about us karting days and how it was free of
all of the rubbish of sponsorship.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And everything else said that was the best time of
his life in racing.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
I'm not calling you it. And seeing him on any
stretched the imagination. I get excited.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
But so when you started having to realize that you
actually sing for your supper, how did that work for you?
As it was a pretty young guy that you know,
you suddenly had to shake hands and do all that
sponsor and media stuff.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
How did that go for you?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Well? As we spoke about before, it's kind of I've
been used to that from even go karting, having to
thank you all the sponsors and stuff like that. From
from a really young age. So basically Grant would would
go and get all these people interested and talk to
them and then he tell me give me their numbers,
and I talked to them and then we'd basically signed
(09:43):
them up. And the group has got massive over the
last couple of years. It's got burger and burger and bigger.
We've now this for this year, had to set up
a company structure with investors and stuff like that to
properly fund it all. So it's been Yeah, I mean
what the last couple of years has been unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Liam Lawson joining us in studio. Just in case you
don't know who you're listening to on that, it's just
one more question bother. I know you're dying to get
in there, but the pressure, you've got a company's money,
people putting money into it. Suddenly all these dreams from
everybody else, they're thinking, I'm back in the next Scott Dixon.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
How do you cope with that as a sixteen year old.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Yeah, it's to be honest, it's not something that I
think about good moves. I've been told not to think
about it really, but yeah, I mean the way our company, Yeah,
the people behind us, our supporters and stuff like that.
They're not they're not in it to get anything out
of it. They're only in it because they love motorsport
and they and they're wanting to help. So there's no
(10:41):
expectation really on me to do is no. You know,
it's not that before a year I have to win
or I have to be in the top three the
championship or something like that. They're all really really really
nice about it, so it's yeah, we're very very lucky.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I've met some of your investors that from the Tower
area and Marris A. Riley being one of them, and
I know Morris pretty well, and they're very keen on
the fact that just what you're saying, they're trying their
best to provide funding for you to go and do
what you want to do. But it is a job,
I mean effectively now you are working for that company
(11:15):
and your work is you're driving. But they, having talked
to them, they expect things to happen, otherwise they wouldn't
be investing on you. But there's no they didn't give
me the impression that there was any great pressure on
you to do it. You know, how can you tell
you can buy an American football team and it can
and you can spend fifty million dollars on one player
(11:35):
and it'll fall over the next day. So there cannot
be any pressure. The pressure is only what you put
on yourself, presumably as you're driving.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. They all they are really really good
about it. So they all know that at the end
of the day, we can only go. We can only
get so much funding out of New Zealand. It's not
like we're going to be able to fund all the
way to Formulawan or something like that. So they understand that,
you know, there's it might get to a point where
we can't keep going and at the end of it
(12:04):
we've got to just step back. Can say, well, that
was a really really fun ride.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Really We joined in studio by Liam Lawson young Man
in a hurry, literally and figuratively. As we look towards
the start of the tod A Racing season, Bob, you
be Racing Series A Racing Series season. Yes, well he's
take over the show. Then fine, No, I'm not going
to say anything. I can't get it right.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
I'm sitting here watching too old men argue.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Awesome, lucky, it's quite funny.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I'll laugh it up out of the studio.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
You're looking for. To the t r S, we established
that when when you first get to drive a car,
you're doing a shakedown or anything.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
I was hoping to do to do the shakedown, I'm
not sure if we will be able to do that.
I might be able to shake down my own car maybe,
but otherwise most likely the first time I drive the
cars on because they do the Wednesday, Yes, for the
first weekend at Highlands, so that'll be the first time.
Speaker 5 (13:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Because the just to tell everybody, the shakedowns are done
by other drivers so that the drivers in the series
don't get advantage of practicing the car before the international.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Co op and they need to make it because there's
already the key. Wes have got a distinct advantage for
A you know the tracks and b you know the
horrible weather here even the middle of summer the wed
are you.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
I've done a lot of were driving in New Zealand
and it helped this year. Like I was always praying
for rain when we were racing in Europe. A lot
of the guys over there hadn't done a lot of
rain driving, so that was always helped me.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
The Tour had Racing series is also known as Droughtbusters.
Wherever we go, I seem to bring bring rain at
some point or another.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Do you have any concerns moving into the series?
Speaker 4 (13:43):
What do you think about as far as what you're
going to achieve, where you're going to go, where you're
going to finish, what may or may not happen. What's
your process leading into a series like this? What have
you meled over in your head?
Speaker 3 (13:54):
The more I think about it, the more screwed up
it gets. I just would rather just kind of going.
I mean, obviously I want to do as well as
we can. We're pushing to try and try and win
the championship. But yeah, we take it race by race.
We start with the first one, and first of all,
see what our pace is like. Obviously it's it is
(14:14):
similar to the cars I've been driving. It's a little
bit quicker than therefore, it's probably in between and F
four and an F three close to the F three,
So it's quite a quick car.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Top speed or acceleration or speed through corners or how
can we balance.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
This with with single seed? Is like the question I
mostly get asked is how fast you go? And it's
not the how fast we get on the straight, that's
completely how late you break cars. It's what's it's and
it's the downforce with with erro cars like we drive,
that's super light for a start, and then with all
the downforce that they have as you get to the
sort of the end of the straight and the speeds
(14:49):
get high and higher, the cars being pushed down even
more so the speed sort of flattens out, whereas touring
cars and stuff like that they kind of just keep
going and going and going. But we can, Yeah, with
single seed is the speed we can carry through corners
as a lot quicker, we can break a lot later.
So that's where it's really is where our cars are
(15:10):
a lot quicker. It's not so much a straight line.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, the FT fifty Essie which you're driving now is
actually slower in a straight line forty which is the
one before exactly because of the aerodynamics. But the lap
time is much quicker. So yeah, you're going to experience
more g forces, but not so much not speed down
the straight. But speed is irrelevant because you're racing another
car with you not It doesn't matter. If you've got
(15:32):
a drags it will be wonderful. You got three hundred
miles an hour, but you'll never turn a corner exactly,
that's the whole point. But you're used to that sort
of thing with what you've got. You've driven cars with
some form of aerodynamics on up to now.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, so I mean if four is not a huge
amount of downforce as a little. But at the end
of the season, I was lucky enough to do a
couple of tests with van Amasport in the this year's
F three car, the FAA car, and that was a
really really big step up first of all, and the speed,
like the axceleration was was a lot, but it's mostly
(16:05):
the downforce and like I struggled with my neck, especially
because of the gwee pool around the corners. I tested
at a track that we raced at that year called
lasts Ring, which is like an oval with an infield course,
which is not a great track. But and then I
also tested in Silverstone, which was in the UK, which
(16:26):
was pretty cool, very cool.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Amos Racing has got a bit of a history with
QB drivers as well, because that was where Nick Cassidy was.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Yeah, Richie stand Away and Richie Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
So yeah, there's a bit of history there. So like
QB drivers quick ones.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Yeah, why not you mentioned the strain on your neck
and the stream of the arristed body. You're still were churing,
you're still growing into your frame. What do you do
about your fitness and your strength and how you actually
manage that because you don't want to go too far
one way, do you? But you've got to be very
realistic that it's a very muscular sport. For one of
a way, you've got to be fit. You've got to
be pretty damn strong to do with those g forces.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yeah, it's a completely look. The fitness that like, the
training that we do is completely different training that you
do for any other sport. A lot of it's neck
Nike I didn't do a lot of neck stuff. We're
therefore because it wasn't it wasn't really hard. But when
after now driving their three car, that's been something that
we've put heavily into into a program. So, yeah, a
(17:19):
lot of neck training. You have to be quite light.
It's better to be light in a race car and small.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Weather or mantle.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I'm not in it.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, No, it's just it's it is. It is better
to be light teams like it. They can move weight
around the car to help balance and stuff like that.
So that's I've got that on my side at the moment.
And then it's just, yeah, a lot of core strengths.
You's got to be really really fit for endurance and
stuff like that, because it's like what I found racing
in Asia as well as the heat, having to concentrate
(17:54):
for that long without making any mistakes and that sort
of heat was pretty demanding.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
So what training are you doing? What do you do
every day training?
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Or what I did when I was racing in Europe
this Yeah, I was in and out of the factory.
The team has a factory with a gym, so I
was in and out there quite a lot. And we
did simulateor training as well in the factory. But since
I've got back, I've done. Yeah, I've done. I probably
(18:22):
should be doing more now.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I thought you were coming to that the way you
were hedging and I do four hours a day. I
was wondering where you were going with that.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, well, yeah, I mean racing the we finally got
a flast face half an hour. We've done definitely the
race week in and Malaysia was was really really good
for fitness. And then since I've come back this week,
I've been really really sick, as you can probably tell
them my voice, So I haven't done a lot this week.
But now now that everything's confirmed with Tiras and we've
(18:51):
got everything sorted, the training regime will be a lot
more in place for the next couple of weeks leading
up to it.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
So with TRS, how are we going to know who
you are? What you got on the car? What color
is it, what's what number is it? What sponsors have
you got on it?
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, the number hasn't been completely solid yet, but it's Yeah,
it's a blue and yellow car. Massive thanks to Turner's
Cars for coming on board again. They helped They supported
me this year overseas in Europe and now to come
back on board for for Terris is really really cool.
Also to port a group coming on board for terrorists
(19:27):
and to beg to b g Will Wills.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Great and as I saw a photograph with you and
Kenny Smith. In fact, I've seen you with Kenny Smith,
and Kenny Smith is in the background of just about
everybody since Charlton Heston driving a chariot. Has he helped
you in any way.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Yeah, Kenny's Kenny's awesome. He's been a mentor for me
since since formally first I met him. The first time
I met him was when I was still doing go
cutting and I went to his workshop and met him,
and then yes, since formera first, he's been basically one
of my mentors and he's been really awesome. I've spent
a lot of days of them. Before I went to Europe,
(20:05):
nearly every day I was going down to Hampton with
him to his workshop and spending a lot of time
with him. So he's been a huge up to me.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
And you're taller than him.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
I wasn't when I when I first met I am finally.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Now you mentioned your mom going over to Europe with
you for a few months, and you come from I've
just found out to break rather large family as well.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
That's that's a massive commitment from your mum. It really is.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yeah, it was. She she enjoyed it traveling the world
with me, And.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
There's always that side, But I suppose I kind of
look at Europe exactly, going to Laos, it's rings not
exactly the south of France.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
It's not nice, it's not nice. No, No, she's she
she really enjoyed it. It was nice for me as
well have somebody there that I knew. And then yeah,
after after she left, it was I was by myself.
I had people come up and back down for a
little bit just at times, for for like a couple
(21:02):
of weeks, just to support, but the end of the
season I was by myself, and I wanted to be
I wanted to try and do it by myself and
really learn what you know, because obviously in the future
it's only going to get harder and harder on that
side of things, where I'll only be spending more and
more time away. So but I found that we were
so busy, like with with preparations to race weekends, with testing,
(21:26):
with simulator work, the only thing I was thinking about
was was driving in the race car. So I never
really thought about home or missing home or anything like
that until really until we booked flights a week before
I came home, and then I actually started to miss
it and look forward to coming back.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Your a sixteen year old boy can cook for himself.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Well, I mean a lot. When I was by myself,
I had the same dinner pretty much every single night
because I couldn't really cook anything, so you ay.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
Nine, I ate the same thing every night too. Don't
worry about it.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Some of us just gonn islander that food thing at
the hotel makes to Kentucky Fry talking aboutic Spot in
the program. Bob McMurray, myself, Darcy Watergrave and Liam Wwson
sorted just hang around and just cheated us as well.
When it comes to covering off of things, where.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Do you watch?
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Obviously watch quite a bit of Formula One, Yeah, all
of it. Do you heart back to the good old
days when they could pass?
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Yeah, I look back to a lot of old videos.
I really really enjoyed that, so I think it should
be a lot more like that now. It's a little
bit disappointing, to be honest, where the cars are going.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
He's only sixteen. He hasn't seen exciting Formula one video YouTube.
I've got the entire seventies on. I watch it every
time that Liam. Have you anything to do with the.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Mark a little bit?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Not?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Not since I've been over there this year. I met him.
I caught up with him one time when we were
in when he was racing F three and Hockenheim. But
Marcus has been went like in carding and stuff like that.
He was the same. He was always the age group
above me, so every time i'd step up a class,
he'd be stepping up a class again. So I only
raced him. I think I did two races against him,
(23:03):
but he was very dominant and and he's he's doing
really really well well overseas as well.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I just want to I'll just finish these two things,
and I want to ask you a question about that.
Hunter Michael Ray is in the Mazda Road to Indy
Open Test this weekend. It's in fact it's yesterday and
today or today and you study depending on timing. This
is basically it's two million dollars in scholarships and things
like that. You can win. Whether he can or not,
I don't know. Hunter maclay was obviously New Zealand raised driver,
(23:33):
but races in Australia, so good for him. Silverf and
rally was on three thousand, five hundred and seventy one
kilometers from Hamilton to Road a Row. I'm sure it
doesn't take that long ago from Hamilton to Road.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
A Navigator mate.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Won by UK drivers, second UK drivers, third UK drivers
and fourth Brett Rolstro and Ian McKee from New Zealand.
Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis won it Ford Escort Ford
Escort for Escool. Yeah, and then the challenge was at
least a Corola, then a Civic and then an eighty
six with Brent Taylor and Dave Neil. So that was
(24:09):
on and I've seen, you know said he Craig Lord,
raid Lord. He was around. He did a video of
the whole thing as well, and it's on. I'm not
sure if he's on YouTube yet, but I only see
it on Facebook. It's really worth watching, really, We're really
worth looking at. And just flipping over to NASCAR. Kurt
Busch confirmed that he's not going to be running with
(24:30):
Stuart House Racing next season. It looks like he might
be going to Ganassi, not sure about that. And Daniels
Soirez was released from Joe Gibbs Racing is probably going
to join Stuart Hout Racing. So it's the same thing
over there, all sorts of people dodging and diving in
trying to get the best seats. Straining about Kurt Bush though,
I thought he was quite good. Yes, does you've got
(24:51):
your hand up? You may go.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
I think you're going to announce that NASCAR extended this season,
so not having forty eight.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Races, it'd start before they finished.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
We're going to wind up the driven our shortly. We're
going to wind up with our question as well. When
you're of a pair of brand new, spanking steel.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Blue work boots, if you'd like those.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
Just listen out question us coming. You answer that question correctly,
those steel blue work boots. Boots are yours thanks to
steel blue work boots, built for comfort, made for work,
Radio sports. This is going to be tough for got
a question, Bob, you were a mastermind behind the question
for the pair of steel blue workboots which are about
to give away five double O nine takes the answer
(25:33):
to five double O nine with your full name.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
That's a Christian name and surname, Bob.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Question please, Well you've only just started. What was the
name of the track that Liam mentioned was in Germany?
Speaker 5 (25:43):
That was a hellhole?
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (25:44):
That was very nice.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, Yeah, that's that's it. It's not a very nice
place anyway.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (25:50):
I've never been there, but apparently so good luck with
this one. Seeing that in five at double oh nine,
some work books I'll give you starts.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Of the Yeah, starting how long we got liam, Oh,
a couple minutes. What's the plan from from nig tr S.
Will that be a one year deal or a two
year deal or what are you looking at with that
or you don't know yet. I'm not asking you your
firm plans, but what would be the sort of master
plan if you if you had everything falling your lap
(26:18):
for the next five.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Years, I would say, we do Terras over summer and
then we we're hoping to do Formula three next year.
We looked at doing going to the International series, but
we think that's probably for me a bit too much
of a step. So National Formula three, the Regional Formula three,
we haven't decided what serious because obviously next year is
(26:41):
a whole bunch of them coming and so it's it's
a bit complicated there. And then after that, yeah, I
mean I would love to come back and do Terras again,
see where we end up this year anyway or in
this coming season, and then after that maybe International Formula
three which will GP three that series, then after that
F two, and then after that obviously.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I would imagine that you have all these people helping
you and you just don't go to them and say
I want to do this next year, but there's got
to be a progression plan. There's got to be something
that they would say, this is what we would like
you to do, This is how you we would like
you to progress.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Yeah, and that's probably what's happened, exactly exactly that.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Okay, Well, good luck with it, That's all I can say.
I mean, it's a yeah, everybody knows. It's a tough haule,
really is. But at least you're doing something you really enjoying,
you good at I mean, that's got to be the
it's got to be the absolute dream for anybody. I
wasn't good at it, but I love doing it in
formula one for years and years and years. But you know,
(27:42):
and it was a dream. I would have done it
for free, so I can imagine that you would. You
can't say it out loud that you do it for free,
but anyway, it's you do it for a good price.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
All right.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
It's the horrible question you don't want. I'm going to
throw it in because I can't help myself.
Speaker 5 (27:53):
What's it? Exaplain? What happens if it doesn't work?
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Have you considered that you're a young guy, you got
your whole life in front of you, and things can
go horribly wrong, and you got to think about this.
I was going to be a well famous actor. I
was your age, and we're horribly wrong and here I
am propping up a radio studio.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
Do you have a plan but you'd even consider that?
Is it worth thinking about?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
No? I don't think about it for sure. It's not
something that I that I want to think about.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
But did you you do schooling now?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
No?
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I left school. I left school last last year to
do to do this year in Europe. I haven't been
doing this schooling. I think for an opportunity like I have,
it needs one hundred and ten percent commitment because I'm
extremely lucky. As you'll know, it's very for a key
to be doing this. It's very very rare, so I'm
very very lucky for that. But yeah, as a backup plan,
(28:43):
I would I would love to be working in motorsports somehow,
but I wouldn't want to be doing it if I
wasn't driving, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Yeah, that's a big commitment to leave school, leave your
education to go and do something like this.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
I completely understand.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
I don't know why that must have been an interesting
conversation with Maum, with dad and everybody else.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
Well I'm leaving.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
It was like we're going to do online school, and
then we kind of stopped talking about it. So I
just tried to not talk about it so that Mum
would forget about it. Sort of that happens, So.
Speaker 5 (29:09):
Don't play this.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
At least you had the choice. I think I was
kicked out. I didn't have a choice anymore. I fled,
They fled you. I'm gone.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
They're doing anything else you'd like to add, anything else
you'd like to throw us that we don't know about you,
Liam Lawson.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
No, just massive thanks to Radio Sporting to you guys
for having me here tonight. It's been really, really cool.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
It won't be the last time I can tell you
when you're famous in Formula one and we ring and
say can excuse me? Can you be on? I don't
want any of this A bit busy now, can you
see my pot?
Speaker 5 (29:42):
See me to your manager.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
I don't have a good track record with managers of
Formula one people to be fait. Jordi Peters, congratulations, he's
been listening lost the thing and Jordi Peters, you're the
man of the how of the Tara Power. You're walking
away with a pair of steel blue work boots from
show sponsor. Are still blue? What are you guys laughing at?
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I don't know, but I've gotten onto something I don't
know laughing. What's it like? Jeordie Peters was your brother Dy.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
He's he's one of my really very close friends.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
That was and formula there Jordy, Well, donet mate, because
we've had Noburg, Green Hockenheim, Noburger.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Hold on them now, good Jordy, you listen. Well, you
knew anyway I can see anyone can win in radio.
Don't take much. That's it. We got to go. We've
got thirty seconds. We're packing the troubles up. Liam. We
wish you the word all the best.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Thank you very much for coming and looking forward to
seeing you performing in your blue and yellow Turner's car
coming up in the toyter Racing Series. And Bob, same
to you as mate. Always good to see your buddy
next week, indeed next week this.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldegrave from Newstalk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Liam Lawson somebody that he's big raps generally, I'm going
to say, right in front of him now, he's been
a stunning talent over the last couple of years, one
way or another, and his talent was exemplified even more
recently when he went to Malaysia. Just talking with him,
he was invited up there for one race effectively, well
(00:33):
one week race weekend, when he got a qualified top
in every single qualifying session, won every single race in
a strange car with a strange team, on a strange track,
with strange overalls, with strange everything. Probably your own helmet,
wasn't it. Okay, He's got his own helmet and still
won everything. Liam Lawson announced during the week at the
(00:55):
Giltrap function that he's driving Toya Racing Series this coming season.
It's probably one of the worst kept secrets going, but
it was a secret until the announcement. Liam. You know
you must be looking forward to it, is all I
can say.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah, really really excited. As I said before, I've watched
Terrius for a lot of years now. I raced alongside
it when I was being Formula Ford and then last
year even traveled up and down the country just to
watch and to learn about it, and then to finally
race this year is really really cool.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
Because you only just missed out last year. Didn't you
buy by age or leg of it?
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Exactly? Yeah, I was. I wanted to do the series
last year, but I was four weeks too young to
do the series, and then I wanted to do the
Grand Prix around the last morning and I was two
days too young for that. Yeah, that was pretty frustrating.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
Just as well had a bit of practice leading into
it now, Yeah exactly. I mean you saw what the
competition is like in TRS and it is pretty fierce,
but the car is not going to be totally You've
driven that car effectively, but it's not going to be
totally unusual to use. The car is fairly similar to
something between the Formula three drove in in Asia and
Formula four that sort of thing, Same sort.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
Of car, yeah exactly, and also the same competition. Like
the guys A lot of the guys that are raced
against this year and the guys around me are the
same people that are coming to and same drivers that
are coming to do it this year, so it should
be pretty familiar and it's going to be really really
nice to race at home as well. You know, I
know the tracks from Formula forwards, so it's going to
be cool.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
And you know, it's a pretty tense and stressful five weeks.
I mean you're on track Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, a
couple of days off, then on track again and again
and again. I mean, it really does. It's a microcosm
of a season in Europe, isn't it, Except as you say,
you know most of the tracks here.
Speaker 3 (02:40):
Yeah, exactly like you say, the cars as well is
pretty similar. The only thing that is the big difference
as the tracks. We have very unique tracks in New Zealand.
But yeah, five weeks of straight racing is going to
be pretty intense.
Speaker 4 (02:54):
You referenced your Formula Ford and that was a couple
of years ago. Now extraordinarily successful.
Speaker 5 (02:58):
What one loss?
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Yeah, we had forty out of the fifteen wins in
that season. Technically should it should have been all of them.
We lost the race because Marshall forgot to put out
the last lapboard and then he put the chicken flag
out too early. And stuff like that, so it didn't
really work out well. But no, that was that was
a really really cool season. That that was when I
(03:21):
got to learn all the tracks in New Zealand.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
Let's wind the clock back a little further. You're sixteen
years old. When did you first get into a car
and what was the start of that. Was there a
light bulb moment where you said I am going to
be at in center or how.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
Did it work?
Speaker 2 (03:34):
What happened?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Yeah, I have no idea.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
That was a good career.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Honestly, I don't know. I don't know. I've always liked
cars since I was just before I could talk. I
was making canois and stuff like that. And yeah, my
breast friend at school started go karting and I went
and watched him for his first couple of meetings, and
you know, asked dad to get into it. So we
got a cart and used to go watch, even before
(04:03):
I could drive, because you didn't want to jump straight
into to a race been before you've done any testing.
So we even when I was learning, I had my
race suit and i'd just go watch. Even when I
wasn't driving, I'd be at the track in my race
suit pretending I was a driver just to watch. And
then yeah, I did seven years of carding until I
was twelve years old, and then when I was thirteen,
(04:23):
I did the Speed Sports scholarship for Formula first did
that for a season and then to Formula Ford and
then after that, yeah, overseas.
Speaker 5 (04:33):
So when did you get the.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Hint that you actually might be quite good at this?
It's all very well doing it for a very long time,
and a lot of people have a lot of things
for a very long time.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
There's still no good. But was there a moment you went, oh,
oh I've got this? Not really have you had that
moment yet?
Speaker 2 (04:48):
No?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
I don't think so. I've been very very lucky to
keep racing and to keep going forward and moving up
through higher categories. But yeah, still not convinced.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
Well, you must have a hint now after going over
to Asia and going wha wait wait, three races and
as Bob quite succinctly pointed out, foreign soup, foreign car,
foreign track for and everything else, you must have some hint.
Actually you've got a rough idea about how to plant
those things.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Yeah, we had a very very good car in Asia
that worked really really well.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So what about before that? You were in Formula four
in Europe. Now that must have been the same sort
of culture shock. You were straight from here to Europe.
You didn't go with anybody, presumably you just arrived there
and started racing in Formula four with what would have
been a strange team, strange car, the whole bit, and
you did pretty dumb well there.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
How did that come about?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, that was a big step we've been I mean,
my goal has always been to head to Europe and
push for Formula One. So from when I was in Australia.
After that, we looked at a lot of different series
in Europe. We looked at British EF four in Germany
four and decided that the German Championship was the most
competitive arm so we pushed for that and it was
(05:59):
very last minute to get all the funds and stuff
together to do it. But yeah, I went over the
first couple of weeks with the first couple of months
with my mum just to settle and but that was
definitely the biggest step in terms of when I've gone
to a new carra to a new championship. That was
was really really big. The way the teams operate, a
(06:20):
lot of the teams are IF three teams as well
and higher even GP two teams or IF two teams,
so they're very very professional. They have huge facilities, lots
of money behind them, so there the teams are really professional,
and then the racing is extremely competitive, really really aggressive.
The guys are are not afraid to crash, so it
(06:41):
makes it makes it really interesting. So I definitely learned
a lot from this year.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
And you really had to put your big boy pants
on as well, didn't you, because some of those track
you were on Grand Prix tracks effectively floating around Europe
just driving on these you know, they're a little bit
different to Timaru, just a little.
Speaker 5 (06:57):
A lot different actually bad mouth levels.
Speaker 2 (07:00):
I'm not bad mouthing wonderful anymore with terrorists, but I
mean you were straight into these big tracks, which that
must have been pretty eye opening as well, huge speeds.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Yeah, yeah, it's a lot different, and yeah, I mean
the amount of the biggest thing was also the testing,
like I've never normally like in Australia, I didn't do
any testing throughout the season. We kind of just went
from track and I learned the tracks and the practice
on the Friday, whereas this year every single round where
that at least done one or two. We do every
(07:31):
time we did a test, it was at least two days,
and we'd go from from track to track testing before
we went to the actual to the actually race meeting.
So yeah, a lot of learning funding.
Speaker 4 (07:43):
I got to ask about this because this is always
the problem, isn't it with any young old driver, doesn't
matter who they are. So obviously worked out from a
pretty early age that unless Dad's not telling me something,
that money don't grow on tree. So this is an
integral part of a young driver's career as understanding the
value of sponsorship and how to attract that sponsorship.
Speaker 5 (08:03):
How did that go for you? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (08:06):
As I said, I've been very very lucky to keep
racing and to keep moving up when I when I
went from go cutting gokating, was funded mostly by Dad,
but we had a lot of help from a karting
team that I was very fortunately picked up by at
a young age. And then when I did the Speed
Sports Scholarship, we met Grant McDonald who was one of
(08:29):
the judges on the judging panel for that scholarship, and
he basically has been alongside us ever since, and he's
he's the only reason, the only reason that I'm racing
right now.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
So he organizes and it's just all the funding and
the like.
Speaker 3 (08:43):
He's gone and gotten all the funding. Really for everything
that we've done, What do you have to do for.
Speaker 4 (08:48):
That besides just drive flat out, which is plenty the
main thing. But outside of that, because I suppose you
mentioned didn't really test before. You just turned up the
track and get raced.
Speaker 5 (08:56):
And that's the yeah, wasn't it?
Speaker 4 (08:58):
And Center talking about the raw races or the true races,
about us karting days and how it was free of
all of the rubbish of sponsorship.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
And everything else said that was the best time of
his life in racing.
Speaker 5 (09:07):
I'm not calling you it. And seeing him on any
stretched the imagination. I get excited.
Speaker 4 (09:11):
But so when you started having to realize that you
actually sing for your supper, how did that work for you?
As it was a pretty young guy that you know,
you suddenly had to shake hands and do all that
sponsor and media stuff.
Speaker 5 (09:21):
How did that go for you?
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Well? As we spoke about before, it's kind of I've
been used to that from even go karting, having to
thank you all the sponsors and stuff like that. From
from a really young age. So basically Grant would would
go and get all these people interested and talk to
them and then he tell me give me their numbers,
and I talked to them and then we'd basically signed
(09:43):
them up. And the group has got massive over the
last couple of years. It's got burger and burger and bigger.
We've now this for this year, had to set up
a company structure with investors and stuff like that to
properly fund it all. So it's been Yeah, I mean
what the last couple of years has been unbelievable.
Speaker 4 (10:01):
Liam Lawson joining us in studio. Just in case you
don't know who you're listening to on that, it's just
one more question bother. I know you're dying to get
in there, but the pressure, you've got a company's money,
people putting money into it. Suddenly all these dreams from
everybody else, they're thinking, I'm back in the next Scott Dixon.
Speaker 5 (10:17):
How do you cope with that as a sixteen year old.
Speaker 3 (10:19):
Yeah, it's to be honest, it's not something that I
think about good moves. I've been told not to think
about it really, but yeah, I mean the way our company, Yeah,
the people behind us, our supporters and stuff like that.
They're not they're not in it to get anything out
of it. They're only in it because they love motorsport
and they and they're wanting to help. So there's no
(10:41):
expectation really on me to do is no. You know,
it's not that before a year I have to win
or I have to be in the top three the
championship or something like that. They're all really really really
nice about it, so it's yeah, we're very very lucky.
Speaker 2 (10:55):
I've met some of your investors that from the Tower
area and Marris A. Riley being one of them, and
I know Morris pretty well, and they're very keen on
the fact that just what you're saying, they're trying their
best to provide funding for you to go and do
what you want to do. But it is a job,
I mean effectively now you are working for that company
(11:15):
and your work is you're driving. But they, having talked
to them, they expect things to happen, otherwise they wouldn't
be investing on you. But there's no they didn't give
me the impression that there was any great pressure on
you to do it. You know, how can you tell
you can buy an American football team and it can
and you can spend fifty million dollars on one player
(11:35):
and it'll fall over the next day. So there cannot
be any pressure. The pressure is only what you put
on yourself, presumably as you're driving.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. They all they are really really good
about it. So they all know that at the end
of the day, we can only go. We can only
get so much funding out of New Zealand. It's not
like we're going to be able to fund all the
way to Formulawan or something like that. So they understand that,
you know, there's it might get to a point where
we can't keep going and at the end of it
(12:04):
we've got to just step back. Can say, well, that
was a really really fun ride.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
Really We joined in studio by Liam Lawson young Man
in a hurry, literally and figuratively. As we look towards
the start of the tod A Racing season, Bob, you
be Racing Series A Racing Series season. Yes, well he's
take over the show. Then fine, No, I'm not going
to say anything. I can't get it right.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
I'm sitting here watching too old men argue.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Awesome, lucky, it's quite funny.
Speaker 5 (12:33):
I'll laugh it up out of the studio.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
You're looking for. To the t r S, we established
that when when you first get to drive a car,
you're doing a shakedown or anything.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
I was hoping to do to do the shakedown, I'm
not sure if we will be able to do that.
I might be able to shake down my own car maybe,
but otherwise most likely the first time I drive the
cars on because they do the Wednesday, Yes, for the
first weekend at Highlands, so that'll be the first time.
Speaker 5 (13:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (13:01):
Because the just to tell everybody, the shakedowns are done
by other drivers so that the drivers in the series
don't get advantage of practicing the car before the international.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
Co op and they need to make it because there's
already the key. Wes have got a distinct advantage for
A you know the tracks and b you know the
horrible weather here even the middle of summer the wed
are you.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
I've done a lot of were driving in New Zealand
and it helped this year. Like I was always praying
for rain when we were racing in Europe. A lot
of the guys over there hadn't done a lot of
rain driving, so that was always helped me.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
The Tour had Racing series is also known as Droughtbusters.
Wherever we go, I seem to bring bring rain at
some point or another.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
Do you have any concerns moving into the series?
Speaker 4 (13:43):
What do you think about as far as what you're
going to achieve, where you're going to go, where you're
going to finish, what may or may not happen. What's
your process leading into a series like this? What have
you meled over in your head?
Speaker 3 (13:54):
The more I think about it, the more screwed up
it gets. I just would rather just kind of going.
I mean, obviously I want to do as well as
we can. We're pushing to try and try and win
the championship. But yeah, we take it race by race.
We start with the first one, and first of all,
see what our pace is like. Obviously it's it is
(14:14):
similar to the cars I've been driving. It's a little
bit quicker than therefore, it's probably in between and F
four and an F three close to the F three,
So it's quite a quick car.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
Top speed or acceleration or speed through corners or how
can we balance.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
This with with single seed? Is like the question I
mostly get asked is how fast you go? And it's
not the how fast we get on the straight, that's
completely how late you break cars. It's what's it's and
it's the downforce with with erro cars like we drive,
that's super light for a start, and then with all
the downforce that they have as you get to the
sort of the end of the straight and the speeds
(14:49):
get high and higher, the cars being pushed down even
more so the speed sort of flattens out, whereas touring
cars and stuff like that they kind of just keep
going and going and going. But we can, Yeah, with
single seed is the speed we can carry through corners
as a lot quicker, we can break a lot later.
So that's where it's really is where our cars are
(15:10):
a lot quicker. It's not so much a straight line.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Yeah, the FT fifty Essie which you're driving now is
actually slower in a straight line forty which is the
one before exactly because of the aerodynamics. But the lap
time is much quicker. So yeah, you're going to experience
more g forces, but not so much not speed down
the straight. But speed is irrelevant because you're racing another
car with you not It doesn't matter. If you've got
(15:32):
a drags it will be wonderful. You got three hundred
miles an hour, but you'll never turn a corner exactly,
that's the whole point. But you're used to that sort
of thing with what you've got. You've driven cars with
some form of aerodynamics on up to now.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
Yeah, so I mean if four is not a huge
amount of downforce as a little. But at the end
of the season, I was lucky enough to do a
couple of tests with van Amasport in the this year's
F three car, the FAA car, and that was a
really really big step up first of all, and the speed,
like the axceleration was was a lot, but it's mostly
(16:05):
the downforce and like I struggled with my neck, especially
because of the gwee pool around the corners. I tested
at a track that we raced at that year called
lasts Ring, which is like an oval with an infield course,
which is not a great track. But and then I
also tested in Silverstone, which was in the UK, which
(16:26):
was pretty cool, very cool.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Amos Racing has got a bit of a history with
QB drivers as well, because that was where Nick Cassidy was.
Speaker 5 (16:33):
Wasn't it.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
Yeah, Richie stand Away and Richie Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
So yeah, there's a bit of history there. So like
QB drivers quick ones.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
Yeah, why not you mentioned the strain on your neck
and the stream of the arristed body. You're still were churing,
you're still growing into your frame. What do you do
about your fitness and your strength and how you actually
manage that because you don't want to go too far
one way, do you? But you've got to be very
realistic that it's a very muscular sport. For one of
a way, you've got to be fit. You've got to
be pretty damn strong to do with those g forces.
Speaker 3 (16:59):
Yeah, it's a completely look. The fitness that like, the
training that we do is completely different training that you
do for any other sport. A lot of it's neck
Nike I didn't do a lot of neck stuff. We're
therefore because it wasn't it wasn't really hard. But when
after now driving their three car, that's been something that
we've put heavily into into a program. So, yeah, a
(17:19):
lot of neck training. You have to be quite light.
It's better to be light in a race car and small.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Weather or mantle.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
I'm not in it.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
Yeah, No, it's just it's it is. It is better
to be light teams like it. They can move weight
around the car to help balance and stuff like that.
So that's I've got that on my side at the moment.
And then it's just, yeah, a lot of core strengths.
You's got to be really really fit for endurance and
stuff like that, because it's like what I found racing
in Asia as well as the heat, having to concentrate
(17:54):
for that long without making any mistakes and that sort
of heat was pretty demanding.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
So what training are you doing? What do you do
every day training?
Speaker 3 (18:02):
Or what I did when I was racing in Europe
this Yeah, I was in and out of the factory.
The team has a factory with a gym, so I
was in and out there quite a lot. And we
did simulateor training as well in the factory. But since
I've got back, I've done. Yeah, I've done. I probably
(18:22):
should be doing more now.
Speaker 2 (18:24):
I thought you were coming to that the way you
were hedging and I do four hours a day. I
was wondering where you were going with that.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
Yeah, well, yeah, I mean racing the we finally got
a flast face half an hour. We've done definitely the
race week in and Malaysia was was really really good
for fitness. And then since I've come back this week,
I've been really really sick, as you can probably tell
them my voice, So I haven't done a lot this week.
But now now that everything's confirmed with Tiras and we've
(18:51):
got everything sorted, the training regime will be a lot
more in place for the next couple of weeks leading
up to it.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
So with TRS, how are we going to know who
you are? What you got on the car? What color
is it, what's what number is it? What sponsors have
you got on it?
Speaker 3 (19:05):
Yeah, the number hasn't been completely solid yet, but it's Yeah,
it's a blue and yellow car. Massive thanks to Turner's
Cars for coming on board again. They helped They supported
me this year overseas in Europe and now to come
back on board for for Terris is really really cool.
Also to port a group coming on board for terrorists
(19:27):
and to beg to b g Will Wills.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Great and as I saw a photograph with you and
Kenny Smith. In fact, I've seen you with Kenny Smith,
and Kenny Smith is in the background of just about
everybody since Charlton Heston driving a chariot. Has he helped
you in any way.
Speaker 3 (19:45):
Yeah, Kenny's Kenny's awesome. He's been a mentor for me
since since formally first I met him. The first time
I met him was when I was still doing go
cutting and I went to his workshop and met him,
and then yes, since formera first, he's been basically one
of my mentors and he's been really awesome. I've spent
a lot of days of them. Before I went to Europe,
(20:05):
nearly every day I was going down to Hampton with
him to his workshop and spending a lot of time
with him. So he's been a huge up to me.
Speaker 2 (20:13):
And you're taller than him.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
I wasn't when I when I first met I am finally.
Speaker 4 (20:18):
Now you mentioned your mom going over to Europe with
you for a few months, and you come from I've
just found out to break rather large family as well.
Speaker 5 (20:26):
That's that's a massive commitment from your mum. It really is.
Speaker 3 (20:29):
Yeah, it was. She she enjoyed it traveling the world
with me, And.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
There's always that side, But I suppose I kind of
look at Europe exactly, going to Laos, it's rings not
exactly the south of France.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
It's not nice, it's not nice. No, No, she's she
she really enjoyed it. It was nice for me as
well have somebody there that I knew. And then yeah,
after after she left, it was I was by myself.
I had people come up and back down for a
little bit just at times, for for like a couple
(21:02):
of weeks, just to support, but the end of the
season I was by myself, and I wanted to be
I wanted to try and do it by myself and
really learn what you know, because obviously in the future
it's only going to get harder and harder on that
side of things, where I'll only be spending more and
more time away. So but I found that we were
so busy, like with with preparations to race weekends, with testing,
(21:26):
with simulator work, the only thing I was thinking about
was was driving in the race car. So I never
really thought about home or missing home or anything like
that until really until we booked flights a week before
I came home, and then I actually started to miss
it and look forward to coming back.
Speaker 5 (21:42):
Your a sixteen year old boy can cook for himself.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Well, I mean a lot. When I was by myself,
I had the same dinner pretty much every single night
because I couldn't really cook anything, so you ay.
Speaker 5 (21:53):
Nine, I ate the same thing every night too. Don't
worry about it.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
Some of us just gonn islander that food thing at
the hotel makes to Kentucky Fry talking aboutic Spot in
the program. Bob McMurray, myself, Darcy Watergrave and Liam Wwson
sorted just hang around and just cheated us as well.
When it comes to covering off of things, where.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Do you watch?
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Obviously watch quite a bit of Formula One, Yeah, all
of it. Do you heart back to the good old
days when they could pass?
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Yeah, I look back to a lot of old videos.
I really really enjoyed that, so I think it should
be a lot more like that now. It's a little
bit disappointing, to be honest, where the cars are going.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
He's only sixteen. He hasn't seen exciting Formula one video YouTube.
I've got the entire seventies on. I watch it every
time that Liam. Have you anything to do with the.
Speaker 3 (22:36):
Mark a little bit?
Speaker 1 (22:40):
Not?
Speaker 3 (22:41):
Not since I've been over there this year. I met him.
I caught up with him one time when we were
in when he was racing F three and Hockenheim. But
Marcus has been went like in carding and stuff like that.
He was the same. He was always the age group
above me, so every time i'd step up a class,
he'd be stepping up a class again. So I only
raced him. I think I did two races against him,
(23:03):
but he was very dominant and and he's he's doing
really really well well overseas as well.
Speaker 2 (23:09):
I just want to I'll just finish these two things,
and I want to ask you a question about that.
Hunter Michael Ray is in the Mazda Road to Indy
Open Test this weekend. It's in fact it's yesterday and
today or today and you study depending on timing. This
is basically it's two million dollars in scholarships and things
like that. You can win. Whether he can or not,
I don't know. Hunter maclay was obviously New Zealand raised driver,
(23:33):
but races in Australia, so good for him. Silverf and
rally was on three thousand, five hundred and seventy one
kilometers from Hamilton to Road a Row. I'm sure it
doesn't take that long ago from Hamilton to Road.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
A Navigator mate.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Won by UK drivers, second UK drivers, third UK drivers
and fourth Brett Rolstro and Ian McKee from New Zealand.
Matthew Robinson and Sam Collis won it Ford Escort Ford
Escort for Escool. Yeah, and then the challenge was at
least a Corola, then a Civic and then an eighty
six with Brent Taylor and Dave Neil. So that was
(24:09):
on and I've seen, you know said he Craig Lord,
raid Lord. He was around. He did a video of
the whole thing as well, and it's on. I'm not
sure if he's on YouTube yet, but I only see
it on Facebook. It's really worth watching, really, We're really
worth looking at. And just flipping over to NASCAR. Kurt
Busch confirmed that he's not going to be running with
(24:30):
Stuart House Racing next season. It looks like he might
be going to Ganassi, not sure about that. And Daniels
Soirez was released from Joe Gibbs Racing is probably going
to join Stuart Hout Racing. So it's the same thing
over there, all sorts of people dodging and diving in
trying to get the best seats. Straining about Kurt Bush though,
I thought he was quite good. Yes, does you've got
(24:51):
your hand up? You may go.
Speaker 4 (24:54):
I think you're going to announce that NASCAR extended this season,
so not having forty eight.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
Races, it'd start before they finished.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
We're going to wind up the driven our shortly. We're
going to wind up with our question as well. When
you're of a pair of brand new, spanking steel.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
Blue work boots, if you'd like those.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
Just listen out question us coming. You answer that question correctly,
those steel blue work boots. Boots are yours thanks to
steel blue work boots, built for comfort, made for work,
Radio sports. This is going to be tough for got
a question, Bob, you were a mastermind behind the question
for the pair of steel blue workboots which are about
to give away five double O nine takes the answer
(25:33):
to five double O nine with your full name.
Speaker 5 (25:35):
That's a Christian name and surname, Bob.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Question please, Well you've only just started. What was the
name of the track that Liam mentioned was in Germany?
Speaker 5 (25:43):
That was a hellhole?
Speaker 2 (25:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (25:44):
That was very nice.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
Yeah, Yeah, that's that's it. It's not a very nice
place anyway.
Speaker 5 (25:50):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (25:50):
I've never been there, but apparently so good luck with
this one. Seeing that in five at double oh nine,
some work books I'll give you starts.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Of the Yeah, starting how long we got liam, Oh,
a couple minutes. What's the plan from from nig tr S.
Will that be a one year deal or a two
year deal or what are you looking at with that
or you don't know yet. I'm not asking you your
firm plans, but what would be the sort of master
plan if you if you had everything falling your lap
(26:18):
for the next five.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Years, I would say, we do Terras over summer and
then we we're hoping to do Formula three next year.
We looked at doing going to the International series, but
we think that's probably for me a bit too much
of a step. So National Formula three, the Regional Formula three,
we haven't decided what serious because obviously next year is
(26:41):
a whole bunch of them coming and so it's it's
a bit complicated there. And then after that, yeah, I
mean I would love to come back and do Terras again,
see where we end up this year anyway or in
this coming season, and then after that maybe International Formula
three which will GP three that series, then after that
F two, and then after that obviously.
Speaker 2 (27:03):
I would imagine that you have all these people helping
you and you just don't go to them and say
I want to do this next year, but there's got
to be a progression plan. There's got to be something
that they would say, this is what we would like
you to do, This is how you we would like
you to progress.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Yeah, and that's probably what's happened, exactly exactly that.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Okay, Well, good luck with it, That's all I can say.
I mean, it's a yeah, everybody knows. It's a tough haule,
really is. But at least you're doing something you really enjoying,
you good at I mean, that's got to be the
it's got to be the absolute dream for anybody. I
wasn't good at it, but I love doing it in
formula one for years and years and years. But you know,
(27:42):
and it was a dream. I would have done it
for free, so I can imagine that you would. You
can't say it out loud that you do it for free,
but anyway, it's you do it for a good price.
Speaker 3 (27:50):
All right.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
It's the horrible question you don't want. I'm going to
throw it in because I can't help myself.
Speaker 5 (27:53):
What's it? Exaplain? What happens if it doesn't work?
Speaker 4 (27:55):
Have you considered that you're a young guy, you got
your whole life in front of you, and things can
go horribly wrong, and you got to think about this.
I was going to be a well famous actor. I
was your age, and we're horribly wrong and here I
am propping up a radio studio.
Speaker 5 (28:08):
Do you have a plan but you'd even consider that?
Is it worth thinking about?
Speaker 3 (28:12):
No? I don't think about it for sure. It's not
something that I that I want to think about.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
But did you you do schooling now?
Speaker 1 (28:19):
No?
Speaker 3 (28:20):
I left school. I left school last last year to
do to do this year in Europe. I haven't been
doing this schooling. I think for an opportunity like I have,
it needs one hundred and ten percent commitment because I'm
extremely lucky. As you'll know, it's very for a key
to be doing this. It's very very rare, so I'm
very very lucky for that. But yeah, as a backup plan,
(28:43):
I would I would love to be working in motorsports somehow,
but I wouldn't want to be doing it if I
wasn't driving, to be honest.
Speaker 4 (28:49):
Yeah, that's a big commitment to leave school, leave your
education to go and do something like this.
Speaker 5 (28:53):
I completely understand.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
I don't know why that must have been an interesting
conversation with Maum, with dad and everybody else.
Speaker 5 (28:59):
Well I'm leaving.
Speaker 3 (29:00):
It was like we're going to do online school, and
then we kind of stopped talking about it. So I
just tried to not talk about it so that Mum
would forget about it. Sort of that happens, So.
Speaker 5 (29:09):
Don't play this.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
At least you had the choice. I think I was
kicked out. I didn't have a choice anymore. I fled,
They fled you. I'm gone.
Speaker 4 (29:23):
They're doing anything else you'd like to add, anything else
you'd like to throw us that we don't know about you,
Liam Lawson.
Speaker 3 (29:28):
No, just massive thanks to Radio Sporting to you guys
for having me here tonight. It's been really, really cool.
Speaker 2 (29:33):
It won't be the last time I can tell you
when you're famous in Formula one and we ring and
say can excuse me? Can you be on? I don't
want any of this A bit busy now, can you
see my pot?
Speaker 5 (29:42):
See me to your manager.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
I don't have a good track record with managers of
Formula one people to be fait. Jordi Peters, congratulations, he's
been listening lost the thing and Jordi Peters, you're the
man of the how of the Tara Power. You're walking
away with a pair of steel blue work boots from
show sponsor. Are still blue? What are you guys laughing at?
Speaker 2 (29:58):
I don't know, but I've gotten onto something I don't
know laughing. What's it like? Jeordie Peters was your brother Dy.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
He's he's one of my really very close friends.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
That was and formula there Jordy, Well, donet mate, because
we've had Noburg, Green Hockenheim, Noburger.
Speaker 5 (30:17):
Hold on them now, good Jordy, you listen. Well, you
knew anyway I can see anyone can win in radio.
Don't take much. That's it. We got to go. We've
got thirty seconds. We're packing the troubles up. Liam. We
wish you the word all the best.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
Thank you very much for coming and looking forward to
seeing you performing in your blue and yellow Turner's car
coming up in the toyter Racing Series. And Bob, same
to you as mate. Always good to see your buddy
next week, indeed next week this.
Speaker 1 (30:41):
For more from the Your Sport Breakfast with Darcy Watergrave,
listen live to News Talk said Be on Saturday mornings,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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