On The Grid

DAVID REYNOLDS is at his unfiltered best as he returns to the show to discuss his cracking weekend on the Gold Coast last weekend. From kerbs to cool suits, to finding form, family life, comments on outgoing and incoming teammates and just about everything else, Dave is in great form.  We then plough through all of the outcomes from the weekend, get on the soapbox about key issues, marvel at wall-riding in NASCAR and epic Porsche drives - plus the usual Hot, Not and What from the week that was. 

HOW do you make racing cars work on the demanding, unique streets of the Gold Coast? That's the question we're asking this week as we delve into what makes that incredible circuit so special with title and Bathurst winning engineer, Mike Henry. From tuning the car to the driver and getting the balance between setup and driver aggression right, it's a fascinating insight into what you need to do right to make a racing car work on the Surfers kerbs. Then the crew look back at the week that was - including more rain pain, this time in South Australia - and look ahead to the Gold Coast 500 and what is to come in the ongoing Supercars fight.

A WIDE-REACHING show this week as we chat to one team owner and one driver - both trying to make waves both here and abroad.  Jayden Ojeda drops by for his long-promised chat about his career, getting through a Bathurst 1000 unscathed and what his future holds.  Then Andy McElrea talks taking his Carrera Cup team to the United States, the reasoning behind it, hanging out with Mario Andretti and lots of fascinating insight into how he sees it all playing out.  Then the boys talk the week that was, the week it will be and the many and varied Hot's and Not's of the weekend just gone. 

CRAIG LOWNDES. Who better to help look back on the Great Race than one of the best of all time? CL swings past the On The Grid studios to talk everything Bathurst 2022, including how the Supercheap Wildcard unfolded, his own race pace, mentoring Declan Fraser through the weekend and how it made him reflect on his own debut, making smart decisions late on Sunday night and much more - it's a typically ripper chat with the great man. Then Schibecs, Craillsy and Walker run through their own Bathurst stories, from long hours, the mud, the rain and the sunshine around it. Plus the weekly Hot and Nots which weren't particularly hard to work out, if we're honest. It's another massive episode with one of the best in the business!

WE'RE half way through the Great Race week for 2022 which means it's time for a special Bathurst 1000 episode of On the Grid! Bathurst legend Dick Johnson, Supercars CEO Shane Howard, Ford Australia CEO Andrew Birkic, Caltex Young Stars Matt Chahda and Jay Robotham, Repco CEO Wayne Bryant, Walkinshaw Andretti United's Zak Brown and Richie Stanaway all join the show to discuss the first two days on the Mountain, and what is to come. Schibecs, Craillsy and Walker are on the spot to break down Qualifying and look ahead to Sunday's Great Race. 

On the Grid's massive 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 preview show is back! Every car, driver and team is profiled ahead of the Great Race this year as we set the scene for the big one. Dropping in along the way are some special guests, including defending winner Lee Holdsworth, podium finisher Michael Caruso and the Caltex Young Stars duo of Matt Chahda and Jaylyn Robotham. Every car, every driver and every possible permutation is discussed at length as we set the scene for the biggest day in Australian Motorsport each year. ** Head to www.theracetorque.com/caltex to grab your free Caltex with Techron cap now!

LEE HOLDSWORTH will hope to defend his Bathurst 1000 crown next week as he approaches the Great Race with Penrite Racing and co-driver Matt Payne.  Leethal talks about his campaign, how he and his leggy co-driver compare with seating positions and the reaction to his recent retirement news - and already fielding calls for a co-driver role in 2023.  The boys then chat about the news of the week, offer up the weekly Hot and Not rankings and a whole heap more - it's another big show as we count down to race week!

Michael Caruso is our key guest this week to discuss his return to the podium in TCR Australia - finally - after a challenging year. 'Robbo' also discusses his move into broadcasting with the SpeedSeries crew and his upcoming Bathurst 1000 campaign with Mark Winterbottom. Then it's a full recap of the epic Sandown weekend, the wild weather, the world's wildest GT race - plus chats about S5000 testing, Formula Ford at The Bend and our weekly Doric Power Rankings, where we give our HOTs and NOTs from the week that was.

Doric Guy Tom Arciuli returns to join Schibecs, Craillsy and Walker for a big debrief of all the action from Pukekohe's final fling, with the our quartet breaking down the good, the bad and the ugly from a massive weekend for Supercars. There's reflections on Will Power's second IndyCar title, Monza antics and a decent rant about Safety Cars plus a look ahead to the SpeedSeries event at Sandown this weekend and then our usual Power Rankings for the week that was. Four guys, a Zoom and a Podcast. It's like a new sitcom coming your way soon, except it's already here in Podcast form!

Brett 'Crusher' Murray was on the ground in Portland for the penultimate round of the IndyCar championship at the weekend, witnessing not only Scott McLaughlin's third win of the year but also an Antipodean 1-2-3 sweep of the podium too. Crush dials in from Stateside to give us an insight on the incredible weekend and the unfolding IndyCar title battle, decided this weekend in California. Then we look ahead to Pukekohe's final fling this weekend, discuss all things New Zealand and see if we can agree that someone can beat Shane van Gisbergen (spoilers: They won't). It's all capped off by another tasty edition of the Doric Power Rankings with our weekly HOTs and NOTs of the week that was.  

A SENSATION in this year's Dunlop Super3 Series, teenager Kai Allen is quickly making a name for himself in the competitive world of Supercars racing.  The 17-year-old joins the show to discuss his first full season in tin-tops, his rise from karting, how his family is comprised of elite athletes already and how he manages focus between winning his own class, while mixing it with the big boys of Super2. You'll learn plenty about this likable young bloke quickly going places! Then we review the week that was, offer up the regular Hot / Not selections for the week and enjoy all the usual chatter - it's another bumper episode of On the Grid! 

WILL BROWN joins the show to discuss the strong turnaround by Erebus Motorsport of late as the team finds form heading towards the Bathurst 1000. He reflects on his impressive Sandown podium finish, plus gives his thoughts on what will be his first visit to New Zealand in a Supercar, Bathurst, TCR and more. Then there's our usual debrief of all things big, bad Sandown with a rundown of all the key performances plus the usual weekly Doric Power Rankings - our Hot / Not of the week that was.

In his first podcast interview, new majority shareholder of Dick Johnson Racing, Brett Ralph, joins the show to discuss the significant investment his family has made in one of Australia's most famous racing teams. Brett touches on how he was introduced to motorsport and DJR, the key elements in doing the deal and the reasons he decided to get involved with this team in particular. Speaking of DJR, Will Davison stops by for a preview of this weekend's round at Sandown and the team look ahead to the weekend at the classic Melbourne venue. Plus, the weekly Hot / Not Power Rankings and a whole heap more.

Rick Kelly joins the show for his first in-depth interview following his racing retirement, talking all things life after racing and his exciting new project with son Lex called Hell-Bent Garage. Then, Supercheap Auto TCR Australia leader Tony D'Alberto jumps on to reflect on his outstanding weekend in Queensland which saw him not only extend his championship lead, but also win for the first time. There's a debrief of the new, improved QR plus the massive SpeedSeries event and the weekly Hot / Not Power Rankings discussion in a massive show!

THE Adelaide Street Circuit is back! One of the most famous racing tracks in Australia returns this year along with the Adelaide 500, so we got the only driver to have raced there every year of its existence on the line!  Australian Motorsport Legend John Bowe raced open wheelers' in Adelaide in 1985, then Touring Cars, GT cars and lately Touring Car Masters on the city streets - and he's been there every year since the track was launched. He talks about it all - including the famous battle against Larry Perkins in the pouring rain of 1994 that is one of the best ever.  Then the team debriefs the Adelaide 500 launch, reviews The Bend and we snag chats with both Thomas Randle following his crash, and 59 seconds with the busy SA premier following his launch. It's a massive show!

THIS WEEKEND's Supercars round is at The Bend Motorsport Park in South Australia, and we were fortunate enough to be joined by circuit owner, Sam Shahin, for a chat.  He details all things about promoting a Supercars round, how the Bend has evolved as a venue in its five years of operations, dishes the dirt on whether Asian Le Mans will return and also talks about their exciting new Drag Strip, currently under construction.  Sports Sedan racer Michael Robinson drops by to talk the wild things of circuit racing, and the team previews this weekend, talks IndyCar, F1, NASCAR drama and offers up the weekly Hot or Not. 

HUNTER McELREA is the special guest this week, chatting to Doric's Tom Arciuli about his maiden Indy Lights victory recently at Mid Ohio. Then the team runs through the week that was in motorsport with some big-picture chats on Scott Dixon and IndyCar racing, the state of play in Supercars and lots more. Stick around 'til the end for the weekly Hot / Not Power Rankings!

KARL REINDLER is living the dream in 2022, following the Formula 1 circus around as one of the Medical Car drivers at selected Grands Prix this year. Karl gives us a unique insight into the process, including the lengthy period between first talking about the role and actually getting it. He also discusses how his own career - both on track and off it - have influenced the role and yes, that includes his fiery crash in Perth all those years ago. Karl then walks us thorough what a Grand Prix weekend looks like for him, gives his first hand account of being first on the scene at the massive British Grand Prix crash and a whole heap more. It's insightful, interesting, entertaining and a must-listen! After that there's a full Townsville debrief, this week's Doric Power Rankings and more!

Scotty is in great form as he details his second IndyCar season for Penske, how he won on the tricky Mid Ohio Road Course and the massive challenges to come at Toronto, Iowa, Indy and more. He also explains 'Bus Bros', how the US fans have embraced him and also gives his health check on the local scene, too. It's a special chat with a bloke continuing to kick incredible goals in this next phase of his career.

Schibecs is away so noted Porsche enthusiast Craill has taken over this week, giving the show a somewhat German theme! But it's with just cause as we celebrate the news of Aussie Matt Campbell's promotion to the factory Porsche Penske Sports Car team in 2023. There's the first audio from Matt in Australia as he talks about the car, how he found out about the news and how long he's known about it (it's a long time). Then Cam McConville jumps on to reflect on his time working with and racing against Matt, plus what he's up to at Porsche Melbourne and racing in Touring Car Masters. Finally, current Carrera Cup championship leader Harri Jones hopes to follow in Campbell's footsteps, so he joins the fun to talk about his remarkable season so far, his approach to winning, potential Supercars drives and fun things in his Dad's garage at home. It's a great chat with an engaging young talent! It's a massive show with a Porsche theme this week!