Pit Crew Profile: GRM #34
It's been a big year at Garry Rogers Motorsport, what with the confirmation it will transform into a Volvo factory team in 2014 - as well as a couple of very welcome wins earlier in the season.
While those wins have come courtesy of rookie star Scott McLaughlin in the #33 Fujitsu GRM Holden Commodore VF, Frenchman Alex Premat has been showing some great form as well. Last week at Bathurst could have been a really special result for him and co-driver Greg Ritter if not for a problem with a fuel filler.
As it was Premat was amongst the fastest drivers at the mountain on raceday and 23rd place didn't do him, Ritter or the hard working crew justice.
Speaking of crew, let's meet the guys who keep #34 running strong now.
Manuel Sanchez, engineer
From Venezuela originally, Manuel did his engineering degree in his home country before moving to Spain to pursue a career in the automotive industry.
He started working freelance as a data engineer with the motorcycle racing team of Spanish legend Sito Pons in the national championship. At the same time he was also working for a Portuguese Formula Renault team.
In mid-2008 he moved to Argentina to join the factory Renault touring car championship team working as a data and simulation engineer. He stayed for three-and-a-half years before moving to the rival Peugeot factory team to become a race engineer.
Manuel had his first contact with GRM way back in 2008 when he answered an ad for an engineer. But after a phone interview with Garry Rogers he missed the job.
In January 2012 he saw anther GRM job advertisement and applied. He was invited to come for an interview - at his own expense - and delayed until after he got married and travelled to Australia on his honeymoon.
He visited the shop January 3 this year and was offered a job a few weeks later, just after he got home from his honeymoon.
Manuel stepped straight into the hot seat engineering Alex Premat and says he has loved the experience and challenge.
Nickname: Lewis, as in Lewis Hamilton.
Jake Rayner, data engineer
From the Yarra Valley north-east of Melbourne, Jake has been interested in motor racing as long as he can remember.
His Dad raced speedway and through high school he helped out friends and family at state level racing.
He graduated from RMIT as an automotive engineer and immediately started looking for a motorsport job.
Jake went straight to GRM and worked in the composites room for a few months until an engineering position emerged at the start of 2008.
He was the data engineer on Lee Holdsworth's Commodore, sticking with the #33 car all the way through until Alex Premat swapped to #34 this year.
Away from the track Jake does a large proportion of the team's engineering design work and drawings.
"I've done six years now and it's been particularly interesting the last couple of years with the Car of the Future and the Volvo project," he says.
Nickname: Snake, as in Jake the Snake. I wish it was more exciting than that.
James Spengler, number one mechanic
A local Melbourne lad, James' parents rallied cars and he was soon racing karts himself.
He finished up when he was 18, deciding he'd prefer to work on cars rather than race them.
He attended a TAFE motorsport course in Albury-Wodonga for two years, doing as much work placement as he could along the way.
His first full time job was at racing car constructor Borland Racing Developments. He was there for five years before deciding to go and look for something else.
It turned out to be GRM, where he has been the last three years full-time.
He started as the #3 mechanic, floating between the #33 and #34, before taking over the number one job on the #34 about 18 months ago.
Nickname: Tiger, supposedly my surname sounds like the name of a species of Tiger.
Kieron Woodger, number two mechanic
This is Kieron's first year in motor racing after spending four years working through his mechanic apprenticeship at a dealership.
He was offered the job by Garry Rogers after doing work experience with the team at the Gold Coast 600 last year.
While not a lifelong motor racing fan, Kieron loves car and the move to GRM appealed.
"I did want to get out of normal mechanics job and when this came up it looked like a good opportunity... it's good, very different and I am enjoying it."
Nickname: Ears, it's straight forward
James Golding, number three mechanic
Completing his mechanic apprenticeship with GRM, Golding says he can't imagine a career in a field other than motorsport. If not V8 Supercars "maybe motorbikes"
Born and raised in Warragul, Victoria, he started out racing go karts. It was through his father that Golding became involved with GRM.
He has had a ball this first year in the sport and enjoys travelling with the team.
"Being able to be a part of it, since I've just watched it pretty much all my life on TV, is pretty awesome."
Nickname: "Once I got into the GRM team, one of the guys thought of giving me the nickname Bieber (as in Justin Bieber) because of my hair, and that stuck."
Joe Sullivan, truck driver and tyre technician
A seemingly permanent feature of the V8 pitlane, Joe got the bug when he went to Bathurst as a 13-year old in 1970. He was invited along by his mate Bill Carter, son of the legendary racer Murray Cater.
Joe got his automotive machinist apprenticeship and went back to Bathurst as part of Murray's crew in 1974. Joe was then Murray's single full-time employee for two stints of three years. It was there he started driving race transporters, something he has done pretty much ever since.
His list of V8 teams includes Glenn Seton Racing, Gibson Motor Sport, Garry Rogers Motorsport, PWR, Britek and then Walkinshaw Racing, before rejoining GRM again this year.
"It's good to see how V8s have grown into a genuine business throughout the Tony Cochrane era. The first time I went to Bathurst you rolled up on Saturday. Now you get there a week before!"
Nickname: Boppa - it came from when I was at Gibson Motorsport. It was based on the name of some US sportsman and it sort of got shortened and stuck with me. I don't know how.
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