WAU boss earmarks future Indigenous talent

Walkinshaw Andretti United, Tickford Racing and the Clontarf Foundation have given students an experience to remember in Darwin.

The Clontarf Foundation helps improve the education, life skills, self-esteem, and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men through academies in schools across Australia.

The foundation recently released its Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.

Along with WAU and Tickford, the non-for-profit organisation facilitated garage tours and pit lane walks at Hidden Valley Raceway.

Across three days three groups enjoyed a glimpse inside the top level of Australian motorsport, visiting team garages, observing pit stops and tyre-changing operations.

WAU driver Chaz Mostert met the young fans during their tours throughout the event.

Sunday’s group also visited the podium as Mostert was crowned the Race 18 winner.

WAU team principal Bruce Stewart, who hosted the garage tours across the weekend, believes there were several future talents among the groups.

"This is really cool because these kinds of activities give you more as a team and individually and personally than you're giving away for their experience," Stewart told Supercars.com.

"You can see our mechanics, engineers, Mozzie [Mostert], and everyone around just super keen to try and help young people who are trying to get somewhere.

"For me, I like to be involved. so bring it on, it's such a special day.

"[The kids] were really, really cool, and very motivated, there are a couple of future engineers and mechanics in there.

"I’m already trying to sequester a few of them away to be with our team down the track after they completed their training.

"But seriously, they've done their research and were asking about access, and how do they get into the Supercar paddock, and how do they train to become an engineer and mechanic.

"That's a really cool thing because often the sport can be seen as just driver versus driver.

"It's such a team sport and it’s so important that we respect and value those roles around the drivers.

"They came prepared and we're keen to do those kinds of roles.

"I'm sure we'll see some of them in the paddock down the track.

"I'm not giving away who the talent was and who might be recruited to be future engineers or mechanics for WAU, but I'm sure there'd be a couple."

It comes after more than 1000 school-aged kids from across the Top End attended Hidden Valley Raceway on Friday.

Supercars hosted 32 schools at the circuit, where the students attended a mock media conference with Nick Percat, Garry Jacobson and Thomas Randle.

Fourteen-year-old Clontarf Foundation student Tennyson Phillips was blown away by his experience.

"We've been able to have a look at the pits and the crew, and it's just been really cool," Phillips said.

"Meeting Chaz Mostert as well, I never thought I would have ever been able to meet him, but here I am."

There are currently 10,000 students participating in the Clontarf Foundation programme, with 138 academies operating across six states and territories in Australia.

For Darwin local Phillips, the experience provided an opportunity to make connections to help him achieve his future career goals.

"I would just love to be an engineer, of any kind but being able to be an engineer would be the best," Phillips said. 

"My uncle is actually a head mechanic of Matt White Motorsport, so I kind of stole his career!

"Bruce has told us that if we follow our dreams, we will definitely get there.

"For me, in my case, specifically start off with like the smaller bits first, like the smaller teams, and then shoot towards like the top."

To find out more about the Clontarf Foundation, click here.

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