The wild and unexpected lives of Supercars pit crews

There are a weird and wonderful bunch of characters walking the pit lanes of Supercars, touring the country and leading wild lives. These are their stories.

There are a weird and wonderful bunch of characters walking the pit lanes of Supercars, touring the country and leading wild lives.

If you close your eyes and picture a Supercars crew member, the image you conjure up probably isn’t far off.

Mullets flow in the breeze, greasy muscles and tattoos cover limbs attached to barrel-chested (and at times pot-bellied) bodies and a cacophony of competing instructions fills the air of garages.

But when you sit down with these wild looking motorheads they’re often surprisingly thoughtful.

The other surprise is just how busy these guys are – not just at the racetrack but also between events.

Team 18 driver Scott Pye expects an epic battle in round four of the supercars championship at Symmons Plains in two weeks in his Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Picture Supercars

Mitchell Croke is Team 18’s car sign writer and car controller, and he gave us a rare peek behind the curtains of an elite race team.

“It’s certainly not the glamorous lifestyle people think where we only work at the track and then do nothing for two or three weeks before the next event,” Croke said.

“No, we go back to the workshop and are very busy making sure everything is prepped and 100 per cent ready to go for the next round.

“I think people probably don’t realise or see the work that goes on behind in the background. There’s certainly a lot that goes on behind the scenes and in between events, it’s not just turn up and race.”

Matt Stone Racing no.1 mechanic and North Queensland local Riley Beggs is enjoying the career of his dreams, but admitted the hours were unlike any job he’d worked before.

“It can be long hours especially on a race weekend if you have a crash, you could be there until 3am and then roll back into track at 6.30.” Beggs said.

Then there are the post-event celebrations that could see team members up even later.

Matt Stone Racing team members Ben Rhynehart and Riley Beggs both call North Queensland home. Left Riley Beggs and Right Ben Rhynehart. Picture: Christian Hartung

But still, Matt Stone Racing tyre technician Ben Rhynehart wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s big hours but it does come with its perks. I was in a workshop with two people whereas this is a team sport with a lot of people around you,” Rhynehart said.

“Everyone has their own role but we help each other out whenever we can.”

Even the upper echelons of the team aren’t spared from the rigours of race week.

Team 18 team manager Bruin Beasley said the early starts were the hardest part of his job.

“It’s hard getting up when there are fours and fives on the clock but it is what we have to do,” Beasley said.

“I was up at 5.15am to be at the track early for practice, and it’s at least 12-hour days during events.

“I don’t think people really understand how much work goes in, they turn up and look at the race cars and go home, but between the rounds there are hundreds and hundreds of hours of preparation.”

The NTI Townsville 500 roars to life with practice on Friday, July 7.

Originally published as The wild and unexpected lives of Supercars pit crews