The Alice Springs young gun taking the world of motorsport commentary by storm: The Josh Graveling story
Eighteen-year-old born and bred Alice Springs local Josh Graveling is a man on the move in the world of Australian motorsport commentary.
Northern Territory
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EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD born and bred Alice Springs local Josh Graveling is a man on the move in the world of Australian motorsport commentary.
In the space of three short years, Josh has gone from a volunteer brimming with enthusiasm, to a national commentator who exudes confidence.
In Alice Springs, Finke is bigger than Christmas. And our Josh is about to host the biggest show in town.
He will co-anchor the coverage with an international legend of motorsport commentary, Will Hagon.
The master and the apprentice this weekend will steer a global audience through one of the world’s great desert races.
Josh may be the apprentice, but he’s spent plenty of time on the tools, and is widely seen as the next big thing.
This boy prodigy has a plum role with the iconic Summernats event, has become a star of the Red Centre Nats, and has impressed across the country with his ANDRA drag racing commentary.
Josh’s passion for cars, like many in motorsport, came through his family.
“I’d go out to drags as a kid with my family. We grew up with it,” Josh told the NT News.
“One of my earliest memories was at the Desert Nationals. Seeing some of the bigger cars come out, I was instantly hooked!
“I thought it would be pretty cool to commentate this stuff!
“To think back to that when I was a kid, and now to be actually doing it is a dream come true!”
Josh said what especially appealed to him about being a commentator, was the way he could help bring motorsport closer to the fans.
“(It’s) just how the commentators have a way with their words, and can inform people of what’s going on,” he said.
“Even if you’re new to motorsport, they can help explain it, and take you back to basics.”
Josh said his dad Ian had been a big influence on him.
“Dad was the main reason I got into motorsport,” he said.
“Ever since I was a kid, we’d always watch the V8s, Formula One, Moto GP.
“That’s how we bonded – we can talk about motorsport, about strategy. We are on the same page.
“He has been a really great support.”
Josh said his mum Christine is a very special lady.
“Mum is one of my best friends. We get along so well. She’s a massive support for me,” he s said.
“She and dad put up with driving me out to events, carting me around to work, helping to give me all these experiences at such a young age.
“Mum and I can talk about anything. She’s a massive support to me.”
Josh has older sister, Kerrie-Lee, an older brother, Brad and younger sister, Mikayla.
He said they are tight-knit bunch, and very supportive of each other.
Credit also goes to Mr Simmons – that is Josh’s high school media teacher, Harry Simmons.
“Big shout out to him! I loved doing his media classes. Doing short films and editing,” he said.
“It was actually Mr. Simmons who recommended I get into commentary.
“He said, ‘You know what, you have a knack for this, you should pursue it.’
“Alice is a great place to teach or learn because we have such a small community, we all know each other.
“Teachers would help me out after school.
“I always enjoyed school, and socialising at school.”
Josh said the time he had spent at Bradshaw Primary had been some of his “best days”.
“I loved it! Running around the playground,” he said.
“All the friends I’ve grown up with, and seeing what they are up to now. Seeing how much they have grown.
“I had one of my old primary school teachers comment on my post on Facebook about commentating Finke.
“She said, ‘Someone pays you to talk into a microphone- that’s the perfect job for you!’
“That was really cool to see that comment, and it’s really dear to me.”
Josh has worked with Sam Edelman at KFC since he was 14.
“Sam has been awesome. He is great to work with, and has been really good (at) giving me time off so I can do my commentating,” he said.
“I love the job. It’s a great buzz – I live and breath interaction with people.”
Last year Josh did a four month stint with KFC over in Karratha, Western Australia.
“I learnt a lot about myself personally, having that time away from home,” he said.
“But it’s great to be back in Alice, and I’m enjoying all the opportunities I’ve got here.”
Three years ago, the organisers of Desert Nats gave Josh a crack at commentating the drags with Frank Urbiztondo.
“I’d always sat on the hill and thought ‘one day I’d love to commentate this’! Then (I got) to be there standing on the start line with the mic in my hand,” he said.
“It was full-on. Looking out at the crowd. Half of Alice was at this meeting. Far out!”
Josh nailed that gig.
“It was amazing to hear all of the positive feedback!,” he said.
“It really inspired me to keep pursuing this dream.”
The next step was Red Centre Nats.
“I had been a volunteer at Red Centre Nats the two years prior … Then I was there on the Friday night, volunteering, picking up rubber off the burn out pad,” he said.
“Then I asked if I could go into the commentary box, just to look and see.
“They said I could, and I went in on the Saturday, and then all of a sudden they put me on air.”
Again, Josh absolutely nailed it, impressing everyone with his performance.
So much so, the phone rang and it was Summernats in Canberra.
“It was one of the most joyful moments to have that call, with them saying they want me at Summernats,” he said.
Josh said being on-air sets his soul on fire.
“As soon as I get into that mode, (when) I am about to go on air, I get bounds and bounds of energy that I can’t hold back,” he said.
“Then when I get on air, I can get it out, it’s an awesome feeling. My heart rate calms down, and I can get into it.”
At Summernats 2019, Josh was the star turn of the event.
He captured the crowds’ imagination with his energetic and insightful commentary of the burnouts, and out across the event precincts.
Josh has been expanding his portfolio, calling the Speedway, and moving into other sports like cricket.
This weekend will be the biggest of Josh’s young career.
“I’ve got so many great memories of Finke as a kid,” he said.
“It is a massive honour to be commentating, and so awesome to work with Will Hagon.
“Chad Neylon is coming too.
“The production is going to be great. I’ll be working with some really cool people that I can learn from.
“It was an overwhelming feeling of happiness and joy when they asked me to do it.
“My dad couldn’t believe it when I told him! It’s awesome to be able to give that experience to my dad and my family.
“My head is in the books hard, I’m doing all the research I can. I’m at fever pitch. I’m buzzing. I can’t contain my excitement!”
The godfather of motorsport commentary in Alice Springs is the late great Al Stainer.
Mr. Stainer is the eternal gold standard, and Josh says he wants to honour ‘Big Al’s’ legacy.
“His daughter Angelique has taken me under her wing,” he said.
“Without Big Al we wouldn’t have our drag strip. I really appreciate him and his family.
“Hopefully I can live up to him, and do him proud.
“He holds a special place in my heart. Without him, I wouldn’t be doing what I am doing.”
Josh says he also owes credit to Chris-Anne Walsh.
“Without Chris-Anne I really wouldn’t have got into volunteering. That’s where it all started,” he said.
This young man has achieved so much because he has dared to dream.
And there’s plenty more on the horizon.
“I’d love to get a Supercars gig. That’s the sport I grew up on and I follow religiously,” he said.
“Formula One is a big goal! To be on the world stage, representing Alice.
“Anything in motorsport, on TV, would be great!”
There’s no doubt he’ll do all that and more.
When it comes Joshua Graveling- in the words of the great Murray Walker- it’s “go, go, go!”
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