It is the 59th time Darren Smith and Garry O’Brien have had the opportunity to hear someone tell their story.

Our guest on this episode is the CEO of Erebus Motorsport Barry Ryan. Rather than primarily covering his roll there, we talk to Barry about how his motorsport career started and where he developed from there.

It started not long after he was born as he attended Speedway with his father. His great love was motor bikes and still is. He tinkered and raced them, until self-preservation took over.

What those years did was develop his mechanical and engineering skills which he subsequently took to the various karting tracks.

It was from there that he began to work with John Faulkner Racing which was his introduction to V8 Supercars. He subsequently worked at Holden Racing Team and Gibson Motorsport.

In 2003 he joined Perkins Engineering and stayed there until the team folded in 2008. After a stint at Kelly Racing, Barry stepped back for a break and collaborated with Jack Le Brocq to win the 2012 Australian Formula Ford Championship.

The formative experience equipped him with the technical expertise and leadership qualities that would define his roles with the top motorsport teams. His early career reflects a path marked by continually learning and a commitment to excellence in the world of motorsport engineering.

In the early 2000s, he collaborated with fabricator James White at PE. This partnership continued when Barry joined Erebus after his sabbatical. As CEO, Barry engaged James to build chassis for Erebus, including their transition from Mercedes E63 AMGs to Holden Commodores in 2016. That association continues to the present day.

Besides talking about his past, he also gives great insights into what he sees in several drivers and what he wants from team personnel.

It is also worth catching up on the other 58 Grassroots Racing Podcasts. The boys have talked to many of the big names in the sport, where they discus where it started for them and then talk through their careers.