It is the 61st time Darren Smith and Garry O’Brien have had the opportunity to hear someone tell their story.
Our guest on this episode is the Managing Director at Zagame Motorsport. Rod tells his lengthy motorsport story, and we also catch up on the latest happenings on the state and club motorsport scene.
His journey began in 1984 with a self-built and managed Mazda RX3 and raced in Improved Production for around four years. He progressed to AUSCAR in 1988 which he campaigned on the Thunderdome along with a smattering of road courses that included the original Gold Coast Indy street circuit.
His diversity continued with a run in the 1994 Bathurst 12 Hour and couple of years in Formula Holden. Ready to tackle anything, Rod competed in GT Production, Super Tourers and V8 Supercars where he tackled both 1000s in 1998.
The following year he raced in the Porsche International Supercup, and then in Nations Cup. When V8 Brutes came along in 2001 at the Clipsal 500, he was there. He qualified on pole for the new category, won the first race and went on to become the inaugural champion.
Nations Cup would his focus moving on, but there were still occasional outings in GT Production and the Utes. In 2005 he made a comeback in the latter, taking in all rounds for an overall fourth in the championship. Up to 2015, Rod competed in various sports cars and series’ as well as Touring Car Masters.
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He also had a significant involvement with Trofeo Motorsport that was the distributor/importer of the Pirelli brand which offered products and service, as its general manager. He oversaw the business and various aspects of the racing team, including driving, team operation, vehicle preparation, and promotional activities. He also has extensive experience as a driver, promoter, and driving instructor.
Rod experience extended to roles with Radical Sportscars Australia. He has over 30 years of experience in the motorsport industry, raced 26 cars, in 18 different series and on 15 race circuits.
It is also worth catching up on the other 60 Grassroots Racing Podcasts. The boys have talked to many of the big names in the sport, where they discuss where it started for them and their progression through their careers.
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