The off-track pursuits and hidden talents of Australia’s top Supercars drivers

When they’re not driving around racing Supercars at top speed, some of the biggest names in the category have some interesting pursuits and vocations away from the track.

Here are some of the hidden talents of off-track pursuits of Supercars’ stars.

WILL BROWN

Pilot, car salesman and truck driver

When he’s not racing on four wheels, the Triple Eight star and defending Supercars champion is at home behind the controls in the air.

Swapping one cockpit for another, Brown has a passion for flying and it is often his preferred mode of transport to get himself to races along the east coast, including the Bathurst 1000.

Since gaining his initial pilot’s licence, Brown upgraded his rating to be able to fly twin engine planes – and to also do aerobatics.

“I got my licence the day before my first ever Bathurst 1000, so I flew to my first Bathurst 1000 in 2018,” Brown once said of his flying.

“My brother was flying, he had been doing that for about three years before me and we had our own plane and I used to go up with him a bit.

“It keeps me sharp … it gets your mind switched on. You are always thinking about things and flying to numbers, so I guess that’s the same (as racing), you are braking at certain points in the car, so it is great just to keep switched on.”

Brown also has a day job away from the track to keep him “humble”, working at his family’s used car yard in his hometown of Toowoomba and helping drive trucks in the car carrying business he bought with his father, Shane.

“It definitely keeps you humble, that’s for sure,” Brown said of his work.

“It keeps you down to earth. I am up there selling used cars every day that I am not racing or away on commitments for the Supercars and then some days driving the truck early in the morning to fill in for some of the boys.

“It is just one of those things to be honest that is just how I was brought up. My dad used to go to work at 5am and come back at 6pm and that was how it was.

“I left school and went straight into the family business and worked in that the whole way through. It’s just pretty normal for me.”

THOMAS RANDLE

Piano

His hands are trained to hold onto the steering wheel and change gears, but Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle is also well-equipped at tickling the ivories.

Randle is a classically trained pianist and the Ford driver enjoys playing as a way to relax away from the stresses of racing.

His musical talents saw him feature on the ABC reality series The Piano earlier this year and he also played an impressive rendition of the F1 theme music as an introduction for the TV coverage ahead of the Australian Formula 1 Grand Prix in a piano solo.

“I got to grade six classical, so I did my exams up to the end of grade 5 then I sort of just focused my attention on racing and doing my studies,” Randle had said previously of his musical talents.

“I just play now and then just to learn a song here or there to keep my brain occupied.

“It is nice to get on the piano now.”

JAMES COURTNEY

Real estate agent

The former series champion has been quietly preparing for life after Supercars with a career move into real estate away from the track.

Courtney has been working for McGrath Real Estate on the Gold Coast last year and said he got a thrill out of closing a deal in the same way that he did from racing.

He has already had some big real estate wins, helping negotiate the sale of former Supercars chief executive Tony Cochrane’s waterfront Gold Coast mansion for a reported $22 million.

“In a lot of ways, it is the same skill set in that throughout my life I have been building a profile and selling myself – whether that be to the public for support, commercially, teams, or team owners,” Courtney said.

“I have spent my life telling a story and the real estate side of things is the same.

“Having that profile coming from a sporting background really helps with opening doors and getting in. I’m a big fan of real estate and renovating and anything to do with homes.

“The rush of getting that deal done and being with the family and seeing the joy on both the buyer and seller’s face, it’s cool to help people and see them into the next phase of their life.

“It’s been a new challenge and I’m surprised how well it is going and how much I am enjoying it.”

COOPER MURRAY

Stonemason

It is a profession probably as far removed from motor racing as you could get.

But Erebus Motorsport rookie Cooper Murray loves the distraction of his “day job” as a stonemason when he is away from the track.

Murray works for the family business, Lodge Bros, as a stonemason, writing the lettering on tombstones and helping install them.

“That’s something that surprises a lot of people,” Murray said earlier this year.

“It keeps me busy when I am not racing and also helps out with the family business. Mum and dad are both in the business.

“I do all the lettering on the tombstone and help install them as well.

“I have been working at Lodge Bros (Stonemasons) for six years. I do enjoy it. It keeps me busy and it’s also a distraction away from the track as well, it keeps you doing other things and you’re not bored sitting at home.”

CAM WATERS

Whiskey maker

Drivers are used to spraying champagne when they are on the podium, but Tickford Racing star Cam Waters is making a name for himself in the whiskey business away from the track.

Waters has created his own whiskey brand, Waters Whiskey, in his spare time away from racing, teaming up with a distillery in Hobart.

“I guess I always enjoyed whiskey and wherever I would celebrate that would probably be the first drink that I would go for,” Waters said earlier this year.

“I thought, ‘Why not do my own one?’ So I teamed up with a distillery in Hobart and we’re just kind of doing limited edition batch runs at the moment.

“We did a batch at the end of last year that sold out in a couple of weeks, which was awesome, and we’re just going to do that throughout the year.

“I’ll try and grow that on the side and hopefully have a bit more success throughout the year and get to drink some more whiskey.”

MARK WINTERBOTTOM

Bakery owner

After retiring from full-time driving at the end of last year, Winterbottom was looking for a new project to sink his teeth into.

And the Tickford Racing co-driver has settled on a tasty new venture, opening two bakeries in Melbourne.

Winterbottom and his wife Renee opened up their Brunswick bakery last year ago and then one in Airport West last month.

“We’re with a pastry chef business partner, so 50-50,” Winterbottom said.

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“We run the front of the business and he runs the back. From the kitchen back, he runs and then the front of house, staff, packaging, finance all that sort of stuff, (wife) Renee and I are running. So we just dived in and had a crack.

“(The pastry chef) reckons his pies are the best, which they’re good, but I reckon his croissants are really good … he does a seven-layer croissant. I’m learning all the lingo.

“It’s a completely different business.”