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CONTENTS
5
Welcome from Stephen Dutton
6
News
7
Komatsu Roadshow
8
Franchise Focus - Prestons
10 Franchise Focus - Gold Coast
11 Broncos Latest
12 PIRTEK Enduro Cup preview
14 Exclusive Craig Lowndes interview
16 Athletic Allstars take on the World
18 Hindy and Gordo’s NRL update
20 Wanderland
/PIRTEK
@PIRTEKAUS
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
03
In this issue of PIRTEK FLUID, PIRTEK
UK recognised at the UK Franchise
Awards, we’ve grown to 97, the
PIRTEK Enduro Cup is coming, so
too are the NRL Finals. PIRTEK has
been involved in a big re-build for
Komatsu and we meet two of our
Franchisees, plus a whole lot more.
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FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
WELCOME
Welcome to the latest edition of PIRTEK FLUID Magazine and yet another new Financial
year - it doesn’t seem like that long ago I was welcoming you to the previous one!
The entire PIRTEK Group finished the back end of last year in a very solid position and
we’re excited by what lays ahead in the next 12 months.
Our focus over that period will be on the introduction of new products to broaden the service
offering from PIRTEK Sales and Service Centres and providing new revenue bases for franchises.
We saw this earlier in 2014 with the introduction of the Fast Fill and General Lubrication
product lines, which have been gaining momentum and from all reports have been well
received by customers.
The extended development of our exclusive relationship with Komatsu formed a massive
part of 2014 for PIRTEK and you’ll read about how we’re further integrating with the
Japanese giant within this issue of FLUID.
Our new ERP computer system, Syteline is getting very close to being rolled out across all franchises. The PIRTEK
team will be in touch closely to make the implementation as seamless as possible.
Two pieces of news laid a brilliant platform for the beginning of the financial year, firstly, the opening of our 97th
Australian franchise location in Prestons, New South Wales. Additionally, our friends at PIRTEK UK were awarded
a top honour at the British Franchising Association’s Awards night, sponsored by banking giant, HSBC, when they
won the International Achievement prize.
Pleasingly, to keep pace with many of the changes that have been outlined in recent times and in line with
our corporate standards, there have been a number of service and supply centres that have upgraded their
showroom areas and external livery to keep the PIRTEK brand bright and lively.
Our sporting properties are at the highest possible tempo as well right now!
The big focus over the next period will be the PIRTEK Enduro Cup in V8 Supercars. This three event Championship
in Sandown (VIC), Bathurst (NSW) and the Gold Coast (QLD) is a great opportunity to engage our customers and
staff in a truly exciting, heavily technical and mechanical property.
Given that many franchisees will be familiar with the V8 Supercars teams as customers, we ask that you get right
behind this program. It is being branded this year with the tagline “You’ve gotta earn it” - which epitomises the
teamwork required to win the three endurance races.
In football, the AFC Champions League resumes in August after the football feast that was the FIFA World Cup in
Brazil and our own Western Sydney Wanderers are in with a great shot at that Title.
In League, I empathise with the tenseness being experienced by our friends at the Brisbane Broncos. The Telstra
NRL Premiership is closer than I’ve ever seen it and the Broncos are on the precipice of a top four finish...or they
could be 12th at the end of the regular season! It’s that close. The Club has been buoyed by the recent news
that a favourite son in Wayne Bennett will return next year.
Very pleasing also to see excellent crowds at PIRTEK Stadium cheering on the Parramatta Eels. The team is
showing some promise after some lean years.
As you can tell, there’s been a bit going on. We’re well positioned and are charging ahead right at the moment.
Keep us informed of your activities. We’re in this as a team and a family aimed at achieving one goal, which we
can only do with each other’s continued support.
Until next time,
Stephen Dutton
Chief Executive Officer
Pirtek Fluid Systems Pty Ltd
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
05
NEWS
UK HONOURED
WITH FRANCHISE AWARD
PIRTEK has been honoured in
the British Franchising Association’s
Awards night with the International
Achievement Prize.
Central to the awarding of the
prize was the lead taken by PIRTEK
UK in expanding the footprint of
the company into Germany and
most recently, Austria. UK Chairman,
Kelvin Roberts immersed himself into
German culture to the point where
he’s now fluent in their language and
presented at the annual conference.
Austria, where operations started
four months ago, brings the number
of countries serviced by PIRTEK’s
franchise model to a total of 23.
International Executive Director
of PIRTEK, Glenn Duncan praised
the efforts of PIRTEK UK in being
awarded this prize.
“Europe has been an outstanding
growth point for PIRTEK over recent
years, with PIRTEK UK being one of
the world leaders,” said Duncan.
“Their proactivity and customer
engagement is very strong at a
local level and the PIRTEK UK team,
in conjunction with our international
leadership group back here in
Sydney have largely contributed to
driving the growth into other areas
of Europe.”
HEADING TOWARDS A CENTURY
PIRTEK opened its 97th Service
and Supply outlet in Australia in July
with the launch of PIRTEK Prestons.
Located in Western Sydney,
PIRTEK Prestons is significant in
that it represents another outlet
for multiple Franchise of the Year
Award winner, Jakki Dutton and
adds to Ms. Dutton’s Milperra outfit.
By opening another new outlet,
PIRTEK is edging towards 100
Centres in Australia alone. With
around 400 Service and Supply
Centres - and growing - globally, it
PIRTEK ENDURO CUP
IS COMING
The PIRTEK Enduro Cup is just around
the corner. The prestige and interest
in the V8 Supercars’ Championshipwithin-a-Championship continues to
grow. This year, it carries the theme
- ‘The PIRTEK Enduro Cup - You’ve
gotta Earn it’.
PIRTEK’s commitment has ramped
up to the PIRTEK Enduro Cup. With
a new manufacturer in Volvo
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FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
joining Holden, Ford, Nissan and
Mercedes-AMG, the interest across
the three races is expected to be
at an all time high.
Our ambassadors, Nathan
Hindmarsh and Gorden Tallis
have filmed a number of video
pieces with defending Enduro Cup
Champion, Craig Lowndes. They will
be rolled out in the leadup to the
continues the tremendous success
story of PIRTEK, which has grown
from a small Western Sydney
business that began in 1980.
For more on Jakki Dutton and
PIRTEK Prestons, see our Franchise
Focus in this issue.
Sandown 500 across the weekend
of September 12-14.
All franchisees are urged to
support the PIRTEK Enduro Cup
through social media channels,
in Centre collateral and direct
communication with customers.
The three events are as follows:
- Sandown 500 - September 12-14
- Bathurst 1000 - October 9-12
- Gold Coast 600 - October 24-26
An exclusive interview with
defending PIRTEK Enduro Cup
Champion, Craig Lowndes appears
across pages 20-21.
KOMATSU ROADSHOW
PIRTEK’s Komatsu Hydraulic Hose
Specialist - Customer Service lead,
Brandon Semple, has recently
been conducting a roadshow with
Komatsu throughout Australia.
The roadshows are designed to
re-communicate the reasons for
the Partnership between the two
companies and re-introduce the
Komatsu genuine hose program
being managed by PIRTEK. The
Partnership, focussing on the Just
In Time (JIT) supply of Komatsu
Genuine hose assemblies, is
designed to improve the availability
of Genuine Hoses to Komatsu
customers and thereby improve
customer support and satisfaction.
With each application and from
feedback within the roadshow
sessions, PIRTEK is investigating
new ways to solve some of the
challenges being faced by
Komatsu on a daily basis.
“Getting out and meeting with
the Komatsu teams allows us to
ensure that they understand the
level of service being provided by
PIRTEK to their products,” says Mr.
Semple. “A key component of the
roadshow has been emphasising
that PIRTEK is not just another
supplier to Komatsu, we’re here to
work together as partners and if we
need to design a service solution
- we’ll work with them to meet the
challenge.
“There has been some great
feedback coming from the sessions,
which allows us to understand and
build upon the solutions that PIRTEK
is providing.”
BIG RIG RE-BUILD
It’s Komatsu’s biggest unit - the
WA1200 and recently, one of its
units in Australia underwent a rebuild. It took a month to completely
re-build it and it was one of the
largest re-builds ever undertaken at
a Komatsu facility here.
Under the JIT program between
PIRTEK and Komatsu Australia, a
number of genuine hose assemblies
that went into the WA1200 re-build
were made by PIRTEK’s Accredited
Komatsu Assembly Centre situated
in Welshpool, WA.
The team responsible for this,
headed by Rachel Anderson at
Welshpool, continue to work with
Komatsu Australia in collecting hose
build data, along with identifying
key machine populations with a
view to PIRTEK increasing its value
and service proposition on a global
platform.
The re-build was completed
on-time and delivery back to the
customer within the specified
To support the sessions and the
product offering, a dual-branded
brochure has been produced,
which is going out to Komatsu
customers.
Under the five-plus-five year
agreement between PIRTEK and
Komatsu, PIRTEK supplies and
services genuine hose supply to
Komatsu products in Australia,
South Africa and New Zealand.
Komatsu WA1200 - Fast Facts:
Height: 6.9 metres (a 6-foot tall
human is 1.82 metres)
Length: 18.31 metres
Weight: 220,500kg
Horsepower: 1316hp
Top Speed: 18.7kph
Turning Circle: 28.66 metres
Fuel capacity: 5100 Litres
timeframe.
With a top speed of 18.7 kilometres
an hour, a turning circle of 28.66
metres and requiring 5100 litres of
diesel to fill it to the brim, you won’t
be taking one to the local shopping
centre any time soon!
Watch a timelapse video
of the re-build here:
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
07
FRANCHISE FOCUS
PRESTONS
EXPANDS
SYDNEY SERVICE
Two times PIRTEK Franchisee of the
Year, Jakki Dutton has launched
her second Service and Supply
Centre in Western Sydney with the
July opening of PIRTEK Prestons.
Located adjacent to the M5
and M7 Motorways, the suburb of
Prestons was originally in Dutton’s
PIRTEK Milperra territory and is the
97th Service and Supply centre in
PIRTEK’s Australian network.
“We recognised that there was
a gap in the marketplace in this
area of Sydney,” explained Dutton.
“Prestons was showing signs of
industry heavily developing in the
area with much of that being in
manufacturing.
“To access PIRTEK products and
services, the customer base had to
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FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
come up against the challenge of
heavy traffic and travel outside the
area to access those Service and
Supply Centres. This way, they can
come to us straight off the M5 or M7
Motorways and get exactly what
they need.”
The staff at Prestons have come
across from Milperra, with 17 staff
now employed across the two
locations.
“It was by design that I did that,
all of our staff at Prestons are
experienced and trained within the
PIRTEK business model, this allowed
us to hit the ground running in the
new location. The foot traffic thus
far is very encouraging. We’re
about to add another staff member
to our team and also another
mobile service unit - which will bring
us up to seven in total.”
Jakki has been a Franchisee
for seven years, purchasing the
rights to Milperra in 2007. Two and
a half years prior to that, she was
employed at head office. The rise
for her team has been meteoric,
taking out the Franchise of the Year
Award on two occasions.
A focus on planning and
resources will be the major
challenge in successfully managing
two Service and Supply outlets.
“Spreading enough attention
evenly across customers and
team members alike, along
with upholding the quality and
standards that customers come to
expect will be the key to ensuring
a business for somebody looking to
purchase a franchise, Dutton was
quick to answer.
“PIRTEK is the market leader,
the brand is so well respected - if
you’re buying PIRTEK, you’re buying
quality,” Jakki said.
“The infrastructure and support
is very unique to the marketplace,
whether that be the on the ground
support through to head office and
the information that regularly flows
through the franchise base.”
Jakki expanded on her thoughts
with some of the more interesting
applications PIRTEK Milperra has
encountered over the years.
“The business is so diverse,
I just love it,” she enthused.
“Sometimes its like building a
Meccano set. Our customer
base varies from earthmoving,
automotive, fabrication, recycling,
manufacturing and right through to
food processing plants.
“No day is the same and the
company is growing and changing
constantly.
“PIRTEK provides fantastic
ingredients to build a successful
business, you just have to follow the
recipe.”
“
“
we are running two successful
outlets,” Jakki explained. “I think
achieving that balance is an
absolutely critical factor.”
Being a woman running
a business in what could be
considered a testosterone driven
industry can be daunting for
many, not for the effervescent
Sydneysider.
“Customers are switched on
and if you do what you promise
and deliver, it builds loyalty and
the customer base develops from
there,” she said. “To build those
relationships, you need to have
a desire to genuinely understand
the objectives of your customers
and work on how to meet those
objectives.
“You need to ease their
burden and take the pain out
of purchasing. PIRTEK is evolving
constantly across the board and
strategically adding to the range
for that one-stop shop ease.
“If you stick to your promises and
deliver, you’ll earn your stripes,
regardless of whether you are a
man or woman.”
When asked about the critical
factors in recommending PIRTEK as
PIRTEK PROVIDES
FANTASTIC
INGREDIENTS TO
BUILD A SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESS, YOU JUST
HAVE TO FOLLOW THE
RECIPE.
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
09
FRANCHISE FOCUS
COLIN PRESSES THE BUTTON ON
THE GLITTER STRIP
The difference between driving a
PIRTEK van through London’s CBD
and along the Gold Coast beaches
couldn’t provide any more stark
scenarios, but that is the journey
that PIRTEK Gold Coast franchisee,
Colin Press has followed.
He was first introduced to the
PIRTEK business model in London
during PIRTEK’s formative years in
the UK. He worked for a friend who
went on to now become a director
at PIRTEK USA.
A decision to move to
Queensland with his Australian
wife saw Colin work for a number
of Brisbane-based PIRTEK Service
and Supply Centres before taking
the leap 10 years ago this month to
take on the Gold Coast franchise.
“It is a little bit different,” he said.
“Comparing PIRTEK UK then to
now is hard. At that stage there
were only two or three outlets, now
there’s around 90. In Australia, the
business is much more diverse and
the applications far broader.
“The biggest difference is
probably getting to and from
jobs. Working in central London, I
spent more time in traffic than I did
actually working. With the average
speed being three kilometres
per hour, I managed to get two
newspapers read each day while I
was out on the road!”
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With the Gold Coast being home
to several large infrastructure
projects, along with a broad range
of tourism and lifestyle industries,
Colin is constantly challenged by
the applications his team of four is
required to meet.
“I would say that our customer
profile is much like other PIRTEK
franchisees, we’re heavily reliant
on earthmoving and concreting
businesses - but we have some
interesting applications with the
Gold Coast being what it is,” he
laughed.
“We’ve worked with a few
nightclubs to install things like smoke
machines, we’re regularly headed
up to Warner Brothers Movie World
to assist them and we work closely
with Jupiter’s Casino, along with
other highrise developments and
so on.
“The boating industry is another
that we service here, we look after
several prominent boat builders.”
The decision to move into
franchising for himself was a logical
next step for Mr. Press.
“I was doing everything but
running the business, so it was
a case of now or never,” he
explained. “I knew that I was
involved with a good company
with good people and good
systems.
“PIRTEK as a franchise model
is well established, its very family
oriented and has a fantastic
reputation throughout industry,
which makes it an easy sell.”
Like most PIRTEK franchisees,
the Gold Coast crew have a
heavy local involvement with the
community. PIRTEK Gold Coast
is the major sponsor of the Palm
Beach Junior AFL club and has
an involvement with World Vision
sponsor children.
Colin and his team officially open
the new premises on August 8.
With the global footprint of PIRTEK
growing each day, Colin Press is
living proof that PIRTEK truly is an
internationally connected family. It’s a
long but successful road from London’s
High Street to the Glitter Strip!
BRONCOS IN TOP 8 TUSSLE
The PIRTEK-supported Brisbane
Broncos are embroiled in a tense
fight for one of the final top
eight positions in the Telstra NRL
Premiership.
With the Origin period behind
them and the regular season
heading towards its completion, the
situation couldn’t be any tighter.
The 2014 Premiership is proving to
be the closest in NRL history, with no
clear winners emerging.
The Broncos have been led
around the park by halfback Ben
Hunt, who has been putting in a
tremendous performance and has
elevated himself into the position of
being in line for the Dally M Medal
at the completion of the season.
Whilst the wins have been coming
for the PIRTEK-backed Brisbane
team, the heartbreaking narrow
losses have also continued to be a
hallmark of the Broncos season.
The majority of their games have
been within mere points, however
in early June, two consecutive
big wins were recorded against
Championship high flyers, the
Manly Sea Eagles, who the Broncos
defeated by 26 points and the
hapless Canberra Raiders, who
they beat by 24. Two heartbreaking
losses were against the out-of-sorts
Sharks (by two points) and the
single point loss to front runners, the
Panthers.
The Panthers match at the
foothills of the Blue Mountains
also represented the 200th match
for the Broncos’ court jester and
resident hard man, Sam Thaiday.
The run home for the Broncos is
not easy, with five of their last six
games against clubs in the top
eight mix. They will meet the Sea
Eagles (A), Bulldogs (H), Rabbitohs
(A), Knights (H), Dragons (H) and
Storm (A) in the final rounds of the
competition before the Finals Series
begins.
BRONCOS RUN HOME
Rnd
Date
Time
Opponent
Venue
23
Thu
Aug 14
7:45pm
Rabbitohs (A)
ANZ
24
Sat
Aug 23
5:30pm
Knights
(H)
Suncorp
25
Fri Aug
29
7:45pm
Dragons
(H)
Suncorp
26
Fri
Sep 5
7:45pm
Storm (A)
AAMI
BENNETT’S BACK
The PIRTEK-backed Brisbane
Broncos ended July by announcing
that Wayne Bennett would return to
the Queensland club.
After walking away from Brisbane
to enjoy stints at St George Illawarra
Dragons and the Newcastle Knights,
Bennett is likely to see out his career
at the Broncos.
“As I was deciding on my future,
the Brisbane Broncos weren’t in the
equation until the board recently
contacted me,” Bennett said.“I
never thought I would be presented
with the opportunity to return home
and I appreciate the confidence the
board and owners have shown in
me.”
The return of Bennett sees Anthony
Griffin depart after four years.
The hope is that Bennett will bring
back the glory days from his years
past at the Club.
Wayne Bennett looking to re-ignite the glory days at the Broncos
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
11
PIRTEK ENDURO CUP
YOU’VE GOTTA EARN IT!
The PIRTEK Enduro Cup will be
critical in the outcome of the 2014
V8 Supercars Championship - which
is already proving to be one of
the closest competitions in the
Championship’s history.
Two rounds between the time
of writing and Sandown will give
teams their final opportunity to
be ready for the 2,100km worth
of racing that make up the PIRTEK
Enduro Cup.
The races of the PIRTEK Enduro
Cup are once again September 1214’s Sandown 500, the Supercheap
Auto Bathurst 1000 over October
9-12 and October 24-26’s Gold
Coast 600.
Power teams, the Holden Racing
Team and FPR Pepsi Max Crew
have both been in ominous form
over recent races, whilst perennial
favourites, Red Bull Racing Australia
can never be discounted, despite
faltering on occasion throughout
the year.
The big unknown this year will
rest with Volvo and what they can
produce over the course of the
longer races. Scott McLaughlin
has been a standout for the
Swedish squad this year. He will
join forces with former team-mate,
Frenchman, Alex Premat - who
struggled during his stint fulltime in
V8 Supercars, but has been racing
in a number of GT events in Europe
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throughout 2014.
Despite flashes of brilliance, the
Nissan Motorsport quadret have
battled and won’t be helped
through the high speed, heavily
aero-reliant circuits that make up
the PIRTEK Enduro Cup calendar.
Similarly, the Erebus Motorsport
E63 AMG Mercedes have taken a
race win for Lee Holdsworth and a
podium for Will Davison. They should
be feeling confident following
the performances last year of
Holdsworth at Sandown (where he
was ironically battling with Davison)
and the Gold Coast.
Last year’s Gold Coast winner,
David Reynolds has struggled in his
Bottle-O FPR machine, so too the
Jeld-Wen Racing Falcon driven by
Jack Perkins. They’ll be joined by a
fifth FPR car in one of the wildcards
- Super Black Racing. It is an all Kiwi
outfit, which will draw high interest
from New Zealand and the many
fans that travel to Bathurst each
year.
The other two wildcard cars will
come from Dragon Racing and
they could spring a surprise. With
last year’s Garry Rogers Motorsport
Commodores (which one races
at Scott McLaughlin’s hands) and
four young drivers both quick and
with points to prove, staying out
of trouble at Bathurst could lead
to a very strong result. The only
downside to the team is that it will
be running with a skeleton staff
from GRM and team management
hasn’t been involved at a race
of this level previously. One of the
Dragon Racing cars will compete in
the Sandown 500.
A strong contender for the PIRTEK
Enduro Cup victory could come
from the Brad Jones Racing stable.
After early season misfortune,
both Fabian Coulthard and Jason
Bright have walked away with a
number of ARMOR ALL Pole Position
cheques and have been regularly
in the mix. The Albury-based Jones
team traditionally performs strongly
at Bathurst, but have yet to taste
that elusive victory champagne.
The mix right throughout the field,
plus with plenty of flared tempers
from the season so far means that
we’re in for an entertaining PIRTEK
Enduro Cup.
For those who can’t make it to
Melbourne, Bathurst or the Gold
Coast, all of the action will be live
on the Seven Network or advertising
free via V8 Superview or Fox Sports
Plus 4 on Foxtel PLAY.
WHINCUP EDGES INTO
CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
The V8 Supercars Championship
is changing by the round, with
defending Champion Jamie
Whincup sneaking back in front
of Mark Winterbottom after the
Queensland Raceway round.
Winterbottom had led into
Ipswich, however Whincup was
able to fightback with a pair of
Saturday victories.
Just one more race remains
before the PIRTEK Enduro Cup, that
being on Winterbottom’s home
circuit of Eastern Creek.
The FPR Pepsi MAX Crew have
had a huge surge through the
mid-part of the Championship,
particularly with its second car
piloted by Chaz Mostert, who has
turned around what was a difficult
start to the season and is now
positioned inside the top 10 - aided
by his second Championship race
win in Perth.
The boom youngster in this year’s
Championship, Volvo Polestar
Racing’s Scott McLaughlin took his
first Championship race win in Perth.
The old master, Craig Lowndes
shared the race victories with the
young tearaways at Barbagallo.
Moving on to Darwin and it was
familiar faces back on top of the
standings. Jamie Whincup took
two of the three SKYCITY Triple
Crown races at Hidden Valley,
with Winterbottom taking over the
Championship lead with his Sunday
Race 19 win.
HRT’s move back to victory lane
at the Clipsal 500 appeared to
be off the rails slightly before the
Castrol Townsville 500, where Garth
Tander rocketed back to the top
of the rostrum with James Courtney
playing rear-gunner in the second
Saturday race there. The first race fell
to Whincup - but not after a shocker
for his Red Bull team-mate Lowndes,
who ended up in the fence after a
torrid opening few laps.
The irrepressible Whincup was
able to secure two race victories in
North Queensland and repeating
the dose at Queensland Raceway
has edged into the title lead, whilst
Lowndes remains in third position.
Fabian Coulthard has dropped
back to fifth behind Courtney. The
two Brad Jones Racing machines
(Jason Bright being the other) have
shown qualifying pace, but have
yet to transfer that into consistency
throughout the races. The BJR
stable comes to the fore in the
latter part of the season and that is
expected once again.
Prior to the busy PIRTEK Enduro
Cup period, teams have just one
more hitout, that being at Sydney
Motorsport Park at Eastern Creek
(August 22-24). Following a three
week lay-off the PIRTEK Enduro Cup
action fires into life at Sandown.
V8 Supercars Calendar 2014
Location
Event
Date
Eastern Creek, NSW
Sydney Motorsport Park
August 22-24
Melbourne, Vic
Sandown 500
PIRTEK Enduro Cup 1
September 12-14
Bathurst, NSW
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000
PIRTEK Enduro Cup 2
October 9-12
Gold Coast, Qld
Gold Coast 600
PIRTEK Enduro Cup 3
October 24-26
Phillip Island, Vic
Phillip Island 360
November 14-16
Homebush, NSW
Sydney 500
December 5-7
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
13
LOWNDES LOOKING TO
LIFT AGAIN
With the PIRTEK Enduro Cup looming,
FLUID took the opportunity to catch
up with defending Champion, Craig
Lowndes. After winning the Cup
with Warren Luff in the very last race
of V8 Supercars’ Championshipwithin-a-Championship over Red
Bull Racing Australia team-mates,
Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell,
Lowndes is faced with a new
challenge in 2014 - welcoming a new
co-driver.
It isn’t just any new co-driver that
wiley RBRA boss, Roland Dane has
drafted in to join the crowd favourite,
but three-times and defending
Bathurst 1000 Champion, Steven
Richards. The pair make a formidable
combination and the most
experienced duo in the field.
Q: Craig, you own the PIRTEK Enduro
Cup after winning it with Warren Luff
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FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
last year, but it is not a foregone
conclusion that you can retain it this
year:
CRAIG LOWNDES: No, it’s not an easy
trophy to get, obviously it rests on
the three toughest races of the year
in Sandown, Bathurst and the Gold
Coast. We were lucky enough last
year to win the trophy with Luffy, but
it’s all up for grabs again this year.
Q: There’s a lot of stiff competition this
year once again?
CL: Well, there is. I think there’s a lot
of good, strong combinations right
throughout the field and you need
consistency across the three races,
we had it last year and were able
to walk away with the PIRTEK Enduro
Cup. Richo (new for 2014 co-driver,
Steven Richards) and I are looking
forward to it again, we’d love to
be able to do reclaim the Cup, but
there is a lot of ground to cover and
a lot of kilometres to race across
those three events.
Q: There’s no shortage of emotional
rollercoasters associated with those
longer PIRTEK Enduro Cup races for
the entire team, not just the drivers:
CL: You’re not only trying to get all
three right, you’re trying to get one
right. You’ve got the 500 - 161 laps
around Sandown is tough, then
move to Bathurst for a thousand k’s,
which is never easy, then get out of
Bathurst and you head to the Gold
Coast. They are three completely
different styles of racetrack and to
get them all right throughout the
one year is very difficult. Richo and
I, as I said, are looking forward to
the challenge, but nothing is ever
guaranteed.
Q: Just on Richo, he’s been a long
term adversary, now he gets to share
the car with you.
CL: Richo has spent a lot of time with
FPR, which has been great for him,
he is the current Bathurst winner too,
so we go into this year’s races very
confident, we feel very strong. He’s
been in the (Red Bull Racing Australia
Commodore), we like the car very
much the same way. He fits into the
seat, the steering wheel, the steering
column all very similar to how I like it,
which is fantastic for us. As everyone
knows, it’s very important to have
two drivers very similar for those
races.
Q: Steve doesn’t do V8 Supercars
full time, but does keep himself very
busy racing Porsche Carrera Cup,
Australian GT and even in Europe
from time to time.
CL: He does and I think it’s going to
be very interesting. We were racing
against each other at the Spa 24
Hour and then we come together
here at Red Bull Racing Australia for
the PIRTEK Enduro Cup just six weeks
later. It’s really important that codrivers continue to drive whatever
and wherever they can to keep
them race sharp. It’s like footballers
when they talk about match fitness.
Motor racing is no different. The
Carrera Cup and GT Racing is
keeping him sharp, it’s ensuring he
gets miles under his belt. For me, it’s
fantastic to sit back and watch, as
obviously Steven is doing a great job
in both Carrera Cup and GT racing.
Q: Just finally, Richo has seen it all
in these races, that has got to be
a good thing - as there will be no
surprises to him at Sandown, Bathurst
or the Gold Coast?
CL: You’re right, experience counts
a lot on the endurance side. You
can be young, brash, keen and
eager but you’ve got to know and
understand that it’s a long day. 161
laps at either Sandown or Bathurst is
a long day and you’ve got to think
about the end result at the finish of
the day, not just the next lap in front
of you. He’s very much experienced
in that side of it, I’m looking forward
to it as he has got the strength,
endurance and ability, which is what
we’re looking for. Then you go to
the Gold Coast, which last year was
quite hot. You need the guy that can
do everything we need to win that
PIRTEK Enduro Cup again - and Richo
is the man.
2014 PIRTEK Enduro Cup Champion, Craig Lowndes farewells co-Champion Warren Luff for Steven Richards
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
15
ALL STARS TAKE
TO THE WORLD STAGE
The PIRTEK Athletic All Stars
are in for a busy period over
the coming weeks, with two
sprinters representing Australia at
the Commonwealth Games in
Glasgow, Scotland.
Usain Bolt’s young charge,
Jarrod Geddes will make his
Australian senior team debut at the
Commonwealth Games where he is
entered into the 200 metres and 4 x
100 metre relay.
Joining the 20-year-old to anchor
the Australian 4 x 100 team will be
Tim Leathart.
The Commonwealth Games
Athletics meet is one of the most
prestigious meets in world athletics
with Australia joining powerhouses
such as Jamaica, Trinidad and
Tobago, England and the United
Kingdom countries, South Africa
and Canada.
“The athletics component of the
Commonwealth Games is one
of the most competitive sporting
disciplines within the sports on
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offer,” said PIRTEK Athletic All Stars
Director, Hayden Knowles. “When
you consider the likes of Usain Bolt’s
Jamaican team, Trinidad and
Tobago, along with the Brits and
Canada are all represented at the
Commonwealth Games, at the top
end only the Americans are missing.
“Some sports do get a bit of
criticism as there isn’t that world
class level of competition, but our
guys will be up against the best of
the best.”
On the performance expected
from Leathart and Geddes,
Knowles warns Australia needs to
be realistic.
“Particularly for Jarrod, this is
part of his career progression,” he
explained. “He is just 20 years old,
this is a stepping stone for him,
sprinters don’t come into their own
until they are in their late 20s and
he will be up against a world class
opposition.
‘‘Jarrod is heading to Scotland
with the intention to leave his mark.
Norman [Peart] said he should
feel confident after posting his
personal best in Belgium, but he’s
made plenty of sacrifices for this
opportunity. He’s hungry and he’s
ready.’’
He was ruled out of the 100
metres after a calf injury at
Nationals prevented him from
qualifying, however he is now at full
fitness and ready for the challenge
of the Commonwealth Games.
‘‘I’ve grown a lot, actually.
I learned how to compete and
train and while I had a little [injury]
setback during the summer it made
me want to succeed even more,”
said Geddes. “I learned what it’s
going to take to make it. Watching
these guys train was impressive and
it was awe-inspiring to realise how
much - and how hard – they work
at it.
‘‘The Commonwealth Games
are very competitive. Some of the
world’s best sprinters are fighting it
out under the one roof. It’s going
to be intense and it’s going to
be a great springboard for me to
bounce from into next year’s world
championships and then onto 2016,
the Olympics at Rio de Janeiro.’’
As for the bright-eyed youngster,
Leathart, he has recently recovered
from a hamstring injury suffered
across the Australian summer.
He admits that he needs to bring
his PB of 10.24 seconds down to
elevate towards a chance at the
medals in Glasgow, but is excited
to be part of the Australian team at
one of the ‘big three’ competitions
in world sprinting.
Leathart - who works for Sydey
Advertising agency, Naked
Communications - spoke of his
delight in being part of the PIRTEK
Athletic All Stars:
“It is a great help being part of
the squad, particularly with no
funding from Athletics Australia.
The sponsorship from PIRTEK assists
me with physio and travel costs,
which is a massive weight off my
shoulders,” said Leathart. “It allows
me to concentrate on training
and not have to worry about the
financial side of my sport.”
QUICK OFF THE
BLOCKS IN GLASGOW
The PIRTEK Athletic All Stars proved quick away from the
start in the Glasgow Athletics competition. Jarrod Geddes
narrowly missed making his way into the Final of the 200
metres after finishing third in the eighth heat with a time
of 21.03 seconds. If Geddes can take a positive from the
experience it was that his reaction time was the second
quickest of the heat.
In the 4 x 400m relay in which he ran with Craig Burns,
Alex Beck and John Steffensen, the team flew the green
and gold proud making the final and finishing sixth.
Tim Leathart’s Games was heartbreaking. In his only
event, the 4 x 100m relay, the Aussie team was disqualified
in the second heat. He joined fellow youngsters Geddes,
Nicholas Hough and Jake Hammond to make up the
Australian squad.
For both of the PIRTEK Athletic All Stars, the Glasgow
experience proved to be a great taste of what is required
to get the job done on the big stage - roll on the Rio
Olympics in two years time and then the Gold Coast
Commonwealth Games.
JUNIORS
IMPRESS
IN OREGON
Two Junior PIRTEK Athletic
All Stars, James Kermond and
Aliyah Johnson impressed at
the IAAF World Junior Athletics
Championship, conducted in
Oregon (USA) between July 23-27.
Kermond was selected as Team
Australia’s Captain heading into
the meet and he contested two
events - the individual 200 metres
and the 4 x 400 metre relay.
The 17-year-old from Padstow
Heights in Sydney’s west bowed out
at the heat stage of the 200 metres,
finishing fourth in his heat with a
time of 21.43 seconds, whilst in the 4
x 400 metre relay, the Aussies made
it through to the final after finishing
third in their heat.
In the final, they finished fifth, just 3.3
seconds behind winners, the USA.
Aliyah Johnson competed in the
Triple Jump and made it through to
the Final. She performed a personal
best jump of 13.26 metres in the
group stage, placing her sixth and
then finsihied 12th in the Final with a
best jump of 12.69 metres.
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
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Hindy has gone for the
Warriors to win the NRL
Title - a bit of a smokey?
NRL
CRUNCH TIME!
The NRL Telstra Premiership
is heading towards a thrilling
conclusion, with just four weeks
remaining in the regular season
before eight teams will have made
it through to the Finals Series, with
the Grand Final to be held on the
first weekend in October.
The competition this season has
been nothing short of outstanding,
with up to 14 teams still in with a
chance to make it into the finals.
With eight weeks left to go in the
regular season, no less than eight
teams were locked in third place
on the ladder.
As our Rugby League experts,
Nathan Hindmarsh and Gorden
Tallis attest, it’s been a tipster’s
nightmare with upsets becoming
the norm rather than the exception.
What did the two gurus have to
say? We caught up with them for their
thoughts on NRL 2014 and got a wrap
on the State of Origin Series, which
saw New South Wales victorious for
the first time in nine years.
Question: As we’re getting to the
pointy end of the season, have
there been any real big surprises for
you?
Gorden Tallis: “I think the three
teams in the west of Sydney, Penrith
and Parramatta, along with the
West Tigers are the real ‘pleasant’
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surprises, after last year not going
that well. The game has a huge
supporter base out there so that
has been a great surprise for the
NRL and for me as a commentator
to watch Penrith perform with
a real good, young side and
Parramatta play the style of footy
they are and seeing Jarryd Hayne
play well, particularly after getting
the Wooden Spoon last year. The
Wests Tigers were under a fair bit
of pressure losing Benji Marshall
and finishing like they did last year.
They have surprised a lot of people,
especially how they’ve gone at
Leichhardt Oval, so they’ve been
the three surprise teams for me.”
Nathan Hindmarsh: “Penrith are
a big surprise for me. Continuing
what Gordy said, I think it’s great
for the game. The supporter base
in Western Sydney is huge and if
Rugby League in Western Sydney
is going well, then the game is
going well, so it’s a good sign. The
biggest surprise for me is just trying
to do your tips each week! It’s a
very even competition. I put my
tips in each week and its a struggle
to find out who is going to win, I’m
enjoying that as much as anything.”
Q: Would you say that 2014 is
probably the tightest ever NRL
Telstra Premiership?
GT: “Someone made the point on
The Matty Johns Show on Fox Sports
a couple of weeks ago there is
something like two wins between
first and 10th, each week there’s a
different team that steps up, look at
the way that the Sharks have come
back as an example.”
Q: Moving onto the PIRTEK-backed
Brisbane Broncos, how do you rate
their performance to date?
GT: “Brisbane, too have been
pretty good, they were under the
pump after last year, which was
the worst ever finish to a season
since they started in 1988. There’s
only one team in Brisbane, so that
brings a lot of expectation and
they’ve responded pretty well. The
games the Broncos have lost, they
probably should have won, which is
a bad thing, but a good thing.”
NH: “Brisbane is going well, they’re
doing it nice and quietly. They
remind me of Manly, not much
is said, but they go out and win
games. Benny Hunt has been a real
surprise packet after slotting himself
into the halves, he’s running toward
the top of the Dally M Medal list.
He’s really found his feet there and
you know, they aren’t necessarily
my favourite team, but they’re
going alright.”
GT: “The Broncos got through the
Origin period good and that’s a
surprise. the sides that you thought
weren’t going to get through Origin
have snuck through and sides we
didn’t think would be too affected
have been. Sides we didn’t think
were going to go good are starting
to go well and that’s been the
great part about our competition
and how the salary cap has
levelled the field.
“I’m really happy for the likes of
Parramatta. The competition really
needs teams like that to go great,
(Semi) Radradra’s been a top find
for them this year. It’s not often that
you see PIRTEK Stadium full for the
Eels, but its been full a couple of
times it has been really pumping,
which is good to see.”
Q: Who is your tip to take out the
Telstra Premiership?
GT: “Manly at the moment.”
NH: “I don’t know…(groans) it’s so
bloody hard to pick.
“I like Manly, on a good day
(laughs). I don’t know….(thinks).
“For some reason I keep thinking
Warriors. As a bit of a smokey, since
they’ve changed coaches and
had (Andrew) McFadden there (as
head coach) and gone back to
their home ground at Mount Smart
Stadium, it seems as though its
doing the trick for them.”
Q: Looking at the Holden State
of Origin Series, it is good (for the
contest) to have New South Wales
back on top, would you agree?
NH: “Yeah it is good, after eight
long years, Queensland will have
bragging rights until New South
Wales wins nine straight and
that’s just how its going to be. It’s
unfortunate it’s got to be that way.
It has been a great spectacle
again this year - so many fans
turned out to watch it, there were
more record TV viewers, so that’s
a great sign. The Queenslanders
didn’t want to lose three-nil and
came out and won that third
game. New South Wales have
been eight years in waiting, so it is
good to see them having won one.
GT: “All Origins are fiercely contested
- every player wants to go out there
and win. Game three we saw
probably the best footy of the three
games - game one was absolutely
outstanding. New South Wales were
trying to get that one win, Queensland
were probably protecting their eight
and nine dynasty and we got a
tremendous contest.”
New South Wales’ State of Origin
Title win has been one of the biggest
talking points in season 2014
FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au
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WANDERLAND
WANDERERS READY
FOR ASIAN CHALLENGE
The NRMA Western Sydney
Wanderers’ AFC Asian Champions
League progress will continue later
this month when the team takes on
Eastern Chinese team Guangzhou
Evergrande in the Quarter Finals.
The first leg will take place at
PIRTEK Stadium on August 20,
starting at 7:30pm. Seven days
later, August 27, the team will play
the return leg the Guangzhou
Tianhe Sports Center in Guangzhou.
The PIRTEK-backed Wanderers are
the only Australian team left in the
competition, with it comprising the
Chinese team, two Korean teams
and four teams from the Middle East.
Should the Wanderers be
victorious in the tough two-leg
quarter final, they will advance to
take on the victor of the Quarter
Final between two Korean teams,
FC Seoul and Pohang Steelers.
The semi-finals of the Wanderers
draw in the AFC Asian Champions
League will be contested on
September 17 and October 1
respectively, taking the team right
to the beginning of the Hyundai
A-League.
The Finals are scheduled for
October 25 and November 1.
The entire action can be seen live
on Fox Sports nationally.
KEY COACHING
APPOINTMENTS
Two major coaching
appointments have been made
ahead of the 2014/2015 season at
the Western Sydney Wanderers,
with a new head coach appointed
to the Westfield W-League ladies’
squad and an experienced
appointment to Assistant Coach for
the Hyundai A-League.
Ian Crook - a former NSL
Coach of the Year and two
times A-League winning Assistant
Coach replaces Ante Milicic who
moved to take on a role with Ange
Postecoglu’s Socceroos team.
“It’s incredible what
everybody has achieved here
at the Wanderers, they’ve set a
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fantastic platform and hopefully
it will continue going forward,”
continued Crook.
“The fans of Western Sydney are
the talk of the whole sporting world,
not just the football world.
“Everyone is talking about the RBB
and what they’ve brought to the
game. It’s a special atmosphere at
Wanderland, the fans made it that
way and I’m really looking forward
to experiencing it.”
In the W-League, Norm
Boardman has been appointed
the Head Coach of the Wanderers
Ladies team. Boardman comes
with an extensive resume which
includes being a former Football
NSW Technical Director and FFA
Australian National Community
Coach.
“With such a rich footballing
history in Western Sydney we
have a unique opportunity at the
Wanderers to build what could
be Australia’s biggest stronghold
for women’s football,” explained
Boardman.
“I’m proud to be given the chance
to continue to build on the Club
culture here at the Wanderers that
will not only produce success on the
field but will establish a pathway to
ensure women’s football in Western
Sydney grows stronger and stronger
for years to come.
ART PRIZE GROWS
PIRTEK Southern Highlands’
Sponsorship of the Bowral Art
Gallery’s PIRTEK Still Life Prize has
become one of the biggest annual
art events in the area.
Southern Highlands has been
major sponsor of the event for the
last four years and has seen the
event grow, with entries coming
from local artists and others from
around New South Wales.
This year, 73 entries were lodged,
with the major prize going to Cilla
Davis.
The two week exhibition at the
Bowral and District Art Society Gallery
in the centre of Bowral brings tourists
to the picturesque region, south of
Sydney to view the art pieces.
It allows PIRTEK Southern Highlands
to engage with the local community.
“The PIRTEK Still Life Art Prize is
probably the biggest community
sponsorship that we do annually,”
explained Centre Manager, Fiona
Martin. “It has grown significantly
since we first became involved as
a sponsor and with the Art Society
have stuck true to it being a
competition just for still life paintings.
“The Gallery is always jam-packed
for the display of the entries, it gives
PIRTEK Southern Highlands the
opportunity to display our brand to
the local community and customer
base - which is very much in tune
with artistic pursuits and so on.”
MOST UNIQUE APPLICATION?
PIRTEK technicians throughout the world are presented with many unique
challenges - the majority of which they are up to meeting.
PIRTEK USA President, Morgan Arundel, recently gave an interview to an
American franchising podcast about some of the challenges PIRTEK has
taken on and met during their growth phase in America.
From providing a solution to a beauty salon during a networking function,
to servicing the city morgue and saving the producer of the commemorative
Superbowl ‘coin toss’ coin, there hasn’t been much that PIRTEK USA hasn’t
been faced with.
What has been your most unique challenge? Send us your story and photo
to [email protected] with FLUID in the Subject and we’ll include your
pics and stories in the coming issues of FLUID Magazine.
FACEBOOK
CRACKS 10K
PIRTEK’s Facebook page
has stepped over the 10,000
followers mark and is charging
forward in leaps and bounds.
Regular competitions around
our sponsorships and unique
content related to the PIRTEK
business are posted to the page.
If you haven’t given it a ‘Like’
yet, head across to www.
facebook.com/PIRTEK and
make sure you share it among
your customers, friends and staff
and get them involved as well!
To hear the Podcast with Morgan Arundel, click here: http://pirr.tk/1nq690u
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