It’s just after 4pm in the afternoon and Tony D’Alberto is working the phone. As team manager and driver of the Team Bottle-O Commodore in the V8 Supercar series, the 23-year old racer is a young bloke going places.
Season 2009 has been tough, yet richly rewarding in so many ways. Failing to finish in race one at Adelaide was a low point, while storming home in seventh place at Sandown had him floating on cloud nine.
It’s hard to imagine the softly spoken D’Alberto spends his weekends roaring around racetracks at nearly 300-kilomteres an hour, but spend some time talking over a coffee and you instantly cop a whiff of the fuel pumping through his veins.
Journalist Justin Nelson caught up with D’Alberto prior to his assault on this year's enduros at Phillip Island and Bathurst this weekend to talk about life in the suburbs, the pressure he faces out on the track and the limelight that comes with being a V8 racer.
JN: What’s it like trying to overtake someone at 280-kilometres per hour?
TD: (laughing) I’ve never really had time to think about it, I suppose out on the track things are more instinctive. I actually find it tougher at times overtaking people at 60-kilometres per hour heading down Maroondah Highway.
JN: You’re only 23 years old and here you are heading up a V8 Supercar team. There are plenty of people your age that are yet to decide what they want to do with their life. You must be a very driven individual.
TD: I have only ever had goals of driving race cars. So there was never any doubt what I wanted to do. I have had great support from my family, they have been right behind me all the way.
JN: Where did it all start? Was racing always in your blood?
TD: My uncle Fernando raced a Datsun in the early days and my Dad was involved in the preparation of the car. Dad has always been very interested in the mechanical side of a race car, in his early 20’s he worked in America within Indy Car teams. So there has always been a passion for motorsport within the family.
JN: Did you grow up idolising any drivers? Is there one that stands out?
TD: One of the greats in Australian motorsport would have to be Mark Skaife. When he was at his peak, nobody could get near him. I also love that he enjoys the business side of motor racing, I think that’s why he has lasted so long in the premier category. Marcos Ambrose I would have to say is an inspiration, he did extremely well in Australia, but to take on the Yanks and beat them, that’s just awesome. He has a massive amount of determination.
JN: Tell us about life inside a V8 team. It looks glamorous from the outside, but I dare say there’s a lot of work going on behind the scenes.
TD: Absolutely! It can be the greatest, most rewarding job, but being able to taste any success is a very tough road. We are still in the early stages of establishing ourselves in the category and we haven’t hit our straps yet. It’s very difficult to create momentum. It takes a lot of effort and persistence. Being a small team it truly is like David taking on Goliath, but it is extremely rewarding when you do start achieving your goals. You know you’re going ok when you’re battling against the big names of the sport - Murphy, Bargwanna, Kelly, McConville and Richards, just to name a few. All these guys have years of experience. That puts a smile on our face!
JN: Do the cars resemble what we drive around day to day, or are they different in every way other than name or model?
TD: The cars are very different to normal road going Commodores. There are no radios or adjustable seats, they are purpose-built race cars. Obviously the category tries to represent what people can buy out of the showroom, and that was the case in the early days when Brock and Moffat were battling it out. These days though the rules allow us to highly modify the cars for performance, they are very refined pieces of equipment.
JN: Things look very competitive out on the track. Are you competitive by nature and who’s the one driver you always like beating?
TD: I wouldn’t say that I am competitive in everyday life, but once I put my helmet on I hate not achieving what we set out to. There wouldn’t be one driver that I want to beat more than any other, beating some of the big names is always rewarding. I can’t wait until the day when I can battle with Lowndes and Tander on a regular basis.
JN: Bathurst is an institution on the Australian sporting calendar. The track looks daunting, yet exciting. What is like to race around?
TD: It’s unbelievable! Honestly it is the best circuit in Australia and I would imagine it being rated very highly around the world. It has everything - really fast corners, really, really fast corners, and they’re all extremely daunting. Bathurst demands respect from the drivers and if you don’t respect it, it will bite you big time (as I found out last year).
JN: Do the drivers spend much time together off the track?
TD: A lot of the Queensland-based drivers spend time together training during the week. I spend a lot of time with the Walkinshaw drivers - David Reynolds, Will Davison and Garth Tander because we use the same fitness trainer. Other than that I try and steer clear of getting too friendly with other drivers, at the end of the day we have to compete against each other. We all have a job to do on the circuit and you don’t want a friendship to cloud your judgement.
JN: Who do rate as the toughest opponent out on track?
TD: That’s a hard one… because the grid is so close in lap times and it really depends on who has been able to get their car right on the day. I’m usually racing different blokes each race. It’s not like F1 where drivers are totally dictated by how good their car is as to where they start on the grid. I could start 10th next race and be battling with Mark Winterbottom all race. The whole grid is extremely tough, no one gives anyone else an inch.
JN: And your favourite track? Is it Bathurst?
TD: Yep, Bathurst for sure. Drivers tend to enjoy racing on circuits that they have good memories on. I have done well at Bathurst in the past, so I love the challenge of the mountain. One of my greatest memories at Bathurst would be qualifying on pole in Fujitsu series in 2007.
JN: What are the physical demands driving a V8 Supercar and how do you prepare for a race?
TD: Seat time is the best way to prepare, but we are very limited to how many times we get to test the car between races. People think we get to drive a few times a week, but the truth is that we only get 4 test days all year. The reason behind the limit is for cost reduction, it’s a blessing because all the big teams would test all the time as they can afford it. Other than driving, I do a mixture of training, which includes swimming, running, riding and weights. Before a race I like to have a day or so of chilling out and get my head clear of any other pressures, it’s my time to really focus on what our goals are as a team for the coming event.
JN: If you weren’t a V8 Supercar driver, what would you be doing?
TD: I would probably still be working at McDonalds! I loved working at Maccas, it was hard work, but it was heaps of fun! I was pretty good at flipping burgers.
JN: Good luck at the enduros, they are the biggest races of the year and they capture the imagination of the nation. I’ve got no doubt there will be plenty of fans around Melbourne supporting you.
TD: Thanks very much mate, keep a look out for the green 55 machine, you never know what we could achieve at the Phillip Island 500 and Bathurst 1000!
Last Modified on 04/09/2009 16:36