Recognising we are living in a new-technology world where disruption is our friend, your motoring section is breaking free from the traditional media format and making a movie. Naturally it’s a work of fiction.
It’s the story of one young Australian’s fight against the might of a global multinational car manufacturer based in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Playing the part of Nathan Antunes, karting prodigy, British Formula BMW prodigy, Red Bull Junior Team prodigy, F3 prodigy and 2014 Australian GT Champion will be our own production editor Mark Southcott. Due to our very limited budget Mark is also supplying the cars for our film. We are modifying his yellow Mini Moke to look like a 420kW Audi R8 LMS Ultra V10, a McLaren 650S GT3 and a Ferrari 458 Italia GT3.
Motoring editor Phil King will be Audi global boss Rupert Stadler (great first name), Audi German factory drivers Chris Mies, Chris Haase, Australian TV personality and racer Grant Denyer, Kiwi racer Shane Van Gisbergen. Phil will also play the part of the Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, New Zealand.
The movie opens with Nathan driving through the New Zealand countryside and into Cromwell where he passes the Cathedrale St-Julien, watches an attractive blonde (played by our Life section editor Cathy Osmond) buying flowers, and then on to the Highlands Park track. He passes the Martini sign, stops and gets out looking enigmatically at the Armco fence.
We cut to Rupert’s plush office in Ingolstadt where he is in a heated conversation with his head of PR (played by yours truly). “What do you mean a young Aussie could beat our factory driver Chris in our factory car and become the 2015 Australian GT Champion?” Rup says. “Mate, Nathan Antunes was champion last year, he knows this course backwards and he’s odds on to win the last race of the season.”
“Get your hand off it, son. We can’t let some bloke from Sydney beat the best GT driver in the world in one of our own cars. Send Haasey out. He’ll fix it.” We see world GT, Nurburgring and every other champion, Chris Haase, helmet in hand, hopping into a private jet.
Cut to race day. The camera (my iPhone 4) pans past the Gulf sign up the straight, where thousands are crowding the grandstands. The cars are lined up on the side of the track. Nathan’s sponsor Skwirk/Beechwood Homes’ Vic Cavasinni is talking to his driver through the window of the Moke, cunningly disguised as a million-dollar Audi racer. “Nathan, you’ve got just two 60-minute races between you and your place in history. Watch out for the factory, they’re out to get you.”
The big hand on the clock touches 12. The flag drops and the cars roar on to the straight.
V8 Supercar star Van Gisbergen charges away with Haase and Antunes battling over second place. Haasey seems to have the pace, but Nathan slowly reels him in. At the forest hairpin, Nathan dives up the inside as they come up to lap some slower cars.
Antunes get his nose (of the car) in front but Haase turns in and hits Nathan’s door. The two Audis lock together and Haase spins Nathan around and into the Armco. The crowd erupts. Antunes is out. His title hopes are lower than black snake’s tummy.
Read the thrilling conclusion to our script at The Australian
