Newman in dream team

By Kath Gannaway
AS AN apprentice you don’t get a much better career start than Coldstream mechanic John Newman.
The 19-year-old Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) apprentice has landed a job with Walkinshaw Racing’s V8 Supercar Team, run by HSV (Holden Special Vehicles).
There’s no doubt it’s a dream job for Newman who says he has always wanted to work in motor sport.
“I come to work and see the transporters and race cars and it’s a bit surreal,” said Newman who has responsibility for controlling the fuel rig on car number 10 driven for Autobarn Racing by Paul Dumbrell.
“I have always loved the V8s and I used to be one of the young guys in the stands looking down at the pits and thinking what a great job that would be,” he added.
The doors opened for Newman, who went to Coldstream Primary School and played for the local footy team, when he worked for HSV for a week last year as part of his VACC apprenticeship. Newman stayed in contact with Walkinshaws after his seven-day stint and when he heard there was a position coming up he worked through VACC who he said helped him get the job.
It’s a high-pressure job with clear-cut responsibilities.
“The pressure is there but they understand if you make mistakes,” he said. “It is great to know you are part of a team but I am very aware of my individual responsibilities,” he said. His role is to open and close the valve on the fuel rig ensuring the correct amount of fuel gets to the engine.
“There are so many exciting paths to aspire to from changing the tyres to being a race mechanic or to being team manager,” he said. “Either way, the goal is to stay in the sport.”
It is not so long ago that Newman was one of the kids in the crowd at race days dreaming of what it might be like to be down in the pits with the crew. It’s worth dreaming but he says for any kid with a dream, it’s also worth persevering.
“You have to keep trying and keep your head up, even if you get a set-back,” he said.
“If you have a goal, just keep pushing and take every opportunity you have to do what you want to do.” For the VACC Newman is an inspiring role model for any young person looking at getting into the industry through an apprenticeship.