Team Navy Sailors Impress at Bathurst
Australian Navy made its mark in the sky and on the ground at this year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 supercars race.
Building on the year-round Team Navy technical sailor out-placement program with Prodrive Racing Australia, Navy also supported the event with helicopters adding to the spectacle.
Three sailors – an electronics technician, an aviation maintainer and a marine technician - are spending a year applying their Navy trade skills to a motorsport environment.
Able Seaman Avionics Technician Aircraft Aaron Armbruster, Leading Seaman Marine Technician Dale Tiyce-Nelson and Able Seaman Electronics Technician Kyle Best are part of the 2016 scheme in a challenging and innovative training program.
Communications and Corporate Branding Manager of Prodrive Racing Australia, Peter Trevaskis, said the team had an excellent relationship with Navy.
“We have aviation-centric comms, so working closely with the Navy not only helps us develop but we also assist these guys by teaching skills, including repairs and mechanics, that they may otherwise not acquire in service,” he said.
“It’s been a fantastic collaboration and one we hope will continue.”
The action trackside was matched by aviation displays around the iconic Mount Panorama track, by Navy Bell429 aircrew, Lieutenants Tom Corlis, Michael Regan, and James Lovell, and Sub Lieutenant Brendan Scholfield, from Nowra's 723 Squadron.
Lieutenant Lovell said the aircrew were very impressed with the Navy-ProDrive relationship and the professional standing and value of the sailors to the team.
“It was great to see how they had integrated into the team, they should be proud of their efforts,” he said.
The program is now in its fifth year and technicians have been engaged in various tasks such as complex component machining and composite material fabrication.
The exposure to the way supercars teams organise, combine, and execute short notice tasks to meet race schedules are also valuable experiences to return to the Fleet..
For the pilots, however, the chance to be involved in an iconic racing event was the biggest highlight.
“The opportunity to represent the Navy on the public stage at one of Australia’s biggest motor sport events was really rewarding and a career highlight,” Lieutenant Corlis said.
