pirtek fluid - august 2014

CONTENTS5 Welcome from Stephen Dutton 6 News7 Komatsu Roadshow8 Franchise Focus - Prestons10 Franchise Focus - Gold Coast11 Broncos Latest12 PIRTEK Enduro Cup preview14 Exclusive Craig Lowndes interview16 Athletic Allstars take on the World18 Hindy and Gordo’s NRL update20 Wanderland

FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au 03

/PIRTEK @PIRTEKAUS

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.

04 FLUID MAGAZINE I www.pirtek.com.au

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 DuttonChief Executive OfficerPirtek Fluid Systems Pty Ltd

WELCOME


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

UK HONOURED

The PIRTEK Enduro Cup is just around the corner. The prestige and interest in the V8 Supercars’ Championship-within-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

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

NEWS

WITH FRANCHISE AWARD

IS COMINGPIRTEK ENDURO CUP

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

HEADING TOWARDS A CENTURY

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.”

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

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.


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

It’s Komatsu’s biggest unit - the WA1200 and recently, one of its units in Australia underwent a re-build. 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

KOMATSU ROADSHOW

BIG RIG RE-BUILD

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.”

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

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

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.

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:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX2TeK-re8k

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

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

FRANCHISE FOCUS

SYDNEY SERVICE

PRESTONS

EXPANDS


“ “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

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.”


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!”

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!

FRANCHISE FOCUS

COLIN PRESSES THE BUTTON ONTHE GLITTER STRIP


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

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.

BRONCOS IN TOP 8 TUSSLE

BENNETT’S BACK

BRONCOS RUN HOME

Rnd Date Time Opponent Venue

23 Thu Aug 14

7:45pm Rabbi-tohs (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

Wayne Bennett looking to re-ignite the glory days at the Broncos

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.


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 12-14’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

YOU’VE GOTTA EARN IT!

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

PIRTEK ENDURO CUP


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

CHAMPIONSHIP LEADCastrol 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

V8 Supercars Calendar 2014Location 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 600PIRTEK Enduro Cup 3

October 24-26

Phillip Island, Vic Phillip Island 360 November 14-16

Homebush, NSW Sydney 500 December 5-7

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.

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.

WHINCUP EDGES INTO


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’ Championship-within-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

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

LOWNDES LOOKING TO

LIFT AGAIN


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 co-drivers 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


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

ALL STARS TAKE TO THE WORLD STAGE

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.”


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.

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

JUNIORS

QUICK OFF THE BLOCKS IN GLASGOW

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.

IMPRESSIN OREGON


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’

CRUNCH TIME!

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

Hindy has gone for the Warriors to win the NRL Title - a bit of a smokey?

NRL


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

New South Wales’ State of Origin Title win has been one of the biggest talking points in season 2014

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.”


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

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

WANDERERS READY

KEY COACHING

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.

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.

WANDERLAND

FOR ASIAN CHALLENGE

APPOINTMENTS


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

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.

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!

ART PRIZE GROWS

MOST UNIQUE APPLICATION?

FACEBOOK CRACKS 10K

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.”

To hear the Podcast with Morgan Arundel, click here: http://pirr.tk/1nq690u


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pirtek fluid - august 2014

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