V8SFG Newsletter editor sat down with a 21 year old Ben McCashney who is now competing in the Fujistu V8 Supercar series. The youngster who has won championships, races and everything in between in other motorsport categories, opens up about racing life and the adjustments required for a V8 Supercar.

RAHUL: Comparing your recent racing experience in the Aussie Race Car series to the V8 Supercars you now race, what are the major differences besides size?

BEN: There a quite a few differences between the ARC and the Supercar, firstly the Weight is a big difference, the supercar is nearly 1000KG heavier than the ARC car, the supercar is quite a bit more physically demanding and there is a lot more happening in the car, In car communication, data, concentration levels need to be spot on and you need to be really patient on the throttle unlike an Aussie car where you need to carry heaps of mid corner speed the supercar is the opposite.

One of the other things I have had to deal with this year is going from a sequential gearbox with the gearstick on the right hand side to H Pattern Gearbox with the gearstick on the left.

RAHUL: To get to the level of motor sport you compete in is a triumph in it self, can you tell us the pathways and the journey you took?

BEN: My Dad was involved in Motorsport before I was born doing quite well in Rallying, he was actually offered a drive in Europe the same year I was born, Dad owns an Indoor Go Kart centre in Ballarat and at the Age of Three he had me doing laps around the Kart centre. As soon as I turned Seven I gained a racing licence and spent the next nine years racing Karts quite successfully all around the country, then we purchased a Mitsubishi Mirage Cup car that I competed in the Victorian Improved Production Series for a couple of years winning the Under 1.6lt class followed by Three years in the Aussie Race Cars before making the leap to the Fujitisu Series.

RAHUL: Where do you see your self in 5 years time?

BEN: My personal aim along with my huge band of supporters is to be running in the Main Game with a Competitive Team

RAHUL: As you’re fairly young, you would have most probably looked up to the current generation of “Main Game” drivers or current world racers. Who was your racing hero and why?

BEN: I would have to say Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes, Skaife for his professionalism   and Craig Lowndes was only a young guy that got in and did an excellent job from the start, which I know first hand is not an easy thing to do. Craig Lowndes came onto the scene with lots of talent that everyone noticed way back when I was a kid so I have always looked up to him, along with the fact he seems to never let anything get to him.

RAHUL: So far in your career who have been your main supporters, family and sponsors?

BEN: My Family have been absolutely brilliant and supported me the whole way and there is no way I could have done anything without them. The fact I live in a very small country town in Central Victoria also brings with it a lot of support and I have a huge army of supporters around the area who support me both financially and more importantly morally, I also have some very good and loyal sponsors that I have had great relationships for a number of years. I can’t say enough how much the support of family, friends and sponsors has helped me achieve what I have so far and hope to continue.

RAHUL: Do you honestly think you would be doing what you do if you didn’t have the support of them?

BEN: This is an easy one, NO

RAHUL: Sponsor wise, you have a really good relationship with both Playstation and Steelblue. How did these relationships come about?

BEN: The relationship with Playstation started about 12 or 13 years ago when I was very young starting out in Karts and it is something we are very proud of, there are only a few people in the World that have sponsorships with Playstation as Personal Sponsor and I am fortunate to have one of them, this is not something myself or the team take for granted and we would very hard to achieve the best result for all our sponsors on and off the Track. The relationship with Steel Blue came about through my Manager who had seen there product at a Trade Show a few years back and was extremely impressed with the product and the company History so he touched base with them and we were fortunate enough to be able to get them on board and grow the relationship each year.

RAHUL: On a typical race weekend, what does your schedule look like?

BEN: The normal Weekend would mean that I head out to the Track on the Thursday to touch base with the team, have a look around and try and get some laps in a road car. Friday get to the track quite early, we normally have Two Practice sessions on Friday Morning which can make things a bit hectic sometimes, Friday afternoon is free to do sponsor commitments etc and then late Friday Arvo is Drivers briefing before heading home for the day, Saturday we have Qualifying in the Morning and then a race in the Afternoon, Sunday is normally one race in the morning and one in the afternoon. Then pack up with hopefully a straight car.

RAHUL: What preparations if any, did you make for your assault on Mt Panorama?

BEN: I train very hard all year round so for Bathurst I didn’t need to change to much of my training, one thing I did do to prepare for the heat was spent added time in the Sauna each day, fortunately I work for a Pool and Spa Business that has a Sauna in the Display Area so I hop in there whenever I can. Besides the physical side of things I watched Videos and Footage on you tube of other Drivers In Car cameras to get some ideas.

RAHUL: Could you describe one lap of “The Mountain?”

BEN: The first thing that comes to mind is Committed, it is an amazing race track because it has bits of everything. I had raced previously at Bathurst in the Aussie Car but it was nothing like doing a good lap in the Supercar, you have to be very committed at every part of the track and your concentration levels are paramount, you need to run close to the walls to get the speed out of the car and brake as late as you can especially going into the chase to be able to get a good time.  It was an awesome experience and it’s a place I can’t wait to do more laps of.

RAHUL: Is there anything you would like to say to all the McCashney fans out there?

BEN: I honestly don’t know where to start, I have that many people that support me it is unreal and I will never be able to thank them all enough. All I can say is a huge thanks for your support so far and if you are ever at the track please come by and say hi, if you don’t know us please introduce yourself as we really appreciate the support. At the end of the day we don’t have the personal fortunes of some of the people we compete against but the support from everyone keeps us going and motivated to get to the next race and hopefully one day crack the main game and bring all my supporters with me. Once again a huge thanks to everyone and to V8SFG.

Copyright - V8SFG 2009 | Author - Rahul