Cameron Hill and his family-run CHE racing team have looked to the very top level of worldwide sport – the Olympic Games – in their preparations for a second season of Porsche Carrera Cup Australia.
The ACT racing outfit has appointed former Olympic triathlon coach Ben Gathercole as performance manager for the 2019 season, in a move Hill says will lift the team to greater heights.
Gathercole, author of the book Better Than Winning, guided Canberra triathlete Simon Thompson to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and from 2014 to 2017 he was team director for the Brumbies SuperRugby squad.
Hill said his 2018 Carrera Cup rookie season revealed the importance of having a dedicated team manager, and the appointment of someone from outside the motorsport industry reflected the team’s unique approach to going racing.
“Last year, there were times when I was very much involved in the organisational side of the race team, even on weekends,” Hill said.
“It’s no secret we’re only a small operation, and I enjoy the hands-on aspects of running the team, but on race weekends we identified the need for someone to manage the logistics so I could dedicate my entire focus to driving the race car.
“While Ben hasn’t worked within the motorsport industry, a lot of the principles of our sport are very much the same as other sports.
“Ben has vast experience maximising the performance of both individual athletes and larger teams – this is very relevant to motor-racing, which is both an individual and a team sport.
“We’ve always prided ourselves on our individuality, and coming from a non-motorsport background, Ben has a lot of fresh ideas. He’s looked at how we operate and already identified areas where we can improve.
“We want to bring a disciplined approach to our structures this season. Carrera Cup is so dynamic and as a small family team we are learning every day. To have someone like Ben to help steer a steady and disciplined path through the noise will help us achieve our potential – there will be a few major changes in place for the start of the season, which I’m already excited about.”
Gathercole is excited about the challenge of working in a different sport.
“Cam is one of Australia’s rising professional driving stars, and will be in the hunt to produce career-best performances this year,” Gathercole said.
“I’m looking forward to applying my knowledge and expertise into a new, but equally-competitive environment.
The first round of the 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup will be held at the Adelaide 500, 28 February-3 March.
