This week’s feature podcast gives an inside word on the V8 world of chicanes and pitlanes.

YEARNING for a podcast that is close to home yet brings you the latest action in motorsport news and behind-the-scenes intel?

The Castrol Motorsport News show aims to have you covered. But does it reach the audible front row, or is it a pitlane non-starter? Let’s delve further.

https://podcasts.apple.com/castrol-motorsport-news-podcast/

 The weekly broadcast is co-driven by Australian supercar enthusiasts Andrew van Leeuwen and Stefan Bartholomaeus. Unless you’re a dedicated devotee to Australia’s pinnacle motorsport category, it’s possible neither will be household names to us Kiwis. Yet, their passion for the sport is enough to hook any curious new listeners. 

While the podcast aims to enlighten us on the latest news in the racing world, its primary focus is the bent-eight chicane thumpers of the Australian Super Car series.

Sure, it covers other disciplines across the globe, including World Rally Championship, NASCAR, TCR (touring cars), and the TA2 series (formally known as Tranz-Am), amongst many others. Yet, most of those only get a few minutes of airtime compared to the Aussie homegrown spectacle that currently doesn't feature a New Zealand round.

After diving through a vast cache of recent episodes, much of Andrew and Stefan’s focus appears to lay on the nuances of the Gen3 Supercars. As viewers of the series will have noted, the change in V8 architecture has resulted in a dynamic mess of issues surrounding crashworthiness, much-maligned handling traits and that six-letter word starting with the P – Parity.  

While Gen3 has been polarising for many drivers, you can’t help but admire those who have succeeded with the new platform. One such driver and podcast guest is local hero Shane Van Gisbergen. Although, irrespective of Shane’s current domination, his candid disapproval of the new formula and the champ’s future ambitions make episode 70 a fascinating must-listen.

 Many of the Pod’s other guest interviews follow a similar one-on-one format, and whilst informative, they can sometimes come across as lacking humour and conversational dynamism. Minor quibbles aside, we appreciate the depth of dialogue and audience engagement via viewer-submitted suggestions. 

Production quality is relatively good, with little in the way of annoying sponsorship adverts. Although, some of the audio during the occasional interview lacks clarity when listening through a decent set of headphones.

Is Castrol Motorsport News worth the subscription? If you love Aussie V8s …then that’s an absolute yes! The Pod can be found on all good platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

The Castrol Motorsport News Podcast Homepage: https://podcasts.apple.com/