Swapping Paint

Jordan Taylor is an American Sports Car driver who currently competes in the IMSA championship with Corvette.

Taylor is infamous around the racing scene for his alter ego Rodney Sandstorm, who impersonates the great NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon, but Taylor has cemented himself as one of the fastest drivers in North America with wins in the Daytona 24 Hour and LeMans 24 Hour events.

These days Jordan enjoys getting in a racing kart in his spare time to sharpen his skills as well stay race fit. In this chat we discuss the differences between the racing categories Jordan has competed in as well as how Rodney Sandstorm begun.

The down to earth racing driver was great to chat to for his insights and we wish him all the best with his IMSA season.

To follow Jordan's racing, check out his following social channels:
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If you require help with your kart racing, be sure to check out our FREE Facebook page We Build Karting Champions for all your kart racing needs.

Nicholas Latifi is a Canadian racing driver currently competing for Williams in Formula 1. Latifi started his motor racing career at the relatively late age of 13 in karts after trying out the local rental kart facility.

After experiencing the thrill and speed of racing, it didn't take long for Nicholas to win races on the local scene before competing in larger national events both in Canada & the USA where he was victorious at the Florida Winter Tour and a front runner at the Rotax World Championships in UAE.

Latifi then made the big jump from karts and settled into the Formula 3 scene in Italy where he was gaining experience on circuits he is now competing in Formula 1. Having progressed through Formula 3, Renault 3.5, Formula 2 (where he scored 6 wins), Nicholas was given the opportunity to jump into Formula 1 and race drivers he previously looked up to during his karting days.

Having secured a contract for both the 2020/21 seasons, Latifi's first year in Formula 1 will be to gain experience and learn from his teammate George Russell. This interview was filmed before Nicholas' debut in F1.

We appreciate the assistance of manager Steve Webb & the Williams Formula 1 team for allowing this interview to take place.

If you wish to follow Nicholas' progress through the 2020 season, be sure to follow his social media channels at:
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Instagram

If you're new to kart racing, or want to learn more, feel free to jump into our facebook community where you can gain knowledge from 18 x Australian Karting Champion Dave Sera.

Nick Percat burst onto the Supercars scene back in 2011 winning the Bathurst 1000 at his first attempt with Garth Tander & the Holden Racing Team. Fast forward to today and Percat has claimed the Clipsal 500 and added another three victories to his name including two at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2020.

These days, Nick enjoys his spare time by getting behind the wheel of his kart to stay sharp, gain race fitness and hang out with mates at the race track in a fun environment. Percat has put a massive focus on his physical training in recent times which is paying dividends during this condensed Supercars calendar & on this episode we discuss how his training is helping his driving capabilities.

The episode was filmed during the first COVID lockdown during the Supercars E Series championship.

If you want to follow Nick's progress be sure to check out his social channels:
Facebook
Instagram

If you're interested to learn more about kart racing, be sure to follow our FREE Facebook Group at We Build Karting Champions 

Joey Mawson is one of the most exciting talents from Australia, currently trying to break into the European racing scene. Mawson was a 3 x Australian Karting Champion before setting his goals to race in Europe as a teenager.

A podium finish at the Rotax World Finals in the UAE, and winning a round at the Under 18 CIK FIA World Championships were highlights before stepping into Formula 4. Joey was able to take it to Mick Schumacher in the German F4 championship beating the German driver to the championship, where he then made the jump into Formula 3 & GP3 following the F1 calendar.

Mawson scored a podium in GP3 and then moved to the Porsche SuperCup where he also claimed a maiden podium. Not many teenagers would have the courage and determination to pack their bags and leave their family behind, to pursue their goals like Joey did. A great story of a driver who didn't pave his way from family financial backing, but the talent, desire and never give up attitude.

If you wish to follow Joey's journey, be sure to give him a follow:
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Marcus Armstrong is a New Zealand racing driver currently competing in the Formula 2 Championship with ART Grand Prix.

The kiwi driver was a national karting champion before embarking on a European karting career that saw him partner up with the Tony Kart Racing Team in the KZ category. Armstrong has since progressed through Formula 3, finishing runner up with Prema before making the jump into the Formula 1 feeder category.

Now aligned with the Ferrari Driver Academy, Armstrong looks to join a list of New Zealands top drivers in motor racing's holy grail.

The episode was filmed during New Zealands COVID lockdown, so some sections of the chat may be a little hard to hear.

To follow Marcus in his 2020 campaign, be sure to jump on his social channels:
Facebook
Instagram

Shane Van Gisbergen started his motor racing career honing his skills on a quad bike around his farm at age 4. Fast forward a decade & SVG is setting the race track alight in New Zealand before receiving his first Supercars opportunity with Stone Bros Racing at 17.

Since then, we've seen SVG storm to a championship in 2016 with his current team Triple 8 Engineering, 35 race wins and 30 pole positions.

SVG has proven himself as one of the most versatile motor racing drivers in the world, competing in everything from Supercars, quarter midgets, drifting and GT racing in Australia & Europe.

We thank the Red Bull Racing Team for giving us access to chat to Shane during the lockdown.

To stay up to date with Shane's 2020 Racing season be sure to follow his social links:
Instagram 

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Mattias Ekstrom is arguably the best touring car driver in the World. His success in the European DTM category, as well as wins at the Race of Champions against Michael Schumacher & Sebastian Vettel showcase his ability behind a race car.

Ekstrom won the 2014 FIA World Rallycross Championship & has race starts in NASCAR as well as for Triple 8 Engineering in the Bathurst 1000.

We chat to Mattias about how he got involved in motorsport which started in Sweden, how he concentrates on his own strengths rather than his competitors weaknesses & why he chose to stay in touring cars rather than go towards the open wheel racing route.

Unfortunately I didn't hit record for the opening couple of minutes of our chat, but I hope you enjoy the rest of what I was able to capture.

If you want to follow Mattias' career, be sure to check out his social media channels:
Facebook
Instagram

We've also created a FREE karting community page on facebook for our listeners to gain advice and technical setups. Be sure to join in the conversation

Greg Murphy started his motor racing journey in the 1980's driving go karts before progressing through saloon cars and single seaters before his move to Australia.

Murph would go on to claim four Bathurst 1000 victories including his famous 'Lap of the God's' shootout lap in 2003 that stood for over a decade. 17 years on, that moment lives on in Motorsport history.

On this episode of Swapping Paint, Murph discusses what separates the top teams apart, as well as some of his co drivers that include Craig Lowndes, Steven Richards & Rick Kelly.

We find out whether Murph has rekindled his relationship with Marcos Ambrose after all these years & how the professionalism in Motorsport has taken a massive step forward.

I hope you enjoy the chat.

To follow Greg Murphy please click on the below:
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 Alex Albon recalls how he started in karts driving around in figure 8's with his dad on the stop watch, before his progression through the European open-wheel categories that now sees him drive for Aston Martin Red Bull Racing in Formula 1.

We chat to Alex about why he jumps back into a kart in the off-season with his Formula 1 mates to sharpen his reflexes & fitness. Alex chats about his obsession as a kid around the colour red and who he looked up to from a young age.

The UK based driver is fierce on the race track, but is very down to earth in this chat.

Big thanks goes to the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team for allowing Alex to take part on Swapping Paint.

You can follow Alex's progress for the Formula 1 season via his social media channels.

Oscar Piastri dreamed of becoming a Formula 1 driver ever since he got his first taste of motorsport in a racing kart. Throughout the years, Piastri has always been quick behind the wheel winning an Australian Championship before embarking on a career in Europe.

The past few years has seen a meteoric rise for the Melbourne teenager after he joined a list of past & present Formula 1 drivers by winning the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2019. In doing so, he joined Aussie Daniel Ricciardo as part of the Renault Sport Academy for his assault on Formula 3 this year.

We chat to Oscar about his favourite memory during his karting days & how he got in contact with former Red Bull Racing driver Mark Webber to be his manager. Keep an eye on Piastri during the next few years, as we could well see him joining Ricciardo on the F1 grid.

To follow Oscars progress click on the below links:
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