"Some people want to be a Race Car Driver. Some people want to drive Racing Cars." Warren "Wazza" Luff's closing remarks would hit the nail on the head. The latter doesn't necessarily care about the glitz and glamour, and they are usually the ones that indeed make it to the top ranks. Warren had a slightly unfair advantage though: his dad teaches race car driving, and so he got access to his first race car at the ripe old age of nine... "A phone book under the bum and a pillow in the back" he quipped. A slight drama evolved though when the manager of the race track perceived that there was a "driverless car doing the circuit" and came out to investigate...Warren, whose most recent claim for the glamour and headlines includes second place at this year's Bathurst 1000, commenced his career on the tracks of Western Sydney - Warren Park and Eastern Creek. Where for most families Christmas is probably the most important day of the year, not so for
the Luff family: It is/was the Bathurst 1000! And it is expensive. "Outside of perhaps Yachting and Race Horses, the most expensive sport". Thus, the only way is to get sponsorship.
And how would you like to race the famous Nürburgring in Germany? No problem - you can. As long as the car your are driving is registered and meets German Autobahn regulations, just pay your money and you're off! Only problem is that, if you ARE a racing car driver, you have to expect "someone with a Volkswagen Campervan in on the middle of the road as you come over the next hill"! Interestingly, Warren admitted to having "a terrible sense of direction" and thus, to learn a complex track such as the Nurburgring presented him with some serious challenge. There were 180 cars in the race, and they get them on the road in the method of a Rally Start, e.g. in stages. Still, he finished a credible second in his class. In 2002 he switched to V8 Supercars and indeed this year again got to the podium with second place.
And what does a race car driver do when he is not racing? He is a Stunt Driver at Movie World! And he tops it up by speaking to Youth about Road Safety. Yes, it stands to reason that the youngsters are more likely to believe a man of his calibre that the road is a dangerous place.