MEMBERS IN MOTORSPORT
MOTORSPORT KEY TO SUCCESS FOR COOLDRIVE CoolDrive Auto Parts and the Blanchard family have been involved as competitors and sponsors with multiple facets of Australia’s motorsport industry for decades It all started with CoolDrive Founder, John Blanchard Senior, who has been involved in rallying, hill climbing, and circuit racing as both a driver and mechanic and today is well known for his work as a patron and advisor with the Victorian Historic Racing Register.
As if launching a whole new standalone Supercars team wasn’t enough for one year, CoolDrive Auto Parts and the Blanchard family has also taken its involvement in motorsport even further recently with the acquisition of leading motorsports parts supplier, Racer Industries.
John Senior’s son, also named John, is the current CoolDrive Auto Parts Managing Director and has been a successful racer most notably in the cutand-thrust world of Formula Ford racing, before later enjoying several seasons racing BMWs in Touring Car events.
“Motorsport is in the DNA of CoolDrive, it has been an integral way of life not only for our family but the wider business since CoolDrive was founded in 1977,” CoolDrive Auto Parts Chief Operating Officer, Tim Blanchard, said.
The family’s love of the sport has continued with third-generation racer Tim Blanchard (current CoolDrive Chief Operating Officer), John’s son, who is also a well-regarded Supercars driver. Tim has enjoyed six full-time seasons in Supercars and still competes today in the endurance races following a very successful career in Formula Ford here and in the UK. But even when they aren’t racing themselves, the involvement of the Blanchard family and CoolDrive Auto Parts continues unabated. In 2021, the Blanchard Racing Team (BRT) was formed by Tim and John to compete in the Supercars Championship, operating from CoolDrive’s Head Office with respected racer Tim Slade as their driver. Their first event as a standalone team created headlines after crashing out with only a handful of laps to go while fighting for a podium after starting on the front row.
The creation of BRT in the Supercars Championship is far more than just a branding exercise. “By bringing the full operations of the race team to our Head Office, our staff have been given the opportunity to actively be part of the team instead of just watching the car the business sponsors on TV,” Tim said. “BRT is set up as another department of our wider business and therefore every other department – whether it be Finance, HR, Marketing, Admin or Logistics – all have a part to play in ensuring the BRT Ford Mustang makes it to each event and is competitive.” Another part of the staff engagement program for CoolDrive through BRT is the opportunity for staff members to join the race team for the weekend. “For each event, one lucky staff member joins the crew and travels with the race team, assisting with set up, tyres, car preparation and repairs throughout the race weekend,” Tim said.
“These opportunities to be part of the race team aren’t just limited to staff either, with customers often seen going for hot laps or being given guided tours of the garage or workshop.” For CoolDrive Auto Parts and the entire Blanchard family, the decision to launch the Blanchard Racing Team was the natural next step of what had already been a long-term commitment to Supercars racing. That commitment began at the end of the 2016 season, when CoolDrive Auto Parts formed what was known as Tim Blanchard Racing, purchasing a Racing Entitlements Contract and having Brad Jones Racing (BJR) maintain the running of the entry. Tim was originally the driver, with Macauley Jones 100
Australian Automotive Aftermarket Magazine June 2021