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Most days you’ll find Sal Bettio working on headers and tractors in our Albury branch. But the October long weekend saw a complete gear change as he headed to Bathurst to join the V8 Supercars pit crews.
When Sal Bettio found out he had been selected by his TAFE teachers to work at the Bathurst 1000 he was understandably stoked but the enormity of the experience didn’t fully hit home until after the big event.
Originally from King Valley, Victoria, Sal was selected from hundreds of TAFE students to work on pit lane thanks to his performance in class.
“The teachers observe our classwork and assessments and they obviously saw something in me. I felt pretty proud to be able to go and do something like that but when I was there, it was just doing what I was told and trying to help the team out. It didn’t really hit me until I got back what I had actually just done.”
Sal was assigned to the Red Bull team of Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander, part of the Triple Eight Race Engineering stable. For the first three days of qualifying, he had the chance to get his head around what lay ahead.
“The first few days were a lot slower. I was running around with the team, getting tyres changed, doing fuel runs and cleaning the workshop. When those jobs were done, I’d get to tap into the experience of the other mechanics and ask them questions. They were awesome, always explaining everything to us.
“During the race on the Sunday, it was a situation where if there was a job to be done, then you’d do it. The Triple Eight Race team is so professional, they have a plan for every situation. So, when Jamie Whincup hit that wall and a safety car came out, they had a plan. It literally said, ‘if the Safety car comes out between lap 30 and 40, this is how much fuel we put in the car to keep him going’. It was awesome.”
While Sal has an interest in Supercars and knows his way around car engines, this was the first time he’d ever been to Bathurst, let alone experienced the Bathurst 1000. But despite being a newbie on pit lane, he felt like he was part of the team.
“We had a team meeting before the race where they go over who’s doing what roles but during the race anything can happen, and it did. But by the fourth day, you know where to go and who to talk to.
“I was the only TAFE student on that Red Bull team. There was another student on the Triple Eight team all the way at the other end of the pits.
“I worked on the winning car, and while I felt pretty out of place, everyone really included me. We all ran up to the fence as the car finished, and I got in the team photo with everyone down in the winners’ circle. They even invited me to the corporate dinner afterwards and I got to mingle with all the people on the team. It was pretty cool!”
Although it was an adrenaline rush, Sal said he’s come to appreciate the experience and opportunity more with time.
“When I was there, I don’t think I could appreciate it all. I was just focused on working and trying not to get in the way and trying to help. But since then, people have been messaging me and wanting to do interviews which puts things into perspective. ‘Hey, it’s not really an everyday thing.’
“I’m so grateful our Service Manager Callum let me go considering how busy we are. We’ve got a really good crew down here in H&P Albury and I genuinely appreciate how supportive everyone is. Like any workplace, they’re going to push you and I think the more potential they see, the more they will push you, which I like. I’m really enjoying myself. To be doing the sort of work that we get to do, with people I enjoy working with, it’s just unreal.
“Who else would like you have a week off in one of the busiest times? I don’t know how I can show my gratitude other than just trying to do as much work as I can!”
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