TRANSPORTER PROFILE: WALDEN MOTORSPORT
Welcome to the second edition of our Transporter Profile series.
This time, we chat with Australian motorsport veteran, Brian Walden, about his unique Walden Motorsport transporter and the commercial opportunity leveraged by his race car transportation business.
Brian Walden is in his fifth decade of involvement in Australian motorsport and has competed in a broad selection of categories from production car racing to Supercars to American-style V8 stock cars. Brian’s son, Garth, is also a well-known figure in Australian motor racing paddocks upon his involvement in a number of disciplines including the premier Supercars class.
We spoke with Brian Walden about his truck and trailer combination and the race car transportation enterprise that the New South Welshman has established.
Trucks at Tracks: You have been in the motorsport game for many years, Brian. All up, how many different transporters have you had at Walden Motorsport and how have they changed over time?
Brian Walden: “I think that we have had about five. When I first started in 1970, we used to tow around an old rickety car trailer. They have certainly come a long way since then!”
TaT: How long have you been running a race car transportation business and what sort of service do you provide?
BW: “I have been transporting other people’s race cars for about five years now. Before that, I used to cart my own race cars, but I saw a business opportunity mainly in New South Wales because there is virtually nobody else in Sydney doing it. So, I thought that I would offset the cost of my own cars by making some money to pay for my registration, insurance and all of that stuff. I will cart anybody’s race cars anywhere if they have the money.”
TaT: Can you tell Trucks at Tracks a little bit about the history of this truck and trailer combination? How long have you had it for?
BW: “I built this trailer about two and a half years ago to replace the other one that I had. I do interstate work as well so I have always had the Western Star prime mover for moving machinery around. Before this one, I tried to buy a trailer but I couldn’t find anything that I wanted, so I built one instead. It took about six months.”
TaT: What was the blueprint for the trailer? And what are your favourite features of it?
BW: “I needed a trailer that could cart four cars and also have a bit of a kitchen. I do this for a living as well, so the more cars that I can get in, the more money that I make. In this day and age, we need a kitchen so that we can feed the crew but we all go to motels now. It’s not like the olden days.
TaT: Your Western Star prime mover certainly looks the part. What in particular do you like about it?
BW: “It has heaps of horsepower. It has about 650 horsepower, so it makes my job very easy. It is what they call the 4964 and is the longest wheelbase truck that you can get. It has been heavily modified because I do wide loads and all of that sort of stuff. It has bigger diffs and gearboxes and a 240-volt system in it with its own microwave, freezer and television.”
TaT: You said that the transporter carries race cars all over Australia. What is the most exotic race car that you have carried?
BW: “I don’t really know. I have carted that many different race cars. People look at these cars in very different lights. I have carted lots of V8 Supercars and some people say that they are the go. Others prefer the GT cars, so it is a difficult question to answer. My preference is a race car that I own that doesn’t break down!”
TaT: You are based in New South Wales but visit race tracks in other states. What is your favourite race track to travel to?
BW: “That is another hard question! I have been to so many tracks so many different times. I do like going to Adelaide because I have good friends over there and for that reason, I would probably say the journey over to Adelaide for the Clipsal 500."
A big thanks to Brian Walden for sharing his time and if you require race car transport, head over to his Facebook page and website. Also, keep an eye out for the next edition of our Transporter Profile series which will be posted later in the