Meet the characters of Erebus docuseries

Supercars’ long-awaited new docuseries, Inside Line – A Season with Erebus Motorsport, premieres tonight on Fox Sports.

Following the Erebus team through its 2019 campaign, the eight-part series gives fans a behind-the-scenes insight into the workings of a team like never before.

The key people will be familiar to Supercars fans; namely owner Betty Klimenko, CEO Barry Ryan and drivers David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale.

But how well do you really know these characters? Supercars.com sets the scene for the premiere with a snapshot of each docuseries star.

Betty Klimenko

Role: Team owner

The founder and owner of Erebus, Klimenko is the only female team owner in the sport and undoubtedly the most colourful.

A 60-year-old grandmother, Klimenko is the adopted daughter of the late Westfield co-founder John Saunders and his wife Eta.

Saunders, born Jeno Schwarcz, survived Nazi concentration camps, then fled the post-war Communist regime in his native Hungary before migrating to Australia.

Arriving with next to nothing, Saunders started a delicatessen through which he met Frank Lowy, who would go on to partner him in what would become the multi-billion dollar Westfield empire.

Betty and her sister Monica are on the board of the family’s real estate and investment operation, the Terrace Tower Group, but motorsport is her true passion.

She entered racing as a sponsor of a Formula 3 team almost 20 years ago, before establishing Erebus as a GT team in 2011 and then moving into Supercars two years later.

That initially occurred through a buyout of Stone Brothers Racing and a big-money customer deal with Mercedes-AMG.

“People in the beginning said ‘she’s just doing it because she’s got money and she’s bored’,” reflects Klimenko in Episode 1 of the series.

“It was nothing to do with [that], it was because I loved it. For me it was about the racing, I just fell in love with the atmosphere, the fans, the people, the cars, everything. It was meant to be.”

After three difficult seasons with AMG, the team underwent a major shake-up in 2016, relocating to Melbourne and switching to Holden equipment.

Within two years, they were Bathurst winners – Betty had conquered the pinnacle of Supercars racing.

But win or lose, Klimenko soaks up the sport, enjoying spending time with her team and the fans.

Notes De Pasquale: “Betty is kind of like our race track Mum, always looking out for myself and Dave and the whole team, she’s always got our best interests at heart.”

Barry Ryan

Role: CEO

The driving force behind the 2016 reinvention of Erebus was Barry Ryan.

Ryan is a true, old-school racer who learnt much of his craft from Larry Perkins during a six-year stint working for the Bathurst legend’s team in the 2000s.

Like Perkins, Ryan’s passion for racing – and success – is undeniable. He’s famous for his sprays when performances have been subpar but at the end of the day, he’s all about the team.

Says Reynolds: “He’s very, very strong-willed, very emotional – which can be good and can be bad, as you’ll see sometimes during the year!”

Ryan joined Erebus initially to head up its GT team, leading it to victory in the world-renowned Bathurst 12 Hour in 2013.

In 2015, he was called in to guide the flailing Supercars operation. Big calls were made and a whole new squad emerged for the following season.

Determined to do more with less than the previous big-spending Erebus era, within two years the team rose from cellar dwellers to the sport's pinnacle.

And the 2017 Bathurst triumph was no fluke, with Erebus continually harrying the bigger squads for the last two seasons, ready to strike when the cards fall their way.

Ryan’s approach to racing and his team is best summed up in his own words: “If a team comes down pitlane and wants to start a fight, we’re going to win it.”

David Reynolds

Role: Driver, car #9

Reynolds, 34, is the class clown of the Supercars field and, together with Klimenko, undoubtedly brings a lighter side to the Erebus garage.

But his reputation as the joker defies his elite-level talent behind the wheel of a racing car and his deep-thinking – if somewhat eccentric – nature.

He shone in the sport’s junior classes; winning the prestigious Australian Formula Ford Championship in 2004 and the Carrera Cup title three years later.

A step up to Supercars through stints at Walkinshaw Racing, Kelly Racing and Ford Performance Racing followed, but perennially inconsistent form threatened to define his career.

That was until he joined Erebus in 2016 – a last-resort after being let go by FPR, effectively moving from the front of the grid to the back with the reborn team.

But it could hardly have gone better. Reynolds has finally found his home with the off-beat Klimenko and Erebus – as a recent 10-year deal attests.

“Erebus definitely works for my style, it’s 100 percent me,” says Reynolds. “It’s improved my life, not only in racing but outside of racing, I’m so much happier and easy to be around.”

As happy watching a UFC fight as talking finance or politics, the complex Reynolds is seemingly full of contradictions.

While his no-filter approach – which included public sledges of rivals during 2019 – can appear cocky, a lack of confidence is his biggest professional hurdle.

“He’s an exceptional talent, he just doesn’t have the self-belief,” says Ryan.

“For some reason he just doesn’t think he’s as good as he is. If he goes really good and wins races he thinks it’s the car or the team.”

Originally from Albury, Reynolds lives in Melbourne with long-time partner Tahan Lew Fatt – a model most famous for a stint on reality television show Big Brother.

Anton De Pasquale

Role: Driver, car #99

In many ways De Pasquale, 24, is the antithesis of Reynolds. The youngster’s life is all about racing and finding ways to go faster.

“Anton always thought he was going to be a professional racing car driver,” says De Pasquale’s early career manager and mentor Mark Larkham.

“I don’t think he’s geared his life skills to do anything else. And I say that as a complement.”

The clean-cut and confident De Pasquale enjoyed a rapid rise through the motorsport ranks that included the 2013 Australian Formula Ford title and a stint in junior open-wheelers in Europe.

When a lack of funding brought his Formula 1 dreams to an end he returned to Australia to focus on Supercars.

Under the guidance of 2014 Bathurst winner Paul Morris, De Pasquale spent two years in Dunlop Super2 before moving to the main game with Erebus in 2018.

De Pasquale’s signing was initially opposed by Klimenko, but Ryan rated the youngster’s talent and experience in the cut-throat European ranks, and backed him in.

“It was one of my rare mistakes,” says Klimenko. “Luckily I listened to Barry!”

The youngster proved fast in his rookie season but made plenty of mistakes and struggled to convert strong qualifying efforts into race results, leaving plenty of room for improvement in 2019.

While enjoying the lifestyle of a Supercars star, De Pasquale remains close to his roots – living with his family on their vegetable farm at Werribee in Melbourne’s south-west.

Other characters to look out for in The Inside Line:

Daniel Klimenko - Director, Erebus Motorsport + Betty’s husband

Alistair McVean - Head of Engineering + #9 Race Engineer, Penrite Racing

Mirko De Rosa - #99 Race Engineer, Penrite Racing

Shannen Kiely – General Manager - Communications, Penrite Racing

Loretta Ryan – Head of Sales / Barry’s wife

Bonnie Beard – Mechanic (Fabricator and Tech support)

Jude Coen – PR Manager

Emmily O’Brien – Team Assistant