Pit Crew Profile: FPR #55

Fresh of David Reynolds’ first V8 Supercars win, the crew on #55 is on a high. The Bottle-O team has been so close to success on a number of occasions – and finally Reynolds, paired with Dean Canto, broke through to reward everyone involved at the most recent event, the ARMOR ALL Gold Coast 600.

Meet the crew behind the #55 Ford Performance Racing Falcon.

Nathaniel Osborne, race engineer

Osborne, in his first year as a race engineer, described Reynolds’ win as a relief.

The 30-year old from Bendigo began his career with FPR, having completed a work placement with the team while at university.

Having raced karts as a youngster, Osborne wanted to work in motorsport and a temporary role with FPR grew to a full-time gig as a data engineer, and now race engineer for Reynolds. 

“It’s difficult, it’s challenging, but it’s rewarding when you get it right,” he said. “It keeps you coming back for that reason.”

Osborne described Reynolds as entertaining. “Dave’s pretty relaxed, he doesn’t give me much trouble. When everything’s going well, you never see him! When you’ve got it all sorted, he’s off gallivanting around and amusing other people.”

Having also worked on Will Davison’s car for the past two years, Osborne has been lucky enough to be part of a few victories.

“With Will moving into the team, it was a growing period for him as well.

“Will’s first win with FPR at Adelaide was big, and getting Davey’s first win the previous round that’s always big because he’ll remember that one (especially being) at a big round, and not a smaller one.”

Nickname: “Oz. No surprises there!”

Sam Potter, data engineer

Potter moved onto car #55 for the Coates Hire Ipswich 360 – so if he looks familiar, it may be because you read about him in the profile of the #18 crew earlier this year.

Despite now showing up in green to the track, Potter says the job is much the same, though with a different crew.

Shifting in time to be part of the first win was something special, though.

“The Gold Coast 600 win was pretty exciting, that’s now probably equal to getting second at Bathurst (last year),” he said.

Looking to the future, he felt only a Championship or Bathurst 1000 win could be better than the experience at the last event.

While he mentioned international motorsport as a possibility for the future, at the moment Potter believes there is plenty to learn and still room to grow within the team.

Nickname: “Last time I said my nickname was Harry and a lot of people were disappointed with that. It should be Animal, apparently… It started last year at Pukekohe and it’s been a long running thing now.”

Marcus Cole, number one mechanic

For Cole, the Gold Coast win marked his first in all his years in motorsport.

“I was pretty happy with that!” he said. “Second at Bathurst last year was good, but a win – you can’t beat a win.”

Cole grew up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, with a father who had always been into car racing. After completing work experience building and maintaining race cars – and following with an apprenticeship, and five years of work – Cole became part of Development Series team Greg Murphy Racing. As the team was affiliated with Tasman Motorsport, he switched between the two, for about two years. He moved to Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport after receiving a call from the team, then to FPR, where he has been for two and a half years now, on the #55.

His first six months was spent with Paul Dumbrell.

The 28-year old enjoys working with Reynolds.

Nickname: At first, he said everyone called him Marcus. Though he also gets Smiley, “because I’m always smiling”.

“There’s no point being unhappy. I always try and find the positive no matter what it is. Doing what we do, if you were negative and got upset by everything you’d be messed up, you’d be out of it in six months. You just roll with the punches.” 

Kyle Gregurke, number two mechanic

“I like it all – I like everything from bolting it together to doing a change in a practice session or during a race,” 26-year old Gregurke said of his role. “I enjoy the pit stops and that gets the adrenaline running. It’s a good atmosphere, good environment to work in – I enjoy it all.”

Having grown up in South Australia, Gregurke completed an apprenticeship working on road cars. After seven years in the industry, he was keen to get into motorsport.

“I started with HRT and then got an opportunity here, so I took it,” he said. “I’ve been here for about a year and a half now and pretty much working alongside Marcus for all that time.”

As his teammates said, the Gold Coast win was a standout. “It was definitely rewarding to finally get a race win and probably a bit special to do it in an enduro as well.”

He also acknowledged Mark Winterbottom’s recent Bathurst victory as a great moment for FPR.

Nickname: “Grego. It’s my surname shortened." 

David Aldridge, tyre technician

Originally from New Zealand, Aldridge, 43, has spent the last nine years in Australia and the last eight in V8 Supercars. He started in merchandise, but quickly moved on to work at Tasman Motorsport for two years, and has been with FPR the past four.

At the race meeting, he looks after the tyres for car 55, checking pressures, temperatures and liaising with the engineers on how the tyres will be used during the races. At the workshop, he strips the tyres for 55 and sister car 18, looks after and checks the rims, and prepares the truck for the upcoming event.

Reynolds’ recent win is the highlight of his eight years in the sport, though second at Bathurst last year and Paul Dumbrell’s Sandown win when he steered #55 were also fond memories.

Aldridge enjoys driving the transporter, particularly to the Darwin event because of the scenery and the varied people he meets when stopping along the way.

“We throw them a couple of posters, stuff like that to keep their interest alive,” he says of the regional fans he meets.

Nickname: “Dodge... One of the boys came up with it a few years ago when I was actually working with another team and it’s stuck through for the last five to six years.”