Tales from a Bruised Mind

As of just last week, it has been three years since I started my job as a motoring journalist with Chasing Cars.

It’s been a wild ride. Along with the rest of the CC crew, we’ve certainly had our highs and lows, but altogether we have learnt so much from one another and more so about the motoring industry.

When I was a very little Zak, I wanted to be like Jeremy Clarkson. I watched TopGear all the time and really looked up to the guy. His ability of making someone who doesn’t like cars eagerly watch and listen still amazes me to this day.

I remember when I was in high school, I had a career guidance meeting with my Dad and one of the high school principals. I told him I wanted to become a writer or journalist and focus on the car industry. He gave me quite a strange look back.

“Are you sure?”

“Yep, I’m sure,” I said.

I guess back then, I didn’t quite understand how small of an industry the motoring world really is here in Australia.

My first gig as a motoring writer was an internship with MOTOR Magazine and editor Dylan Campbell’s team at the time. Without that opportunity, I probably wouldn’t be in this spot today. From there, I did some time with the wonderful people at RACQ before COVID-19 came to town.

Then, I continued to build some experience with CarExpert as a contributing journalist – my second-ever paid journalism gig.

When my Mum found a job going in Sydney for a role at Chasing Cars, she told me to just apply and do it! I didn’t want to leave the comforts of home in Brisbane, but I applied and surprised myself by actually landing the job.

Here’s some snippets, picture by picture, of my first three years with Chasing Cars. It’s been fun, hard work and I can’t wait for the next challenge.

My first adventure happened in early 2022. Alek Hoskins, my mentor and deputy editor Nathan Ponchard (known as just ‘Ponch’) and myself took three utes, a Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max and the GWM Ute Cannon X to the outback as a torture test. Would we or could we break the cheaper GWM ute? Well, I must say we certainly tried. Many wonderful memories were made that trip, including my first time flying a DJI drone and gorgeous scenery out at the Mundi Mundi lookout past Silverton. By the end, ther utes were a little dirty and tired, but none of them broke. I’ll never forget this trip.

This was my first-ever car launch. It obviously was for the Mini Cooper Electric held in Sydney. I remember being so nervous! Thankfully some of the other journalists made things easier for me. I love the electric Mini Coopers, they’re a great little car!

You do a lot of flying in this job. I’ve actually lost count of how many flights I’ve been on in just these last couple of years. I used to hate flying, but now I’m pretty used to it. How gorgeous is this shot of Sydney? If I’m not flying for work, I’m usually flying (or driving) home to spend time with family in the Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane.

At Chasing Cars, we might be a relatively small team, but we punch above our weight with what we can achieve. In my first year, we did the very first Chasing Cars Car of the Year (pictured) that featured around 40 vehicles and a lot of planning, preparation and logistics. It was a mighty experience to see all this metal in one place and to see it all come together. This hero shot is a special one. It was a gorgeous day and we were running out of time yet we still managed to get the shot! We replicated this photo for the 2023 Car of the Year. Stay tuned for more megatests in the future!

Being one of the first people in the world to see the new-generation electric Mini Cooper in person in Munich was a dream come true. I never really thought I’d ever get an opportunity as good as this one, but it was just awesome that it all came together in the end. Not only did we experience the new Mini lineup, but we also got to see BMW’s Vision Neue Klasse concept car. How good is that!

Another hard day at the office…. my mentor and boss Curt Dupriez took me out to help him roadtest two hyper hatchbacks, the Mercedes-AMG A 45 S and the Audi RS3. I’ve always been a fan of these sorts of cars, with my actual dream car being an Audi RS3. We took the two cars up to Calga and had a blast. These really are amazing machines and probably a little too capable for most public roads! I used to read a lot of Curt’s work in magazines as a teenager, so to have him now as my boss and mentor is mind blowing for me!

I love going for night cruises and this one was particularly good. Brand new Volkswagen Golf R at Bondi Beach. I tend to avoid this area during the day as it’s just so busy, but being able to stop and snap a picture was pretty cool. I love that LED light bar that runs right across the grille. In fact, I drove a lot of Volkswagen products through ’22 and ’23, and they are only just getting started!

One of the great parts of the Chasing Cars business is our long-term vehicle programme. I’m fortunate to now be on my fourth long-termer and have had so far:

• Kia Picanto GT manual
• Subaru Crosstrek
• Kia Sportage GT-Line Hybrid
• Ford Ranger Wildtrak V6

Each of them have been good in their own ways, but I don’t any car is completely perfect. Do I have a favourite? I’d say it would be the little Picanto. So.much.fun.

Since my very first video, presenting to camera has brought many challenges for me.

In the beginning, I held my expectations unrealistically high and I stressed about videos a lot. I became a little fearful of them, to be honest. But when I avoided them, it just made things worse.

Nowadays, my confidence is so much better and I feel more controlled with my presenting. I try to tell myself a few things each time:

• It’s not the end of the world if you stuff up
• Everything can be edited
• Be detailed but as concise as possible
• Get that facts right
• Make it fun!

I thought I’d round out this blog post with a sense of gratitude toward my work, my workplace and my colleagues.

The media industry is not an easy one and requires a lot of hard work and dedication.

But it’s also a lot of fun and extremely rewarding. Above, you’ll see me with my ‘ultimate’ car – a Porsche 911 GT3 RS. An amazing motor vehicle.

The day I drove that car was the day I realised I have one of the best jobs on the planet. I’m very grateful for the opportunity and can’t wait for what’s next.

You can read more about what we do, or watch more of my great colleagues and I at www.chasingcars.com.au or on our YouTube channel.

You can also see one of my very first videos below!