Wayne Webster was formerly the auto editor for
Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper. Now retired, he still maintains a
razor-sharp wit, an unsentimental view of the world of cars and the car
business, and has insights honed over years of listening to PR BS being
directed at him by car companies.
During my time with Jaguar Australia Wayne
joined me on a number of trips to Europe, including a one-day, roundtrip dash
in a motor coach from Frankfurt to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium to
watch the Silk Cut Jaguars in action.
He has a reputation for ‘spirited driving’
including this now-famous shot of him at the wheel of a Jaguar XJ6 somewhere in
the wilds of the Scottish Highlands, trying to set a record for the fastest
completion of the road test course.
Wayne was not alone in the hijinks
department. Witness this shot of him and two of his comrades-in-arms (David
‘Haggis’ Robertson riding the shoulders of Will Hagon) in the main street of
Woodstock, in the Cotswolds, following a lunch lubricated with some of France’s
best reds.
Perhaps his greatest achievement, in addition
to entertaining his fellow travellers with his pithy and pungent comments on life in
general, was an outstanding and definitive book he authored on Australia’s legendary touring
car driver, Peter Brock.
Wayne was, and is a great writer, and I’m
proud of the fact our friendship has survived my life in PR, dealing with his
candid and irreverent treatment of my best efforts.
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