A different kind of drive time
The Age
Thursday August 27, 2009
NEIL Crompton's motor-sport career spans more than three decades. On the racetrack, of course, he's a speed demon €” but what's he like on the road?"I like to think I'm a fair and reasonable driver," he says. "Then again, whenever you ask men if they're good drivers €” or good lovers €” you can be sure that 100 per cent will say yes."Best known for his racing commentary work on Channel Seven, Crompton has just launched a motoring radio show with long-time friend and champion driver, Mark Skaife.The program, which airs on Saturday mornings on Triple M, is called The Stick Shift. But isn't that the name of the gay lifestyle show that aired on rival station Nova until last year?"Er, I have no idea," Crompton says, sounding surprised. "You'll have to ask one of the guys at Triple M why they called it that!"Despite the hosts' competitive driving backgrounds, the program is about more than racing. "It's probably 70 per cent general automotive and 30 per cent motor sport," Crompton explains. "You couldn't sustain a weekly two-hour show about motor sport without having to issue No-Doz to everybody."Which means you don't have to be a rev-head to enjoy it. One of the most popular segments is called "What Slams Your Door", in which listeners are invited to share the things that frustrate them on the road."We get a huge response to that one," Crompton says. "The most common complaints are right-lane hogs and the craziness that goes on at roundabouts."Personally, I don't tolerate queue-jumpers too well. No one would dare jump a queue at a supermarket but they don't think twice before doing it on the road."I guess it's because they're cocooned inside their cars."Ridiculous insurance claims are also fodder. Some of the best revealed last week included: "The pedestrian had no idea which way to run, so I ran over him"; "To avoid a collision, I ran into the other car"; and "An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my car and then vanished."Although motor sport is considered a blokey pursuit, the program has many female listeners. "I haven't seen any figures," Crompton says, "but we do get lots of response from women. And when you go to race meetings, you see a substantial interest from females." Yet motoring has received little attention on radio."Traditionally, there's been no shortage of other sports shows on radio but, oddly enough, there hasn't been much in the way of cars. I always thought it was strange because in the world I live in €” in television land €” it's a key franchise. There's a lot of interest out there. So when I was asked if I wanted to have a crack, I said yes straight away."mlallo@theage.com.auThe Stick Shift airs Saturdays at 10am on Triple M.
© 2009 The Age
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