June 12, 2023 • 7 mins
Motorsport is chock full of great rivalries. In Australia, we have cherished decades of Ford vs Holden, with legendary names like Peter Brock, Dick Johnson and Bob Jane. They all had their heated moments but one duo gets pole position when it comes to argy-bargy: Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Having a nemesis can be a great motivator when it
comes to being top of your sport. After all, the
only thing better than winning is someone else losing. It's
human nature to be spurred on by a long standing beef.
I don't have the actual history in front of me,
but you know we've had sworn enemies from Roman chariot
(00:25):
racing to medieval jousting, and that's before we even get
to the ashes. Motorsport is especially notorious hunt versus Louder,
Senna versus Prost. In Australia, we bloody love going head
to head decades of Ford versus Holden, Peter Brock, whose
rivals included legendary names like Dick Johnson or Bob Jane,
(00:49):
and Allan Moffatt sometimes had punch ons with each other too.
But one duo gets pole position when it comes to Arjibarji,
Mark Scaife and Russell Ingle.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hi. Welcome to the poolroom.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Where we celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between.
I'm Tony Armstrong and today we're shining the headlights on
drivers who sometimes forgot to leave their egos at home
before heading to the track. Russell Ingele wasn't the only
(01:35):
driver Mark Scafe battled with. He famously clashed with newcomer
Marcus Ambrose, who dethroned him from top spot on the podium.
There was also plenty of infighting with teammate Craig Lownds
when they were both at the Holden Racing Team. But
his most memorable bit of biffo happened in two thousand
(01:55):
and three in an incident that came to be known
as the legendary Shriek at the Creek. It was the
title decider for the V eight Supercars Championship. Tension had
been brewing between Mark and Russell for years, with the
latter earning the nickname the Enforcer for his aggressive, no
holds barred racing style, and his two thousand and two
(02:16):
switched to forward seemed to be the straw on the
camel of Mark Scafe's back. Eastern Creek was buzzing in
anticipation of crowning the year's champion. There were some big
names on the starting grid, Bright, Ambrose, Kelly Lownds win
(02:38):
cup and it was smooth sailing at first, but on
lap forty two, things took a turn well.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
A strait and then a turn.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Banging down the back straight in a battle for third place,
Scafey has overtaken Russell, pushing him white. Russell's responded by
shunting the HRT Commodore straight into the fence, taking with
it Mark's second place finish in the championship.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
And you know that's motorsport.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
You have a clash, someone ends up in the kiddie litter.
Everyone comes back again next week. These guys aren't finished though.
As the race continues, a filthy Mark scafe has left
his car and decided to wait at the edge of
the track for his enemy to make his way back around.
(03:39):
Like he's standing on the side of the road, literally
shaking his fist, every part of him just red and sweaty,
serious carry on, And instead of ignoring it, Russell made
a snap decision that will go down in history.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
He swerved.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Mark is there with nothing to protect him, but he's
sexy red jumpsuit and in a flash, Russell's Ford is
coming for him at more than two hundred kilometers an hour,
Russell writes himself, but not before giving Mark and the
entire V eight Supercar audience a big bloody scare.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
The commentators are wild. They're hootin and hollerin.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
They've never seen anything quite like it. It's a huge
blow to the whole essence of the sport, you know,
as long as you forget all those other rivalries I
mentioned earlier. In a post race interview, Mark scaife is
quietly fuming.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
If that was any other sport, he says he'd be
out for a year. Both drivers were punished.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Russell copped a seventy championship point penalty for the original
nudge into the wall, and was found guilty of bringing
the sport into disrepute for you know, swerving a giant
hunk of steel towards a human being being at high speed.
His fifteen thousand dollars fine was reduced to ten thousand
on appeal, but he was disqualified from the race and
(05:08):
coppt an additional dough suspended three race band. Mark Scaife
was docked thirty championship points for his part in the
initial contact, which was overturned on appeal, but for leaving
his car, disobeying a directive to move behind the wall,
and his pretty ordinary display from the grass. He was
fined ten thousand dollars and lost seventy five series points.
(05:36):
In two thousand and four, as a new year of
racing began, Russell Ingle confessed it was not the smartest
thing I've ever done, but declared that the ultimate payback
will be winning the championship. I'm going to try as
hard as i can to achieve that. He didn't that
Accolade went to another of Mark Scaife's rivals, Marcus Ambrose,
(05:56):
for the second year running. Mark and Russell didn't speak
again for ten years, occasionally popping up in the media
separately to reopen the old wound. Their lasting anger and
frustration was obvious, each making a point to declare they
would never forgive each other, but they were eventually thrown
(06:17):
together as co commentators on Fox Sports. I saw Mark
as the enemy, Russell said. During their time on air.
They shared the commentary box for four years before their
run ended in twenty nineteen, and while they seemed happy
enough as co hosts, can famous sporting rivals ever really forgive?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Do they even want to without a grudge? Is there
any point in pulling on their helmet? After all?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
At some level, the reason we love sport is because
we want to see our favorites overcome the odds, and
there's nothing like settling an old.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Score these days.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
The ba Falcon Russell aim towards his old rival, is
on display at the National motor Racing Museum in Bathurst.
It's said to be haunted by the ghosts of championships past,
present and disqualified. Not really, but maybe. Thanks for checking
(07:29):
out the pool room and iHeart production.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
I'm Tony Armstrong. Catch you next time.
Having a nemesis can be a great motivator when it
comes to being top of your sport. After all, the
only thing better than winning is someone else losing. It's
human nature to be spurred on by a long standing beef.
I don't have the actual history in front of me,
but you know we've had sworn enemies from Roman chariot
(00:25):
racing to medieval jousting, and that's before we even get
to the ashes. Motorsport is especially notorious hunt versus Louder,
Senna versus Prost. In Australia, we bloody love going head
to head decades of Ford versus Holden, Peter Brock, whose
rivals included legendary names like Dick Johnson or Bob Jane,
(00:49):
and Allan Moffatt sometimes had punch ons with each other too.
But one duo gets pole position when it comes to Arjibarji,
Mark Scaife and Russell Ingle.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
Hi. Welcome to the poolroom.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Where we celebrate the winners, losers and the weird stuff between.
I'm Tony Armstrong and today we're shining the headlights on
drivers who sometimes forgot to leave their egos at home
before heading to the track. Russell Ingele wasn't the only
(01:35):
driver Mark Scafe battled with. He famously clashed with newcomer
Marcus Ambrose, who dethroned him from top spot on the podium.
There was also plenty of infighting with teammate Craig Lownds
when they were both at the Holden Racing Team. But
his most memorable bit of biffo happened in two thousand
(01:55):
and three in an incident that came to be known
as the legendary Shriek at the Creek. It was the
title decider for the V eight Supercars Championship. Tension had
been brewing between Mark and Russell for years, with the
latter earning the nickname the Enforcer for his aggressive, no
holds barred racing style, and his two thousand and two
(02:16):
switched to forward seemed to be the straw on the
camel of Mark Scafe's back. Eastern Creek was buzzing in
anticipation of crowning the year's champion. There were some big
names on the starting grid, Bright, Ambrose, Kelly Lownds win
(02:38):
cup and it was smooth sailing at first, but on
lap forty two, things took a turn well.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
A strait and then a turn.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Banging down the back straight in a battle for third place,
Scafey has overtaken Russell, pushing him white. Russell's responded by
shunting the HRT Commodore straight into the fence, taking with
it Mark's second place finish in the championship.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
And you know that's motorsport.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
You have a clash, someone ends up in the kiddie litter.
Everyone comes back again next week. These guys aren't finished though.
As the race continues, a filthy Mark scafe has left
his car and decided to wait at the edge of
the track for his enemy to make his way back around.
(03:39):
Like he's standing on the side of the road, literally
shaking his fist, every part of him just red and sweaty,
serious carry on, And instead of ignoring it, Russell made
a snap decision that will go down in history.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
He swerved.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Mark is there with nothing to protect him, but he's
sexy red jumpsuit and in a flash, Russell's Ford is
coming for him at more than two hundred kilometers an hour,
Russell writes himself, but not before giving Mark and the
entire V eight Supercar audience a big bloody scare.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
The commentators are wild. They're hootin and hollerin.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
They've never seen anything quite like it. It's a huge
blow to the whole essence of the sport, you know,
as long as you forget all those other rivalries I
mentioned earlier. In a post race interview, Mark scaife is
quietly fuming.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
If that was any other sport, he says he'd be
out for a year. Both drivers were punished.
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Russell copped a seventy championship point penalty for the original
nudge into the wall, and was found guilty of bringing
the sport into disrepute for you know, swerving a giant
hunk of steel towards a human being being at high speed.
His fifteen thousand dollars fine was reduced to ten thousand
on appeal, but he was disqualified from the race and
(05:08):
coppt an additional dough suspended three race band. Mark Scaife
was docked thirty championship points for his part in the
initial contact, which was overturned on appeal, but for leaving
his car, disobeying a directive to move behind the wall,
and his pretty ordinary display from the grass. He was
fined ten thousand dollars and lost seventy five series points.
(05:36):
In two thousand and four, as a new year of
racing began, Russell Ingle confessed it was not the smartest
thing I've ever done, but declared that the ultimate payback
will be winning the championship. I'm going to try as
hard as i can to achieve that. He didn't that
Accolade went to another of Mark Scaife's rivals, Marcus Ambrose,
(05:56):
for the second year running. Mark and Russell didn't speak
again for ten years, occasionally popping up in the media
separately to reopen the old wound. Their lasting anger and
frustration was obvious, each making a point to declare they
would never forgive each other, but they were eventually thrown
(06:17):
together as co commentators on Fox Sports. I saw Mark
as the enemy, Russell said. During their time on air.
They shared the commentary box for four years before their
run ended in twenty nineteen, and while they seemed happy
enough as co hosts, can famous sporting rivals ever really forgive?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Do they even want to without a grudge? Is there
any point in pulling on their helmet? After all?
Speaker 1 (06:48):
At some level, the reason we love sport is because
we want to see our favorites overcome the odds, and
there's nothing like settling an old.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Score these days.
Speaker 1 (07:01):
The ba Falcon Russell aim towards his old rival, is
on display at the National motor Racing Museum in Bathurst.
It's said to be haunted by the ghosts of championships past,
present and disqualified. Not really, but maybe. Thanks for checking
(07:29):
out the pool room and iHeart production.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
I'm Tony Armstrong. Catch you next time.
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