Life in the Fast Lane for MTA Apprentice

Lachlan Munzberg never imagined his passion could take him from the paddock to a pit crew but in three short years his drive has seen him working on a professional racing team.

Lachlan, a fourth-year apprentice at the MTA who is currently undertaking an apprenticeship in Agricultural Mechanic Technology, was the winner of New Holland Australia’s Apprentice of the Year Award for 2022.

His enthusiasm and work ethic were recognised by his Manager at Vater Machinery in Nuriootpa SA who nominated him for the award. New Holland Australia then flew Lachlan to Banyo, Brisbane where he was given the exciting opportunity to meet the team at Triple Eight Race Engineering HQ.

Different to working on his usual tractors and harvesters, Lachlan joined the Red Bull Ampol pit crew to set up the car for an infamous win at the Adelaide 500 and Holden’s final race. He also helped prepare Shane van Gisbergen’s car for the Adelaide 500 and did some testing on their Gen3 Camaro.

“Learning from the team and seeing how everything operated, from their manufacturing department all the way to placing stickers to the cars was an eye-opening experience,” he said.

“A typical day would involve working in each of the different departments to see exactly what each of the teams work on. They showed me through their advanced manufacturing where they manufacture different parts for Supercars.”

Lachlan explained how it was a once if a lifetime opportunity, all of which was only possible through his MTA apprenticeship.

“I did a lot of aerodynamic setup on Broc Feeney’s car and worked on Shane van Gisbergen’s car as well. Working with the mechanics, observing how the subassemblies were functioning, taking various tours, speaking to different people and having lunch with the other mechanics and engineers each day was a blast,” he said.

“It was great to see Broc Feeney’s car win the last Holden race and Shane’s car claimed the season victory as well!”

Lachlan has always had a strong passion for cars and how things work. Lachlan’s father also watched Motorsport on television on the weekends, which sparked Lachlan’s interest in cars even further.

His advice for anyone interested in problem-solving and helping others is to apply for an apprenticeship.

Lachlan with his Manager, Bruce Dutschke, from Vater Machinery.