Ignition Magazine New Zealand | July 2023

The 2023 Capricorn Rising Stars

Top 5 Finalists Revealed!

Puzzle game WINNERS

Parts Connection’s New Promotion

Capricorn Preferred Supplier, Parts Connection, is proud to announce the second round of winners of their “The Puzzle Game” promotion.

Each time you purchase parts from any Parts Connection supplier, you'll receive a lucky Puzzle Piece. When you get one, check to see if you’re an instant $1000 winner or have earned a piece to use when playing the online Puzzle Game. Members have until 30 November 2023 to participate. The list of lucky recent winners and prizes includes:

INSTANT WINDSCREENS - PENROSE - $1,000

CHAPMAN COLLISION REPAIRS - $1,000

DAVE TIPPETT AUTOMOTIVE - $1,000

A big thank you to all Members who have participated in the promotion so far!

David Fraser Group CEO

CEO’s message

A new financial year is an excellent time to step back from the day to day of our businesses and look at the big picture. How is your business performing? Did you grow this past year? What are your targets for the year ahead? What investments do you need to make to achieve those goals?

If you have a business plan, now’s the time to check your budgets, targets and KPIs against your actual figures. If you’ve been working towards your plan all year, hopefully this will be a rewarding task, as you see the results of all your plans and hard work in black and white, on the bottom of a balance sheet.

If you don’t have a business plan (and we know from our State of the Nation research that 27 per cent of Members don’t have a growth plan in place) then now is the ideal time to create one. You’re doing your accounts anyway, so review last year’s performance, look at your strengths and weaknesses, decide what worked and what didn’t, and think about where you should focus your efforts in the coming year. Set goals. Business growth rarely happens by accident.

Those Members who had a growth plan in place told State of the Nation they were using it to improve business efficiency (64%), increase profit margins (45%), employ more staff (42%), increase workshop capacity (40%) and win more customers (38%). Set your financial goals and develop your strategic plan. But don’t just stick it in a drawer. You have to work at it, monitoring your progress regularly against your budgets and goals.

One Member who did just that is All Ag and Auto in South Australia. You can read all about their inspirational story in this magazine, alongside a range of articles that focus on how to get more growth into your business.

I particularly recommend our article on making sure your workshop’s website is fit for purpose and generating business for you. We also have a great story about Member, Wayne Broady, who competed at the World Transplant Games in Perth in April.

Good luck with your business plan for 2023-2024. Remember, Capricorn is always on your team, helping your business to grow. We truly are stronger together.

David Fraser Group CEO

any material in Ignition.

CONTENTS

CONTENTS

JULY 2023

FEBRUARY 2023

6 WAYNE’S INSPIRING JOURNEY

He puts his heart into World Transplant Games.

8 LITHIUM ION BATTERIES

Be aware of the risks!

10 IS YOUR WEBSITE UP TO SCRATCH?

7 tips to make sure your website is helping your business grow.

12 TIME TO SET A BUDGET

How to set a P&L budget for your workshop.

14 TOP 5 FINALISTS REVEALED!

Celebrating the future of automotive excellence.

16 CLASSIC/ MEMBER RIDE: NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R

Godzilla’s very extraordinary life.

21 THE ALL AG & AUTO STORY

The secrets to 20 years of steady growth.

24 YOUNG AUSSIE TAKES ON THE WORLD

Ben Bargwanna took on the world with his motor racing talent.

26 2023 VOLVO C40 RECHARGE

A reliable and functional family EV contender.

It’s been a cold start to winter, so make sure you have all you need to stay warm. Whether you want to be equipped for when you venture outside, or you prefer to cosy up inside, Capricorn Rewards has the products for you.

WAYNE PUTS HIS

into the World Transplant Games

Wayne Broady has been given a gift— and he’s thankful for it every single day.

In November 2017, having just enjoyed a regular swim with friends at Hornsby Pool on Sydney’s Upper North Shore, Wayne had a lifethreatening heart attack. It would change his life.

“At the time I just thought it was indigestion or something like that,” Wayne said. “I felt faint. I had a couple of mates with me and I must have been drifting in and out of consciousness. They called an ambulance and I was taken to North Shore Hospital. I had no idea what was happening or the seriousness of what was happening.”

Wayne’s myocardial infarction—the medical term for the heart attack he suffered—could easily have been fatal. He spent several days on life support in intensive care before being moved to Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital for more intensive care and specialist treatment. It was there the doctor’s first mentioned a heart transplant to Wayne and his wife, Anna. After a couple of more months in hospital, and time at home recovering and building up his strength, Wayne had his heart transplant on Good Friday, in March 2018.

“I had a few complications, so I remained in hospital for roughly two months afterwards,” Wayne said. “I had to learn how to walk, eat, everything, because all your muscles waste away from being so long in intensive care.”

Capricorn Member Wayne—a mechanic who ran his own workshop until 2011 and was working for Barrie Auto Electrics in Hornsby at the time of his heart attack— said he had considered himself relatively

fit at the time. He didn’t smoke, didn’t drink very often, had a good diet and exercised regularly. He wasn’t what many people might think of as a likely candidate for a heart attack.

In the years since his heart transplant, Wayne has kept up his commitment to a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise.

“I’m probably as fit as I was before the heart attack but my endurance is not there anymore,” he said. “I no longer have the capacity to continue, continue, continue, whereas before it didn’t worry me.”

In April this year, Wayne competed in the World Transplant Games, which were held in Perth, Western Australia. It’s the world’s largest awareness-raising event for organ and tissue donation and saw about 1500 participants from more than 50 countries come together to compete in 17 different sports over seven days, in a celebration of life, through sport. The Games, which are held every two years, are open to recipients of solid organ transplants, including heart, liver, lung, kidney and pancreas transplants, as well as those who have received bone marrow transplants. The Games are all about honouring donors and encouraging transplant recipients to be fit and active.

“Just getting to the Games was my aim. I don’t call it competing; I just wanted to complete the event,” Wayne said. Wayne took part in five

swimming events—the 50 m, 100 m and 200 m freestyle and the 50 m and 100 m breaststroke.

“I was quite happy with my 50 metre freestyle. I think I got fourth. I improved my times because in January I did 47 seconds and I think I got about 35 seconds in the Games,” Wayne said. He received bronze in the 100 m and silver in the 200 m freestyle.

“I enjoyed it, but the main thing was getting to meet other people who have had transplants,” Wayne said. “Everyone’s been through their own journey and you get to hear those stories. I think the main thing is everyone is there to have a bit of fun.”

The Games is strongly focused on making sure the organ donors are remembered alongside the recipients, with several events organised to honour donors, attended by the families of donors as well as recipients.

“It’s something you have to think about every day,” Wayne said. “Some days more than others. In a way, I sort of get two birthdays every year because of it. So, my thoughts go out to those families who have given people like me a second chance (through organ donation). To be given the opportunities I have been given just because someone ticked a box to say, yes, they’re going to donate, is just amazing.”

Wayne said he also thought of those transplant recipients who aren’t able to take part in events like the World Transplant Games because they are

struggling with the effects of the medications or from complications with the transplant.

“They are the warriors,” he said. Wayne said his reason for attending the Games was to show what he could achieve, simply by not giving up.

“My three words when things are getting me down are: resilience, appreciation, achievement,” he said.

Wayne encourages all Capricorn Members and their families to register to become an organ and tissue donor.

“Have a conversation about organ donation with your family,” he said. “When you tick that box, you can make a huge difference to someone else.”

In New Zealand, you can find more information at donor.co.nz

Lithium batteries ion

be aware of the risks

Lithium ion batteries play an important part in everyday life. They have become the industry standard for rechargeable batteries in many homes and businesses and are an emerging power source for vehicles. However, they also pose a risk to life and property if not handled correctly.

If a lithium battery is improperly manufactured, handled, stored or disposed of, it can catch fire. A lithium ion battery fire is extremely intense and frequently leads to an explosion, which spreads the fire quickly. These fires can be very difficult to put out with water and other types of chemicals may be required to extinguish them. It is important to be aware of the risks associated with lithium ion batteries and the steps you can take to reduce the likelihood of a fire either in your home or workshop, or even out on the road.

What is a lithium ion battery?

A lithium ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery. It is made up of cells in which lithium ions move from the negative electrode to the positive electrode during discharge and back when charging.

WHAT TYPES OF PRODUCTS USE LITHIUM ION BATTERIES?

Electric vehicles, including cars, bikes and scooters

There

Power tools

Camping and gardening equipment

Smartphones, laptops, toys and appliances such as vacuum cleaners

Steps to ensure safe use of lithium ion batteries:

Always follow the manufacturers’ instructions and guidelines

Buy lithium ion batteries from a reputable supplier

Improper manufacturing Physical damage Overcharging

Dispose of lithium ion batteries in accordance with local authority guidelines (not in the bin)

Turn chargers off once the battery is fully charged and allow the battery to cool before recharging

Exposure to high temperatures or moisture

Storing batteries close together

For many of you in the motor trades, it is likely you will, at one stage or another, have an electric vehicle (EV) in your workshop. Storing and/or moving damaged EVs with forklifts or transporting them on a tow truck will pose a considerable fire risk if the lithium ion batteries have been damaged.

In a recent claim, an EV’s lithium ion battery was believed to have been damaged by a forklift prior to the Member taking possession of the vehicle.

Never use or store batteries that are swollen, punctured, leaking or emitting smoke or odour.

The EV later caught fire from the damaged battery whilst being stored at the Member’s premises, which resulted in a multi-million dollar loss.

This is very much an emerging technology which comes with new challenges and risks for us all. Being aware of the risks and knowing how to identify and manage them may just save a life, your home or your business premises.

For further information about the options available to protect against losses related to EV batteries, contact your local Risk Account Manager, call 0800 555 303 or email info@capricornrisk.com.

are a number of things that can increase the risk of a lithium ion battery catching fire or exploding:

Is

WEBSITE UP TO SCRATCH?

Is your workshop’s website fit for purpose in 2023? Is it helping you win business, making it easy for your customers to find you and book an appointment with you? Or is it letting you down?

Your website is vital marketing real estate. Fortysix per cent of Capricorn Members told our State of the Nation survey last year that their website is a key part of their marketing (behind only social media, 51%, and word of mouth, 77%).

So, we asked Aaron Haarsma, a Capricorn Preferred Supplier and Creative Director of OzICT, for his advice on how to maximise the value of a workshop website.

“The reality is a lot of people are researching online, even if they’ve had a word-of-mouth recommendation, to verify what they’ve been told,” he said. “If you don’t have some sort of digital presence, it’s very hard for people to verify the recommendation, let alone find opening hours and so on.”

your to make sure your website is helping your business grow.

tips

WEBSITE

Aaron’s list of

1. Don’t rely on Facebook

As the Facebook algorithm has changed, businesses just aren’t getting the engagement they used to on Facebook. One reputable study puts the median engagement rate for businesses on Facebook at 0.064%. Aaron still recommends having a Facebook page (it’s handy for customer service enquiries) but says it shouldn’t replace a good website.

2. Address customer pain points

Potential customers come to your site looking for something specific. Be sure to list off all the kinds of goods and services you provide, including any areas of specialty or expertise.

3. Make sure your website looks professional and functions properly

How old is your website? If it looks dated or is poorly maintained, you’re giving the customer a really bad impression of the service they’ll get from you. A simple website refresh is in order. Similarly, if the site has broken functionality, like booking forms that don’t work, it’s time for some maintenance.

4. Cover the essential information (especially contact details)

This is a no-brainer, but make sure to have your phone number, business address and opening hours prominently displayed on your website. Include a contact form, as many customers prefer not to pick up a phone these days.

5. Get your SEO right

To help Google and other search engines find you, make sure your website is search engine optimised (SEO). At its most basic level, this means making sure it has the right keywords relating to your services and location. Your web developer will know what to do.

6.

A website is not a “set and forget” investment

When was the last time you updated your website? Aaron said Google wants to serve people the most up-to-date search results possible, so if you aren’t regularly updating your website (e.g., publishing blog posts, YouTube videos), it’s likely you’ll slip down the search results below competitors who keep their website up to date.

7. A Google Business Profile is essential

To appear on the map in search results, you need a Google Business Profile. This service used to be called Google My Business. It’s basically your business listing with Google and it’s how Google verifies you’re a real business. It’s also somewhere customers can leave reviews. Similarly, Aaron said if you want to guarantee you appear at the top of search results, consider advertising with Google Ads.

Here’s

things you need to know to ensure your website is helping you grow your business.

Time to set a budget

by Geoff Mutton

Setting a budget doesn’t come naturally to most workshop owners who are typically too busy running their businesses. The prevailing attitude seems to be that the harder they work, the more profitable the business will be. While this attitude has some merit, it is an undeniable fact that those who spend the time planning and setting a budget will achieve a better result than those who don’t bother.

A P&L budget can be broken down into two distinct sections: forecasting revenues and forecasting expenses. Subtract one from the other and you will have a profit or loss forecast for the financial year. Pretty simple.

Forecasting revenues

When setting a sales target, the easiest thing to do is just look at what you did last year and add some more. This is okay but there is a better way, and that’s to forecast revenues based on the team you have in place and the output you believe that team can achieve.

When forecasting sales targets based on the team, you must take the following into consideration:

1. How many labour hours do you think your technicians can sell, taking into account their qualification levels, other tasks they do in the workshop and their historical output?

2. How many weeks on average do you think your team will work? There are 52 weeks in a year, but you will lose 10 days to public holidays, 20 days to annual leave and five days to sick leave. Therefore, on average a staff member will work around 45 full weeks.

3. What is your average labour rate for the coming financial year? Some workshops have different rates for trade customers, general repairs and diagnostics. In this case, just choose an average.

4. Parts sales will be directly influenced by labour sales. Most workshops work on a one-to-one ratio. For example, if they sell $100 in labour, they will generally sell $100 in parts.

Using the above methodology and four categories, the table below forecasts a sales revenue goal of $573,300 for a two-person workshop.

The start of the financial year is the perfect time to set a Profit and Loss (P&L) budget for your workshop.

Forecasting expenses

Forecasting expenses is relatively easy if you have last year’s numbers in front of you. If you don’t know how to access your P&L statement from last year, ask your bookkeeper or accountant to run one for you.

Simply work through each expense category and based on the information you have on hand, forecast what you think the expenses will be this year. If you can’t see any reason why it will be significantly different, just add four per cent or five per cent to accommodate inflation. Your highest two numbers will be rent and wages, so take a little more time to accurately reach your forecast for these items.

Unexpected expenses pop up every year and to cover these, create a miscellaneous category and add an additional five per cent to ten per cent of your total forecast expenses.

This table forecasts total expenses for the financial year of $311,440, a ten per cent increase on the previous year.

Net profit/loss target

By subtracting forecasted expenses from forecasted revenues, you will be left with a forecasted profit or loss. If you like the result, you now know what it will take to achieve it. If you don’t like the result, review your forecast to see if changes can be made.

Monthly review

It’s critically important that each month you review your P&L to see how you are tracking against the budget. Failure to do this means the whole exercise would have been a waste of time. Realistically, setting a P&L forecast will take a couple of hours. Trust me when I say these hours have the potential to generate more income than if you spent the same number of hours on the tools fixing cars.

TOP 5 FINALISTS REVEALED!

an exhilarating year,

for is finally here! It’s time to unveil the extraordinary Top 5 Finalists of the 2023 Capricorn Rising Stars award, showcasing the best apprentices in the automotive industry.

With over 500 nominations received, we were awe-struck by the exceptional talents of the top five finalists who are already making waves as true leaders in their workshops. They have fearlessly taken on advanced tasks typically reserved for more experienced professionals. In some cases, they have risen to the occasion, single-handedly running workshops with dedication and expertise, showing their commitment to our industry.

The level of passion these Rising Stars exhibit is remarkable. It’s amazing to see how dedicated they are to achieving excellence, making us confident that the future of the industry is in extraordinarily capable hands. It’s a delight to witness such a remarkable calibre of nominations, reaffirming our faith in the talents within our industry.

Brad Gannon, Capricorn CEO of Automotive, stresses the immeasurable value of supporting apprentices on their journey. "Completing an automotive apprenticeship is no easy feat, and the shortage of qualified technicians in the auto industry underscores the crucial need to train and nurture and the next generation. The Capricorn Rising Stars Award aims to boost the morale of these

aspiring automotive professionals and instill in them a sense of purpose and confidence. Together, we create a robust pipeline of talent that ensures the industry’s longlasting success and innovation."

We’re proud to introduce the phenomenal finalists for the highly anticipated 2023 Capricorn Rising Stars award: Chelsea Bowers, Jaidyn Seng, Joshua Will, Matilda Gook and Tyler Rees. The anticipation builds as we eagerly await the announcement of the Overall Winner in the upcoming August edition of Ignition. Stay tuned for an exhilarating celebration of automotive excellence.

Big thanks to our incredible sponsors — Castrol, Repco and The Workshop Whisperer — for their generous support and contributions, ensuring the winners and their nominating workshops receive well-deserved recognition and incredible prizes. Your commitment to empowering the Rising Stars of our industry is truly commendable.

A special thank you goes out to all the passionate Members who took the time to nominate their exceptional apprentices. Your dedication to recognise future talents is invaluable and we are grateful for your support. Together, we shape a brighter tomorrow for the automotive industry!

After

the moment we’ve all been waiting

MEET THE TOP 5 FINALISTS

Chelsea Bowers

Chelsea has flourished in her practical capabilities and is dedicated to her studies. She strives to be a keen advocate for women in trades and makes efforts to be involved in the automotive community.”

Joshua is the apprentice technician employers dream of — an ‘A’ grade team member in every aspect, who gives everything it takes to get the customer back on the road and his application and attention to detail see him consistently achieve great results.”

Tyler demonstrates a maturity well beyond his age. He approaches each job with a growth mindset regardless of whether he is completing a standard service or attempting a much more complex task.”

Jaidyn is the most switched on and motivated apprentice we have ever had. On top of doing his apprenticeship, he’s also studying engineering at university, and strives to learn as much as he can every day.”

Tilly is often the first person at the workshop in the morning and often stays late to learn and help finish a job just to get a better understanding of the process. She knows how to take on a challenge and we are grateful to have Tilly as part of our team.”

SKYLINE NISSAN

GODZILLA’S VERY EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SERIOUS MOTORSPORT NOSTALGIA?

he Nissan Skyline GT-R is as beloved as it is iconic. Although the Japanese car manufacturer released the original model GT-R between 1969 and 1973, it was the revived GT-R, the R32, produced from 1989, that really made the Skyline a household name. In Australia and New Zealand, that was in no small part due to the success of Kiwi racing driver Jim Richards, who drove an R32 to victory in the 1991 Australian Touring Car Championships (now the Supercars Championship) at Bathurst, and Aussie racing driver Mark Skaife, who did the same in 1992. A rule change meant the turbocharged Nissan GT-Rs were banned from racing at Bathurst after 1993, but the Skyline had already won a massive fanbase on both sides of the Tasman Sea. A legend had been born—and that legend was given the nickname Godzilla, because the GT-R was “the king of the monsters”.

Nissan produced nearly 44,000 of the R32 GTRs, yet only 106 of them ever made it to Australia, making them a prized possession for those who could get their hands on one. One of those—a particularly special vehicle—is now owned by Capricorn Member Greg Boyle, of Autosport Engineering in Kirrawee, New South Wales.

“Officially, only 100 GT-Rs were supposed to hit Australian shores, but prior to that batch arriving, six cars were imported for development, testing, ADR compliance and media purposes,” Greg said.

Greg’s GT-R, with chassis number 11268, was destined to lead “an extraordinary life”.

“What it experienced between its 1990 build date and its final ‘official’ duty at the 1993 Bathurst 12 Hour is remarkable, by any car’s standards,” Greg said. “You could write a book with the very beneficial, expert help of all the journalists whose first experience in a ‘Godzilla’ was with 11268,” he said.

“Photographs show it was the first R32 GT-R to get pulled over for speeding in Australia.”

It was used for a multitude of high-profile media tests, performance comparisons, cover shots and special features, including the prestigious Wheels Car of The Year Awards. It served as the official pace car at the infamous 1992 Tooheys 1000 at Bathurst. It was later bought by Falken/ OHTSU Tyres Australia, who gave the GT-R its current distinctive livery, and was raced by Keith Carling, Bill Gillespie and Graeme Neilsen in the 1993 Bathurst 12 Hour.

“After 1535 kilometres flat out, she came fourth outright and third in her class,” Greg said.

Greg bought the GT-R at auction in December 2021, after seeing the car online. How much do you reckon a uniquely rare 1990 Nissan R32 GT-R might cost you, if you wanted to give it a good home?

“I had to sell four cars to pay for it,” Greg said. “I had a Mitsubishi 3000GT, a Version 5 Subaru, which is a two-door WRX, a Final Edition WRX and a 33 Nissan GT-R that I had to sell. Luckily all four cars sold before the auction came around.” In actual Australian dollars, rather than cars, Greg paid $260,000. Greg reckons it was worth every cent.

“There’s no other GT-R like it,” he said. “This has probably got the most significant history for a GT-R in Australia. This car was making history before it even raced—and it’s still racing today.”

Greg regularly races the GT-R in the Heritage Touring Cars Series. So, how does she handle all these years later?

“It still goes well but compared to a lot of the cars I race, it’s probably a little bit underpowered,” he said. “But in saying that, when it rains, it really comes into its own. Obviously, being a fourwheel drive car, it’s very good in the wet, and I enjoy driving in the wet. It handles really well.”

The GT-R was originally painted in black pearl metallic (the only black car of the original six, which makes it easy to identify in old photos) but was repainted by Falken Tyres to use as a promo car. The turquoise and blue livery makes the GT-R instantly recognisable. “It’s surprising how many people recognise it, it just stands out so much,” Greg said.

Falken still sponsors the car, providing tyres for race days and so on. Also sponsoring the GT-R are three Capricorn Preferred Suppliers: Atlantic Oils, Bursons and DBA Brakes.

So, was it worth selling four cars to own a bit of motorsport history? “They were good cars, don’t get me wrong, but the R32 has just opened so many doors for me and allowed me to do a lot more stuff that I enjoy doing,” he said. “It was definitely worth it. The power, the handling—it’s just an iconic car, and it’s a great car to drive.

Most of us, if we live long enough, might get very nostalgic about the classic Bathurst victories of our youth. Not all of us will go on to actually own a piece of that history though. Although Greg recommends it.

“You have to follow your dreams,” he said. “You only live once and you’re dead a long time.”

The new CAP ezi-parts is the easiest and most convenient way to find the parts you need quickly. The enhanced online platform has an extensive parts catalogue and filtering functionality, so the parts you need are now only a few clicks away.

years

The secrets to of steady growth

What started as a one-man band specialising in machinery inspection has grown, over the past twenty years, into a vast workshop, permanently employing seven people. If you ask All Ag & Auto founder, Robert Will, he’ll tell you that growth has all happened more or less organically.

“We haven’t specifically set out to grow to the size we have,” Robert said. “Our growth has been on a needs basis, driven by the demand in our area. Our customers are very loyal and we just try to value add to our existing customer base by providing more services. We’re in a rural area, so we’ve got to be pretty diverse.”

Bordertown, about 250 km east of Adelaide, has a population of around 3000 people. It’s an agricultural region, with irrigation making farming less seasonal and more profitable, so there’s a lot of work for a heavy diesel mechanic like Robert. He’s Bordertown born and bred, but All Ag & Auto actually started its life in Adelaide, under the name Will Inspect.

“In about 2003, I’d been in the trade about eight or nine years, I’d left my employer, moved to Adelaide, and started providing machinery inspection reports, a bit like pre-purchase reports for cars,” Robert said.

While in Adelaide, Robert married his wife, Tina, an accountant, and they moved back to Bordertown in 2005, taking the business with them. There was less call for inspections in such a small community, so Robert diversified into mobile repairs, operating out of a ute and trailer and visiting local farms to repair machinery like harvesters and tractors.

“Bordertown’s a fairly diverse area and there’s plenty of demand for diesel mechanics in the area,” he said.

After a couple of years, business was going so well they decided to rent a small workshop space, mostly just for storage. Tina was doing the business’s books and still working part-time for an accounting firm.

In 2006, they purchased their first workshop. It was about 600 square metres in size, on a twohectare (five-acre) block.

The stellar success of All Ag & Auto, in South Australia’s Bordertown, is a lesson in seizing the opportunities in front of you.

“It was a drought year, so it felt like a risk at the time,” Robert said. “We were worried about the extra outlay and how the business was going to go. But as it turned out, it was one of the best moves we made. It gave us a bit of extra space and another add-on to our existing business. We could take on a few bigger jobs at the workshop.”

Business went well until 2009, when an injury acquired playing football knocked Robert out of action for a few months.

“That rattled me a bit, as an owner-operator business, and we’d just had our first child, so looking after the family was fairly important,” Robert said. He went to work for a local big machinery dealer for a while but, after 15 months, realised running his own business was something he was passionate about. Will Inspect was resurrected.

“When I started up again by myself, I employed my first apprentice,” Robert said. “I had him with me for four years, then I employed another guy. We’d worked out that we had to employ people to really share the load and grow the business to try to meet the load. It was just a gradual process of growth up until the current day.”

In September last year, Robert and Tina changed the name of the business to All Ag & Auto ahead of moving into a new, much larger, purpose-built workshop at Christmas time. It’s 1920 square metres, more than three times the size of the old workshop, with plenty of room to service both light vehicles and heavy machinery, to offer space for spare parts and fabrication and to accommodate further growth. Robert and Tina both work in the business full-time, have five full-time employees and have several casual employees to bring in extra skills and abilities. Alongside the workshop, they have three fully equipped service utes and still visit farms to work onsite.

Robert said the secret to their success has been making themselves as useful to their customers as possible. Often, when they’re onsite, a customer will say, “while you’re here, can you take a look at…”

In recent years, Robert and Tina have also leveraged the power of being part of larger networks, becoming part of Repco, Hydraulink and, in 2014, Capricorn.

“I was probably fairly slow on the uptake of the need to have a network around you,” he said.

“But technology is changing, it’s fast-moving, and you’re kidding yourself if you think you can keep up with it on your own,” he said. “That’s where the Capricorns, Repcos and Hydraulinks, those sorts of add-ons, come into it.”

Robert said joining Hydraulink made sense because he was already servicing a lot of hydraulics and joining Repco and getting access to its technical data, support and backend systems had improved the efficiency of the light vehicle side of the business.

“Probably my biggest mistake was not getting in on Capricorn sooner, because the value add to our business was huge,” he said. “For a small, independent business, the time-saving and the value Capricorn provides are definitely value for money for us.

“It’s also just building your network. Talking to other people in the industry and hearing what they’ve experienced gives you a bit of confidence to take a few risks and to take on new opportunities.”

While All Ag & Auto’s growth has been organic, it’s being able to identify and seize the opportunities in front of their eyes that have driven Robert and Tina’s success. That process is ongoing. Despite the big year they’ve just had, the couple has more improvements and investments planned to continue growing the business.

“We have to make sure we’ve got a business in the future that we can either hand on or sell or keep in the family,” Robert said. “Who knows what’s around the corner.”

Young aussie TAKES ON THE WORLD

by Paul Marinelli

Young 2023 Australian TCR Championship star driver

The son of 2000 Bathurst 1000 Champion and longtime Supercars racer Jason Bargwanna has added two international TCR (Touring Car Racing) events to his racing schedule for the 2023 season, one in Portugal and a second at the world famous Spa-Francorchamps circuit in Belgium.

The second-generation racer made his international TCR racing debut at the opening round of the 2023 Kumho TCR World Tour held at the undulating Portimao circuit in Portugal on April 29 and 30.

Competing at a totally unknown circuit against a world-class field of drivers and in a similar Peugeot TCR car that he races in Australia, Bargwanna did himself proud with solid performances in the two tightly contested races.

Once all was said and done, the 22-year-old stood on the Portimao podium alongside legendary Dutch TCR Europe race winner Tom Coronel, as Bargwanna had been awarded the TCR Europe Rookie Trophy for his result of twelfth overall in the event’s closely contested second race.

Gaining the TCR Europe Rookie Trophy was an impressive inaugural international racing accolade for the Victorian driver. “What a race!,” Bargwanna said. “It has been incredible and I can’t thank Team Clairet Sport enough for their help and for giving me such a great car.

“It has been a whirlwind of emotions, but racing to the top rookie honour was one of the best experiences of my life. I’m so happy. I can’t thank my team, my family and my sponsor group enough. It’s been incredible and I’m seriously so pleased,” he said.

Back home in Australia just two weeks later, Bargwanna raced to double podium results at the TCR Australia Championship second round held at Victoria’s Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit on May 13 and 14.

Bargwanna recovered from a five-place starting-grid penalty (relegating him from fifth to tenth for the race start) to race to a fighting fifth-place finish, followed by bettering that in the second race with third and his first podium result of the 2023 TCR Australia season.

The talented racer backed this strong performance up in an intense third and final race of the round to once again finish third and take the final podium place.

No sooner had he gained these impressive results before he was back on a jet to Europe, to compete in the second 2023 Kumho TCR World Tour at Belgium’s notoriously challenging Spa-Francorchamps racing circuit.

According to Bargwanna, racing at Spa was the stuff of dreams for the young racer.

“My first lap through turns 2 and 3, which are better known as Eau Rouge and Raidillon, was the best experience of my life and I now know what all the hype is about when people talk about this amazing track. The atmosphere, the Forrest surrounding the track, the facilities — it’s just all so incredibly cool,” Bargwanna said.

Sadly the Aussie TCR ace was taken out in the opening race by an ambitious move from competitor Dusan Borkovic (which earned Borkovic a three-place grid penalty for the second race). Bargwanna’s team worked hard to repair the damage and return him to the track, recovering to finish twelfth in the reverse grid second race. A bump-and-shove third and final race saw the Aussie finish seventh.

“The final race at Spa was a proper elbowsout experience to stay on the track. While it wasn’t the result we were after, it was truly an unforgettable experience from start to finish," Bargwanna stated.

In both European TCR events (and with the Australian round in between them), Bargwanna has displayed the grit and determination that has become synonymous with Australian athletes in their sporting endeavours.

Ben Bargwanna recently took on the world and came back with a trophy and international recognition of his motor racing talent.

Volvo C40 Recharge 2023

The C40 from Volvo is their latest crossover fully electric vehicle. Similar in size to the XC40, the C40 sits somewhere in the void between a sedan and an SUV. If safe, family practical vehicles are what you are looking for, Volvo should always make it on the list.

However, the last 10 years have seen Volvo go from just family practical and safe to modern and stylish too, and the C40 Recharge is no exception.

What we like and dislike about the 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge What

What’s in the 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge range?

The C40 is available in New Zealand in two variants: Plus and Ultimate. The Plus starts at $87,900 and the Ultimate is $15,000 more at $102,900.

Like other EVs, the difference is the single or dual motors. The Plus has a single motor, a range of 438 km and a 0-100 kmh time of 7.4 seconds. The Ultimate has twin motors, a slightly larger range of 451 km and a 0-100 kmh time of 4.7 seconds.

The two versions are pretty much the same in regard to features. The Ultimate comes with everything the Plus has with the addition of the following: Harman Kardon Premium Sound, a 360-degree camera and a high-level illumination interior.

The C40 comes in a range of 8 colours: Black Stone, Onyx Black, Fusion Red, Thunder Grey, Fjord Blue, Silver Dawn, Crystal White and Sage.

How does the 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge compare to its competition?

The full EV market is bubbling over with new models almost every week and has a wide range to choose from, from entry-level to the ultimate in luxury and performance. The range of options will continue to grow over the next year, with more and more SUV fullEV options becoming available from different brands.

It’s hard to compare apples with apples in this segment, as you might find one car costs the same as the other, but they have different body shapes, battery sizes or multiple EV motors, making them very different.

All prices below exclude the refund or additional cost of the New Zealand Clean Car Programme.

First impressions of the 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge

The Volvo C40 looks like a regular crossover SUV — there is not a single thing about it that screams that it’s fully electric. I must say I like that. It should just look like a good vehicle, and not try to look a bit different or weird to show that it’s trying to be super green and eco-friendly.

The side profile of the C40 vehicle is strange; it follows a more functional design approach. Both the front and rear look very nice — styled well and even with some sporty flourishes. The plastic wheel arch covers give the entire vehicle the illusion of a rather high profile and stance.

If I had a choice, I would not have picked either of the two black paint options and would have selected either Fjord Blue or my favourite, Fusion Red. Both of these are no-cost options, and both show the contrasting style of the vehicle when compared to black.

What’s the interior like in the 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge?

There has not been a Volvo through the DriveLife team that we didn’t like the interior of or the comfort levels. Before sitting in the C40, I knew the seats would be amazing, as all modern Volvo seats are super comfortable and ergonomically well-designed. Bathed in soft-touch materials, chrome and a bit of shiny plastic, it all feels very opulent. The value for money is seen and felt everywhere, by everyone.

The seats in every Volvo I have tested are amazing. In many review cars it can take up to 10 minutes of adjustment to the seat, trying to find that perfectly comfortable driving position. Sometimes that perfect spot can never be found, but in the Volvo, it’s mere seconds. I compare it to the feeling of sitting in my favourite lounge chair at home. I was not the only one to comment on this, or on the quality of the materials.

The rear seats were just the same, super comfy and they had plenty of legroom for those of us who are taller than average. This is partly due to that weird side profile I commented on. I found it very easy to get in and out of the back, even behind my own driving position. And I had no problem at all installing my daughter’s child seat. She had tons of room too and never felt cramped.

One of the big features promoted with the C40 is that it has Google built in, with a fully integrated Android Auto central media display. I am an Android guy, so I loved this. It was set up so that it became an extension of your current home and mobile set-up, using your existing Google account and assistant preferences. So, what does all this mean? Well, it means you have Google Maps as your navigation, Google Assistant for any hands-free help, and Google Play for a wide range of apps, and your entire system will stay up to date with Google as it gets updated.

You might now be thinking well that’s just more cost to the car having another data connection. You would be wrong, as Volvo has included a 4-year subscription to its digital service package, which includes data, apps and Google automotive services.

The sound system in the C40 Plus was pretty good. It was not the Harman/Kardon system from the Ultimate, but I could not fault it once the sound setting had been adjusted correctly. I don’t know what it is, but every review car I get in always has the bass up to the max, which ruins the overall sound experience.

The boot was a good size at 414 litres with the back seats up, which then opens up to 1,205 litres with the rear seats folded down. One thing to note is that the boot has quite a tall loading height, which is not an issue for someone over 6 feet, but it was noticeably higher than normal. The boot had a nice storage area to the righthand side which was deeper than the main boot, for putting items in that you do not want rolling around on the boot floor.

The frunk was a bit disappointing. The lid looked big, giving the impression of a lot of space. But once you opened it, it was not very deep and could really only hold the charging cables and one or two other small items. I thought they missed out here and missed the opportunity to have more storage space up front.

I did, however, really like their small, thin charge plug adapter, which didn’t look like every other brick that normally comes with full EV vehicles. This looked more like a fuse of some sort on the cable. It was great and it wasn’t heavy, which made it easy to carry and set up.

The rear window in the C40 is where I had a problem. It is very narrow and high. I felt that it didn’t give me enough of a view out the back as I would have liked. Add to this the rear-view camera’s position, which is low on the boot, above the licence plate. Its location cuts off the image, so you only got knee-high views of some things out the back. Again, something that frustrated me as I could not judge moving vehicles around me. I resorted to just using the side mirrors and ignored the camera.

What’s the 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge like to drive?

The drive behind the wheel of the C40 was rather effortless and event-free. I can’t remember much about it, which may sound like an odd thing to say. But to me, that means I couldn’t find anything wrong with it either. It’s not a performance car, so I am not looking for racetrack handling, but rather looking at what it’s like to live with and use every day. Like most Volvo vehicles, the C40 Recharge does this very well.

The C40 is a very nice and easy car to drive. The weight of the batteries and their placement creates a low centre of gravity and gives the driver a great, sure-footed feeling on the road. I really liked the power-to-weight performance of the single-motor C40. It felt right and it’s enough to get you up and going and not too much that you could be sent into next week with its acceleration. This gives the driver more range on the pedal to control the power being delivered to the electric motor.

The driver’s display was clean and minimalistic, maybe a little too much so for my liking. I also didn’t like that you couldn’t change the look — or I didn’t find out how, if it could be changed. It had all the basic info, but the one thing I did find a bit weird about the overall driving experience is that the battery range indicator is displayed on the central display screen and not the driver’s dash. There seemed to be plenty of space on the driver’s display, so I couldn’t work out why it wasn’t up there too. It’s picky, I know, but that’s where I look for it.

The battery economy of the C40 is pretty good. Over the course of the week I had the C40, I only needed to charge it once via the regular wallplug charger. I plugged it in after work one day where it was around 20%, and the next morning it was full. I like it when the overnight top-ups are quick, as it’s much more user-friendly. By the time I dropped the car back, I had a battery economy rating of 24.7kWh/100km, which was pretty good, considering the manufacturer’s rating was 21 kWh.

The steering wheel is fairly basic, and it didn’t have any brake regeneration paddles, which I would have liked to see. The wheel itself is not cluttered, much like the rest of the cabin. It has a collection of controls on either side: cruise control on the left and options and menus on the right. In other cars with paddles on the steering wheel they gave you access to select the level of brake regeneration. But in the C40 you had to select this from the central display, and you only had two options: one-pedal driving on or off. I don’t mind one-pedal driving, but after using it for a while, I just went back to the normal set-up.

The interior cabin was insulated very well, and the general road noise while driving is very low. So low that you can faintly hear the whirring sound from the electric motors spinning up when you give it some more power. The noise from the tyres on the road was low too, even on Wellington’s poor roads. It would be important to stick with the same brand when replacing the tyres as different brands can drastically change the road noise, which will have a knock-on effect to the cabin’s calm environment.

There is a lot of driver-assistance tech in any Volvo, and the C40 Recharge was the same. Ninetynine per cent of those go fairly unnoticed, which is great. However, the driver collision alert can go off unexpectedly when you’re driving down a curved street with multiple cars parked on it.

2023 Volvo C40 Recharge

Summary

Volvo rarely disappoints the DriveLife team, and the C40 Recharge is no exception. The design is iconically Volvo, and the interior is as comfy as the Swedish future gets. There is a great level of tech and market-leading safety features. The 78 kWh battery provides a super-practical 451 km range. Add in the fact that the battery can recharge fully overnight from a regular wall plug and it means you do not have to stress about its range as a daily commuter.

If you’re looking for a mid-sized EV for a small family, the C40 Recharge is something you need to try, especially if you want to stand out from the crowds of Teslas on the road these days.

Rarotonga Rarotonga ESCAPE TO with CAPRICORN

Rarotonga

After the tremendous success of last year's trip, we couldn't resist bringing it back by popular demand. With over 50 enthusiastic Members and Preferred Suppliers in attendance, it was an unforgettable experience.

During the trip, our members had a blast attending a cultural evening, going on thrilling quad bike tours, and experiencing the wildly popular Raro Mud Bugs adventure. Our dedicated Suppliers, All Euro Parts and Tableau Towbars & Trailers, were also present throughout the 6-day journey and had the chance to connect with our Members.

To top it all off, we had a memorable group dinner where members gathered for an enjoyable evening. This was the second trip that Stars Travel has put on for Capricorn Members and plans for next year's trip are already in the works!

Keep an eye on your emails and watch this space for more updates for next year’s Rarotonga adventure.

PREFERRED SUPPLIER PROFILES

Gilmour Motors Suzuki, based in Dunedin, is a renowned Suzuki dealership owned and operated by Emma Gilmour. Emma is a trailblazing rally driver and the first female driver for Extreme E and McLaren.

With an extensive range of products and services, including new Suzuki models and pre-owned vehicles, Gilmour Motors supply genuine Suzuki parts as well as Japanese and European parts and accessories. From towbars to carpet mats and reversing sensors, they cater to all accessory needs.

The team at Gilmour Motors Suzuki is committed to providing exceptional customer service. With clear communication and expert advice, they ensure a seamless experience for their customers.

gilmourmotors.co.nz

FUN ZONE

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

5 Differences To Find

Email your entries to ignition@capricorn.coop before the 31 July 2023. Winners will be selected by a random draw of the correct Member entries occurring in West Perth on 1 August 2023. The winners’ names will be published in the September edition of Ignition. Please ensure you include your Member number and email address when submitting your entry.

May Winners

1st Prize - DON MORTON MARINE - 4,000 Bonus Rewards Points

2nd Prize - BLAIRS REPAIRS - 2,000 Bonus Rewards Points

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS

WORD HUNTER

Find the 15 words hidden in the jumble. They could be horizontal, vertical, diagonal or backwards. See if you can find them all!

ACCELERATION

BUDGET

CLASSIC

CONVERTIBLE

DIGITISATION

FINALISTS

HYBRID

INSPIRING

LITHIUM

RACING

RECHARGE

SCRATCH

SKYLINE STORY