Belinda [00:00:09]:
Hi and welcome to the Motorsport Coaching Podcast. Sponsored by Motivate Training and Management. This is a podcast where we talk to drivers and industry experts to help you maximize your performances on and off the track. Let's get started with today's show.
Belinda [00:00:29]:
Hello, crew, and welcome to episode 157th of the Motorsport Coaching Podcast. I am your host, Belinda Riceley, and today I am joined by my good friend Nick Fletcher from well, you're going to have to find out where he is, but he has previously been a guest on two separate occasions, which I'll add the show notes so you can hear about his fantastic career to date. And this is a very exciting show to hear what his new venture is. I hope you enjoy the show. And if you don't know, our preseason program is now available. So if you're new to motorsports, you're looking to do a home based or gym based fitness program, looking to improve your performance through getting that 1% through your nutrition, working on your mindset, really getting ready for the 2024 race season, then the preseason program for you. If you're one of our speedway friends or in the UK and your season has just started, this program is still applicable for you. Everything's personalized.
Belinda [00:01:31]:
So in regards to the fitness program, we make it related to your racing category and for your racing season. So make sure you just race over to check out our preseason fitness program. The link will be in the show notes as well. And as you know, we have a sponsorship course. We're winning Sponsors, which is open twice a year. If you are looking for sponsorship, though, now we do have a get started with sponsorship program, which covers the basics, everything you need to get started with seeking sponsorship. So if you're needing it right now. But of course, I do work one on one with clients as well.
Belinda [00:02:14]:
So if you've got clients, I'm sorry, sponsors ready to go and you don't really have time to go through a full course, please get in contact and I'm happy to work with you one on one to get your sponsorship strategy up and running. And again, I will put those links in today's show notes. Well, without further ado, let's get started with today's live interview with Nick. So it's a little bit different because normally I'm used to having everything prepared, but it was kind of a last minute on the spot podcast with lots of exciting news for you guys to hear.
Belinda [00:02:50]:
Hi, guys. I am joined by my longtime friend Nick. Hello. Welcome back.
nick [00:02:55]:
Hello, Belinda. How are you?
Belinda [00:02:57]:
I'm good, thank you. We've twice previously been on the show. First time we'll talk about you getting started in racing, just being a club driver, the love that you had about racing around Oakley. The second time I had you on the show, we were talking about you being a coach at Le Mons. Is that the right word being a driver coach. And we spoke about the Youth Driver Academy. But today is very exciting because we're here to talk about your new venture.
nick [00:03:22]:
It's very, very exciting. We're actually sitting behind a big Melbourne cart center logo. And that's something that I never thought that I'd ever be saying, because I guess to explain things in the shortest way possible, we recently purchased Melbourne cart center. And this was somewhere that I bought my first go cart from when I was much smaller with a much dagger haircut. I bought my first go cart here 15 years ago.
Belinda [00:03:50]:
Really?
nick [00:03:51]:
To then be here with the keys to these four walls is kind of insane.
Belinda [00:03:57]:
And you had great hair back then, no doubt. Hair references in those previous podcasts.
nick [00:04:05]:
No, 15 years ago, that was Justin Bieber haircut and I had the big fringe.
Belinda [00:04:09]:
It was cool at the time.
nick [00:04:11]:
It was cool at the time, yes. But I don't think it's aged well.
Belinda [00:04:18]:
It's looking good now. It's not as long as it normally is, but anyway, congratulations on your brand new purchase of, as you said, MKC. Tell us, how long have you been here? What are the plans? Everything? How did it come about? And obviously you've been doing fantastic work with YDA. Are you still working with YDA? So many questions. Let's go.
nick [00:04:38]:
Well, I don't know where to start.
Belinda [00:04:39]:
I know, let's go from the start.
nick [00:04:41]:
First of all, and the viewers probably can't see this, but what we're looking at right now is it's not a cart shop, it's not a retail outlet, it's not a workshop. We're calling it a HQ. And the reason why we're calling this a HQ is because we want this to be more of a hub, more of a motorsport hub. So, yes, we have a very great workshop with very great talent wielding spanners in there. I say that while Josh is making noise in there right now. But we've got a great workshop, we've got a great retail space and a race team and great coaching assets in Jordan Lewis, who we hired very quickly because he was very high in demand for coaching, so we nabbed him. But above all, we're going to be the first to have a motorsport driver development room. So here, I'm going to tease the viewers.
nick [00:05:35]:
Belinda up there, right, we're going to knock all that down. It's going to be glass, beautiful. It's going to tease you what's going on up there. And people are going to come in, part of our subscription model, and they're going to have access to our coaching down at the track. Then afterwards, we're going to come up, go on the cart simulators, which we've having bespoke to Melbourne Cart Center. Cart simulators, reflex walls. We've got a gym up there as well, trainers and weighted steering wheels and things like that. And the kids are going to have that available to them.
nick [00:06:13]:
So this isn't a shop, this is a HQ. It's going to change what a cart retail shop looks like essentially. So yeah. What are your thoughts?
Belinda [00:06:28]:
I love it. I can't wait. I think the idea around it is fantastic. Are we allowed to talk about the membership or is it fantastic? So can we know a little bit more about the membership and how it's different to a normal cart shop and what's the vision behind why you wanted to buy a cart shop and the membership that you've got and how it's going to change carting?
nick [00:06:48]:
Well I guess this kind of links in with your first question. Do you still work at Le Mons Young? The answer is yes and that was the reason why we purchased this. And James and Sam Sarah who have massive shoes to fill and we're kind of the little guy coming in know what are we doing here? They came to us and know, would you like to take this? I'm still gobsmacked. I'm still surprised.
Belinda [00:07:14]:
We're just the little guys down in.
nick [00:07:16]:
Oakley but what we've created out of the Young Drivers Academy is a community and that community has grown into carding here and we're racing against some of our kids and getting smoked by some of our kids as well, which is not the best but it's a good thing right? And we've created this community and when we had this opportunity to come on within this four walls here of Valvecart Center was to legitimize everything we've been doing for Young Drivers Academy. So continue the progression of the kids'careers. We do hire carts with them, we coach, mentor them and then continue to coach and mentor them in these four walls with our driver development room, having the same coaches and having a very seamless transition. So that's kind of how that came about. We can really legitimize the work we've been doing with the kids but yeah, it's giving the kids it's a greater opportunity in their careers too. We get to retain them. We love the kids as well. We're quite close with them outside of Young Drivers Academy too.
nick [00:08:30]:
So this is just a great exciting opportunity for us.
Belinda [00:08:34]:
Great. And so you mentioned about being a community and that's where the idea about the memberships come about, to keep them within that community and continue to work with them to grow. So you don't just want to sell someone a go cart and then say see you later, we might see at the track next time you're there. It's about getting someone on board and then talking to them and being that coach as you said, about how to get started, improving performance, the whole package. They get to work with MKC over that. Is it a twelve month membership?
nick [00:09:03]:
Yes. I didn't answer that question out of after all that. I didn't the membership basically we've kind of remodeled how a race team looks like and how it looks like. Generally it's dad and Lad and we kind of want to break the mold, shake it up, shake up our model. Our model is different. So we're coming from this from a customer's point of view because as I said, I've been a customer of this place. I don't know if I'm ever going to make the money back that my parents spend here.
Belinda [00:09:31]:
Right.
nick [00:09:32]:
But we've been customers in carding for a very long time, so we've got these little gripes and things that we're like, oh, we wish it could be done this way. And now we can.
Belinda [00:09:43]:
Now you can.
nick [00:09:44]:
So we're kind of know how does a race team look like? Maybe it's a subscription model. So basically what it looks like is we've got three tiers please tell me they're not.
Belinda [00:09:58]:
God, no, they're not.
nick [00:10:01]:
It's called and you're going to love this, the club day racer.
Belinda [00:10:06]:
Yes, beautiful.
nick [00:10:06]:
The state warrior and the national hero.
Belinda [00:10:09]:
I like it, I like it. I am the national hero. I like it. Very good.
nick [00:10:15]:
So what we've got is, and I know you hate the gold roll package, I know you hate that, just those. So let's take the club day racer for example, because that's our skill set, that's our main audience as well. What you get is monthly coaching down at Oakley. You get zero pit fees. We've got scratch pit fees. That's a gripe, because you might be part of the team and you might have earned your stripes and you might get along really well with the coaches and the team there for your whole career, but you might not be able to afford the pit fees that weekend and you're out in the sticks somewhere. It's not really fair, it's not really inclusive either. And we're trying to build a community.
nick [00:11:02]:
So you get coaching ahead of a race day. This is for the club championship at Oakley. Then we come up, we do a group training session. So we do a bit of with your expertise, do a bit of off track stuff. So sponsors, how to turn this into a business, your carting into a business and I'll toot your horn here, Belinda. I wouldn't have been able to do this without having turned my carting career into a business and I wouldn't have ever been at this stage without ever doing that with my racing. So all the branding that I've learned from you yourself, I'm still developing and learning and that's been massive in my career. And without having ever treated myself as a professional, I don't know if I'd be in this position.
nick [00:11:52]:
So thank you, Belinda, thank you. But then the kids will do club day, so they'll have a marquee already set up waiting for them. Then they'll have a table, which is really cool. Little touch we made to the last race day. We had a table with their names on them. I can show up, boom, tools on the desk. We already delivered half the carts there as an add on to that and they didn't need to set up a marquee or anything. We did all the hard work.
nick [00:12:22]:
Back breaking.
Belinda [00:12:25]:
Welcome to.
nick [00:12:28]:
And then we have a coach there for them and they're grouped in category. And then we had a mechanic there for them as well. And then as we have for the last couple of years, we do something social with them afterwards. Beautiful burritos and tacos.
Belinda [00:12:46]:
Coming just for the burritos, I think.
nick [00:12:51]:
And then it continues on with the coaching and things like that. So you've got a constant throughout the entire year.
Belinda [00:12:58]:
Fantastic.
nick [00:12:59]:
That's what our membership looks like.
Belinda [00:13:00]:
Fantastic. And obviously the State Warrior is a little bit different and the national, it's just obviously doing more state series, so same sort of concept but just on a state level. And then national for AKC.
nick [00:13:11]:
Correct. And there'll be consistency with coaches and things like that, consistency with who's preparing the carts and it's just at a different level and that will require transportation, things like that. So it's similar offering.
Belinda [00:13:25]:
I love it. I love being so proactive and the fact that it is a community. And me, my marketing head, I'm just sitting here going, this should now say MK Community, not center. So it could be like Melbourne community wreck.
nick [00:13:42]:
Cake.
Belinda [00:13:43]:
Cake.
nick [00:13:43]:
What's the red cake? I don't know. Cake's more exciting.
Belinda [00:13:50]:
Cake got to do with card.
nick [00:13:51]:
Nothing, but it's more exciting.
Belinda [00:13:52]:
All right, no worries. Fantastic. So you are now set up for people who don't know where you're located. Where is Melbourne Cart center?
nick [00:14:00]:
I've just learned the address of my previous workplace.
Belinda [00:14:06]:
Yes.
nick [00:14:06]:
And now I have to relearn the address of this. So this is where I'm going to be a little bit hopeless, but I'm not going to bore you with addresses. We're in Clayton, which is 700 meters away from the front gates of Oakley.
Belinda [00:14:17]:
Beautiful.
nick [00:14:17]:
So we've got that to that to our disposal, which is amazing. I'll say this for the hundredth time, oakley is one of the hardest tracks in Australia and it attracts well, it's where your Oscar gastri came from, it's where your supercars guys came from and now they're kids. And there so there's a testament to it's, the hardest track on the body and on the cart, too. So to have that as a testing ground a minute away from our front door is amazing.
Belinda [00:14:47]:
Fantastic. And you've got another new service that you're going to kick off, storing off the cart. Tell us, how does that work? Because again, I think it's a fantastic idea for those that don't have the space at home, but also if you don't have the time and resource to actually constantly be carting your carts and the tent and everything back and forward, that you can just actually leave it here.
nick [00:15:10]:
Yeah, we've got the cart storage and there's two elements to this. We had web cart storage, which is now an offering here at Melbourne Cart center and it comes with transportation down Oakley. Just going to give us a bit of a heads up and we'll get cut down there with your tools and you just show up with your Fob key, boom, everything's ready for you. This came about because we saw people that were living in the city, had apartments, don't have space for a trailer and all the gear, they kind of work on their cart because they've got a car spot and that's it. So for that that individual that needs that, we've offered cart storage and people are lapping it up and loving it. But there was also pete brought up a very good point, and I haven't mentioned Pete. Pete is my business partner in Melbourne Cart Center. He's a mentor figure to myself and this would not be possible without Pete.
nick [00:16:01]:
So he's off running around like a headless. I'm sitting in the nice air conditioned. But he has put in so much work and this would not be possible without him.
Belinda [00:16:14]:
And he's also a father of a cadet.
nick [00:16:19]:
What I was going to bring up was Pete had this little gripe in itself because he was my mentor and actually my boss at Le Mons. That's how we met. He was the one that started Young Drivers Academy and then I took the reins. And he's been a big support for me at Le Mons all these years. But he struggled to go to work and get home after work, get the trailer, get the kids, and then come to the track. Because if he had storage and he doesn't live far away, but if he had storage here, he could just pick it up here and go or just arrive at the track and it's waiting. And that is someone that does live close. So that's, I guess, the other end of the cart storage.
Belinda [00:17:02]:
Lots of benefits to it.
nick [00:17:05]:
Absolutely.
Belinda [00:17:05]:
Yeah. And then you also, of course, you've kept the online store as well. So what's the address?
nick [00:17:12]:
It's Melbournecartcenter.com or cuttingcenter.com. Yes, we're in the middle of sorting our lives right now still.
Belinda [00:17:25]:
Okay.
nick [00:17:26]:
But, yeah, we've got lots of everything that you can purchase here is available online and we're doing week in, week out deliveries to tracks. So we'll have someone going up to that track. So if they need to pick it up from the track, they just put the address in pickupton. Your box of everything is waiting for you at Copton.
Belinda [00:17:50]:
Oh, beautiful. The other thing that I really love in the shop, if you haven't had an opportunity to come down and check it out, is that basically they've thought about everything. And so you'll see it on the wall, even all the way down to the tent pegs. I love it. And I love the fact also on the wall that it's got the race suit, the helmet, the hat, gloves, boots already there, so you don't have to think, oh, I've got to go over that side. I've got to go this side. I've got to go that side. I mean, you can just buy that kit straight up.
nick [00:18:21]:
Yeah.
Belinda [00:18:22]:
I think you've thought of we are.
nick [00:18:25]:
Trying to get kids, and before we had Melbourne Cart Center, we're answering the same questions every day at Young Drivers Academy. And it's the grassroots audience that, yeah, we want to get into carding. They don't even have tents or marquees.
Belinda [00:18:41]:
They don't even know. They don't even think about that.
nick [00:18:44]:
It's things that you don't think about that you go, okay, I got to now go spend more money on a marquee. But if it's just here, if it's just here, we kind of want to do the thinking for you, if that makes sense. I love it, but yeah, do little starter bundles and things. But yeah, that's just as a result of all the questions that we're answering.
Belinda [00:19:06]:
That's how you make a business, isn't it? Well, yeah, you answer the questions that your customers want, and then you make the product or you provide that service, say, well done for listening.
nick [00:19:16]:
Thanks.
Belinda [00:19:17]:
Would think that boys could listen.
nick [00:19:20]:
We're just passionate about getting the kids in. But you're saying about all the race suits. Now, if anyone here lives in Victoria will tell you that you walk into anyone motorsport related walk into Revolution Race gear, and it's like kid in a candy shop, really? Yes. And it says, so many things to fiddle with. We wanted to create that vibe. So we've got what we're looking at right now is lots of colorful fluoro stuff and race suits and helmets and things to fiddle with. Model cars. That my own personal Connect collection.
nick [00:19:51]:
And the kids yeah, they're not for sale. The kids keep asking to buy them. Disclaimer, those model cars are my personal collection. But we kind of wanted people to walk in and just have lots of things to fill with, and that's I wanted to create. Now we're in a position we can create our own space.
Belinda [00:20:08]:
It's about that buying experience at the end of the day. So, again, it's a retail store, and whether it's a cart shop or whether it's a clothing store, it's about that buying experience. And you're taking people on a journey. When you come and pop in on your way to Oakley, you can take them through the journey. They go through the carts, and it's quite open that you can see everything, but you can also work out, oh, yeah, that's all right. I might need that.
nick [00:20:32]:
Well, yeah, I told and I was at Revolution this morning. Revolution raceki this morning. And I did tell them. Previously on multiple occasions, I want to stick it to them with kid in a candy store vibe. We want to be the cool that you walk in, and there's a lot to look at, so we want to stick it to them on that fantastic.
Belinda [00:20:49]:
I know you're only new. It's only like the first couple of months. Have you got your set hours yet or what kind of days and times are you open so people can pop in and maybe have a chat with you if they're considering of coming across to MKC or looking to get some more coaching for their child or interested in the storage?
nick [00:21:05]:
Yeah, the coaching is a massive thing and we brought, as I said, Jordan Lewis on and he's getting requested more than myself, so demoralizing, but he's great, he's one of the best coaches, full stop.
Belinda [00:21:18]:
I might have to get him onto the show too, guys, to give us some coaching tips.
nick [00:21:22]:
He's a superstar, but he's down at the track, right, so myself and Jordan are both available coaching down in Oakley. He'll be back soon, actually not a recording, but if you want to have a chat with him yeah, no, if you reach out over socials at either at Melbourne Cart Center or Nick Flotty, that's where we tackle most of our inquiries and things like that. Pretty active on socials now.
Belinda [00:21:53]:
Yeah, that's fantastic. And is there anything else you want to share to love about your brand and new venture? I'm so proud of you.
nick [00:22:01]:
No, just exciting new things, changing, the changing opening on a Sunday, that's when people are at the track. People I've bent stuff on a Sunday and I need things quickly, so opening on Sundays, things like refreshing the space that's I guess the main changes we've been doing and creating a new experience.
Belinda [00:22:18]:
When you come in, we didn't go through the hours.
nick [00:22:21]:
Yes. I don't want to lock myself.
Belinda [00:22:24]:
All right. I don't want to lock myself. All right, that's fair enough. Okay, so we are open on and you are looking to possibly do some late night trades for social racing when that occurs. But of course, every time there's a race meeting on at Oakley, this is open.
nick [00:22:37]:
Yeah, well, this weekend, for instance, we're doing the enduro. There you go. You got pressure to upload it because now they know that this is filmed pre enduro, but we're actually going to be set up at the track with a trackside store and it was a really welcoming environment that people commented on. Cool, I could go in and actually browse. So we actually had shop front displays inside the tent and then we had the trailer that had all the parts in it. And then we were actually open here as well. So when people wanted to get quoted for carts or come in and get kitted up head to toe in race gear, they had someone here to do it. And then when they were bending parts on race day, we had support down at race day.
nick [00:23:15]:
So that won't change everyone. We're here to support the grassroots, we're here to support these kids in their careers.
Belinda [00:23:23]:
So I guess that's my next question. What is the demographic that you're targeting for MKC?
nick [00:23:29]:
Well, I got a strong affinity to, I guess, the Grassroots. And I've been racing the club championship at Oakley for close to 15 years now. We've been feeding kids out of high carts into the Oakley Club Championship and then passing them on to the right network, but then go off and do state and national stuff. But now we're in a position that we are taking them out of high carts, doing club level racing, and then we're continuing that on a state and national level. So we are getting kids into carts from high carts on a daily basis, getting kids in the right gear and things like that.
Belinda [00:24:10]:
Really? Like those cadet junior age groups that you're targeting. Fantastic. I'm assuming that at Oakley you're easier to find, but if people, maybe again, they might be heading out to the jury this weekend, they might be interested in having a chat. Where can they find you exactly? At Oakley Track.
nick [00:24:26]:
You will not miss us. You just won't miss us. So come say hi. We're heavily branded. I am always in pink.
Belinda [00:24:36]:
I just wanted you to say that.
nick [00:24:37]:
Yeah, no, you won't miss it. So the obnoxiously pink gear, that's me. All the rest of the MKC branding, you will not miss. So come say hi.
Belinda [00:24:47]:
Yeah. Fantastic. Well, I think that's the end of today's show. Nicholas, there's anything else you'd like to share?
nick [00:24:53]:
No, not necessarily.
Belinda [00:24:55]:
I reckon. Again, all the links for MKC and Nick will be on today's show notes. Of course. Pop them by, come and see them at their new facility or at the track this weekend for the enduros.
nick [00:25:06]:
Cool.
Belinda [00:25:07]:
All right. Thanks again, Nick. Well, thanks everyone for listening to this week's show. I really hope you enjoyed that one as much as I did. Now remember, all the show notes with the links and the specials mentioned in today's show are available [email protected] au. If you haven't already, I'd really appreciate if you could head to itunes or Stitcher, type in Motorsport Coaching subscribe and leave us a review each week. I'll read them out and you'll go into monthly draw to win a fantastic prize. If you have any questions or comments, please email [email protected] au or head over to our Facebook page at.
