29/09/2025
Sad news ๐
Ordinarily Iโd make a gag about myself in this old magazine promo but I want you to spend a moment on Alison Drower beside me. Please keep Zach & Rick Bates in your thoughts along with the entire Bates & Drower families. They have lost a Mum, a wife & a beautiful Aunty.
My thoughts are also with the tight crew from RPM & Ten Motorsport during that special period of our lives, particularly those behind the scenes.
When you think about it Ali was among the pioneers for women in motorsport in Australia well before it became the excellent initiative it is today.
As a lead & features reporter for RPM she brought a balance that was needed beyond the hard core love the rest of us had. Ali injected laughs & a sense of fun that helped unmask the competitors & see more of their wonderful personalities.
She once blindsided Neil Crompton with a cheeky line about a Map of Tassie as they covered the Targa Tasmania Rally. Crompo is such a pro Iโve only heard him laugh that loudly (on air) a couple of times in my career. She got him that day.
That wit & sense of fun came from years at Triple M reading news including for the legendary Doug Mulray. Many of you will remember Uncle Doug from his Channel 7 appearances in the Bathurst coverage & the hilarious gags he brought. His breakky radio show was massiveโฆ.juggernaut & golden era arenโt good enough descriptions for it.
Ali had a longstanding career in the media (a business that can be a brutal roller coaster ride) because of her talent & commitment. There was a stint at MTV in its very early days in this part of the world & she was part of the team on the Australian Rally Championship coverage in the early 2000โs as well.
Most of all I reckon one of the keys to her success is the person she was. I actually canโt comprehend that - was. She should still be here with that infectious smile & a vibrancy that the rest of us were fortunate enough to drink in.
Go well at Bathurst Zach. She was so proud of you mate! God I hate cancer.