Tim Blair

HOWARD MARSDEN

I’ve been searching for an update on Howard Marsden since fellow petrol-head Niall Cook posted this last week. So far, nothing. Marsden is an extraordinary man, whose gifts of analysis, strategy and reasoning elevated Australian motor racing to international levels. He’s also quietly artistic -- although his colour blindness requires him to seek the help of family when selecting paint for his landscapes.

I spent a few hours with Marsden a couple of years ago, when I was writing a Craig Lowndes profile. Even his asides were worth recording; he’d mention changes in society that altered the nature of Australian athletes, say, resulting in people like Lowndes (balanced, happy, competitive) instead of the likes of ‘70s-era performers Allan Moffat and Bob Jane (whose competitiveness was overwhelming, possibly even destructive). Marsden is a rare engineer in that he understands completely a racer's ideas and motivation, and also is able to explain those notions to the sport's outsiders. Wish him the best.