A Story From Oval Express October 2003

The meteoric rise to prominence of Warrnambool Chassis constructor John Cooley has surprised many pundits, in fact none more so than Cooley himself. A self confessed Sprintcar fanatic that loves the sport dearly, one only have to spend several minutes with the excitable Kiwi before the topic turns to that of his number one passion, Sprintcars!

More recently John took great pride in being selected as the Australian National Sprintcar Poll's 'Manufacturer of the the Year.' But you have to rewind the clock back nearly 30 years and journey back to John's homeland to fully understand what drives the man behind Cool Chassis. As a youthful teenager, John's mother was the first to introduce him to what is today his life. Temaru Speedway in Wellington was where an impressionable Cooley first watched New Zealand legend Barry Butterworth do his thing in his 'Mudget'. Young Cooley was instantly hooked.

John's easy going nature, even as a teenager, ensured that a strong bond grew between the pair over time as Cooley was never shy in coming forward, always making an effort to chat to Butterworth after the meetings. It was the mesmerizing performances of Butterworth and his cohorts that developed John's lust for the sport of Speedway at a young age.

Cooley explains, "I grew up going to Temaru and watching Butterworth in his Speedcar. At the time Barry was unstoppable and it was watching him that made me think, 'Wow what a sport'. Every time Barry came to town I made sure I would go and talk to him in the pits. "John smiles as he reminisces, " By the time I was 15 years old I was racing Super Modified against Butterworth at a track called Palmerston North. Barry used to give me plenty of advice if ever I asked him. I led him most of the way one night in a feature until he passed me late in the race and I ran second to him - he was quick to come over and say don't ask any more bloody questions!"

Racing until his late teenage years with limited success, John stepped away from the sport to pursue his personal interest. Some 13 years later, during 1996, Kiwi Cooley packed his bags, crossed 'The Dutch (Ditch)' and migrated to Warrnambool to take up a welding position building a milk factory on the outskirts of this Speedway crazy community. Co-incidently working with Precision Race Components proprietor Ken Veal opened many new doors for John as he was introduced to several influential people who were key figures in John's soon to be career in car construction.

Build quality on a Cool is exceptional as evidenced by this neat weld on a top wing mount

Flirting with the notion of building racecars, John still had a burning desire, to race rather than construct. It wasn't long before Speedway was to be a factor in John's life again as Premier Speedway proved to be too big a temptation to resist as the racer in Cooley soon took over. The Formula 500 division attracted a lot of his attention as an affordable class to compete in, John admitting "Living in Warrnambool it was hard not to go to the Speedway again as all the big Sprintcar races were held at Premier Speedway and all the good cars were there. The racing bug bit me real hard again. Sprintcar were way out of my budget but I had spoken to Ken Willsher several times about racing and building his cars before I built a chassis based around Troy Anderson's state of the art Kenser. I'd even brought a Rotax motor and was keen to go Formula 500 racing before the accident." I was expecting a bit of a 'wrap' but, when asked how good his new Cool was, all Phil told the announcer was, 'it's just a heat race.' I was devastated! As it turns out Marchy led the feature all the way until he spun with two laps left. Sorry Marchy, I had to add that last bit," laughs John as he knows he has the final say on the outcome. Needless to say the Cool was purchased and March enjoyed more success in it with his first outing at the 2002/03 season at Parramatta City Raceway when he romped home in the Lord Mayor's Cup against quality opposition.

The Cool chassis jig table, with the side template in evidence, is where this hyperactive Kiwi occupies much time!

March now harbors two Cools in his Adelaide workshop as he gears up for the summer ahead. Like most drivers in his cars, John also has a trusty pit crew of his own; his wife Anita and children Kelly (13), Brayden (4). Daughter Kelly is already racing bitumen Go Karts and John aims to see her enter the Formula 500 ranks in the not to distant future. Meanwhile Brayden is, to coin a phrase, ' a chip of the old block'. The youngster is a Sprintcar fanatic that knows where his loyalty lies as shown by a recent meeting with Pete Caporn, Robbie Farr's crew chief. John proudly admits, " I've had the pleasure of fixing Robbie's car a couple of times. When Pete asked Brayden if he would like to drive Robbie's car, Brayden told him with a straight face that he only drives a Cool and with that walked off. Pete still reckons I paid him to say it but I never did!" John freely admits that Cool Chassis would not be what it is without wife Anita. John still smiles coyly about their initial contact, explaining, "I first met Anita when I was running on a beach in Port Fairy and saw this attractive lady running my way. When we passed I had to take a second glance because she was pretty good looking. I quickly raced back around the sand dunes and in front of her again and I stopped as if I was out of breath so she came over to see if I was okay. That night I took her to Red Rooster in Warrnambool for our first date! Most race nights I'm still at the workshop until 5pm and Anita will arrive with the kids, fuel in the car and everything ready to go to the track - she is amazing. An annual event at our house too is a Bar-B-Q lunch on the Saturday and Sunday of the Classic that Anita puts on, it's great." Anytime you can boast 22 repairs during the week of the Classic and Title this summer you know you are doing something right. Running for the entire week on very little sleep, John feels obligated to finish the work he starts on a car and endures a feeling of guilt if he sleeps knowing there is a frame in need of repair. If ever Cooley needed inspiration during his torturous week of work, he found it in an American Sprintcar legend. " This years Classic and Title events in Warrnambool were a busy week as we repaired 22 cars. I had the privilege of meeting one of my heroes when Dave Murcott brought Bob Trostle to my workshop. I barely had time to chat to Bob so I told him, 'I've waited 27 years to meet you, can you still use a grinder Bob?'

" People were coming around just to see where all the cars were being fixed that week. You should have seen the rubbish bin, it had tube of every color of the rainbow in there. I loved every minute of it, especially working alongside Trostle. By the Monday after the Title I could barely pull 100 rpm I was that tired.

An immensely proud moment for Cooley (r) when Trostle (middle) and Australian National Sprintcar Poll co-ordinator Tom Schmeh present him with his 'Manufacture of the Year' award.

A moment that most people can only dream of occurred at the end of the 2003 season when John was recognised by his peers for his achievements over the past 12 months with the 'Manufacturer of the Year' accolade in the Australian Nati0onal Sprintcar Poll awards. In one of his more modest moments John explains, "Michelle Jordison rang and told me I'd won and I was stunned for nearly ten minutes. I sat there and didn't say anything taking it all in. I've got other trophies on the mantelpiece but they are a partnership with the driver. This award is recognition for my work and that's pretty good. I paid for the trip to the states two days later so I could be there to accept the award!"

The American Sprintcar scene was a huge reality check for John as he was spellbound by the magnitude of the sport over there. Cooley was in awe of the whole experience while accepting his award at the Knoxville Nationals in August. A lifetime of sacrifice for the Kiwi larrikin was rewarded when his good friend Trostle presented him with the plaque that meant so much. Not resting on his laurels since his return from the States, John already has lofty ambitions to exceed his most successful season thus far. He explains' "I spent a lot of time over there with Trostle and I can't speak highly enough of Bob and everyone else, all the people I met were just so helpful. People seem to appreciate someone that makes an effort. The next 12 months we'll be fully focused on exporting so hopefully we'll eventually see an American driver racing a Cool Chassis for their entire season next year. Don't put it past the enthusiastic, excitable Kiwi. He's one 'Cool' bloke.

The accident Cooley was referring to was in 1999 when his world was turned upside down after a crash left him in intensive care in a Warrnambool Hospital. Back and shoulder injuries were to be a constant reminder of his lucky escape, yet it was an emotional plea from a fellow intensive care patient that changed John's direction in life forever. Cooley vividly recollects, "While I was In hospital a terminally ill cancer patient in the bed beside me told me 'Life's not a rehearsal, you only get one shot so make the most of it.' That was a real turning point in my life. From there I had to sell the Formula Chassis that I built and the decision that I was going to build Sprintcars instead, something I had wanted to do for a long time". The following year John was a prominent figure repairing damaged frames in the Warrnambool area and his association with local racing identity Mark 'Freddy' Walsh was the catalyst for his venture into building Sprintcar chassis for the 2001/02 season. "Freddy got me the first four Cool sales to 'Tank' Ragget, two for Geoff Clifford and the first car to leave the workshop was for John Vogels. As a mater of fact I've just finished Johnny's third car for him this week," said John proudly. The Cool 'house' car for the 2001/02 season was to be driven by Knoxville International Driver Development program winner Dave Murcott. Unfortunately Murcott's debut season in a Cool was dramatically reduced, at one stage it looked as though he would miss out all together had it not been for a last minute deal to get the car ready for the Australia day long weekend . "I really wanted Murcott to do well that year - but the paint was still wet as we went to the mount," lamented John. The following evening it was night one of the time honored Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic at John's beloved Premier Speedway, an event that is unrivaled in Australia for it's atmosphere and prestige. Murcott provided a solid showing for such a lack of Preparation yet Time Trials very nearly yielded John with his greatest success as a constructor, albeit for a timing error highlighted by a expert announcer Wade Aunger. John laughs excitedly as he explains, "When 10.006-seconds came up on the board Wade was quick to say that it was impossible to do that time around Warrnambool. I was yelling 'bullshit' as loud as I could!" That same classic weekend was the turning point in Johns fledgling business career as it was his chance meeting with Phil March that spawned a boom in chassis sales for the 12 months after that weekend. Bob Hart, ace American crew chief for South Australian driver Karl Enderl, Recommended Cooley to March after his repair job on Enderl's extensively damaged Eagle earlier in the summer. Enderl had sought out John to purchase a 'tall boy' chassis after surveying his damaged Eagle at Speedway City but, upon inquiring, Enderl decided on repairing his frame due to John not having one ready. the experienced Hart was adamant the car couldn't be repaired in the allocated time But some one forgot to tell the hard working Kiwi. John relates, "I hadn't seen how bad the car was but I told Rob that if he had the car to me by Monday then he could take it home lunchtime on Wednesday. Sure enough , I had the cad ready for Rob by 2pm Wednesday and he couldn't believe it. Rob even rang me when he got back to Adelaide to comment on the job again." The impending repair job for March was after the Australia Sprintcar and Speedcar champ had Just torn the rear off his pride and joy, a unique ex-Danny Lasoski Eagle, at the King's Challenge at Border line. John still laughs at the circumstances under which the pair met as he says, "Marchy rang me at 1am when I was on the way home from the Mount and said he wanted me to fix his car. Pete Smith and Marchy were at the workshop at 8.30am Saturday but minus the car. they wanted to have a look around my place to see what I was all about. Marchy didn't want a $2.00 operator working on his car but he had it there within 10 minutes after taking a bit of a look around. Marchy was pretty appreciative of the repair work and even thanked me on the public address that night which was pretty 'cool'." John seized upon this chance meeting by offering to build March a chassis based upon the Lasoski Eagle that was now rendered slightly 'used'. The deal was simple; if the car was satisfactory then the payment was required, if the car didn't perform then the car would return to Warrnambool no questions asked. About this unusual deal Cooley claims, "I learned a lot about chassis when I worked on that particular Eagle since it was definitely not a car you could just get of the shelf, it had to be tailor made for Lasoski. Within a coupe of months I'd finished the car for Marchy so I rang him and asked him what color he wanted it powder coated. Marchy didn't believe that I had built the car for him and kept telling me I was joking. I told hem, 'Say that one more time and it will be pink'. He quickly said White or Black!" March's debut in the Cool was Speedway City's inaugural Good Friday event of 2002. John was present in the crowd, understandably exited at the prospect of one of the country's fastest pilots being behind the wheel of one of his creations. I was as proud as punch when Marchy won the opening heat of the night. I remember standing on the hill as Marchy was been interviewed as the heat winner.

Jeremy Warren's frame, damaged at the Kings Challenge, undergoes an operation from a very famous chassis surgeon in Bob Trostle