Rodin driving History

Brabham Racing

Racing history Continued : In 1994 Rodin joined Owen Evans in the factory back Alfa Romeo touring car team, thanks to long term friend John Holdsworth, McDonalds', and Coke. The team had all the ingredients to be successful. However unforeseen delays in getting the new engines out from Italia, gearboxes not fitting and lack of spare parts, put the team under great stress from the very start.

In fact Rodin's first ever drive in the car was on race day. Rodin recalls: “We had a 6 month testing program, However the engine builder destroyed 3 engines on the dyno due to faulty oil pumps, last seasons engine where shot so we just had to wait to get the parts out from Italia and rebuild them, after many delays the parts came, and the cars where readied for the seasons opening race the night before, my car missed qualifying due to a split oil cooler, then in the first race it broke a CV joint, and in the final, one of the exhaust valves dropped the head off destroying the engine, during the season I lost a further 3 engines, and I think Owen lost 2, in fact I don't remember actually finishing a race, It was tough”.

Despite it all Rodin was rated 19th in New Zealand by Driver magazine, this is what they had to say: Rated 19th

Like Owen Evans he was let down by a badly prepared team that simply should have done better, they had the sponsors, they had the cars, what was needed was more commitment, support and money from the owners Azura motor group. Wootton was largely unrecognised at the start of the season and because he and his father were largely instrumental in bringing super sponsors McDonalds and Coke into the sport there was a feeling that “he brought his drive” and while that may have been true it didn’t answer why he was able to match the pace of Owen Evans on the odd occasion when both cars were running properly.

Rodin Wootton car no# 80 Alfa Romeo 155 :New Zealand Touring Cars 1994