HTCAV Driver Profile – Adrian and Reece Moyle
Words: Chris Ralph
Photos: Phil Wisewould, unless indicated
Despite being a fresh face in historic touring, Adrian Moyle has won points, podiums, fastest laps, driver of the meeting awards and now sits on the HTCAV Committee – all within two years. Adrian’s son Reece has made a mark, too, and is set to make a bigger one after recently acquiring Darren Hossack’s peppy Mazda RX2. It’s been a whirlwind for the fast father and son since they arrived in the HTCAV. But how did they get here?
Growing up amid his father’s garage of fine British motor cars, Adrian Moyle learned how to set the cam timing on many Jaguar engines and still retains those specialist tools today. His chemical engineer father took the young Adrian to motorsport events, and while he saw the Scotch College lad becoming a doctor or lawyer, the lure of tinkering with cars consumed the teenage go-getter.
Getting loose on dirt
As a junior mechanic, Adrian’s skills grew and gracious Pommie cruisers faded, replaced by meatier fare, like an LH Torana and Mazda R100. However, his father’s rare 1951 Alvis TA21 remains in the collection to this day.
When the Moyle family moved from Victoria to Queensland, motorsport soon came onto Adrian’s menu. In 1988, he contested the Queensland Clubman Rally Championship in a Holden Gemini coupe. By 1991, he’d won the state title, but hung up the helmet a year later and started the family thing.
Getting tight on track
With his focus now on the next generation of Moyles, Adrian's weekends were filled with kid's dirt bikes and family go-karting. It was at the historic kart track in central Surfer's Paradise that a friendship with Garry 'Brownie' Brown began.
Garry, a racer and motorsport engineer with extensive experience in big bow-tie engines, became Adrian’s mentor, mate and secret weapon when, 20 years later, “Aids” would run a black Camaro in Victoria.
Getting underground
By 2011, Adrian had what his dad always wanted for him – a degree. He gained his Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering while immersing himself in the new technology of horizontal directional drilling. Sound boring?
Steerable installation of pipelines, ducts and cables soon conquered traditional trench digging methods. Adrian flung himself into this business, flinging work/life balance out the window…
Getting real
Despite returning to Victoria in 2011 to “look after Mum,” Adrian says the family still keep a home in Queensland for the winter months. Fast forward nine years and the demands of work, compounded by the impact of COVID, led Adrian to rethink his priorities.
“By Covid, it was time for a rest. I was worn out, in danger,” he explained, “I had to step back a bit.”
While recovering his health in Melbourne, Adrian eyed his 11-car garage and thought ‘this needs a tweak!’ Plenty of drive days in Porsche, AMG, BMW, Cobra and XU-1, plus coaching from stars that included HTCAV member Darren Hossack, led to the inevitable – Adrian had to go racing.
Getting racy
After a long hunt and plenty of advice from mate Brownie, Adrian finally found the right Camaro in WA – in the collection of the fastidious Greg Freeman (“I had to be interviewed as a suitable owner!”)
After his first drive in the big Chev at a Winton test day in 2022, Adrian joined the HTCAV and hit the track, not knowing what he’d find. While some forms of motorsport can be just as competitive away from the circuit, the newcomer reckoned he’d struck gold with historic touring.
Getting cosy
“I couldn’t believe this club - another family!” Adrian enthused. “Reece was now 20 and could join me on the track. My wife Shannon, despite being a nervous wreck during the races, runs the pits – we were taken in with open arms.
“The camaraderie at the track means more to me than anything. Everybody’s ready to share advice, parts – and we all share in each other’s achievements”.
Getting faster
With back-up from Brownie, Adrian’s big, black Camaro has improved in every meaningful area – and so has he. “Old rally skills came back – changing surfaces and the unexpected.”
At the recent Winton Festival of Speed, Adrian drove the last three laps of the JUST CARS 50km Cup with no brakes, then had to contend with a wheel collapsing on the last lap. Despite this, he finished fourth.
“The joy of finding the limits of the car and myself – this is so much fun,” Adrian said. No wonder he’s in the frame for the HTCAV Championship this year.
Getting together
Adrian and Reece have always bonded over their love for cars. Now they’re racing in the same events, joining around a dozen other father-and-sons to have done so in historic touring.
And Reece’s take on that? “The club’s unreal! Driving the old cars among older people – so much support and encouragement. And especially from Darren Hossack, who’s looking after my orange Mazda. Now we’ve just bought his purple one, it’s up to me to get quicker!”
Nothing motivates effort like the thought of more performance and more racing. Reece puts in long, hard days as an excavator operator, gathering funds for the fun. The rare pleasure of racing with his Dad is too good to pass up.
The Moyles may have arrived in historic touring in a hurry, but the good oil’s on them being in their “new home” for a long time yet. Keep an eye on these go-getters.
