From the Daily telegraph in Sydney.
THE MAN dubbed the "the most dangerous and dirty" driver in V8 Supercars has hit back, giving his verdict on what the sport's top 10 drivers are really like.
In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, veteran driver and team owner Paul Morris described the current crop of Supercar drivers as "glorified steering wheel attendants''.
Morris ran the rule over some of the biggest names in the sport, and the two-time Super Touring champion's frank assessments will rock the tight-knit world of Australian motorsport.
Craig Lowndes
"He gets away with a lot more than everyone else does because of his legend status,'' Morris said. "He gets away with stuff on the track and off the track. Whether it's because people see him in a different light, I don't know. He was the last driver to beat Brock and he got handed the crown. When he comes through the pack, people just let him pass, whereas if it was Skaife, people would just run into him for the hell of it. The drivers love him, the fans love him and the officials love him. And he is as good as he's made out to be. He doesn't wreck a lot of cars and he gets the results. But you're only as good as your car and he has a good one. He had some dark days before the Triple Eight car.''
Greg Murphy
"He's a bit of a whinger. He's the first bloke to get upset about anything. I think he tends to take things more personally than they should be. He gets a bit distracted by stuff he shouldn't be worried by. But he's a good guy to have a beer with and, like all the Kiwis, he has a good appreciation for the sport and it means a lot to him and a lot of pride. In the car, with a bad one, he can achieve a good result just through his race craft. With a good one, he can rise to the occasion.''
Mark Skaife
"He's the guy most disliked by the drivers. Definitely the least liked. Maybe there's a bit of jealousy because he says what he likes. He can sometimes be abrupt and harsh. But his record on the track speaks for itself. Off the track he has four different personalities. He can be in front of heads of state with a blazer on and then you can get him by yourself for a beer. He's the bloke I'd most like to have a beer with, though. I love talking s–t with him.''
James Courtney
"Yeah, he's the pretty boy of the sport. I'd want to take him out. But seriously, he's a fantastic bloke to be around. He enjoys his life and plays and races hard. But on the track is a different story. I don't want to be anywhere near him. He has the European mentality where it's crash or win.
V8 Supercars are like a game of poker, you can't go all balls out. You have to know when to hold 'em. If there's something out there to hit, he'll find it.''
Garth Tander
"His whole life is car racing. He's at the top of his game. He has the experience and the reflexes. He's the best driver in the best car. Off the track, all he talks about is cars. He will lead Holden into the next decade.''
Rick Kelly
"That bloke would have a sad look on his face even if he won the lotto. Nothing's ever good enough for Rick. He needs to lighten up and have a good time. On the track he's the sleeper. He just chips away.''
Russell Ingall
"He's the sort of guy who would kill his grandmother to win a car race. He is a real street fighter.
He has made a career out of being the bad guy but somehow he has turned it around to be the good guy. He says things to get publicity. In the car, he is now as switched on as he has ever been. He is also the tightest bloke I know. He still has his lunch money from grade three.''
Jamie Whincup
"A good kid. He doesn't worry about much and drives fast. He has a lot of respect for people on the track. Outside of racing he is a normal dude.''
Steve Richards
"A good family guy. He's the dude next door. On the track, he's fair. He has a good understanding of what it takes to be successful.''
Todd Kelly
"He's the kid who has always had the good gear. Has the best toys and the flash car. He will be tested now he isn't in a factory car. I think he has so far underachieved, that's why he's at Larry's (Perkins' team). Off the track we have a lot in common, he has a charmed life.''
Will Davison
"An invisible young guy who just gets on with it. A nice kid.''
Mark Winterbottom
"He's the kid I like the most. I respect him more than anyone. He is the fairest bloke I have raced against in my whole life. He is very respectful. If anyone is going to challenge Tander, it will be Frosty because of his speed and temper.''
Displaying 1 to 20 of 24 replies
There have been 24 replies to this Discussion Topic:
* Bianca * 1:11 pm May 5th 2008
Good to see Paul Morris saying alot of nice comments about our Ford boys for once
I like him that little bit now ..
Bennouch 1:36 pm May 5th 2008
Roh, I think he’s up to someting!! since when has the “Dud” as I like to call him had anything nice to say about other drivers. Just wait to this weekend when he runs in the bottom 5, gets a drive thru and then blames the
young blokes for his poor results.
Doe 1:44 pm May 5th 2008
In shock that he said anything nice about JC ….. but its nice to see him being nice ( for a change )
Montanna (Mon) 1:50 pm May 5th 2008
Agreed doe I am in shock that he said something nice about anybody lol! I am actually pleasently suprised for a change when it comes to Paul Morris. Love it how he calls all the youngens kids. Although its quite funny the one who copped it the most was Rick Kelly - you thought he would of rubbished the ford drivers or jc more first
TC aka Toni Carter 1:56 pm May 5th 2008
I’m in shock … that’s the most I’ve ever known Paul Morris to say in general.
Good to see that his respect for drivers is across the board and not one sided.
Thanks for sharing this Rohan.
Cheers,
Toni
Tinks 3:46 pm May 5th 2008
“Mark Skaife - “He’s the guy most disliked by the drivers. Definitely the least liked. Maybe there’s a bit of jealousy because he says what he likes. He can sometimes be abrupt and harsh.”
Ummm…. pot, meet kettle.
michelle hitchins 4:34 pm May 5th 2008
Great article! Personally, I don’t have much respect for Paul Morris (does anyone?). However, I must admit I am also surprised by his comments. I expected a lot more venom, especially with James Courtney. Although, he can talk when it comes to the crash-or-win mentality, not that Paul’s been that close to winning, he is a crash and bash driver, in any category that he drives.
Luke Redward 8:28 pm May 5th 2008
Who is Paul Morris ?
Oh yeah, he is that guy who has been driving race cars longer than most, and still isnt a commonly known name in motorsport. Except for the guy who whinges when anything happens to him or team. I will never forget that time at Bathurst a few years ago, the co-driver for him got caught up in an accident, and PM made a pratt of himself going ‘oh well he better find himself another drive ….. blah blah’.
But nice of him to say some nice things about the Ford boys, especially me 888 boys
Hayley Widdowson 8:59 pm May 5th 2008
Hmm intresting. Everyone has their own opinion and i repsect that, good to see he likes our boys!
Jessie~Car =) 9:10 pm May 5th 2008
:O Thats not something we see everyday
Lol Jamies not a kid…and if he is i must be a baby?? :S
Does Paul Morris have any fans?? lol
i’ve never heard of any LOL
Becca 9:31 pm May 5th 2008
Wow.
I don’t really know what to say to that - I think I’m too shocked!
i’m glad he has actually given fairly accurate character evaluations… although I’m with Liss. (Pot - meet kettle. Kettle, pot. You guys’ll be great friends… )
Best thing is, he was very complimentary to Ford’s young guns… had Russell Ingall been the one giving an opinion, I’m not sure we would’ve liked the results quite so much!
Maid Marion 7:53 am May 6th 2008
So now we know what Morris thinks about when he’s driving at the back of the pack… (maybe he’s trying to nut out reverse psychology)
At last!! A point to the existence of Paul Morris!! He’s there to suss out the persona’s of the drivers… maybe he should be a V8 Supercar Driver life coach… get the ‘kids’ pointed in the right direction and polish up the ‘blokes’.
Philosopher Morris… nice work for once
Rach xo
David Wood 5:39 pm May 6th 2008
I agree with Rebecca.
After i picked myself up off the floor after reading the article, i actually felt that Paul had it reasonably accurate.
Paul may not be a particularly gun driver, or a mental genius, but one thing you can never say he doesnt do is tell it like it is. Paul always says what everyone is thinking, and his synposis in the courier mail was a good read. Paul has a persona all of his own.
The only part i dont agree with was Craig ‘getting his own way on and off the track’. Dont know what that was all about. He said nice things about Jamie, and the comment about ‘nothing is ever good enough for Rick’ was priceless.
Perhaps the main subject of Paul’s “sh*t talks” with Skaifey is retirement for the pair of them at seasons end…
Doe 6:06 pm May 6th 2008
Well i’ll give the Dude one thing
He certainly spices the race up with his comments
pursuity 7:08 pm May 6th 2008
“exclusive interview” ????? me thinks v8 spin doctors scrapping the barrel with this one! i be more interested in how he rates his own chances this year LOL LOL
OzQuest Homeloans 9:41 pm May 6th 2008
Ca you imagine if he knew the “Dirty Sanchez”,
what would he say?
Vicki Cook 10:08 pm May 6th 2008
I agree with Mark - i would be more interested as well at just how Mr Morris thinks he can do this year…he certainly seems to do a good job of causing accidents!!!
Annie Cross 7:05 pm May 7th 2008
Paul Morris is often only shown on TV during his worst moments. He is really quite a shy guy off camera. He races most weekends whether it be a V8, Aussie racing car, HQ Holden or a BMW and did quite well in the WPS Bathurst Motor Festival. He does a great deal to support motorsport. PM also has a great sense of humour when he took the “Dirty Dangerous Dude” title and got T-shirts printed for himself and his family and friends, and his son “Dirty Dangerous Dude’s Son”. He can laugh it off. Sometimes we can form opinions of drivers based on a really small piece of information we receive. Sometimes we can be mislead by media presentation.
Muz [JWCR Team Manager] 7:34 pm May 7th 2008
Go Paul Morris, he’s one of the few drivers in the field that doesn’t always worry about diplomacy and just says what he thinks…. Which is the way that supporters want it, it adds flair to the contest
Mackenzie Price (JWCR) 1:30 pm August 17th 2008
I think Paul Moris forgot about someone:
Paul Moris:
“He is a loser, he thinks he can talk about other drivers and how bad they are when relay he is the worst driver in the field. If he did not own that team he would not have a drive. I think he should get the hell out of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.