FROM THE TIME SUNRISE SPORTS ANCHOR MARK BERETTA AND HIS BROTHERS GOT THEIR FIRST BILLYCART, HE HAS LOVED TO RACE.

“That’s why we all love the V8s,” he laughs. “Speed and sound. Very few things in life get the blood pumping like a roaring V8 Supercar. On any given day, only fractions of a second separate 15 or 20 V8 Supercars. It’s red
hot racing!

“Over 10 years with Seven, I’ve worked on the Supertouring championship, the Procar series, Nation’s Cup, the GT Performance Series and the V8 Utes, but now finally I get to go to the big dads, the V8 Supercars. I can’t wait.

“And being in pit lane for the Bathurst 1000 is a life-long dream for me, so that’s going to be pretty hard to top this year. Mount Panorama is such a challenging and respected circuit for drivers, and the 1000 always produces surprises, so it’s circled in red texta on my calendar! Also, I’ve been up to Indy weekend on the Gold Coast for the last few years, and it’s an incredible spectacle, so that’ll be another one to look
forward to.”

Beretts says the highlight of the season though will be watching the new VE Commodore and modified BF Falcon develop and wrestle for supremacy.

“The mystery is the best part,” he says. “Both cars are better, so it becomes a case of which has improved the most. It’s really hard to get a handle on the VE until we see what it can do, but at this early stage, you can expect the VE to have plenty of potential, while the BF might be a little more consistent and reliable.”

As for tips, Mark is never short of those either.
“Craig Lowndes, Todd Kelly and Garth Tander are the drivers to watch this year, if you have to narrow it to three,” he says. “And picking a champ for ‘07? Well, I’ll take a punt on Garth Tander.”

Beretts began his career in journalism at Radio 3GL Geelong in 1988. The following year he moved to Triple M Melbourne as a sports reporter. In 1994, he joined Channel Ten to commentate its National Basketball League coverage. His work impressed executives at Seven Melbourne and within a year, he was working as a sports reporter for Seven.

While sport has always been his first love, he graduated with an engineering degree, and has worked with BHP and Honeywell. A veteran of five Olympic Games broadcasts, Mark was one
of the anchors for Seven’s award winning coverage of the 2000 Games in Sydney. Mark also co-anchored Follow The Flame, the live coverage of the final week of the Olympic Torch Relay, watched by millions of Australians. He also hosted Seven’s coverage of the Commonwealth Games, Bathurst 24 Hour Race, the World Cup Aerials, the Moomba Masters, the Australian Super Touring Car Championships, the Kellogg’s Surf League and Seven’s Winter Sport Series.

And Mark’s own sporting achievements provide fond memories. He is a 10-time Australian Water Ski champion, a silver medallist at the Singapore International Masters, and held a U.S. record.

‘‘BEING IN PIT LANE FOR THE BATHURST 1000 IS A LIFE-LONG DREAM FOR ME.’’