Remembering an unsung legend of Aussie motorsport

If you are a part of the Australian motorsport community then chances are you knew Adrian Morrisby. Not by that name, of course – ‘Mozza’ was one of those people who are so inextricably linked to their nickname that it comes as a surprise that anything else would be written on their birth certificate, driver’s licence and passport. I’m forced to use the past tense as Mozza sadly and suddenly passed away recently at the too-young age of 49.

I’ve known Mozza for about 15 years but I’m not going to pretend we were super close or anything. Nevertheless, his passing has hit hard simply because he’s always been there and you kind of assumed he always would be. In many ways he was the star around which motorsport revolved – certainly in his native Tasmania, at least – and when a star disappears a black hole is left in its place.

6

The racing bug bit Mozza early. He was a talented go-karter and remote-control racer in his younger years but eventually heard the call of the forests and discovered his first love, rallying (fishing aside, that is). The highlight of his competition career was a stirring win in the two-day Classic Rookie Rallye section of Targa Tasmania in 2007, the iconic ‘Maxboost’ 1975 Holden Gemini three-wheeling its way across the landscape. Mechanical gremlins prevented a strong result in the full rally the following year, but a number of top 10 classic stage times on the right road – twisty and downhill, as despite its name the Gemini was short in the horsepower department – shows just what a top operator Mozza was.

6

Man, he could drive. My first exposure to this was during a couple of practice laps at a local khanacross, Mozza having liberated an early-’90s Mazda 929 from the yard of his business Moonah Auto Salvage (later Ultimate Subaru Spares) in order to have some fun. Four-up for the recce laps with Mozza at the helm, I deadset thought we were going over, the wheel a blur as inputs and corrections were applied at a speed both the clapped-out old luxo-barge and I struggled to comprehend.

Mozza unsurprisingly beat me handily that day, but the fact he had invited me to share the drive is what’s truly important. No one was more generous. It’s no exaggeration to say hundreds of racers – speedway, drifting, karting, rally, circuit and more – have benefited from Mozza’s support, whether financially through business sponsorship or through his time. When I turned turtle in my first year of rallying due to ambition overcoming talent, Mozza was right there: “Bring ’er around the shop, don’t worry about it.” Sure enough, a couple of days later my Charade was looking decidedly healthier and the ‘bill’ was frankly a pittance.

6

Me, Mozza and some bloke called Seb at Rally Australia 2016

He was also a regular on the mic, whether at World Time Attack at Sydney Motorsport Park, the Tasmanian round of the Australian Karting Championship or in the early days of the Tassie Drift Series, when he’d drop the occasional line of questionable taste just to keep everyone on their toes. You could tell who in the crowd was listening to the commentary as they’d inevitably start to giggle.

The competitive side always played a distant second to the social side for Mozza. You could guarantee that he’d be one of the first at the bar for ‘Heat 3’, Smirnoff Double Black in hand, wearing his signature three-quarter length ‘jorts’ and a black T-shirt with a variety of his favourite slogans: “Coriander: it’s a no from me”, “I am the after party” or, if he was feeling mischievous, “He loves the c**k” (I’ve added the asterisks) with a left-pointing arrow.

6

But it wasn’t all fun and games. Mozza became an early and vocal advocate for men’s mental health, raising money and awareness for the charity “Speak Up, Stay Chatty”. He was also completely serious about his role as a father to his boy Sammy who, with plenty of love and support from dad, was taking the first steps to becoming a promising karter. You’ve never seen a prouder parent.

Long story short, Mozza was a big man with a big personality and an even bigger heart and the world would be a much better place if we all approached life with the same kindness, generosity and vigour. His favourite saying was: “One life, live it, ’cos it sure as hell ain’t no dress rehearsal”. Amen. We’ll miss you, mate.