Vale Ewan Cole

We are sad to advise that on Easter Tuesday we learned our long time club member and good friend, Ewan Cole had succumbed to the cancer he had been gallantly fighting for six years.

Ewan had been PIARC member since 1977, and had over the years become a valued friend and fellow official to not only PIARC members, but numerous people involved in Motorsport worldwide, with appointments surpassing the senior levels of Australian Motorsport to include recognition at FIA level for his talents not only as a Scrutineer but also as a Technical Delegate and Trainer. 

The awards and accolades included Motorsport Australia awards- 2022 Life Member, 2012 Silver Star and prior to that a Service Award. He was the FIA F1 Chief Scrutineer at Albert Park from 1996 for two decades. His role for many years as Chief of the Victorian Scrutiny Panel was almost without rival for the excellence brought to training, mentoring, and scrutineering standards throughout the country and also in his sojourns overseas to Bahrain, Singapore, Korea, Russia and Vietnam as Senior Scrutineering Trainer.

These numerous Formula 1 training sessions along with his excellence at The Australian F1 GP for 20 years as Chief and prior to that as Deputy Chief in Adelaide from 1984 to 1995, did not go unnoticed with an Award as FIA Best International Scrutineer of the Year in 2013. 

He also enjoyed numerous roles as a Motorsport Australia Technical Delegate or Chief Scrutineer, highlighted by roles in Australian Carrera Cup, Australian GT Championship and other championships over the years.

Ewan’s performances as a Scrutineer and Technical Delegate, brought great Mentoring and Team Management skills to his 20 odd years as the founder, Administrator / Manager of the Wonthaggi Human Powered Races, for which he attracted a significant contingent of Senior PIARC members as willing and enthusiastic support crew.

The above accolades and achievements of Ewan are only part of a busy life of achievement which included a student with academic qualifications who went on to become a well-regarded secondary Maths teacher, a self-taught carpenter / builder, a car builder, sportsman of prowess including a short VFL career at Hawthorn, a Rally Driver inter-alia, but above all that, a loving husband to Julene, father to Jared, Sharna, and Tahlia and their respective spouses and grandad to six.

Rest in Peace Ewan a fine human being with truly, a life well spent which has made his club and friends and family very proud of his achievements and his life.