Greg Rust

Greg Rust (born July 1970 in Sydney) is an Australian sports commentator with Network Ten, a commercial TV network. He has also worked for the Nine Network and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) as a freelance commentator/reporter/presenter, mainly covering motorsport (auto racing). Colleagues and fans call him "Rusty" or "Thruster" (a nickname given to him by the late Barry Sheene a former World Motorcycle Champion).

Pre-television

Prior to his TV/Radio career Rust worked as a Finance Executive for a big Australian Bank and some smaller boutique lenders. He quit to follow his love of motorsport and broadcasting in the mid 1990s.

Radio career

Worked for 3 years with the Macquarie Radio Network stations 2GB and 2CH in Sydney initially as a sport reporter and later became daytime news reader.

Television career

After cutting his teeth with SBS motorsport program Speedweek, Rust was drafted into Channel 9's commentary team for the final Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix at the Eastern Creek circuit in 1996 (it is now staged at the Phillip Island track). He called the support races with 1980 F1 World Champ Alan Jones. In 1997 he was hired by Ten to host the Australian Super Touring Championship for 2-litre Touring Cars - a position previously held by his close friend Leigh Diffey who had moved on to Network Ten's V8 Supercar coverage. Rust commentated the Aust. Super Touring Championship for 2 years before starting work as V8 pit reporter late in '98. He was a part of Ten's V8 coverage for almost 10 years - even hosting and anchoring the commentary on occasions. During this period the station won numerous Logie awards for its broadcast of the famous Bathurst 1000 and Rusty developed a reputation as a pit specialist also working on the Gold Coast Champ Car race and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne. Despite an offer to join the Seven Network in 2007, Rust stayed with Ten to front the station's MotoGP and F1 broadcasts and its long running magazine motorsport show RPM. He also hosts and commentates Ten's coverage of the RedBull Air Race World Series.

Other programs

Rust has also fronted Sports Tonight, co-hosted the "Panelbeaters" internet radio show with Neil Crompton and Brad Jones, been a play-by-play caller of the V8 Supercar Development Series and Porsche's Australian Carrera Cup, studio hosted the Indianapolis 500 and headed up Ten's World Rally Championship and Australian Rally Championship coverage.

Racing background

Born into a family with a genuine love for all forms of motorsport, he was a regular at the Sydney Showground Speedway before he could even walk and an amateur racer who started out in Karts. In his late teens and early 20’s, Rust enjoyed some class wins as a driver in rallysprints and khana-crosses. He has also driven V8 Supercars, Formula Holden, Formula Ford, Toyota Racing Series and Speedcars/Midgets for story research.

Trivia

A keen impersonator of politicians, sports stars and celebrities.

References

* [http://ten.com.au/ten/rpm-crew-greg-rust.html ten.com.au]
* [http://www.v8x.com.au/cms/A_30145/article.html www.v8x.com.au]
* [http://www.parramattacityraceway.com.au/release.asp?NewsId=23365 www.parramattacityraceway.com.au]