Articles by Monique Butterworth

OLYMPIC duty has finished for Matthew White and the Channel 7 anchor will be back in the V8 Supercar pitlane this weekend.  It's a familiar place for White, who made his name on the sports team at Network 10 before switching networks to continue his commitment to the V8 racing series.White drives a Mercedes-Benz, but confesses he has no driving passion. He uses cars to get from A to B.   At 38 he has just discovered the delights of two-wheel transport with a Honda scooter.What was your first car?A Datsun 120Y. I don't know the year, but it was a pukey orange colour with a black vinyl top. Plus some roof racks that looked like they came from K Mart. I spruiced it up by buying an equaliser, which made the tinny radio sound a little bit more ballsy. I was 17 and I had it for a couple of years. It did the job before I upgraded to a yellow Holden Camira.What do you drive now?I drive a black Mercedes-Benz C200K and I got my bike licence on my birthday in April because it was something I always wanted to do. The good folk at Honda have lent me a scooter -- the SH150i. I love it, it's awesome. I try to ride it into work (a 30km ride) a few times a week. It's been good for getting me out of the house of a morning, go find a cafe and do a few hours work by the beach. The only downside is, if you work in television and you ride a scooter, you get helmet head. So when I get into the office, the girls in make-up have to do a bit of extra work on me.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?Anywhere by the beach for me is good. My favourite would be Highway 1 in California from San Francisco to LA, which I've done in a Lincoln Town Car, which is just a little bit smaller than a semi-trailer. I hope to do it again in December with my wife Amanda and my girls Taila, 6, and Mason, 3. With the Beach Boys as our soundtrack.How far would you drive in an average year?I would average 15,000-20,000km.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?With two young girls I've probably got more horror stories than memories. I see driving as getting you from point A to B. Before the kids were born, we did a trip up the NSW coast. We did the classic ``pile in the car and head up with a couple of mates''. We went surfing, pitched tents and sat around the campfire.What would you buy if money was no object?A bloody big boat, probably. I'm a huge fan of Mercedes-Benz, so anything in the AMG range is my dream. Their new one -- the SL65 -- I don't know how much it is. I don't know why, but Mercs just do it for me.What music is playing in your car?Anything between The Wiggles and Jack Johnson, but more often than not I listen to sports radio.How much is too much for a car?Everything is relative, but any time you pause when you hear the price is probably too much. It could be five grand, or 50 or 500 grand. I've always found it weird people can buy a car for the same price as a unit. Property is a much better investment.What should be done to make driving safer?Cars are as safe as they ever have been, the roads are as good as they ever have been so only one thing is not coming along - people. It comes down to education and thought. When you jump on a scooter you realise how badly people drive.Are you sponsored by a car company?Honda has lent me the scooter and I'm hoping when they read this article they don't want it back. I am not sponsored by a car company, but as host/commentator of V8 Supercars it wouldn't be right to be aligned with somebody. It's good to be impartial. 

FEW people had heard of Amy Taylor when she was just a member of the Australian women's soccer team.  But baring all for a calendar in 1999 to lift the profile of the game turned the former Matilda into something special and she now co-hosts Foxtel's Football Superstar alongside Delta Goodrem's other half, Irish-born pop star Brian McFadden."Everyone seems to remember it because it was such a big deal at the time. I think now it's been done that many times by different people, it's lost its shock value,'' Taylor says.  Her career in soccer had many highlights and the retired defender was a member of the Australian women's team for eight years.She represented Australia in the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, the 2005 Four Nations Tournament in China and was a member of the 2000 and 2004 Olympic squads.What was your first car?Nissan Stanza SSS -- black and white with an upside down racing gearbox. Mum and dad bought me sheepskin seat covers and it had a gear stick handle that flashed with red lights. I was always racing from one training session to another and blew the head gasket and the engine a couple of times . . . which my dad rebuilt for me -- thank God he loves cars. I guess I was a bit of a revhead.What do you drive now?A Nissan Pulsar Q. It's black, great on fuel and for parking in today's smaller spaces.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?The Great Ocean Rd is awesome but I also love the drive along the coast from Bundeena (Sydney) to the south coast. I'd always take my husband as my co-driver, in fact I might even let him drive.How far would you drive in an average year?I have no idea. Most days I don't venture far, maybe 20km max. I do drive a couple of days a week up to Sydney for work and then we love driving holidays, but I'm not sure what that adds up to.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I have a couple. I loved driving holidays as a kid with my family and remember at least on one occasion sleeping in the car as the motels were all booked out. I love driving out to our family farm, the roads lined with trees and the smell of dirt roads and the bush. And I love taking trips with my husband. Plenty of time to talk, sing along to cheesy music and explore new places.What would you buy if money was no object?I've always wanted a Porsche, though it never seemed practical for my lifestyle -- and I'd be scared to fill it with stinky sports clothes and boots covered in mud and grass.What music is playing in your car?Right now it's Jack JohnsonHow much is too much for a new car?Over a couple of hundred thousand dollars is hard to justify. I'd rather buy houses, but I guess it depends on what one earns.What should be done to make driving safer?People need to leave 10 minutes earlier, relax and remember manners on the road. A lot of people only think about themselves when they drive, but what they don't realise is we are trusting everyone else on the road with our lives, too. I also think P-platers need to have a limit on the engine capacity of the cars they are able to drive.Are you sponsored by a car company?Not right now but I am more than happy to be if there's a company out there who'd like to see me in their cars.

UTES are almost compulsory for Jason Hodges. As resident gardener and landscaper on Better Homes & Gardens a workhorse is his first choice. He says he has always owned and driven utes. Hodges' long-term relationship with utes has gone hand-in-hand with his lifestyle. But he does have others in his life -- a 1967 convertible Mustang and a 1963 two-door Falcon - which come out for special occasions.What was your first car?An HQ Kingswood ute. It was white with a blue tarp. I was 17 and I loved it because it was a ute not a car. The worst thing about it was everyone wanted to borrow it, or borrow you, when they moved house.What do you drive now?A metallic blue Commodore ute. I've had about 12 utes. I've had Holdens, Toyotas and Fords, but nine out of the 12 have been Holdens. I also own a 1967 convertible Wimbledon white Mustang and a 1963 two-door Falcon. I usually drive the Mustang to golf on a Saturday or if I'm quoting for a job. I also take it on dates, if I can get one. I'm not sure if the Mustang impresses on dates. I think it can be too showy, whereas the 1963 Falcon, because it's Australian, is a little more understated.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?Up to the Hunter Valley from Sydney. I normally go up there with mates. We have dirt bikes up there so I'm usually go there with a bloke, not a girl.How far would you drive in an average year?A lot. I'd do about 35,000km a year.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I love road trips, especially up to Nambucca Heads or Crescent Head. I've enjoyed them as a kid and an adult. I drive to Tamworth for the Country Music Festival every year and I sleep in the back of the ute. As I've become more recognised for being on TV, people stop and ask, "Where are you staying?'' And when I tell them, "In my ute'' they look a bit surprised. We usually go to the Olympic town pool for a s- - -, shave and a shower. People don't expect me to do that, but I'm still a lad.What would you buy if money was no object?A 1967 convertible Mustang.What music is playing in your car?I like mellow, chilled-out music like Jack Johnson, Pete Murray, Missy Higgins, Lee Kernaghan or Troy Casser-Daly.How much is too much for a new car?I've never bought a new car, but I don't know how much is too much. If it does the job and it makes you happy, you enjoy it and it de-stresses you when you're in traffic ... you can't put a price on that.What should be done to make driving safer?We should be tested more often, not just when we get our licence. I'm sure I have bad habits after driving for 18 years without anyone testing me.Are you sponsored by a car company?No. But it would be nice.

FEW people have exploded on to Australia television in the same way as Jason Coleman.  He instantly picked up the tag as the ``nasty judge'' on Ten's So You Think You Can Dance and admits he did not expect the recognition the show would bring.When you add his television impact with the impact from a hulking new Hummer, he is never going to make a quiet arrival anywhere.  Coleman, who choreographed the opening and closing ceremonies for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, says he has driven all his life.What was your first car?I loved it. It was a red Holden Sunbird. I used to pretend in my mind -- because it was the same shape -- it was an SLR 5000. It so wasn't though. I think it was a 1979 model. I was 18. My grandparents lent me the money for it and I bought it the day I got my licence on my 18th birthday.What do you drive now?I got my Hummer one month ago and I just ache for it. It's the sexiest car I've ever had. I lived in the Middle East for two years when I was the director of choreography for the opening and closing ceremony of the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, and when you live over there on the weekends you go duneing in the desert. I decided while living there that I wanted one. It really turns heads, to the point where I might have to go and buy myself another car because everyone is staring at me everywhere I go now anyway, let alone with the car. I didn't really realise it was going to be that much of a head-turner. I've also blinged the crap out of it -- it's certainly turning heads. I took it four-wheel-driving for the first time at the weekend at the terrain park at Kurnell in Sydney. We had the best time. It was fantastic. It's not difficult to park. I grew up with paddock bombs. I've been driving my whole life. I could park a semi-trailer on a postage stamp.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?I really loved going out and spending the night in the desert when I lived in the Middle East. The sand dunes are endless. They're like waves. Driving on them is like driving up and down the big dipper. I would take a seriously good lover with me.How far would you drive in an average year?It all depends whether I'm on the road. I travel a lot and I guess I would average 20-30,000km a year.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?When I bought my Sunbird I thought I was fantastic. I was loving myself sick. My friends and I drove to my parents' holiday house in Bermagui (378km south of Sydney) and if I went over 60km/h my car overheated -- so it took about 3 1/2 days to drive there, but I had the time of my life and I didn't care at all. It was my car, it was going forward and I loved it.What would you buy if money was no object?A two-door Bentley or a two-door Maserati. I love those cars. They are so sexy.What music is playing in your car?Last night I was banging away to Fedde Le Grande's Let Me Think About It.How much is too much for a new car?There are no such words as too much in anything in my world as long as it's quality.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, but I'm waiting for Porsche to call any minute now. I think that's them on the other line...

No one knows the importance of State of Origin better than Shane Webcke. The Queensland rugby league legend was an integral part of the "state-against-state, mate-against-mate'' series and has a growing media profile as a sports newsreader in the north. Webcke is a former Australian player who made his name in the front row with the Brisbane Broncos and has been driving cars on his family's property since he was eight.It is no surprise the 33-year-old, a proud Queenslander, drives a Toyota LandCruiser in the state's maroon competition colours. Or that he is the subject of the latest book in the Icons of Australian Sports series by Hyperactive. Webcke, who will take up an assistant coaching position at the Broncos next year alongside former players Alan Langer, Peter Ryan and Paul Green, says he loves to drive, especially on Victoria's Great Ocean Rd.What was your first car?I grew up on a rural property so I was driving from the age of eight. My first car was a 1968 VE Valiant Sedan, white with a blue bonnet. We used to call her Valva. She let me down that often. I would top her up with petrol and oil -- she was disgraceful. I had her for exactly 12 months. The night the registration was running out I was driving back to our family property and halfway, in the middle of a freezing cold Darling Downs winter's night, she seized up. I had to walk for three miles to the nearest farm house to ring my mum so she could come and get me.What do you drive now?I drive a current-model Toyota LandCruiser. It's maroon.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?The Great Ocean Rd in Victoria is spectacular and I'd take my wife.How far would you drive in an average year?I would drive roughly 40,000km a year.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I've done a few road trips. I once drove from Mt Isa, in central north Queensland, to Brisbane in a day. It's a long way but I was with a couple of mates and it was a great trip. I love driving.What would you buy if money were no object?Another Toyota. I love Toyotas. It's the best car ever made.What music is playing in your car?It would be a mixture of things. Slim Dusty gets a fair run, so does Johnny Cash. There's also Jimmy Barnes and Cold Chisel. It depends on my mood. If I'm going bush I like to put Slim on, but if I'm driving around town and I need to be a bit aggressive, I'll put some Barnsey on.How much is too much for a new car?Anything over $30,000. Most cars these days cost what a house used to!What should be done to make driving safer?We need better roads. I think roads are as much the problem as the people behind the wheel. One of the solutions to all the problems in life is that we all live too fast. And it manifests itself in our driving sometimes -- the aggression and speed. People are always in a hurry to get where they are going. It's a part of life today as we know it and I don't know how you fix that.Are you sponsored by a car company?Yes I am, Toyota.

IF NOT for a nun in an old station wagon, John Howard could still be wandering the Outback looking for Mount Isa.  This is one of many motoring stories for one of Australia's most prolific and beloved actors, who plays Dr Frank Campion on Seven's drama All Saints and also fronts the stories on Real Seachange series.Howard is a 55-year-old actor who graduated from NIDA in 1978 and went on to star in top-rating televisions series Seachange -- a role which won him the 2001 Silver Logie Award for Most Outstanding Actor -- Changi, Always Greener and numerous feature films including Jindabyne, A Man's Gotta Do, Japanese Story, The Man Who Sued God, Dating The Enemy and The Club.He rates the Amalfi Coast in Italy as his favourite drive and has a Citroen in the garage. But Howard reckons if he won Lotto, he would buy a Mack truck.  So you have been warned.What was your first car?Vauxhall Victor.What do you drive now?Citroen C4 HDi turbodiesel.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?The Amalfi Coast with my beautiful wife Kim Lewis.How far would you drive in an average year?20,000km.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Returning from Chatsworth cattle station, in far-west Queensland, we broke down miles from nowhere. We were rescued by a nun in a Holden station wagon who took us into Mount Isa.What would you buy if money was no object?A great big Mack Truck.What music is playing in your car?Mariza!How much is too much for a new car?A car's worth is in one's enjoyment of it. It's hard to enjoy a mountain of debt on wheels.What should be done to make driving safer?Annual psychiatric tests for the nuts behind the wheel!Are you sponsored by a car company?Je le souhaite! Which is French for I wish -- are you listening Citroen?

SHE'S one of the most enduring stars of TV. Kerri-Anne Kennerley, known to people in the industry as KAK, first appeared on the small screen in 1963.Since then she's done almost everything in entertainment, from hosting roles to a brief acting stint in the soap The Restless Years.  She has also performed as a cabaret singer, worked behind the mike as a radio announcer and even spent time in the corporate world as chief executive of Sydney radio station 2CH.But the Brisbane-born star is now best known as host of Channel 9's Mornings with Kerri-Anne.  She has plenty of motoring experiences but she rates one of the latest, a nail-biting co-driver run with Australian rally champion Simon Evans in the Targa Tasmania road race, as her favourite motoring memory.What was your first car?A second-hand beige Torana with no heating, airconditioning or radio.What do you drive now?A Toyota Kluger four-wheel drive.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?From Sydney to Hope Island, in Queensland, with my husband John and Harvey, my dog.On average, how far do you drive a year?I don't drive a lot, probably only a few thousand kays.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?I loved navigating in the Targa Tasmania rally with champion Simon Evans. We did 500km in a TRD Aurion Toyota. Driving at 200km/h around the mountains and roads of Tasmania was spectacular in the safe hands of Simon.What would you buy if money was no object?An Aston Martin.What music is playing in your car?Michael Buble and Christina Aguilera.How much is too much for a new car?In reality, a car is a practical purchase to give independence . . . so do not spend more than you can afford.What should be done to make driving safer?Safety should be the key and I hope one day all cars will have anti-skid brakes, ESP and airbags.Are you sponsored by a car company?I've worked with Toyota for 10 years.

Kelly Landry is a self-confessed action junkie who dreams of slipping into the driver's seat of the world's fastest and most expensive car. For people who don't know - and she is not one of them - that car is a Bugatti Veyron. Landry is an international model and former travel reporter with Coxy's Big Break on Channel 7, but gets her big television break as co- host of Nine's born-again Million Dollar Wheel of Fortune.What was your first car?A 1989 white Ford Laser. It was a beast. I loved that car.What do you drive now?A new Ford Focus.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?I love the drive to Daylesford. Aside from the obvious reason, being a weekend away, I particularly love a certain part of the drive when the road is encased with beautiful oak trees and on a sunny day the light strobes through the branches. It would be nice to take a partner on that drive.How far do you drive in an average year?More than I'd like to. I love the open roads, but I think I clock up close to 20,000km sitting in horrible city traffic.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?A couple of times my family holiday involved driving to Queensland. I say a couple because after that we flew. I think three kids in the back for 20-odd hours nearly killed my parents. We sure had fun, though. I also used to own a 1967 Ford Mustang coupe. Every motoring moment was a pleasure in that car.And if money was no object?I have always had a bit of a love affair for a well-shaped motor vehicle. I really love cars so its hard to pick one, but looking at top-end-priced cars on appearance it would be a toss up between the Aston Martin DB9 and Audi R8. But if money was no object, I'd take the Bugatti Veyron out for a spin.What music is playing in your car?Whatever the mood strikes, really. I always have my iPod in the car, but I can be partial to a bit of 3AW. It's great in traffic.How much is too much for a new car?Well, the Bugatti is really a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a car, but I suppose it's all relative if you have a few spare million in your back pocket.What should be done to make driving safer?Road safety is actually really good in Australia in comparison to a lot of other countries. The problem is there isn't just one simple solution to road safety as there are so many variables that constantly change every time you are on the road. Making motor vehicles safer in terms of how they perform in an accident is definitely one on the top of a long list.Are you sponsored by a car company?No.

Distance runner Craig Mottram has been on the pace this year as he prepares for the Beijing Olympics.  Mottram claimed Haile Gebrselassie's US allcomers 3000m record at the Boston Indoor Games in February and bettered his Australian best, winning in 7min 34.50sec.And a hiccup at the world cross-country championships in March where he finished a disappointing 31st hasn't derailed his training or his focus on China.Mottram's coach, Nic Bideau, says the cross-country course didn't suit his young star, but it all helps in the countdown to Beijing.  When he's not running on the roads, Mottram can stretch his legs in a HSV Clubsport.What was your first car?I bought a Subaru 1982 sports wagon. It cost $3000 to buy and probably about the same to fix in the four years I had it.What do you drive now?I have been driving a HSV Clubsport R8 for a few months now, since I returned to Australia late last year. For several months of the year I train at Falls Creek in preparation for the coming season and this year has a really tough schedule. It's been great fun to cruise up the Hume Freeway, then tackle the mountain. Being manual, it's a great car to drive through the hairpins.How far would you drive in an average year?It's a 720km round trip to Falls, so depending on my schedule and taking into account coming down to Melbourne for Christmas and New Year, I've already clocked more than 5000km since picking up the car in early December.What's your favourite motoring memory?I've always enjoyed watching the V8 Supercars when I'm in town and I enjoyed watching the final race at Phillip Island last year. Obviously with the closeness of the championship, it all came down to the last race. That's proper competition and pressure and I think all the boys handled themselves fantastically well.What would you buy if money was no object?An Aston Martin DBS.How much is too much for a car?You need to look at your priorities and what you want the car to do. The price must be realistic and reflect the car's performance and features.What should be done to make driving safer?I have competed in track and field events all around the world and I would have to say that Australian drivers and driving conditions are among the safest in the world. We have great roads, well built, safe cars, and some of the toughest penalties around for speeding. In terms of the car itself, a good brake package, electronic stability control and airbags are really important if something goes wrong on the road.Are you sponsored by a car company?I have been involved with Holden Special Vehicles since last year. I've been out to their office in Clayton and through the museum and along the production line.

FOR more than 20 years, Stefan Dennis has called Ramsay St home.  He has played Paul Robinson on and off since 1985 in Neighbours, becoming one of the show's enduring stars.But there is much more to Dennis, including a world record for endurance karting. He set the mark in 1995 with team mates Russ and Steve Malking and David Brabham when they covered 1664.7km on a 1.3km course in Britain.  The 49-year-old actor is also a keen motorcycle enthusiast and one day hopes to again own a Porsche.What was your first car?My first car was an AP5 Valiant but I'm pretending it wasn't, because I hated it. My first real baby was a beautiful 1971 Mazda Capella. It was white with black interior and it had furry faux-sheepskin seatcovers. It was my pride and joy with my surf racks on top. And then I smashed it.What do you drive now?I have a navy Audi A6 and my wife, Gail, has a van. I also have two bikes -- aren't I a tosser? My bikes are delicious. I have a Yamaha R1. I describe it as orgasmically frightening. My other bike is a Harley. I got it only recently. That was Gail's doing. She thinks I've reached an age at which I need to slow down and ride a cruisey bike.Do you have a favourite drive and who would you take?My favourite drives (car) are anywhere in British Columbia, Canada and up the west coast and into the highlands of Scotland. I would take Gail. She is from Glasgow. My favourite ride (motorbike) is the Great Ocean Rd.How far would you drive in an average year?I live on the outskirts of Melbourne, up in the Dandenongs, so I do a lot of driving. I would do at least 500km a week. The moral environmental side of me loves riding motorbikes because I have this vague feeling of less guilt because I'm not contributing as much pollution into the air.Do you have a favourite motoring memory?Two of my best friends, from London, and I rode bikes up through the southern French and northern Italian Alps. That was awesome.What would you buy if money were no object?Car wise, call me a wanker, but I would buy a Porsche. They're my favourite sports car in the world. I just love them. I love German technology and engineering. To me it's the ultimate driver's machine. And bike-wise, the sportsbike and adrenalin junkie in me would buy the latest Yamaha R1 again. Or the Suzuki GSX-R.What music is playing in your car?Anything from the Beatles to Maroon 5 to classical to heavy rock. At the moment I have Michael Jackson's Greatest Hits in the car. It's such good driving music.How much is too much for a new car?The price of a house. My darling wife and sensibility has taught me that cars are a depreciating asset and real estate is an appreciating asset. If you can buy a car for the same price as a piece of real estate, and you buy the car -- you're a knob!What should be done to make driving safer?The sooner it is mandatory for people to do an advanced driver's course to learn to drive and to control a car properly, the sooner we will have a lot less road trauma.Are you sponsored by a car company?No, but if anyone out there wants to, I really want a Porsche!