On a school Ron

Ron Barassi is one of the best-known names in the AFL. As a player, captain and coach, he has been a star for decades and his face has become known around the country.  But there is more to Barassi than most people think, as the 72-year-old legend reveals in a new book in the Icons of Australian Sport collection.

The Barassi book is being produced to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the game, and it highlights his monumental contribution to football.  Barassi, who has been dominating the game in one way or another for more than 50 years, reveals his first foray into motoring was in a Holden.

He also made one white-knuckled passenger nervous in a little car on a European autobahn, and owes his life -- and that of St Kilda great Neil Robert -- to the engineering of Mercedes-Benz.

What was your first car?
A 1957 Holden. It was supplied to me by my employer, James Millers of Brunswick, many, many years ago. I don't have a clue what colour it was, but I was about 21. I was in seventh heaven.

What do you drive now?
A fawn Nissan Maxima. I have driven Nissan Maximas (not this particular one) since 1993. I think they're very good.

Do you have a favourite drive? Who would you take with you?
I've done a fair bit of driving around Australia and in Europe, Cuba and the US. My favourite drive is probably along the Mediterranean coast. It's absolutely fabulous -- even better than our superb Great Ocean Rd.  I would take a guy called Bill Shannon. He's frozen a couple of times because I tried to get a little car to do 200km/h on an autobahn. He was a nervous passenger that day.

How far would you drive in an average year?
These days, about 25,000km a year, but once I would have averaged 40,000km a year.

Do you have a favourite motoring memory?
Well, this is not quite a motoring memory, but it is amazing. I had an accident near Geelong and I woke up in Geelong Hospital about 7am. I'm reading the newspaper and I come across the headline: Barassi has emergency spleen operation. I call the nurse over and ask her if this is right and she says, "Yes!''  It's a strange feeling to find out someone has been inside your stomach during the night and you didn't even know about it! I think it was in 1978.

What car would you buy if money were no object?
A Lamborghini for a day, then I'd settle into the best Mercedes. It was a Mercedes that saved my life in that accident near Geelong -- and that of my passenger, Neil Roberts.

What music is playing in your car?
Because I'm not spending as much time in my car these days I'd rather spend the time listening to current affairs and talkback radio.
I don't go much for music in the cars these days.

How much is too much for a new car?
That's easy -- there is no figure. The answer is more than you can afford.

What should be done to make driving safer?
I'm a believer in an extra year of school. During that extra year -- and, in fact, the last four to five years of school -- you should learn social skills and practical, handy skills such as driving.  Driver education should start at high school. We should educate our drivers a lot better. There should be a consequence program to take the fun out of it, to a degree, so youngsters understand what can happen behind the wheel.

Are you sponsored by a car company?
No, I'm not. I have been, but not now. So when I say I like the Nissan Maxima, it's genuine.