If that wasn't enough to keep him busy, Cochrane was also one of the forces behind the Car of the Future (COFT) project, which comes to fruition in 2013.
Just hours before the end-of-season Gala Dinner in Sydney, where he was to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, Driven sat down with Cochrane to get his take on his time in V8s and what might lie ahead.
Why did you get involved in motorsport?
First of all, I've always been a fan. I first got involved in the business side of the sport because I was asked to help out by the NSW Government in Sydney when they had the 500cc world motorcycle Grand Prix and it went into bankruptcy. They needed someone to step in at the last moment to run it back in 1995.
I was involved with Barry Sheene in those days and he and I got it up and running and did a good job. The Queensland Government then got into trouble with the Indy on the Gold Coast and asked me to get involved in that back in my IMG days.
With all the changes to the car, some drivers moving on and you stepping away it seems to be the end of an era?
I don't know if it's the end of an era. In reflection, I always thought Car Of The Future was a logical time to make significant change to the category.
Personally, I think change is a healthy thing and people can stay too long. I've worked very close with Mark Skaife getting COFT agreed and getting two new manufacturers on board.
To me it just made logical sense to do it [leave] now, and I want to do so other things in my life. It's been a phenomenal journey.
When you first arrived at the helm, did you think the category would turn out to be as big as it is now?
That's part of the reason I'm stepping away. To do it properly it's a very intense role - seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year. People on the outside don't realise running a sport is an amazingly stressful, challenging, never-ending role that has a huge scope. So after 17 years in the sport, it had a hand in my decision-making. You don't always get these things right and I don't subscribe to the theory that I'm getting out at the top either. I think the sport and the business will continue to grow. It's got a great, solid foundation to continue and is a robust business model.
Back when you took over the category it was in debt and the future was looking a bit bleak. What did you see in it?
What we did have was a great product. We had the stars-in-cars and I knew how powerful that combination would be. My detractors said we had to have all the other stuff and since we didn't we would fail miserably. What we then did, over the next 15 years, was build up the infrastructure and now there is very solid foundation behind it all. You've got 28 strong teams and good franchise system and there's a lot of money in the sport.
You've always had a lot passion for the sport and now it's in other hands. Do you think people more interested in a numbers game may not have the category's best interests in mind?
Look, I don't think it's really my place to comment. Change always brings change and they'll do things differently from how I did. That's not to say they're gong to do things badly, or that I did things well or badly. Change is change and they will run it differently. I'm sure they will do things better than I did and some not so well as I did. It's just what you go through in a change cycle. They are still in the entertainment business and they understand that. We are in a subdivision of entertainment called sport and the moment you forget [entertainment], you're in trouble.
The new car hits the track in competitive anger next year. How do you think that'll pan out?
Oh, that's going to be exciting and especially with two new manufacturers joining in. It's a brand new car that everyone's using where there's no data, everyone's starting from ground zero and all the drivers I've spoken to have said the new car is much more driveable. I think we're in for a really exiting time over the next few years because no one knows what's going to happen. With everything being so new it gives all the teams, big or small, a chance to step up. Some will do it better and others won't. As we've seen in all forms of motorsport all over the world, some teams that are mid-pack now will become contenders and others that are borderline contenders now will slip back. That is what makes sport of all descriptions so exciting.
Part 2: See Driven, Wednesday December 12
