It’s mid-morning on a sunny September day and the Brisbane HQ of Triple Eight Race Engineering is a hive of activity. This is the home base of one of Australia’s most successful and iconic motorsports outfits and it is humming with the business of creating winning cars and plotting winning strategies. There are engineers, analysts, technicians, and specialists everywhere, no doubt doing fiendishly clever things to make the four-wheeled machines that are the focus of their work
go faster, handle better, and run smoother,
And the Triple Eight Race Engineering is very, very good at doing just that. Proof of the team’s skill lies in the stupendous number of trophies decorating the walls – a collection that includes 12 Supercars series teams championships and 11 Supercars series drivers’ championships.
Included in that growing haul of trophies are some that record podium finishes from the 2025 Monochrome GT4 Australia series. In that series, Triple Eight runs a Mercedes-AMG GT4 race car with JGI Racing, and the team’s drivers – 18-year-old Summer Rintoule and 20-year-old Jarrod Hughes – have piloted the car to an impressive sequence of results. At the time of writing, and with one round and two races in the championship yet to be run,
the team and drivers both sit in third place in their respective title chases.
Amongst those helping to keep everything on track, so to speak, is Gabrielle Clift, someone well known to MTA Queensland.
Less than 10 years ago, Gabrielle was working on heavy diesel vehicles in her hometown of Moree in NSW. A move to Queensland would see her continue her light vehicle apprenticeships at the workshop of Highfields Mechanical in Toowoomba and, in 2020, as a third-year apprentice, Gabrielle won the Capricorn Rising Star award. That same year she picked up the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year award, marking her out as a real automotive talent.
Five years on, and at just 27 years of age, Gabrielle is now playing an important role in one of the nation’s premier motorsport businesses. And her role working with the Mercedes-AMG GT4 team certainly keeps her busy.
“I service it, maintain it, and repair it in between race meets and testing, as well as on race weekends,” she explains. “But I also organise the crew, the equipment that we need, and the logistics as well – what needs to be in the truck, what spares we need, what the crew needs, and getting everything to and from race meets or testing.”
A “typical” week in her job barely exists. Preparation for each race meet starts well before the engines fire up.
“We start with planning,” she says. “We unpack the truck, get all our equipment out, start working on the car – inspecting for damage, servicing, doing a general check-over and clean. Then we talk to the engineers, debrief on what needs to change for the next test or race, and put that into process. After that, it’s logistics – what needs replacing or repairing – before setting the car up, packing the truck, heading to the race meet, and doing it all over again.” It’s a relentless cycle, but one on which she thrives.
THE JOURNEY BEGINS
Despite growing up around machinery – her father owned trucks and ran his own business – Gabrielle didn’t set out with a clear plan to work in motorsport, or even the automotive trade.
“My background is very agricultural,” she explains. “My dad drives trucks and owns his own business, so from a young age, I’d go to work with him, driving trucks, driving machinery, and doing basic maintenance.”
After finishing school, Gabrielle started her trade in Moree, completing about 13 months of her light vehicle apprenticeship there before moving to Toowoomba.
“I did the rest of my trade through Highfields Mechanical, which was an absolute game changer,” she says. “I absolutely loved working at Highfields. That was probably where I got my real petrolhead on! I loved the idea of high performance, speed, and how mechanically we could produce that.”
Working under the guidance of business owner Craig Baills, Highfields was also where Gabrielle’s talent and work ethic began turning heads. And it was winning the Capricorn Rising Star award and the MTA Queensland Apprentice of the Year award that would ultimately deliver opportunities Gabrielle hadn’t considered before as possible career pathways.
Part of the prize for winning the MTA Queensland award was to enjoy a two-week work experience stint with Triple Eight Race Engineering. While the COVID lockdowns and restrictions played havoc with the timing, it was a frustration that would, ultimately, pay off brilliantly.
“It took two years because COVID had locked everything down, and by then I was a fully qualified mechanic, but I finally got to do the two weeks’ work experience – and it just so happened to be before the Bathurst 1000,” she says.
That timing proved to be life-changing, and when Triple Eight invited Gabrielle to join the team at Bathurst after her work experience, she didn’t hesitate.
“The team said to me, ‘If you can get down there, if you can get yourself accommodation, we’d love to have you on board.’ So, I made some quick phone calls to a few friends and to Mum and Dad to see if I could borrow the LandCruiser and stay a couple of nights!’” she laughs.
Soon after Bathurst, and clearly having impressed all those who make the hiring decisions, Gabrielle was offered a job with Triple Eight as a subassembly mechanic. It was a bittersweet moment. Leaving Highfields Mechanical, and the people who had given her so much support, wasn’t easy, but Craig and the team were thrilled to see her leave for such an opportunity.
“It was a hard conversation because they had given me the absolute world. They had become my second family,” says Gabrielle. “But the only thing Craig was
sad about was that I wasn’t going to DJR – a competitor of Triple Eight!”
A TEAM EFFORT
Motorsport, Gabrielle says, isn’t just about cars. It’s about people.
“You work with engineers, mechanics – with so many people all trying to achieve the same goal. And there’s a camaraderie about teamwork. You rely on each other. You have each other’s back. And I thoroughly enjoy that – having that teamwork and that friendship. And we pride ourselves on that.”
Teamwork and support are plentiful, but the requirement of a strong work ethic is essential for anyone wanting to be a part of motorsport. And the rewards for going through the grind and doing the hard yards are vary satisfying.
“If you have an engine go at 6pm, you’re replacing it that night – there are no ifs or buts,” says Gabrielle with a smile. “You can’t throw in the towel. Be prepared to do the long hours. Be prepared to do the overtime and not get paid for it. It’s the memories you make by doing that – they’re the most valuable thing.”
WOMEN IN MOTORSPORT
Gabrielle is quick to acknowledge that motorsport and the wider automotive industry have become far more inclusive in recent years.
“I definitely believe the motorsport and automotive industries are very accepting of women,” she says. “I think people are finding that women pay a little more attention, and have that eye for detail . . . I don’t think anyone is looking for a gender role nowadays. I genuinely thing it’s based on work ethic and integrity.
“If you have a good work ethic and if you’re honest about your work and you take pride in your work, I think anyone’s willing to take you on.”
While the industry may be more inclusive today, Gabrielle is still very supportive of initiatives such as Auto Women, with which she has been involved since it was created in 2022. And she loves the idea of being able to mentor and advise young women taking a step into an automotive career.
“I didn’t really have many women mentors when I started out,” she says. “I had a lot of male champions – who were phenomenal – but I think there’s still a stigma out there that women shouldn’t be in the automotive industry. For me, mentoring gives me a chance to talk to younger generations: ‘What are you struggling with? How can we help?’
“We need mechanics, panel beaters, auto electricians, women race drivers – we need them all. This initiative is really important for the future.”
And the advice she can give to those aspiring to work in motorsport comes directly from her own experiences.
“Don’t limit yourself,” she says without hesitation. “Be open to opportunities, even if it means moving. Doing that changed my life so much . . . And just have a go. You will not learn unless you have a go. So have a go. And ask questions . . . There’s no such thing as a stupid question.”
Away from the racetrack, Gabrielle still has plenty of automotive passions. Her daily drivers include a Toyota Hilux – “my little runaround farm-girl ute” – a Subaru Liberty, and her pride and joy: a Holden Commodore SS V ute that she plans to modify. There are dream cars too, of course – ones she aspires to have tucked away in the garage one day.
“My dream car? There are too many to name, but I’ve always loved McLarens,” she laughs. “But honestly, if I had to sell my Commodore ute to buy a Maloo, I’d be happy. That would be the dream.”
At just 27, Gabrielle has plenty of time to get her hands on that Maloo (and the McLaren!) and to build on a career that is already marked with success achieved through hard graft and talent. That career journey will likely remain within motorsport, and whether it’s leading a GT4 race team, mentoring apprentices, or chasing podium finishes, one thing is certain – Gabrielle is just getting started.
