Motorsport Australia is saddened to learn of the passing of long time official Ewan Cole.
  
From holding senior roles, such as Chief Scrutineer at the Australian Grand Prix and Technical Delegate for national categories, to educating officials around the country and overseas, Ewan was a highly talented individual who worked tirelessly to support Motorsport Australia and motorsport generally.   
 
Born in 1948, Ewan had an interest in motorsport and was a member of a car club throughout his 20s, however it wasn’t until the late 1970s when he first joined the sport in a volunteer official capacity.
 
A talented teacher of mathematics, Ewan was first introduced to scrutineering when he was working at Monterey Secondary College and was talked into attending an event by the well-known Normie Clark.
 
From that point on, Ewan never looked back and quickly worked his way up the ranks at club and state events in his initial years due to his remarkable organisational skills and enthusiasm for the sport.
 
In 1984, he had a breakthrough moment in his career when he was appointed assistant scrutineer to Angus Black at the Sandown 1000, which served as the season finale for the World Sportscar Championship.
 
His extraordinary ability was identified by Black, who appointed him as the second-in-command scrutineer at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix the following year – a position he held at every Australian Grand Prix in Adelaide until it moved to Melbourne.
 
During this time, he was also appointed as the Technical Delegate for the national Porsche series, which is now known as Porsche Paynter Dixon Carrera Cup Championship.
 
When the Australian Grand Prix began its new chapter at Albert Park in 1996, Black was given a new role and Ewan was the obvious candidate to take over as Chief Scrutineer – a position he held and excelled at for more than two decades.
 
In the 2000s, Ewan was appointed as the Technical Delegate for the Australian GT Championship when it was owned by Tony Quinn.
 
Considered one of the most senior scrutineers in Australia, he was often called upon to attend events around the country that saw him regularly scrutineer in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland.
 
Not only was Ewan travelling around the country, but he also played an important role as a Senior Trainer on the Motorsport Australia International Training Team, which helped train and educate officials in Bahrain, Singapore, Korea, Russia and Vietnam for their respective Formula 1 Grands Prix.
 
Ewan was also a member of the Motorsport Australia Officials’ Commission and has acted as  Chairman of the Victorian Officials’ Panel. Ewan’s outstanding knowledge, experience and positive attitude had a profound influence on both Australian and International motorsport.
 
Just this year, Ewan was in the national spotlight when he was awarded Life Membership at the Motorsport Australia National Award gala dinner in February for his outstanding contribution to motorsport over a period of more than four decades.
 
Ewan is survived by his wife Julene, his three children and six grandchildren.
 
A memorial service will be held for Ewan at Handley & Anderson Chapel in Wonthaggi at 11am AEST on 13 April.