“Looking back, you think, I would have loved to spend more time at home, but life is what it is and you make the most of it. The job has given us extraordinary benefits as well, so I have no complaints – I am very grateful.”
As for how his kids feel about having their old man on TV, Mark says “they take it all in their stride”.
“At first they thought everyone’s dad was on TV,” he laughs. “Then as they got older it certainly became dorky, right up until we had Katy Perry at the Sydney Opera House and I could take them to that, then dad’s job wasn’t so bad anymore.”
But, if Mark ever gets too big for his boots, he adds that his kids and wife are the first to let him know.
“I have a wonderful wife, Rach, who keeps me grounded and my two kids let me get away with nothing,” he adds.
“They are the great levellers. If I ever come home feeling too good about myself, they bring me back to earth. To them I’m just husband and dad.”
Despite Mark’s wishes to spend more family time at home, his kids have still picked up his passion for watching motorsports.
“We go to the track quite a bit and they really enjoy it,” he says. “Not quite to the same extent as me, but they’ve got the bug.”
So, they will no doubt be tuning in as Mark hosts Seven’s coverage of the Repco Bathurst 1000 race live from the Mount Panorama circuit.
“It’s one of my favourite sporting events and every time I see the big Mount Panorama sign, I get tingles,” says Mark.
“I used to watch it as a kid – we would sit down and watch it as a family. It was a big part of my life.”
In fact, Mark even admits that he considered becoming a racing driver himself when he was younger, but there was only one problem…
“I mean, I would have loved to, but unfortunately I lack a lot of the skill needed to do it,” he says with a laugh.
Instead, he will have to settle for watching the race trackside, and he says there are a few drivers that he will be keeping an extra close eye on this year.
“I love watching Jamie Whincup – he is retiring at the end of the year,” says Mark.
“But, I’m also looking forward to seeing some of the young guns as well, like Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki, they are forcing themselves to the top of the pack and they are the next generation of incredible drivers.
“Although for me, Shane van Gisbergen is the one to watch. I think he will be hard to beat.”
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