RIP Alison Drower
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 29 September 2025
The motorsport and media worlds are remembering the life of Alison Drower, who has died after a short battle with cancer.
Drower is the wife of rally star Rick Bates and the mother of current Supercars wildcard rookie Zach Bates.
She passed away on Sunday after a short battle with cancer in Canberra with family by her side.
While she was a star of MTV Australia and radio, she also had a big presence in motorsport, behind the microphone and on the track, participating in TARGA Tasmania’s.
Drower was a big part of the Channel Ten era of broadcasting, performing key roles on the RPM show with Greg Rust, plus V8 Supercars telecasts.
She also hosted PROCAR rounds and helped pave the way for many other female motorsport media members.
On MTV Australia, she rose to prominence alongside Richard Wilkins, and interviewed the biggest names in music, including John Farnham and Jon Stevens, and on the radio read breakfast news with Doug Mulray on Triple M Sydney.
She eventually rose to become Regional News Director for Southern Cross Austereo.
As Zach Bates put on a show on his Supercars debut in Ipswich, he gave a shoutout to his mum on the TV coverage.
“My family has put in so much sacrifice to get here and my sponsors so it is great to have them here. My beautiful mum is at home, she is going through a tough time,” he said after making the Shootout.
RPM and 10 Motorsport colleague Rust penned an emotional message on social media.
“I want you to spend a moment on Alison Drower beside me. Please keep Zach & Rick Bates in your thoughts along with the entire Bates & Drower families. They have lost a Mum, a wife & a beautiful Aunty,” he wrote.
“My thoughts are also with the tight crew from RPM & Ten Motorsport during that special period of our lives, particularly those behind the scenes.
“When you think about it Ali was among the pioneers for women in motorsport in Australia well before it became the excellent initiative it is today.
“As a lead & features reporter for RPM she brought a balance that was needed beyond the hard core love the rest of us had. Ali injected laughs & a sense of fun that helped unmask the competitors & see more of their wonderful personalities.
“She once blindsided Neil Crompton with a cheeky line about a Map of Tassie as they covered the Targa Tasmania Rally. Crompo is such a pro I’ve only heard him laugh that loudly (on air) a couple of times in my career. She got him that day.
“That wit & sense of fun came from years at Triple M reading news including for the legendary Doug Mulray. Many of you will remember Uncle Doug from his Channel 7 appearances in the Bathurst coverage & the hilarious gags he brought. His breakky radio show was massive… juggernaut & golden era aren’t good enough descriptions for it.
“Ali had a longstanding career in the media (a business that can be a brutal roller coaster ride) because of her talent & commitment. There was a stint at MTV in its very early days in this part of the world & she was part of the team on the Australian Rally Championship coverage in the early 2000’s as well.
“Most of all I reckon one of the keys to her success is the person she was. I actually can’t comprehend that – was. She should still be here with that infectious smile & a vibrancy that the rest of us were fortunate enough to drink in.
“Go well at Bathurst Zach. She was so proud of you mate! God I hate cancer.”
Drower’s most recent role as at ARN where she worked with Fiona Ellis-Jones, who penned a heartfelt tribute.
“Ali Drower was a giant of the Australian news industry,” Ellis-Jones wrote on Media Week.
“She had a rare mix of curiosity, strategic insight and sharp intellect that made her one of the most remarkable minds in news.
“Ali could look at any challenge and instantly see the opportunities. She knew the people who could make it work, and the resourcing and scheduling it required. She understood audiences, whether in Sydney or Scottsdale.
“She also had a wicked sense of humour and loved a good yarn – preferably over a good wine. Ali was deeply passionate about the role of regional journalism and dedicated to mentoring the next generation of radio talent.
“Her legacy lives on in the hundreds of journalists she mentored and the leaders she inspired. More than anything else, Ali was a mum and a wife.
“My thoughts are with her husband Rick and her beloved Zachy.”
Auto Action sends its deepest condolences and thoughts to the Bates and Drower families.
Image: Peter Norton Epic Sports Photography
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