It’s a far cry from the stress, speed and sound of a Bathurst 1000 motor race, but a week at Noosa Springs, on Queensland’s beautiful Sunshine Coast, was just the ticket for four of Australia’s leading V8 Supercars drivers.
James Courtney, Cam Waters, Thomas Randle and Declan Fraser – all members of the Melbourne-based Tickford Racing team – were at Noosa for training and team-building last week as they prepare for the 2023 Supercar series, which begins at Newcastle in mid-March.
During their stay they worked out in the Noosa Springs fitness centre, swam in the pool, took surfing lessons, cycled, hiked in the Noosa National Park, and relaxed with massages in the resort’s day spa.
They even had a visit from national swim champion Bowen Gough, who finished fourth in the final of the 200m butterfly at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He provided swim tips and spoke to the drivers.
“It always helps to hear from other elite sports people,” said Anthony Klarica, whose company, Elite Performance, conducted the training camp.
Klarica, author of The Performance Mindset, said he chose to visit Noosa “for the weather,” and because the Noosa Springs facilities provided everything the team needed.
Once known as Ford Performance Racing, Tickford Racing is one of the largest teams in the Supercars Championship, running four cars and campaigning with success across the country.
The team is led by 2010 Supercars champion James Courtney, a 15-time winner who enjoyed an illustrious development career in Europe and Japan before moving to Supercars in 2006.
Cam Waters, who has had podium finishes in the last three Bathurst 1000 races, was an Australian Formula Ford champion, won the 2017 Sandown 500 in just his second full Supercars season, and was the youngest ever Bathurst driver when he competed in 2011 at the age of 17.
Thomas Randle, a former karting star who graduated through the ranks of open wheel racing before stepping into Supercars, is about to begin his second season with Tickford Racing. He won the 2020 Super 2 Series and the 2014 Australian Formula Ford series.
Mackay’s Declan Fraser is the team newcomer, having won last year’s Super 2 Series and finishing eighth in his Bathurst debut alongside Craig Lowndes.
