After a long race season and several hectic weeks at the Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600, V8 Supercar drivers Will Davison and Jaimie Whincup are heading to the Noosa Triathlon on 3 November to get among a totally different type of racing.
Swim, ride, run will replace massive horsepower, with the Noosa regulars grabbing the opportunity for a week of fun in the sun, before they wrap up the final two rounds of the V8 Supercars Championship in Melbourne and Newcastle.
For multiple Bathurst winner and Mustang driver, Will Davison, this will be his eighth Noosa Triathlon, a love affair with the event that started back in 2006.
“We are pretty thrilled to get back to Noosa. The one thing I look at, at the start of the year is see if the Noosa Triathlon dates clash with my motor racing commitments and whether I am available to compete.
“It is the event that got me started and involved with triathlon and an event that holds a special place in my heart. It is a week that I have always enjoyed and through thick and thin with my racing I have always looked forward to getting away there and competing.
“I was entered in my first Noosa Triathon by a trainer in Melbourne and I went on my own, didn’t know anyone and I did it as a real jump in the deep end. I didn’t end up getting back there until 2010 which was after I met the one and only Garth Prowd at an event at Maddill Holden when I was racing for the Holden Racing Team. I think of Garth every time I am in town. He got us up there for the triathlon that year and looked after us so incredibly well and we became quite good friends. We ended up going there in early 2011 and doing my team training camp and had Ben Kersten taking us out on rides and Darren Mercer took us swimming the surf and did a range of fitness stuff. From then on, I was at the triathlon for the next four or five years.
“Having missed it the last few years I was pretty pumped to be able to make it this year. I love the event, it is amazing but I will cruising this year. It is my first triathlon in 18 months. After I did a few 70.3 races a few years ago I ended up breaking my ankle and was out of running for more than a year and I have only just got back to very light running now, so I will have to take it easy. But I am just looking forward to getting out there.”
“As usual I have had a pretty manic year so heading to Noosa couldn’t be better timing. The only downside is that for the last month I haven’t had the time to do the sort of training I would like for a triathlon. I am pretty exhausted after the Gold Coast 600 but hanging out to get up to the Sunshine Coast, to put the feet up and get healthy and hopefully have some energy on the Sunday race day. I am sure I will find a way to be lifted up by the other competitors, the professionals and the amazing age groupers. It is a really positive environment and something I thrive on after the cut throat industry I am involved in every other weekend. It is refreshing to have no real pressure, other than to feel nice and strong,” he said.
Will’s former flatmate Jamie Whincup has just come off a very successful weekend’s racing at the Gold Coast 600 and like Davison he is looking forward to some well earn R&R and a great race on Sunday.
“It is always good to fire on home soil of the Gold Coast 600 and to have a one-two on both days, well, you can’t ask for anymore. Being on, concentration wise for a couple of hours each day really wears you out. So, I am a little bit slow for a few days and then I will be back in the swing of things and ready for a nice clean, healthy weekend.”
“Fitness is a big part of motorsport and we tend to do semi long distance cardio-vascular training, so we automatically are doing running, riding and swimming. Those three disciplines are fairly common for us, so it makes sense to compete in a triathlon every now and again.”
“Will had been to Noosa and he told me how good the event is and the big selling point was that during Noosa Tri the town full of really motivated and encouraging people. Which is really refreshing in this day and age. So, I went up for the first time and felt the vibe, it was unbelievable. Even if you aren’t competing it just energises you and gives you faith that the world is a good place and there are plenty of good people around. The way you are encouraged on the run and especially the last five km is really impressive and I really enjoyed myself.”
“We don’t have a huge amount of time to do much outside of motorsport but one event we do love doing is the Noosa Tri. So, when it is not clashing with the motor racing, I am there competing and having a good time.”
“I am really looking forward to the Tri but I won’t be pushing too hard with so much race competition on. I won’t be stretching myself out to break any records, I will be there for the enjoyment of it and if I am feeling good I will try and run home as quick as I can. It is just nice to be able to enjoy the weekend for what it is because there is enough pressure at the race meetings,” Jamie said.
