Bathurst is tough, but race to Hobart is torture
23/12/2001 1:47 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
V8 Supercar battler Garry Holt reckons there’s one race tougher than the Bathurst 1000 – the Sydney to Hobart yacht race.
And he should know. Holt, a regular on the Konica Series circuit and three-time Bathurst starter, is preparing for his 14th blue water classic, to set sail on Boxing Day.
"Bathurst is tough. If it's a hot day you can get temperatures of up to 55-degrees in the car so the race is exhausting, no doubt about it,” Holt told The Age newspaper.
“But you don't come out with bumps and bruises all over your body and with a sore backside – and you recover from Bathurst a lot quicker."
The experienced yachtsman will this year skipper the 40-footer NipsNTux, a serious contender for handicap honours.
While the treacherous seas of Bass Straight are a world away from Mount Panorama, Holt said negotiating the 1000km Bathurst marathon is not unlike the 630 nautical mile journey to Hobart. Pre-race planning is the secret to success in both events.
"You need to have a strategy, to plan your race out ahead but be flexible enough to accommodate any changing conditions," he said.
The 44-year-old is hoping for a smoother journey than last year, when he was swept overboard in the middle of the night after the rudder of his vessel snapped.
Scarier than a locked brake through the Chase? You bet.
|
|
