Given the fact that Mark Webber once revealed that one of his favourite possessions was his kayak, you can see why a quiet and contemplative winter season is not this Red Bull Racing driver’s idea of how to fill the time before the Grand Prix start up again next March. 

Therefore, last week, Mark could be found tackling the eponymous Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge, held in Tasmania of course, aptly described as “Australia’s Adventure Capital.”  A grueling seven days of torture is the attraction of the Challenge for the type of person who never even has time to take the Cellophane wrapping off their sofa, let alone sit on it and watch television.

Each day involves a mix of cycling, mainly off road, running and kayaking. A course which involves up to 80 kilometres a day means this event is a true sport rather than some publicity stunt, but publicity itself is very welcome, as the main purpose of the event is to raise money for some worthwhile charities. 

The Challenge started at Cradle Mountain as the field of sixty, including three Olympic athletes, tackled the first challenge with the prospect of 450 kilometres ahead of them. Apart from the physical demands, the event also requires a bit of brainpower, as map reading and other forms of navigation are all part of a day’s work, which must come as a shock to a Formula 1 driver who usually only has to turn right several times an afternoon on a clearly defined track!

The will to win is evidently very strong with grand prix drivers even away from the track and at one point Mark was spotted jumping from one raft to another that was traveling a bit quicker, although a fellow competitor pointed out that Webber was just in a hurry to get to lunch. 

Last Friday 23 November, was the final day and it involved some “urban challenges which included  an 11km bike  ride, a 6km kayak and then a very unusual challenge of abseiling  off the Wrest Point casino tower, a well known landmark in the Tasmanian capital, Hobart,  before a run through the  town centre to the finish line. Despite the fact that driving an F1 car at crazy speeds is all in a day’s work for Webber, apparently he is not a great lover of heights, so launching himself off a tall building was not his favourite part of the event. Overall winners were the superhuman New Zealand husband and wife team of Richard and Elina Ussher.

Mark completed the entire event, finishing in the top half of the order, but his team-mates changed on a daily basis to boost the publicity.

Red Bull