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Paralympic champion Don Elgin is the
latest Australian sporting legend invited to drive in the Celebrity Challenge
race at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. |
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Paralympic champion Don Elgin is the
latest Australian sporting legend invited to drive in the Celebrity Challenge
race at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Elgin will be
joined in the Celebrity Challenge by an all-star list of
Australian sporting heroes from a broad range of sports
including netball, cricket, ALF, rugby, athletics, cycling,
tennis and surfing.
"I’ve always
wanted the chance to take a spin on a GP track - this is a
once in a life-time opportunity”, said Elgin, who was born
without the lower portion of his left leg. “I’ve never let
my difference be a barrier – having been brought up in a
sports mad family I was happy to give anything a go,” said
Elgin, whose sporting history includes success in discus,
long jump, 400m and 100m sprints, “I’m looking forward to
competing against the other recruits – no doubt the field
will be extremely competitive”.
Winner of three
Paralympic medals at the Athens Paralympics in 2004, and
bronze at the Sydney 2000 games, Elgin has inspired many
with his passion, determination and drive to succeed. Making
his make his first Australian team at 18 years of age, Elgin
went to the 1994 World Championships in Berlin, where he won
a gold medal as part of the 4 x 100m relay team. Following
this event, Don’s focus moved from the sprint events to the
Pentathlon.
Entertaining and
an all-round larrikin, Elgin represented Australia for 10
years and now is a regular corporate and motivational
speaker. The use of a prosthetic limb will help Elgin on his
way around the track as he races to beat the other
contenders for pole position.
Drivers
announced in the Celebrity Challenge line-up include:
• Nathan Buckley
– 280-game Aussie Rules superstar (20 games with Brisbane;
260 games with Collingwood); Brownlow medallist (2003); Norm
Smith Medallist (2002); All Australian team (1996, 1997,
1998, 2001).
• Luke Darcy –
226-game Aussie Rules champion with the Western Bulldogs;
All Australian team (2002); Charles Sutton Medal (Western
Bulldogs Best & Fairest – 2001).
• Glenn Archer –
311-game Aussie Rules hero with the Kangaroos (North
Melbourne); Players’ Choice Shinboner (selected as the
player most epitomizing the heart and soul of the
Kangaroos); Norm Smith Medallist (1996); All Australian team
(1996, 1998, 2002).
• Ben Tune -
Australian Rugby Union winger; member of 1999 World Cup
winning Wallaby squad.
• Nicole Pratt –
icon of women’s tennis; Australian Federation Cup team (1998
– 2007); fourth round Australian Open (2003 – first
Australian woman to reach the fourth round in ten years);
second round Sydney Olympics (2000); third round Athens
Olympics (2004).
• Stephanie
Gilmore – Women’s surfing world champion. Gilmore; first
rookie in the history of the sport to take the world title.
• Michael Slater
– cricket legend; individual highlights including his 219
against Sri Lanka in Perth in 1995-96; and his brilliant
home series against New Zealand in 1993-94 (which netted him
305 runs at 76.25) and England (623 runs at 62.30) in
1994-95.
• Nick Green –
Olympic rower and member of Oarsome Foursome; dual Olympic
Gold Medallist (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996); winner of
four world titles.
• Zoe Goss -
Women's cricket great; best remembered for taking the wicket
of Brian Lara in the Don Bradman charity match at the SCG in
December 1994.
All drivers will
take to the wheel of the new Fiat 500, winner of 2008
European Car of the Year and the most sought after vehicle
in Europe. Australian and New Zealand production has already
been snapped up for the first three months of supply, even
without prices and specs announced.
The introduction
of the new car for this year’s celebrity race is one of many
fresh innovations announced by the Australian Grand Prix
Corporation in recent months, all aimed at ensuring the 2008
event will be the most exciting in its thirteen year
history. The ever-popular V8 Supercars will return, racing
in an exciting new format will seek to determine once and
for all, which is the best – Holden or Ford. The four-day
premier motor sport event will conclude with a full concert
from rock legendary rock band Kiss for all race-goers on
Sunday, 16 March. Kids aged 12 and under will receive free
admission to this year’s GP, when accompanied by a paying
adult.
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