Cowboys lap up the excitement
THE North Queensland Cowboys will not be taking things slowly during their bye weekend as they suit up for some high- octane thrills at the Townsville 400.
Cowboys stars Kyle Feldt, Ethan Lowe, and Antonio Winterstein, coach Paul Green, and former player Glenn Hall will all be treated to a hot lap experience in the Toyota 86s.
They’ll tear around the Reid Park street circuit at speeds of more than 190km/ h, with experienced rally drivers Neal and Harry Bates doing their best to get the adrenalin pumping.
Green had the chance to experience a hot lap with Supercars driver Will Davison last year and he joked that he would ask the Toyota 86 drivers to take things a little easier with his star players.
“I’ve told the drivers to stick to the speed limit, just for safety reasons, but I don’t know how much they’ll listen to me,” Green said.
“There’s no brake pedal in front of your side, that’s the only downside.
“Every time you come to a corner, you’re looking for the brake, but it’s really exciting.
“I’ve told them to just hang on. It’s a bit of an adrenalin rush, so the boys are pretty excited about it.”
Neal Bates is a four- time Australian Rally champion while his son Harry leads the series and the duo said they were determined to show the rugby league stars what it was like behind the wheel of a racing car.
“If I got on the football field with them, then I’d be scared spitless,” Neal said.
“Even though they’re big, tough men they will probably feel the same with us.”
Harry added: “For sure, we’ll be going as fast as we can and try to put on the best show we can for them.
“I’m sure they’ve been around here before and know the road, but they’ll just be going around that road a little bit faster.”
It’s the first time the Toyota 86 Racing Series will come to Townsville, with two special Cowboys- branded cars to help mark the occasion.
The Cowboys don’t often have the chance to enjoy the Townsville 400, but with no football commitments this weekend, Green said they were keen to get behind the event.
“It’s perfect timing for us with the weekend off. We’re having a bit of a break, so we’re really excited to get out and have a look at how the cars get around there,” Green said.
“It should be a good weekend for Townsville. It’s a great event up here and I’m glad we can get behind it.”