IndyCar drivers in Amazing Race mix
Former professional sports stars dominate this latest season of the long-running Some of them share their stories.
How far would Indianapolis 500 winner Alexander Rossi go to promote his sport? Around the world – and then some. Representing IndyCar, the Nevada City native and fellow driver Conor Daly are competing against athletes and adventurers of all kinds during Season 30 of The Amazing Race which begins airing on TVNZ2 on February 26.
‘‘It’s our obligation as IndyCar drivers to represent,’’ Rossi says. ‘‘It’s also very cool to be on one of the most successful reality shows ever and have an opportunity to win US$1 million.’’
Filmed over four weeks in late September and October, this season traverses 10 countries, 21 cities and more than 29,000 miles. Among the other teams Rossi and Daly competed against were former NBA players Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion, X Games skiers Kristi Leskinen and Jen Hudak and competitive eaters Joey Chestnut and Tim Janus.
‘‘We had a French fry race in Belgium and we were worried about Joey,’’ Daly notes. Fortunately, the race involved dressing up in French fry costumes, not devouring them. ‘‘That was a big relief,’’ Rossi adds.
‘‘We were up against 10 incredibly competitive teams,’’ Rossi says. ‘‘These were all people successful in their own fields and very competitive; we saw that right from the beginning. We became actually pretty good friends.’’
Both 26 and former roommates, Rossi and Daly spent a lot of time early in their racing careers in Europe, so they had a feel for multiple languages and constant travel. But they had never done such things as grade diamonds or answer clues in Icelandic. The Amazing Race rules also include such twists as the teammates had to stay within 20 feet of each other at all times, with Rossi always on Daly’s right on camera.
‘‘I never used a road map growing up,’’ Daly says, with regards to the challenges. ‘‘We always had Mapquest and GPS. It certainly was not easy.’’
‘‘This was not glamorous at all,’’ Rossi says. ‘‘We spent a lot of time in airports and sleeping on concrete floors. A lot we went through is never seen on TV. We were very much out of our comfort zone.’’
Says Daly, ‘‘You have to have an open mind – and be ready for anything.’’
Meanwhile, basketball duo Ceballos and Marion – who were both forwards for the Miami Heat – were convinced from the start that they could work well together
While the two never played together during their professional basketball tenures, Marion says the two share similar experiences from their time in the NBA that will help them stay on the same page during the race.
‘‘Once you have that basketball fraternity, you’re kind of bonded for life,’’ he says.
‘‘Shawn is quick, very witty. He has an ability to adapt to a lot of situations,’’ team-mate Ceballos says. ‘‘He can be a fool and he can also be super intelligent and figure things out quickly.’’
Marion, 39, describes Ceballos, 48, as the calm and even-keeled guy. ‘‘He is going to be the father and he is going to make sure that we got it in line,’’ he says.
Those skills were put to the test when the pair faced a zip-line challenge in Iceland.
‘‘Heights is not my thing, dangling is not my thing, but The Amazing Race has been a part of my family’s life for 29 seasons,’’ Ceballos says. ‘‘I didn’t want to, but it’s for the race.’’
The pair also say they appreciate that their former teammates and supporters from the NBA will be watching.
‘‘They want us to prove that we can do other things besides playing basketball,’’ Ceballos says. ‘‘They’re going to be ragging us, too . ... There’s going to be a lot of pressure.’’
When asked why he wanted to join The Amazing Race, Marion, who earned a championship ring with the Dallas Mavericks, a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics and millions of dollars during a 16-year career as a professional basketball player, says, ‘‘it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – so why not?’’.
‘‘This is one of the shows that you really got to want to do. People love watching it, but to do it? It was more challenging than people think.’’
Marion retired from the NBA in 2015, though he still plays pickup ball. He did some training for the competition, including rock climbing, but said it was difficult to prepare for the unknown and admits that he and Ceballos weren’t always on the same page.
‘‘We had a couple miscues here and there, but that’s part of it. When you’re teammates, you’re not going to agree on everything,’’ Marion says.
If Marion does wins the prize money, he plans to donate it to hurricane relief. He also didn’t rule out participating in reality TV competitions in the future since being on The Amazing Race has been a life-changing experience.
‘‘It’s some stuff that you would think you could never do. It put lots of things in perspective and it made me go back to thinking about how I grew up,’’ he says. ‘‘It also put a different light on me because I like to travel a lot. I’ve been around the world pretty much ... There’s a couple of places I’ve never been and to see the people and the following that I have, it was pretty dope.’’ – TNS
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