Mark Skaife to teach celebrities to drive

When 20 brand new Mazda6's hit the Albert Park F1 Grand Prix track in mid March, Mark Skaife's reputation could take a beating - especially if the cars do.

'Skaifey' is a five-time V8 Supercar champion and will take the role of lead driver trainer for the 20 celebrity participants in the Mazda6 Celebrity Challenge, one of the support races at the 2013 Australian F1 GP.

Only eight of the 20 drivers have been confirmed at this stage, including Australia’s greatest Paralympian ever, Matthew Cowdrey and London Olympics cycling gold medalist Anna Meares.

Former Collingwood AFL star Chris Tarrant will be racing, as will media personality Em Rusciano, Mark Beretta, celebrity chef Shane Delia, Britain’s most accomplished Olympian Sir Chris Hoy MBE and former Miss Universe Australia, Rachel Finch.

Mark Skaife says the Celebrity Challenge - always a hit with spectators, due to the abundance of crashes and fender bending - is a serious event: all drivers undergo a thorough three-day training course, the end of which should lead to a CAMS racing license.

"We have undertaken this type of driver training before and many of the participants have said it is one of the best weeks of their lives," said Mr Skaife.

"For my team and me, when it comes to teaching a celebrity how to drive a race car, they need to learn the key competencies such as car handling and braking and understanding line and length to reach requisite racing driver status."

Mark Skaife is Australia's most successful V8 Supercar driver, with 90 race victories to his name, and he has six Bathurst 1000 trophies in his cabinet too. The five-time V8 Supercar championship winner is one of the architects of the Car of the Future rule system allowing new manufacturers (including Nissan and Mercedes-Benz) to race in V8SC in 2013, and he says the training for the celebrity racers improves general driving, not just competitive motor sport.

"A lot of what the drivers learn will improve their driving skills, not just on the race track but also on the road."

Just as road rage is an issue on public roads as drivers lose their cool, the celebrity racers must also deal with what at times feels like uncontrollable aggression.

"Those involved in the Mazda6 Celebrity Challenge will be, by nature, quite competitive," says Mr Skaife. "They all want to do well and it is our job to teach them how to stay safe and enjoy the experience while keeping them under control - which can be quite a challenge at times."

The Mazda6 vehicles being raced are fitted with roll cages to improve safety, but apart from that the cars are bog standard. That means six-speed automatic transmissions, 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engines that generate 138kW/250Nm and regular road tyres.

The Mazda6 Celebrity Challenge will kick off on Thursday March 14 with practice and qualifying, then three subsequent races on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the F1 GP.

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