Pedal to the metal for Aussie heroes at 2008 F1 ING AGP

The heat will be on as a competitive field of sporting heroes contests the annual Celebrity Challenge driving new Fiat 500s at this year's Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

The Celebrity Challenge will feature an all-star cast from a broad range of sports including netball, cricket, AFL, rugby, athletics, cycling, tennis and surfing.

The stellar lineup will include:

Glenn Archer: 311-game Aussie Rules hero with the Kangaroos (North Melbourne); Players' Choice Shinboner; Norm Smith Medallist (1996). 

Nathan Buckley: 280-game Aussie Rules superstar (20 games with Brisbane; 260 games with Collingwood); Brownlow medallist (2003); Norm Smith Medallist (2002). 

Luke Darcy: 226-game Aussie Rules champion with the Western Bulldogs; All Australian team (2002); Charles Sutton Medal (Western Bulldogs Best & Fairest: 2001). 

Don Elgin: Winner of three Paralympic medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympics, and bronze at the Sydney 2000 games. Gold medal with the 4 x 100m relay team in the Berlin 1994 World Championships.

Stephanie Gilmore: Women's surfing world champion. The girl they call "Happy Gilmore" was the first rookie in the history of the sport to take the world title.  

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. 

Nick Green: Olympic rower and member of Oarsome Foursome; dual Olympic Gold Medalist (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996); winner of four world titles. 

Shane Heal: Australian Olympic basketball champ and former NBL Rookie of the Year; best known for going toe-to-toe with NBA legend Charles Barkely in a practice game between Australia and the USA Dream Team

Robbie Kearns: Former Melbourne Storm Captain and Australian Rugby World Cup representative.

Steve Moneghetti: Champion long-distance runner who has competed in four Olympics, won gold at the Commonwealth Games in 1994 in Melbourne, and silver in Auckland 1990.

Mark Philippoussis: Tennis hero who in 1994 was the youngest player ever to end the year in the top 50. Upset Pete Sampras in the 1996 Australian Open and faced Roger Federer in the 2003 Wimbledon final.

Nicole Pratt: Women's tennis icon. Australian Federation Cup team (1998 - 2007); fourth round in the 2003 Australian Open; second round Sydney Olympics (2000); third round Athens Olympics (2004) 

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 and England in 1994-95.  

Ben Tune: Australian Rugby Union winger; member of 1999 World Cup winning Wallaby squad.

To comment on this article click here