Frosty to hit the footy field
Mark Winterbottom will trade the roar of the engine for the roar of the crowd as he runs on to the field at Etihad Stadiumto play in the AFL Ray White EJ Whitten Legends Game on Tuesday night in Melbourne.
Celebrating its 20th year, the EJ Whitten Legends Game pits the 'Vics' against the 'All Stars', reeling in former players and celebrities to face off on the field for a state of origin game of Aussie Rules.
'Frosty' will feature in the All Stars team - captained by former Hawks premiership player and Brownlow medalist Shane Crawford - with a host of big footy names including Lenny Hayes, Nathan Bock and Billy Brownless. Also on his team will beAbbey Holmes,the first Australian Rules Football player to kick 100 goals in an established women's league, returning for her second crack at the legends game.
"That moment, to run out on the field at a big stadium for a cool game ... there's only a select few that get to do it and mugs like me get go and try it as well!" Winterbottom said.
"It's going to be good fun, a really cool feeling, and something different to V8 Supercars because we've got [the] helmet, headphones on and stuff so we don't hear the crowd while we're driving. But at Etihad [Stadium] we're going to hear the people cheering while we're kicking so it's going to be cool."
Out of the car, Winterbottom trains with AFL team the Essendon Bombers - his fitness and concentration need to be top notch to tackle the harsh conditions in the car, particularly during the longer, hotter races, like the upcoming Castrol EDGE Townsville 400.
"I'm lucky that I train with the Bombers, they've given me a few tips and I can flesh out their sport a bit more," the Ford driver said.
"It's cool to get out on the field and see how I go - I'm well out of my league but I've got good teammates so I'm pretty confident that they'll help me out."
To get some tips ahead of the game, Winterbottom caught up with All Stars teammate and Darwin local Holmes at Hidden Valley Raceway last weekend.
Frosty was impressed by Holmes' goal count, and was excited about the chance to play on a team with other elite athletes.
"It's good to play with different people and share the codes and V8 Supercars is way apart from AFL but there are similarities as well. So it's just cool to hang out with elite sportsmen and women and be part of it, it's going to be good fun," he said.
Holmes believes the V8 Supercars Championship leader will be a surprise package in the legends game.
"I think he'll definitely hold the fort through that midfield, I've heard he's pretty fit, training with the Essendon Bombers, and ... finishing top five in their time trials," she said.
"I reckon throw him in the deep end in the middle, give him a run around through there."
Holmes was pleased to get called back for the EJ Whitten Legends Game, this year to be her second time in the event, which is played in the memory of 'Mr Football' Ted Whitten, to raise awareness of prostate cancer and men's health promotion.
"[It's] the 20th year of the EJ Whitten Legends game [and] is something very close to my heart, my grandfather suffering from prostate cancer and beating that disease in the past," Holmes said.
The game kicks off at 7.45pm EST Tuesday night - can Frosty's team be as successful on the footy field as it has been on the racetrack?
