The Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge wrapped up on Sunday and Ryan Sandes, racing with V8 driver Rick Kelly, placed 7th overall.
As far as days 3, 4 and 5 went…
A post on the Red Bull Australia site says, “Day three was brutal for Rick Kelly and Ryan Sandes as, for the first time, they undertook all the optional checkpoints on top of an already-gruelling Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge race course. Team Red Bull now stands in 6th place overall, with two days to go”.
On Day 4 they has a couple of navigation issues. “After making up time on the leading teams, Team Red Bull’s Rick Kelly and Ryan Sandes endure a couple of misadventures that threaten to undo all the hard work they did to gain on the winners. The rope climb high above the treetops rattle Ryan’s nerves and both of them are shaken after their kayak capsizes in the final stretch. Despite everything, all the extra checkpoints were achieved and the Team is now placed 7th, with just one day left to improve their position.”
And on Sunday, the final stage, the site reports, “Team Red Bull placed 7th overall following the final day of the Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge. Rick Kelly and Ryan Sandes exceeded all expectations as debutante adventure racers and put in a top effort on this last, gruelling day, set in and around the city of Hobart.”
There are videos of the pair for each stage on the Red Bull site.
This five-day staged race began in Freycinet National Park and moved each day to a different location, taking in the Tasman Peninsula, Bruny Island and the Hartz Mountains before concluding with a race to reach nine different peaks in and around Hobart, Tasmania. 28 teams took part.