Jeff Cartwright of Rosebud (Victoria) has set an incredible time of 12.42 to win the Queensland leg of the Irwin Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge at the Willowbank round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.
The carpenter now goes to the Australia / New Zealand Final at Bathurst for a chance to attend the World Final and win up to US$1.26 million.
Cartwright become the third Victorian representative, joining Rye plumber Shaun Puddy who won the South Australian leg at the Clipsal 500 and Taylors Lakes joiner Sam Garetto who won the Victorian segment at Sandown.
Also attending the Bathurst final will be West Australian carpenter Nathan Vander Wielen and Auckland builder Damian Max. The New South Wales winner will be decided on the same weekend as the Australia / New Zealand Final at the Bathurst 1000 on 9-12 October.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have won,” said Cartwright.
“I had seen all the publicity around the Irwin Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge and decided to have a go at Sandown. I had seen how quick Sam Garetto was to win that leg so I got myself a full set of Irwin Industrial Tools and went home and built my own challenge to practice on.”
“I decided to give the family a Queensland holiday and attend the race to see if I could win. To set the time I did was just amazing!”
“I can’t wait for Bathurst. I really enjoy the V8s, although I didn’t see too much in Queensland as I was concentrating on the Challenge!”
“I’d really love to win the Australia / New Zealand Final, the chance to go to the US and win up to US$1.26 million is just incredible.”
“I’ll keep practicing up until then as I’m sure the other winners will be taking it just as seriously as I am!”
The Irwin Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge, which launched in February at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, requires competitors to measure, mark and drill a piece of wood, using IRWIN tools as quickly and accurately as possible.
The champion of the Australia and New Zealand’s Ultimate Tradesman Challenge will win a trip to the USA. There they will compete in the IRWIN International Ultimate Tradesman Challenge in Phoenix where they have the chance to become a millionaire.
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