|
|
Team Hi-Tec
|
|
Team Profile
By David Thomsen, Quokka Sports |
|
|
|
|
Team Hi-Tec, one of five teams with two men and two women, is expected to be one of the top finishers this year. But its team member's aren't making any predictions. That is, in terms of who they'll beat. "We're predicting pain and sleeplessness," said Terry Schneider, a 39-year-old veteran of four Eco-Challenge races.
"There's an inexplicable connection between people who have raced together," explains Kelly. "It's not sexual, but it's intimate."
Go to Team Hi-Tec | |
Teammate Karen Lundgren, who finished eleventh in last year's Eco-Challenge and eighth the year before, agreed. "It's going to hurt, we're going to suffer, we're going to be miserable," she said.
Though extremely experienced as individuals, the four gregarious and friendly members of Team Hi-Tec have never raced as a unit in the Eco-Challenge. To prepare, they have been racing successfully in shorter competitions all year, winning several Hi-Tec and Cal Eco races. "We like racing together," said Lundgren.
But team captain David Kelly, 35 and a five-time Eco-Challenger, is cautious about translating their success in shorter races to this year's Eco-Challenge. "It's a different beast when you aren't sleeping," he said. "You need to make good decisions on little sleep."
Continued Schneider, an endurance coach and professional racer from Santa Cruz, California, "This race isn't about athleticism. It's about the decisions you make and the ability to endure."
Though democratic in theory, the articulate Kelly, who's rippling calves could pass for thighs, is the designated navigator and leader on the team, taking ultimate responsibility for group decisions. "None of us ever blame him," explained Schneider, clearly confident in Kelly's abilities. "It's always a collective issue."
While Kelly makes the decisions during the race, Hi-Tec's fourth member, the thoughtful and quietly confident Jacques Boutet, 44, keeps them entertained. "He'll be the one telling all the good stories," explained Schneider.
The sole non-Californian, Boutet, from Alaska, has competed in three Eco-Challenge races. Finishing 11th last year with Lundgren and Kelly, he attributes part of his success to his ability to function on little sleep. "I have no real sleep schedule," he said.
"If we stop for two minutes, Jacques can sleep," said Schneider. Boutet runs a 12-employee civil engineering company when not racing.
Having experienced plenty of previous endurance races, the members of Team Hi-Tec are able to freely discuss the philosophical side of high-stress competition. And it's clear they quite enjoy it. "Adventure racing doesn't make somebody but it certainly reveals them," said Kelly. "It peels away many veneers."
It's also clear that the team enjoys each other's company, bouncing jokes around, laughing and talking openly. "There's an inexplicable connection between people who have raced together," explains Kelly. "It's not sexual, but it's intimate."
Indeed, if team camaraderie is any indication, Hi-Tec will finish near the top in Sabah. "The Eco-Challenge is the pinnacle of our year," said Schneider. "All roads lead to Eco-Challenge."
Go to Team Hi-Tec
Go to Teams Index
Go to Home Page
|
|
|
|
|