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Perth carpenter wins WA leg of the Irwin Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman Challenge |
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Wednesday, 14 May 2008 |
Nathan Vander Wielen of Eaton in Perth will be the Western Australian
representative at the Australia/New Zealand final of the Irwin Industrial Tools
Ultimate Tradesman Challenge at the Bathurst 1000 in October.
The 27-year-old beat over 200 other competitors to win the Barbagallo Raceway
leg at last weekend’s Bigpond 400 V8 Supercar event.
Vander Wielen
completed the challenge in just 22.10 seconds winning $1000 of IRWIN Tools and a
trip to Bathurst to compete in the ANZ Final and the chance to go on to win
$US1.26 million.
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.
Vander Wielen took part in the
challenge on each day of the event, setting his quickest time on the Sunday.
“I’m over the moon to have won it and I can’t wait for Bathurst,” said
Vander Wielen.
“As a chippie I use quite a lot of the Irwin Industrial
Tools range, now I’ll have to go out and put a whole set in my kit!
“My
partner convinced me to have a go at the Ultimate Tradesman Challenge and I set
a very good time of around 26 seconds. I then came back the next day for a
serious go and I was thrilled with my time.
“I love my V8s - especially
the Fords. Bathurst has always been a race I wanted to see – now to be actually
going is unreal.
“To have the chance to win the Australian and New
Zealand IRWIN Ultimate Tradesman Challenge and get a look inside the IRWIN
Racing team is just awesome.
“The guys from IRWIN have been telling me
how serious the competition will be at Bathurst. I can’t think that my effort to
win last weekend will be enough. I’ll have to get into some serious training
ahead of the final.”
Vander Wielen joins Victorian plumber Shaun Puddy
(current time: 23.71) who won the South Australian leg at the Clipsal 500 and
Auckland builder Damian Max (current time 23.82) who won the Hamilton 400
Ultimate Tradesman Challenge.
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 on November
9, in Phoenix where they have the chance to become a millionaire.
The
next qualifying round for the IRWIN Industrial Tools Ultimate Tradesman
Challenge will be held at the next round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series,
the Midas 400 at Sandown International Raceway on 7-9 June.
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Perth's Nathan Vander Wielen is the winner in
the WA leg of the Ultimate Tradesman Challenge
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