MONDAY, JULY 6: Townsville-bound James Courtney believes cycling the same distance as the 3,450km Tour de France every nine weeks in training will help him beat the heat and lead the V8 Supercar peloton when the category makes its historic debut in North Queensland later this week.

The Jim Beam Racing Falcon driver has been cycling close to 400km each week this year as part of a fitness program he says will provide crucial benefits in the sixth event of the V8 Supercar Championship in tropical Townsville.

"Driving two 200km races on a street circuit in Townsville's climate will be a survival of the fittest," said Courtney, who travels to North Queensland today.

"I'm expecting in-car temperatures around 60-degrees, like our races in Darwin and Adelaide, but Townsville will be more challenging because we have to learn a new track."

"Cycling helps my aerobic fitness, increasing oxygen delivered to muscles and improving endurance. Being in good shape also makes it easier to concentrate during long, hot driving stints like we will have in Townsville."

Courtney's program is a mixture of riding his Cervelo S2 bicycle on flat roadway courses around the Gold Coast at sea level, and also hillclimbs to nearby Springbrook and Beechmont mountains, which have an altitude of 900m.

"Springbrook and Beechmont are nothing like the Alpe d'Huez (14.4km climb to 1,860m altitude in Tour de France), but they are steep enough to get you up and out of the saddle and stress you physically and mentally," he said.

Courtney, who finished on the Bathurst 1000 podium in each of the past three years, believes it is impossible to predict the outcome of the races on the newly-built 2.8km Townsville track, which is expected to produce average lap speeds of about 140-km/h.

"I've seen a map of the (track) layout, but none of us have raced there before so it's a level playing field," he said. "The challenge for teams and drivers will be to work through practice to find a good car set-up that maximises tyre life, and then qualify near the front of the grid."

Courtney said that while his cycling training was demanding, it was made easier because he developed an interest in the sport during his decade overseas (1995-2005) when he won two kart world championship titles, and raced Formula Ford, Formula 3, and was a Formula One test driver for Jaguar.

"The Tour de France is much bigger in places like Europe and Britain where I was living, compared to Australia," said Courtney. "I follow the tour every year, and while I'm in Townsville this week I'll be keeping an eye on how Cadel Evans and the other Aussie riders are going in France."

Courtney's fitness program also includes four gymnasium sessions each week, with weight training, under guidance from British sports therapist Phil Young.

Young moved to the Gold Coast in 2007 after previously working in Formula One over an eight-year period with drivers including Briton Jenson Button, Italians Jarno Trulli and Giancarlo Fisichella, and Australia's Mark Webber.

Between races, Young monitors Courtney's hand-eye co-ordination, reaction speeds, and peripheral vision on a Batak performance training apparatus.

"Phil (Young) also comes to the track and helps me with things like boxing before qualifying, to get my blood pumping and warm the muscles, and light massages before races," said Courtney.

Practice in Townsville will be held on Friday, with separate qualifying sessions and 72-lap races on each of the following two days.

Courtney finished sixth in the 2008 championship. This year his best race result is second at Hamilton in New Zealand, but incidents in Adelaide and Tasmania, and a mechanical issue at Winton, have contributed to leave him currently 18th in this year's series.

MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Mike Porter - Tel: (0417) 311-997. E-mail: mikep@qldnet.com.au

WEBSITE: http://www.jamescourtney.com.au

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