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Two of Italy’s top adventure athletes - Marco Ponteri, 38, and Telemaco Murgia, 37 - will contest the gruelling five-day event in Tasmania wilderness. The Team Pirelli pair are both champion mountain bike, trail running and kayaking athletes, but will be up against stiff competition from around the world.
Created by the Formula One driver in 2003, the Swisse Mark Webber Tasmania Challenge raises funds for the Mark Webber Foundation which has donated than $1 million for charities such as the ‘Leukemia Foundation’ and ‘Save the Tasmanian Devil’ Appeal.
During the event from December 7-11, teams will compete in stages of climbs and abseiling at Freycinet Peninsula, paddling along the coastal cliffs and hidden bays of the Tasman Peninsula, running and mountain biking across the forests of Bruny Island and Alpine terrain, plus a spectacular ropes course, a whitewater paddling leg and one of the longest stretches of downhill bike riding in the island state.
Mark Webber says he welcomes the news that Pirelli had secured two of Italy’s best adventure athletes to compete in the Challenge. “The calibre of both Marco Ponteri and Telemaco Murgia as Team Pirelli raises the bar for all involved in the event,” Webber says.
“It will be quite a sight to see them demonstrate their extraordinary skills and we are thrilled to have them on board.”
Ponteri, who regularly competes in adventure events across the world, says he is eager to push himself to the limit in the Challenge. “It is an exciting opportunity to take part in such a unique competition in what must be one of the most beautiful and challenging courses in the world,” Ponteri says.
“I am very proud to be representing Pirelli and Italy in such a wonderful event, which not only will test the strength and endurance of the athletes but ultimately deliver some good outcomes to a diverse range of charities.”
Pirelli Tyres Australia managing director Alessandro Marchi says the event is a great fit for the Italian brand. “Our further engagement in this exciting adventure race and the causes it supports, through the Mark Webber Foundation, is part of a long Pirelli tradition of taking part in community projects and activities all over the world that contribute to education, health and research,” he says.
“We look forward to welcoming ‘Team Pirelli’ to Tasmania and cheering them on as they test their skills and strength in some of the most pristine wilderness in the world.”
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