AR World Championship 2005
No Home Advantage For Kiwis ... ?
12.11.2005
Hunt might be saying it’s an open race, but has also said less publicly that he expects “a New Zealand team to win, and if you’re looking for a surprise winner, then look for a kiwi team too.� Asked if the kiwis have a strong home town advantage at this mornings media briefing he replied, “I think they have a home town advantage when they race anywhere!� In other words they’re the best, and this will prove if they are the ‘best of the best’.
He continued; “I don’t think there is much home advantage to be honest. The visiting teams here are experienced at navigating in bush and mountain terrain all over the world. The local teams might have a better feel for the terrain, but many teams like Salomon GB have raced here many times before and know what to expect. And Nike Balance Bar have John Howard in their support team – that takes away any disadvantage they might have.�
He has also made changes since last year to take away some of the ‘home advantage’ by strictly limiting the number of support to 3, and saying the support crew cannot have any support either. Last year’s winners, Team Kathmandu, had a huge support entourage doing washing and bringing out hot food from home – something they won’t get this year. They were also using older maps which show some of the ancient roads no longer marked on the latest maps, and this year all teams will be given these.
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