Aker stacks Mini
Wasn't going to post this, but eh, it's the off-season hehe
Mini crash a minor obstacle for Jason Akermanis
Amelia Harris | November 24, 2008 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24695213-19775,00.html

JASON Akermanis's confidence was dented - but not for long - after he rolled a Mini several times in a celebrity race on Saturday. Akermanis bounced back to race twice yesterday, finishing 14th and 13th, and said he wanted to pursue motor racing when he retires from football.

But Akermanis admitted he had big-game nerves before racing in the Mini Challenge, staged before the V8 Supercars at Symmons Plains in Tasmania.

The Western Bulldogs star said he needed "10 or 12 laps" of the circuit to post decent times yesterday.

"(It) was quite nerve-racking for my confidence," the rookie racer said.

"I sort of used the first race today to just get quicker and quicker, which I did. By the last couple of laps I was doing reasonable times.

"By the second race I was on it from the start and was doing 1.04s, 1.05s the whole time. It was just great."

Akermanis finished 14th out of 16 in the second race and 13th out of 16 in the third.

The Brownlow medallist said he was "really pleased" with his efforts competing against Mini Challenge regulars.

"I qualified badly because I was inexperienced," Akermanis said.

"I am just really happy to be where I am now. It's good to know that if I put some more time in I'll be able to match it with them next year or the year after."

Golfer Stuart Appleby, who also raced in the celebrity Mini Challenge as part of the V8 Supercars round, came 13th and 14th in the two races.

Akermanis, who is contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of next year, said he wanted to pursue motor racing after he retired from the AFL.

Racing karts, production cars and Minis were all possibilities, he said.

"I've got some skills, but I need more time," Akermanis said.

"I don't know where (which category) it's going to be but it's going to be somewhere.

"When you've got no experience, you pretty much have to buy your own drive. The costs of that are upwards of $500,000.

"The money is not that big an issue, but it's more can I actually do it if I'm commentating or doing something that takes up weekends?"
Western Bulldogs star Jason Akermanis rolls in in celeb race
AAP | November 22, 2008 12:00am
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24689713-19775,00.html

JASON Akermanis has escaped uninjured after rolling his car during the warm-up lap of a celebrity race. The Western Bulldogs star was trying to warm his car's tyres in the Mini challenge series in Tasmania when he lost control.

"I was just warming up the tyres and overdid it going left and just had a bit too much speed. I spun and hit the ditch and when it hit (that) it started to roll," Akermanis said.

"I was trying to do the right thing and there was not really much more that I could have done except for maybe not turn as hard," he said.

His wife, Megan Akermanis, was a guest on the race track commentary when the accident occurred.

"I wanted to just put the things down and get out of there to make sure he was okay. That was my main concern," she said.