MOUNT Gambier man Josh Young spent 48 hours and 25 minutes with his hand on a $65,000 Holden Acadia at the Superloop Adelaide 500 over the weekend, but it was not enough to see the prize slip from his grasp.
Mr Young placed fourth in the Kayo-sponsored competition, dropping out of contention after he started to experience hallucinations which led to him removing his hand just five minutes before a 15-minute break.
“I felt like I was in a dream and was watching,” Mr Young said.
“It felt like I had no control over what I was doing but I am pretty proud to have made it that far and I did give it my best shot.”
Mr Young was one of 25 competitors who vowed to keep one hand plastered to a selected spot on the vehicle over the weekend, only allowed to break contact during mandatory breaks every three hours.
“Staying awake was the biggest challenge and it was more of a mental game than physical,” Mr Young explained.
“My legs, knees and feet are sore and swollen from having a lot of fluid in them but it was an experience like no other.”
With St John Ambulance medical staff at their side and regular health check ups, Mr Young thanked all involved for their support, including the Limestone Coast community.
“St John and Kayo were great, but I would like to thank my wife and kids as well as the locals, I did not realise how much support I had outside the tent.”
While “quite upset and shattered” that he did not last the extra five minutes until the break, Mr Young said he was unsure what would have happened if he held on a little bit longer.
“It is a really weird experience and probably not one that I would do again, but that car would have changed my family’s life for the better,” he said.
“But the other competitors were great, we all had a little bit of banter and made sure each other were okay.”
Heat also played a factor, with temperatures outside the tent peaking around 40 degrees while inside the tent was around 30.
“At the end of the day, I said I would hold on until my wife got there and I did – I lasted around five hours after she arrived.”
The winner, a nurse from Greenwith who lasted over 57 hours, was a deserving winner in Mr Young’s eyes, after continuously checking others were okay during the competition.
“Overall I just want to thank everyone involved especially the organisers, medical staff, my family and the community.”
