FISHING and not bike riding currently dominates Josh Hook's sporting life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The world endurance championship racer is bunkered down at his Old Bar home, waiting for the word when the event might resume.
As with all sports around the planet, professional motorcycle championships are in a forced hiatus because of the COVID-19 restrictions. Hook said it's frustrating, but at least he is getting the opportunity to test his boat out off the shore from Old Bar as he looks to bag a feed of fish.
"It's about the only thing I can do at the moment,'' the 27-year-old said.
Ever the optimist, Hook said the probable cancellation of this year's world endurance event could be a good thing for his FCC TSR endurance championship team.
FCC TSR Honda won the title two years ago and recovered from a slow start last season to just miss the top honours. However, 2019/20 hasn't been so good for Hook and co and after two rounds they sit in 12th spot on 25 points. The Suzuki Endurance Racing Team leads on 79. At this time of year Hook would generally be in Europe to meet commitments with the endurance event and the MotoE World Cup.
"I've been sitting around waiting for a phone call to say we can start racing again,'' he said.
"We've already lost one round. They keep setting a date for the next round and then postponing it so I don't know when we'll be back.''
Hook reasons that time is running out to complete 2019/20.
"I haven't heard anything official, but I think they'll write it off,'' he said.
He concedes that wouldn't be a bad result for his team, given their early season travails.
The 2020/21 championship is due to start in September in France with the Bol d'Or 24 hour.
In the meantime when he's not fishing Hook's been doing his best to keep fit.
"I've been trying to do as much training as I can to make sure I'm fit when we do get the all clear to start racing again. I'll do more as the restrictions are lifted,'' he said.
Hook added that if he has to be in lockdown, he'd rather be in Australia and not in Europe. He's been in regular contact with his team-mates Freddy Foray and Mike di Megilo, who are both in France. He doesn't want to swap places with them. France has been one of the world's coronavirus hot spots.
"The restrictions have been a lot tougher over there than here, although they're starting to ease slightly now,'' he said.
"People have been stuck inside - they can basically only leave home to buy food or if they're allowed to go to work.''
RELATED:
Hook would also have contested the second year of the MotoE World Cup. This is a class of racing for electric motorcycles. Initially Hook was only going to concentrate on the endurance championship this year.
"But I got an offer for the MotoE and I would have been in Europe anyway, so I decided to go again. We're getting more competitive on those things,'' he said.
But as is the case with the endurance championship, Hook isn't sure what will happen with the MotoE World Cup. So now it's a waiting game. For the time being at least, Hook can concentrate on fishing instead of racing.