Jenson Button has always been fast in a race car, but now the 2009 F1 World Champ has been disqualified for ‘speeding’ on a bicycle.
Out of the car, Button is a keen triathlete and has founded the Jenson Button Trust triathlon, which raises thousands of pounds for charity each year. He founded and races as part of the Ichiban Triathlon team (Ichiban comes from the Japanese character “一番” Ichi ban, meaning “Number One”).
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He originally came third in his latest Ironman challenge in California, but after crossing the line he discovered he’d been speeding in the bike section and was disqualified.
The race included a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile cycle and a half marathon. During the cycling section, racers are required to slow down during a specific part of the race for safety reasons.
If the 37-year-old had obeyed the rules, his time would have meant he would qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee, later this year. Instead the McLaren Honda racing driver was stripped of his podium finish and completely disqualified.
But Jenson has taken it in good spirits. He said on Instagram:
Well that was a pretty interesting 70.3 Ironman! Swim went well then I jumped on my awesome new bike to find that I hadn’t charged the battery for the gears so I was stuck in the toughest gear with 900 meters of climbing.
Ran a 1 hr 23 min off the bike which I was pretty happy with.
Finished 3rd in age group so qualified for the World champs only to be disqualified for speeding in a go slow zone.
Ah well onto the next one!
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