Students meet idol

V8 SUPERCARS reigning champion Jamie Whincup made a pit stop at an Ipswich state school on Thursday to encourage students to get fit and involved in sports.

V8 Supercar champion Jamie Whincup signs autographs for Karalee State School captains (from left) Reegan Johnstone, Michaela Berlin, Robin Liney and Sebastian Scaroni for Super Sports Sign-On Day.

V8 SUPERCARS reigning champion Jamie Whincup made a pit stop at an Ipswich state school yesterday to encourage students to get fit and involved in sports.

The Year 6 and 7 students at Karalee State School got the chance to ask him how much he got paid, why he liked racing, and the fastest speed he had driven in his V8 car (answer: 300kmh).

The toughest question he faced was why his team moved from Ford to Holden.

Whincup tried his best to answer diplomatically.

"It's a bit of a touchy subject," he said.

"We had a lot of angry people.

"My boss and the boss of Ford just didn't get along."

The event was to inform the kids of the Super Sports Sign-On Day being held at Limestone Park on Sunday.

Sports Minister Phil Reeves, who also visited the school, said the day was all about encouraging young people to get involved in sports for winter.

The idea is to make it easier for parents and kids to choose a sport for winter, with many of the local teams and clubs setting up sign-on stalls in the park.

"There are so many activities to choose from and having all the clubs in one spot will make it a breeze for busy families," Mr Reeves said.

Mr Whincup, who was recently dubbed the Queensland Government's sports and events ambassador, said he thought it was a great initiative to get children involved and active in their communities.

The Super Sports Sign-On Day will be held 10am-1pm on Sunday at Limestone Park.

Originally published as Students meet idol