An avid Formula 1 fan, Punjab seamer Andrew Tye has said that he will perform a ‘shoey’ if his team lifts the Indian T20 League title this year.
"I'll probably look into it (doing a shoey) at some point," Tye told KXIP.in.
"Maybe if we win the IPL this year."
Shoey is an Australian tradition which involves drinking Champaign from a shoe and is considered as the bringer of good fortune. The tradition, on sporting scenario, was made popular by the Moto GP rider Jack Miller and was continued by the fellow countryman and the Formula 1 racer, Daniel Ricciardo; every time he finished on the podium.
Speaking to Punjab’s official website, Tye confessed that he is a bit of motorsport fan and used to follow not only Formula 1 but Moto GP as well in his youth with his father.
"I am a bit of a Formula 1 fan," confesses Tye, who kicked off his IPL this year against Kolkata Knight Riders. "Bit of a motorsport fan in general. Back when I was younger, my dad and I used to sit down and watch some car races on a Sunday afternoon. And then there's Daniel Ricciardo being a Perth boy, where I'm from."
Tye’s love for Formula 1 dates back to 1994 and – till date – remembers witnessing the Michael Schumacher-Demon Hill rivalry with his father. Little did he know that just a little more than two decades after, he’d find himself in a Mercedes paddock for the 2016 British Grand Prix. By the time, the bowler was plying his trade for the Gloucestershire county cricket team.
Manan Vatsyayana / AFP
"I was extremely lucky," he recalls. "I was in Lewis Hamilton's garage watching all the crew doing their work and stuff. I had one of the team headsets on so I was listening to all the team radio and everything... it's actually incredible insight into how everything works and how a qualifying session like that unfolds."
Despite being in Mercedes’ garage that time, the 32-year-old remains a fan of his countryman’s (Ricciardo) overtaking manoeuvres. "Some of the overtaking moves Ricciardo has done have been just incredible."
"All the best to him this year in the new team. Going to be hard but can just hope he keep fighting and keeps the Honey Badger ruling supreme," the KXIP pacer concluded.
