DUBBO local Jake Williams spends most of his time looking after animals like black rhinos and cheetahs but he will trade all that for horsepower when he takes part in the Australian Manufacturers Championship Australian Four Hour.
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Williams is a zookeeper at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, a job that includes looking after 10 Black Rhinos, nine Cheetahs, 10 African Wild Dogs and eight Galapagos Tortoises but next weekend (July 11-13) he will be in action at Eastern Creek.
He said he loves both aspects of his life and admits his chosen career attracts plenty of attention.
"When people hear about my job they are usually pretty surprised, before getting excited and exclaiming how lucky I am - and I agree with them," Williams said.
"I am very lucky to be able to do such an amazing and rewarding job. A typical day can find me doing anything from cleaning, feeding, training and medicating to bringing pairs together for breeding or simply building relationships with these amazing animals."
Williams is one of two-drivers for the Sydney-based Conroy Motorsport, and will travel from his Dubbo home to Sydney Motorsport Park to take the wheel of the #21 Class D Disc Brakes Australia Honda Integra alongside co-driver Geoff Rands.
"While people are surprised to find out I am a zookeeper - let's face it, it isn't that much of a common profession - they are even more surprised to find out I am also a racer," he said.
"There is some overlap in the two fields as far as what you need to succeed - achieving this dream job of mine took a lot of persistence and determination and some sacrifices. It also demands focus, consistency, a calm and positive energy and fitness - as it can be very labour intensive.
"All of these areas relate back to motorsport and also to success in life in general I think, so while it takes a bit of work to balance these two areas of my life logistically, as far as mentally it isn't too hard to transition from 'zookeeper' mode to 'driver' mode."
Williams opened the 2014 AMCHAMP season with a bang by securing the Class win and fourth outright at Sandown Raceway with Rands, before going on to secure third for the class in a hard-fought Phillip Island round two.
"Sydney Motorsport is a great, fast track and I have had good success there in the past, I really enjoy racing in Sydney so I can't wait to get on track," the 2011 Class D AMCHAMP Endurance Champion who was also the Class winner at last year's SMP round of the Series said.
"This season has definitely had its ups and downs already but that is motorsport. For the rest of the season we will have to wait and see what happens, you can never really know what to expect."
When Williams hits the track he will be part of the strongest AMCHAMP field of the season so far, with 21 entries taking to the track for the tough Australian Four Hour.
Action will be guaranteed across the entire field, which will also include the expansion of the Seton racing dynasty when 15 year old Aaron Seton joins his father and two-time Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Champion Glenn Seton at the wheel of the Pro-Duct Mitsubishi X alongside car owner/driver Bob Pearson, while Aaron's grandfather Barry 'Bo' Seton - the 1965 Bathurst 500 champion - will work with the team in a management and tactical capacity.