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IN THE COCKPIT: Lee Holdsworth, Tasmania V8s
The weekend for me was a good one, better than expected actually. I came into the event aiming for at least a top five, and I just fell short of that.
Lee Holdsworth  |  Posted April 03, 2012  
Holdsworth's edging closer to his first win for SBR. (Photo: IRWIN Racing)
Holdsworth's V8 Blog on SPEED.com


Tasmania is Australia’s smallest state, but when the V8 Supercars race just outside the even smaller town of Launceston, at Symmons Plains Raceway, it gets its biggest crowd for any event of the year.

Over 50,000 people attended the Tasmania challenge, which was made up of two races, a 140 kilometre race on Saturday and a longer 200 kay race on Sunday.

Symmons Plains always has a great atmosphere, the stands are always packed out and the paddock always full with people. Everyone gets behind it and the fans are fanatical about their motor sport. Knowing you are appreciated makes it a great event for us and a place you like to keep coming back to.

The track itself is only small, it’s only 2.4 kilometres long, but there are plenty of passing opportunities – with the hairpin being the best. It’s a really good track to drive, you've got to be super deep under brakes and you’ve got to get a great run out onto that back straight from the hairpin because it is such a long straight. If you do it right you get a good tow on the guy in front, which gives you an opportunity to pass at turn seven. It’s exciting racing.

Symmons is actually quite a technical track especially through turns one and two. The braking zone is through the corner which makes it easy to lock the front right wheel. It makes it hard to get the balance right, you are trying to tune it for that one corner but the rest of the corners are left-handers so it’s a bit of a balancing act. You can get the car right through the rest of the track but then you struggle through turn one; there's some compromise needed there for sure.
Lee Holdsworth. (Photo: IRWIN Racing)

Turn one - two is my favourite section, its difficult, its technical and it’s hard to get the balance right. As I said, it’s easy to lock a brake but you can make up ground there if you get it right. It feels pretty good when you know you’ve nailed it, so it’s easily the best part of the track. The fact that it is technically hard to get the set-up spot-on means it’s also the most challenging section of the track.

It’s always like a car park when you approach the hairpin off the start. Normally the guys race pretty clean through turns one and two but then as you get to the hairpin, 29 cars going into a 65-70 kilometres per hour corner from 220 k’s makes it tight. Some see an opportunity to make up a lot of places, but when everyone is three cars wide there’s nowhere to go. There’s bumping and grinding and some push and shove, it causes some chaos but it’s always interesting. There’re always a few damaged panels, particularly if you are starting further back than mid-field.”

When you approach the hairpin at 220kays and you have to slow the car to 65 through the corner, it puts a lot of stress on your brakes, making them overheat, then you have another huge braking zone as you approach turn seven down the back of the track. If your brakes don’t cool you tend to overheat the front pads which can lock up the rears. It’s one of those tracks where if you get your braking right you are on the money. Symmons Plains is all about braking and horsepower.

The weekend for me was a good one, better than expected actually. I came into the event aiming for at least a top five, and I just fell short of that. I was eighth on Saturday and sixth on Sunday, but I left Tasmania sitting fifth in the championship, so that was pretty good.

I suppose I have contradicted myself by saying I wanted a top five, failed to reach that goal then said it went better expected!

For me, this is only my third event with a new team, new car and a new manufacturer, so as I drive I’m thinking a lot which slows a driver down. One of the important things I wanted to accomplish this weekend was getting the car working right early in the weekend rather than getting there half way through.

Results are everything in this game, but thinking about the future it’s more important at the moment to get the right feel for the IRWIN Tools Ford. Leaving Tasmania with two solid top 10 results, fifth in the championship and a feeling that driving the car is starting to become second nature has me feeling pretty good about myself and the championship ahead.

I’ve always felt that I could win races for IRWIN Racing, it’s just a matter of when, but I think that this can happen sooner rather than later.

Till next time.

Lee Holdsworth

Lee Holdsworth is one of the emerging stars of Australian V8 Supercars racing. After six seasons driving for General Motors, he has moved camps and will drive the IRWIN Tools Ford in 2012. Known as one of the most talented drivers down pit lane, most believe he is a V8 Supercars champion in the making. Learn more about Lee and the IRWIN team at www.irwinracing.com.au.
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