Driver’s crash course

SUPERCARS driver Lee Holdsworth had a front row view of the carnage at Symmons Plains last year and was glad to avoid the 15-car pileup that put rival Will Davison in hospital.

Starting from the back of the grid had its advantages, but this year Holdsworth hopes to be in the thick of the action aboard his striking Holden ZB Supercar at the third round of the championship from April 6-8.

“The ZB had a great run at the opening round in Adelaide and we’re hoping to learn more and more from it each round and come Tassie we should be on top of that,” said Holdsworth, who was in Hobart yesterday with Kiwi Supercar rookie Richie Stanaway to promote the Tasmanian event.

“You should see a strong showing from the Holdens at Symmons Plains, but the Fords are very tough and there’s Nissan in the mix and getting some engine upgrades as well.”

Holdsworth only just had his Preston Hire Supercar back on track in time for the Tasmanian round last season, having been smashed up by a rival two weeks earlier in Melbourne.

“Although it seems like an easy layout, Symmons is very technical and every fraction of a second is huge,” he said. “We had a problem in qualifying so I started from the back of the field last year.

“I saw the crash all happening in front of me and I backed out.

“A few other opportunists ploughed into it all guns blazing and fortunately I was able to sneak through a couple of little gaps and come through unscathed.

“For Preston Hire Racing at the stage of the year we’d already come off a big crash at the AGP with Nick Percat running out of brakes, so that was the last thing we needed.”