Brett’s Promising Performance Overshadowed by Tragedy - Feb 2008

Brett Holdsworth’s promising graduation from Commodore Cup to the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series was overshadowed by tragedy at Adelaide on the weekend. Brett’s friend and fellow Commodore Cup graduate Ashley Cooper unfortunately passed away due to injuries sustained in a serious crash at Adelaide’s infamous Turn 8 in the weekend’s second and final race.

“Overall, I was very satisfied with my performance, but it all fades into insignificance after what happened to Ashley,” Brett said.

“I’ve raced against Ashley in Commodore Cup for several years, and he was a top bloke. I am absolutely devastated for his family and friends, and this is just the worst way to start the racing season.

“I gradually improved my times during the weekend and gained a lot of confidence in racing side by side with other cars, I think I took out of the weekend exactly what I had set out to achieve and for that I am happy.

“I’m feeling very positive about the next round of the series at Wakefield Park, because I know that track very well and there is a lot more margin for error.

“I think qualifying in the top half of the field is an achievable goal.

At the moment, I’m just really upset about Ashley,” Brett concluded.

Practice

In the first practice session, Brett drove very conservatively, aiming to get a feel for the car and track, without doing any damage. He ended the session 26 th-fastest, with a best time of 1:28.9.

In the second session, Brett became a bit more confident and pushed a little harder, setting a 1:28.8 en route to 23 rd-fastest in the session.

“The main objective was not to damage the car after what happened in the Bathurst 12-Hour,” Brett said.

Qualifying

In qualifying, Brett the Jet had the opportunity to use green tyres for the first time. “The car was handling really well, like it was on rails,” he said.

After the half-hour qualifying session, he ended up 25 th with a best time of 1:27.3, a second and a half quicker than his best practice-lap.

Race 1

Holdsworth made a really good start, but dropped back after the first corner. “I overtook several cars, but I felt a bit out of my depth, so I backed off and let some people past,” he explained.

“I then had a great dice with Aaron McGill in his AU Falcon – we were dicing for about 10 laps. It was a good confidence-booster for me to race door-to-door with someone.

Importantly, Brett’s times were also good – his best was a 1:27.5, only just slower than his qualifying time. He finished 23 rd.

Race 2

Brett again made a half-decent start, and slotted into 23 rd position. He gained several positions as other drivers experienced problems, and moved into the top-20 by lap eight.

“I was pretty much on my own, but I was gradually closing in on Joel Spychala,” he said.

Unfortunately, disaster struck on lap nine, when Ashley Cooper crashed extremely heavily at the infamous Turn 8. The safety-car was immediately deployed, and the field circulated for 10 laps before the seriousness of Cooper’s crash became apparent, at which point the race was red-flagged.

Brett ended up 16 th, and posted a best time of 1:26.3, one second quicker than his qualifying time.

Round Results

Qualifying: 25 th

Race 1: 23 rd

Race 2: 16 th

Overall: 19 th (93 points)

Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series – top 20 pointscore

1. Steve Owen – 300 points 2. Jack Perkins – 276 points 3. Dale Wood – 249 points 4. Grant Denyer – 222 points 5. Michael Trimble – 216 points 6. Karl Reindler – 186 points 7. Brett Hobson – 180 points 8. Marcus Zukanovic – 156 points 9. David Reynolds – 138 points =10. Mark McNally – 132 points =10. Jay Verdnik – 132 points =10. Johnathan Webb – 132 points =10. Matthew White – 132 points 14. Tim Slade – 129 points 15. Damian Assaillit – 120 points =16. Geoff Emery – 114 points =16. Sam Walter – 114 points 18. Joel Spychala – 105 points 19. Brett Holdsworth – 93 points 20. Colin Sieders – 87 points

Brett Holdsworth is Supported by the Following Companies

www.hairylemon.com.au

 

www.admix.com.au

www.mymedicalrecords.com.au