Holdsworth hunting for a podium
12 Feb 2015
Lee Holdsworth is hoping his move to Walkinshaw Racing pays off straight out the gate, looking for a podium at the season opening Clipsal 500.
The 32-year old is back in a Holden after three years, and with two seconds and a third place finish in the bank at the treacherous Adelaide street circuit, Holdsworth is keen to get back to business and race at the front of the field.
Jumping in his Holden Commodore VF for the first time at the weekend's sydney.com SuperTest, Holdsworth wasn't sure what to expect. But after plenty of running time and the opportunity to work closely with his new crew, the #18 racer is confident he has the right combination to do the job - and do it quickly.
"It's hard to know what to expect going to a new team, and I haven't been in a Holden for three years. I've been in another team since the Car of the Future, so I didn't know whether traits of the Car of the Future would carry over from what I had at Erebus," Holdsworth told v8supercars.com.au.
"It was hard to set goals before I'd driven the car, because I didn't know what to expect and what would feel unfamiliar - but certainly after driving the car I think a podium is definitely within reach at Clipsal and definitely not unrealistic ... I had a lot of fun actually, it was good to be back in a Holden!"
Holdsworth has made headlines over the past few months - first it was his shock switch from Erebus to Charlie Schwerkolt Racing, and then the placement of Schwerkolt's REC (Racing Entitlement Contract) with Walkinshaw Racing, rather than Prodrive Racing (Australia) where he was expected to race the 2015 season.
But the racer- who is in a hurry to start recording strong results in V8 Supercars - believes it's all for the best and describes the feeling at his new team as a "winning culture".
"It was really nice to be back into a car that is really competitive and see how Walkinshaw Racing operates - [it's a] really professional team," he said.
"The approach from Erebus was a little different because they're trying to get into the top 10 at the moment on a consistent basis, whereas Walkinshaw/HRT are trying for Championships.
"They're looking for perfection and nothing but a win is good enough ... it's a totally different mentality.
"And that suits me because that's what I'm wanting to achieve as well. As a driver you want to be in a team that demands perfection, and only stands for wins and podiums. That's certainly where I'm at now. "
Kicking off the year at the #18 driver's favourite circuit is also something to look forward to - and he is putting in as much preparation as possible to ensure he's up to tacking the tough conditions.
"It's an amazing track and it's the best one to kick off the year," he said.
"It's a really tough one to kick off the year and I think that's why I like it so much, because it's all about how much preparation you've done in the off season and how quickly you can get your head around the car to start the year.
"You can't make any mistakes around there, the smallest mistake is very costly - so it's a huge challenge and just an unbelievable track. "It's hard work both physically and mentally and whoever wins that one and gets on the podium certainly well deserves it."
Holdsworth chose not to wear a cool suit at the sydney.com SuperTest to prepare for the straining conditions usually experienced on the streets of Adelaide.
"It's very difficult to train for those sorts of conditions, so the best training you can do is the stuff that happens in-car and we only get one chance to do that before Adelaide," he said.
"So I spent two days without one [a cool suit] and coped pretty well ... you've got to be ready for those moments when your cool suit does fail, your helmet fan fails, when you run out of drink. You need to be conditioned for those moments, and the only way to train for that is to do it while you're in the car."
Holdsworth and Schwerkolt are still looking for a co-driver for the #18 car, though Holdsworth expressed interest in locking in Craig Baird, who he teamed with at Erebus from 2012-14. Baird spent five years as an endurance driver with Walkinshaw Racing from 2007-11, with two years in the Holden Racing Team line-up.
And despite this recent social media exchange, unfortunately Russell Ingall's FOX SPORTS duties mean he is officially out of the game come this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.
Post by Lee Holdsworth.
