Brett Holdsworth has bounced back from a tricky start to the weekend, to finish in fifth place in the final race of the opening Trans Am round at Symmons Plains.
The Breeze Holiday Parks driver qualified in 10th position but displayed his pace potential as he set the fastest times of anyone through the middle sector. In the opening race of the weekend Holdsworth moved up to eighth position, before climbing to sixth in race two.
In the final race, a fast start saw Holdsworth climb to fourth place and into contention for a podium position. A bold attempt to claim third place at the hairpin did not pay off, and Holdsworth then settled in for the solid points earned with a fourth-place finish – a trait that helped deliver a third place result in the 2022 championship.
Contact from behind at the final corner sent Holdsworth into a slide, which he miraculously saved before crossing the line in sixth position. A penalty for the offending car however, moved the #99 Camaro back up into fifth position in the final classification.
“It wasn’t the start to the weekend we wanted in qualifying, but the team got stuck in and by the final race we had the car we wanted to start the round with,” said Holdsworth.
“We’ll go into the next round really fast out of the blocks as a result of that, but we’re probably a few points further back than we wanted to be, which wasn’t all our own doing.
“At the end there I was content with where we’d gotten to with fourth place but then we got drilled by Owen Kelly who was recovering from spinning off earlier on. He had the pace to pass but it was down to the final corner and he elected to shove me out of the way instead, which was not something that surprised me at all. I’m not the only one who wants to return serve on him, so I don’t think we will have to wait long to see him get his own back.
“Looking towards Phillip Island, we put the car in a really good position setup wise by the end of the weekend so if we can roll out with that at the next round then we should be on for a really good fightback to get some points back in the championship,” Holdsworth concluded.
The next round of the Trans Am season is at Phillip Island from May 12-14.
Trans Am Standings
1. James Moffat – 200
2. Lochie Dalton – 180
3. Jaylyn Robotham – 178
4. Owen Kelly – 178
5. Brett Holdsworth – 166
6. Edan Thornburrow – 156
7. Josh Webster – 154
8. Jett Johnson – 152
9. Craig Scutella – 148
10. John Holinger – 145