Irwin Racing

HOLDSWORTH RISES TO FOURTH AFTER FIFTH PLACE AT PHILLIP ISLAND

IrwinRacing — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:48:00 +0000

Driving a car with a steering issue did not stop IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth from taking fifth place in today’s 32 lap race at Phillip Island and rise to fourth in the V8 Supercars championship.

Starting the first leg of the Phillip Island 300 on the fifth row of the grid, Holdsworth stayed with the leading pack throughout the race, managed to pass a couple of cars and then took advantage of some loose driving by several drivers ahead of him.

A touch up in the opening laps with Fabian Coulthard did some damage to the IRWIN Tools Ford’s steering forcing Holdsworth to battle with the car. He managed to continue to race and maintained his position inside the top 10.

In the closing laps of the race Holdsworth was able to jump from seventh to fifth after big contact between Will Davison and Jamie Whincup took both out of the race.

His fourth top five result of the season has improved Holdsworth’s position in the championship to fourth.

The V8 Supercars return to the track on Sunday for a practice session, followed by qualifying and a 45 lap race.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

“I think I got a bit of steering damage on that first lap after contact with (Fabian) Coulthard, so to finish the race fifth when we are trying to limp home is not bad. We also managed to jump a spot in the championship to fourth, so overall it’s been a really good day. On top of that we had three SBR cars in the top five; we’ll have to get the IRWIN car up there soon, but a really good team effort.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“We got a little lucky taking a couple of spots late in the race, but you’ve got to be up there to get your own luck. We got some steering damage early in the race so we didn’t quite have the car speed that we wanted so we’ll have a look at that tonight to see where we can improve tomorrow. Having three quick cars gives you a lot of data to look at, we’ll compare the different set ups and come out with a quick package tomorrow.”

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after 10 of 29 races

1. Jamie Whincup 1095 points
2. Mark Winterbottom 1085
3. Will Davison 1066
4. Lee Holdsworth 848
5. Craig Lowndes 845
6. Shane van Gisbergen 833
7. Tim Slade 810
8. Garth Tander 738
9. Fabian Coulthard 733
10. Rick Kelly 673

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island Race 10 Results

1. #5 Mark Winterbottom 32 laps
2. #9 Shane van Gisbergen
3. #47 Tim Slade
4. #2 Garth Tander
10. #4 Lee Holdsworth
6. #15 Rick Kelly
7. #19 Jonathan Webb
8. #8 Jason Bright
9. #91 Michael Patrizi
10. #49 Steve Owen

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Race 10 Qualifying Results

1. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:32.2866
2. #55 David Reynolds 1:32.3172
3. #8 Jason Bright 1:32.8273
4. #6 Will Davison 1:32.8526
5. #47 Tim Slade 1:32.9882
6. #15 Rick Kelly 1:32.1477
7. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:32.1804
8. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:32.2933
9. #2 Garth Tander 1:32.3325
10. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:32.1730

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Practice 4 Results

1. #55 David Reynolds 1:32.6798
2. #6 Will Davison +0:00.0837
3. #888 Craig Lowndes +0:00.1721
4. #5 Mark Winterbottom +0:00.1788
5. #4 Lee Holdsworth +0:00.1881
6. #7 Todd Kelly +0:00.4434
7. #47 Tim Slade +0:00.4811
8. #91 Michael Patrizi +0:00.4818
9. #22 James Courtney +0:00.4848
10. #12 Dean Fiore +0:00.6060

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

Event Starts: 94
Race Starts: 206
Best Finish: 1st – Race 23, Oran Park 2007 & Race 26, Sydney Olympic Park 2010
Best Qualifying: Pole – Race 11, Townsville 2009 & Race 26, Sydney Olympic park, 2010
2011 Championship Position: Eighth
Current 2012 Championship Position: Fifth

Phillip Island 2011

2011 Qualifying: 16th
2011 Race: 12th

Best Phillip Island Qualifying Result: Sixth, Race 21, 2009
Best Phillip Island Race Result: Fifth, Race 17, 2008

PHILLIP ISLAND DETAILS:

Circuit: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Location: Phillip Island, Victoria
Circuit Length: 4.445 kilometres

Format:

Saturday: 1 x 30min practice, 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 32 lap race
Sunday: 1 x 30min practice, 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 45 lap race

Tyres: Hard tyres

2011 Results:
Note: the 2011 race was a 500km endurance event

2011 Qualifying Pole Winner: Will Davison/Luke Youlden
2011 Race Winner: Mark Skaife/Craig Lowndes

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are AEST

Sunday, May 20:
Practice 5: 10.05am – 10.35am
Qualifying Race 11: 1.00pm – 1.20pm
Race 11: 3.40pm – 5.15pm (45 laps/200km)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Times subject to amendment, please check local guides:

Seven Network & 7Mate

Sunday, May 20:
12.00pm – 3.30pm Qualifying & Race 11 (Perth) 7Mate
1.30pm – 5.00pm Qualifying & Race 11 (Adelaide) 7Mate
2.00pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 11 (Sydney, Brisbane) Channel 7
2.00pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 11 (Melbourne) 7Mate

A one hour highlights package of each race is broadcast in each market late on Saturday and Sunday, check times and stations for details

RED FLAGS INTERRUPT IRWIN RACING PROGRESS AT PHILLIP ISLAND

IrwinRacing — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:36:09 +0000

Stoppages during Lee Holdsworth’s two practice sessions at Phillip Island today made progress tough-going ahead of this weekend’s V8 Supercars races.

Holdsworth posted the sixteenth fastest time in final practice, but had his fastest lap not been interrupted with a red flag he believes he would have been inside the top 10.

A Taz Douglass off during practice two caused a lengthy delay and a red flag in the dying minutes of practice three prevented a good flow of development.

IRWIN Racing made the best of the situation and felt that they were headed in the right direction by the end of the day.

Earlier in the day, Holdsworth’s endurance co-driver Craig Baird got some time in the IRWIN Tools Falcon. He cut some laps during the opening two sessions, rounding out the day feeling very comfortable in the car, which was the aim of the day.

With another practice session tomorrow morning there is still plenty of time to tune the car ahead of qualifying for the 10th race of the V8 Supercars championship season.

The V8 Supercars return to the track on Saturday for a practice session, followed by qualifying and a 35 lap race.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

About his progress during practice

“I put on my second set of tyres at the end of the day and made some pretty good gains throughout the session. We never got to check the IRWIN Ford out properly at the end because the session got red flagged. It was frustrating with the red flags, I only got two 20 minute sessions and a red flag can stuff the session. We were on a good lap, but half way through the lap the session was stopped. Had I completed the lap I think it would have put us in a pretty decent position. I’m still feeling good about it though. Brad and I worked through some pretty good changes today.”

On Craig Baird completing some laps

“Craig (Baird) went well today. He was out there with some pretty old tyres so it’s hard to say where he should have been. His main objective was to get comfortable in the car so we gave him as many laps as possible and he felt pretty good in the end. He had a couple of problems, one being a vibration. We didn’t find out what it was but I didn’t have the same issue when I was out there, so whatever we did we fixed it. But yeah he went well; he was consistent, felt comfortable in the IRWIN Ford and gave some good feedback, so the day from his perspective was a success.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“The first two sessions were there to get Craig (Baird) comfortable in the car and that was a success. He didn’t have the greatest tyres to work with, but he got a run and felt good. Lee and I had a few things that we wanted to go through today. His first session was cut short when Taz Douglass brought out the red flag, but in the final session we felt we were in a good place. Losing our best lap in the final session due to another red flag was frustrating, but we know that Lee was on a good one. We’ll look at the data and be ready for tomorrow morning’s practice session so that we are right for qualifying.”

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Combined Practice Results

1. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:33.2866
2. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:33.3172
3. #55 David Reynolds 1:33.8273
4. #8 Jason Bright 1:33.8526
5. #7 Todd Kelly 1:33.9882
6. #51 Greg Murphy 1:34.1477
7. #2 Garth Tander 1:34.1804
8. #34 Michael Caruso 1:34.2933
9. #66 Russell Ingall 1:34.3325
10. #6 Will Davison 1:34.3350
21. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:35.1730

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Practice 3 Results

1. #55 David Reynolds 1:33.8273
2. #7 Todd Kelly 1:33.9882
3. #8 Jason Bright 1:34.0943
4. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:34.1962
5. #6 Will Davison 1:34.3350
6. #34 Michael Caruso 1:34.3902
7. #17 Steve Johnson 1:34.4894
8. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:34.5220
9. #12 Dean Fiore 1:34.5758
10. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:34.6133
16 #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:35.1730

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Practice 2 Results

1. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:33.2866
2. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:33.3172
3. #8 Jason Bright 1:33.8526
4. #55 David Reynolds 1:34.0512
5. #51 Greg Murphy 1:34.1477
6. #2 Garth Tander 1:34.1804
7. #34 Michael Caruso 1:34.2933
8. #66 Russell Ingall 1:34.3325
9. #7 Todd Kelly 1:34.4115
10. #9 Shane van Gisbergen 1:34.6026
18. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:35.9970

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Practice 1 Results: Co-drivers/Lower 50% of grid

1. #1 Paul Dumbrell 1:33.9072
2. #19 Jonathan Webb 1:34.1729
3. #66 Russell Ingall/Christian Klien 1:34.5393
4. #34 Greg Ritter 1:34.5960
5. #55 Dean Canto 1:34.7255
6. #8 Jason Bright 1:34.7711
7. #6 John McIntyre 1:34.7904
8. #2 Nick Percat/Cameron McConville 1:34.8187
9. #47 Andrew Thompson 1:34.8975
10. #91 Michael Patrizi 1:34.9009
19. #4 Craig Baird 1:35.4690

V8 Supercars: Phillip Island 300 Practice 0 Results: Co-drivers only

1. #55 Dean Canto 1:35.0472
2. #5 Steven Richards 1:35.0778
3. #888 Paul Dumbrell 1:35.0954
4. #15 David Russell 1:35.0966
5. #9 Luke Youlden 1:35.3744
6. #6 John McIntyre 1:35.3946
7. #2 Nick Percat 1:35.4593
8. #22 Cameron McConville 1:35.5740
9. #14 David Besnard 1:35.5814
10. #18 Alex Davison 1:35.7244
18. #4 Craig Baird 1:36.2007

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after nine of 29 races

1. Jamie Whincup 1095 points
2. Will Davison 1066
3. Mark Winterbottom 935
4. Craig Lowndes 779
5. Lee Holdsworth 737
6. Shane van Gisbergen 695
7. Fabian Coulthard 694
8. Tim Slade 681
9. Garth Tander 618
10. Rick Kelly 571

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

Phillip Island 2011

2011 Qualifying: 16th
2011 Race: 12th

Best Phillip Island Qualifying Result: Sixth, Race 21, 2009
Best Phillip Island Race Result: Fifth, Race 17, 2008

PHILLIP ISLAND DETAILS:

Circuit: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Location: Phillip Island, Victoria
Circuit Length: 4.445 kilometres

Format:

Saturday: 1 x 30min practice, 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 32 lap race
Sunday: 1 x 30min practice, 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 45 lap race

Tyres: Hard tyres

2011 Results:
Note: the 2011 race was a 500km endurance event

2011 Qualifying Pole Winner: Will Davison/Luke Youlden
2011 Race Winner: Mark Skaife/Craig Lowndes

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are AEST

Saturday, May 19:
Practice 4: 10.10am – 10.40am
Qualifying Race 10: 1.25pm – 1.45pm
Race 10: 4.05pm – 5.15pm (32 laps/140km)

Sunday, May 20:
Practice 5: 10.05am – 10.35am
Qualifying Race 11: 1.00pm – 1.20pm
Race 11: 3.40pm – 5.15pm (45 laps/200km)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Times subject to amendment, please check local guides:

Seven Network & 7Mate

Saturday, May 19:
12.00pm – 3.30pm Qualifying & Race 10 (Perth) 7Mate
1.30pm – 5.00pm Qualifying & Race 10 (Adelaide) 7Mate
2.00pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 10 (Sydney, Brisbane) Channel 7
2.00pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 10 (Melbourne) 7Mate

A one hour highlights package of each race is broadcast in each market late on Saturday and Sunday, check times and stations for details

HOLDSWORTH EXPECTS AGGRESSION AT PHILLIP ISLAND

IrwinRacing — Tue, 15 May 2012 21:22:12 +0000

With the return of sprint racing at this weekend’s Phillip Island 300, IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth expects the races at the Island to be more aggressive than what we’ve become accustomed to.

After four years as lead-in event to the Bathurst 1000, Phillip Island lost the right to stage the V8 Supercars 500 kilometre race and will stage two shorter races instead.

In the longer endurance format, drivers tended to sit back, look after their tyres and wait for their opportunity to overtake; the significantly shorter 32 and 45 lap races mean that drivers will be more hungry to make the pass sooner rather than later.

Holdsworth believes everyone will go harder and be more aggressive given there are less lap opportunities to improve on-track position and less need to preserve tyre life.

With poor weather forecast over the weekend, adding another element to the event, Holdsworth is aiming to again feature in the top five and perhaps even make one of the steps of the podium.

The V8 Supercars hit the track this Friday for practice followed by qualifying and a 140 kilometre race on Saturday and qualifying and a 200 kilometre race on Sunday.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

On how he is approaching Phillip Island as a sprint round instead of a endurance event

“I don’t think it will change things too much in relation to how we approach the round, we always go there to set the car up to be as quick as possible and for it to hang on to its tyre life as well. Obviously we’ll be going harder and be more aggressive because there are less laps to make passing opportunities to try and win the race. I love the Phillips Island circuit, the races will be awesome to watch, it’s such a high speed circuit you can get a tow on the guys in front of you so it’s hard to pull a gap – which makes the racing closer.”

On why he has struggled at Phillip Island these last few years

“The GRM Holden always struggled on high speed circuits, apart from Bathurst. The car got a lot of understeer on those long flowing corners, particularly on the green tyres, it was always difficult. I don’t expect to have that same problem this year. I know the IRWIN car and the other SBR cars were quick at Phillip Island the last few years, so I hope we’ve maintained that speed. Based on my experience with the IRWIN Tools car so far this year I think we’ll be right.”

On his goals for this weekend’s V8 Supercars races at Phillip Island?

“I’m going to Phillip Island focussing on the top five, but to be honest I just want to continue improving. I’d love to have my best qualifying results and my best race results for the season so far which would mean standing on the podium so I guess I’d really like to finish with a podium. Put it this way, the sights are on the top five first and foremost and I want to continue my solid run in the championship”.

On his season so far (Lee is fifth in the championship)

“At the start of the year my plan was to keep out of trouble, get some solid points and finish top 10 in every race, so I’m ticking boxes. The positive signs are that I’m feeling really good about everything, the IRWIN Tools Ford is getting stronger and stronger and every time I drive it I am learning what it wants and am starting to feel very comfortable behind the wheel. In the next couple of rounds I expect everything to click, we saw that in Perth last weekend. I had my best race and qualifying results, I keep improving and that’s all I can ask for. Qualifying is the big thing, I got on top of that in Perth. I know I have the race pace, if I start a bit higher up I have a good chance to get more top fives, podiums and possibly wins.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“Phillip Island is the first Grand Prix circuit we’ve been to since the Formula One event at the start of the season, there’s a lot of high loaded corners, it’s a very open track and the track changes a lot over the weekend because of the wind. It’s a high grip circuit that required good car aerodynamics and the wind affects this. We look back at what we did at the Grand Prix in terms of set-up but it’s quite different to the other tracks we’ve been to this year so far.”

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after nine of 29 races

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

Phillip Island 2011

2011 Qualifying: 16th
2011 Race: 12th

Best Phillip Island Qualifying Result: Sixth, Race 21, 2009
Best Phillip Island Race Result: Fifth, Race 17, 2008

PHILLIP ISLAND DETAILS:

Circuit: Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit
Location: Phillip Island, Victoria
Circuit Length: 4.445 kilometres

Format:

Friday: 2 x 30min & 2 x 20min practice sessions
Saturday: 1 x 30min practice, 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 32 lap race
Sunday: 1 x 30min practice, 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 45 lap race

Tyres: Hard tyres

2011 Results:
Note: the 2011 race was a 500km endurance event

2011 Qualifying Pole Winner: Will Davison/Luke Youlden
2011 Race Winner: Mark Skaife/Craig Lowndes

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are AEST

Friday, May 18:
Practice 0: 11.40am – 12.10pm (Co-drivers only)
Practice 1: 1.10pm – 1.40pm (Lower 50% of grid only)
Practice 2: 2.20pm – 2.40pm (All)
Practice 3: 2.55pm – 3.15pm (All)

Saturday, May 19:
Practice 4: 10.10am – 10.40am
Qualifying Race 10: 1.25pm – 1.45pm
Race 10: 4.05pm – 5.15pm (32 laps/140km)

Sunday, May 20:
Practice 5: 10.05am – 10.35am
Qualifying Race 11: 1.00pm – 1.20pm
Race 11: 3.40pm – 5.15pm (45 laps/200km)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Times subject to amendment, please check local guides:

Seven Network & 7Mate

A one hour highlights package of each race is broadcast in each market late on Saturday and Sunday, check times and stations for details

TWIN TOP FIVES FOR LEE HOLDSWORTH IN PERTH

IrwinRacing — Sun, 06 May 2012 08:20:54 +0000

IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth backed up Saturday’s best ever Western Australian result with a fifth place at Barbagallo Raceway today.

Holdsworth arrived in Perth with a best track performance of ninth and bettered that to leave with two top fives.

The IRWIN Tools driver finished fourth in Saturday’s race and backed this up to qualify for the second race in fourth place – his best qualifying result of the season. Holdsworth maintained his fourth place through to the penultimate lap of the race when his shot tyres lost him a spot to Fabian Coulthard.

After the success in the first two races, the third and final 50 lap race was frustrating. A red flag in qualifying prevented a good starting place and then a safety car bungle by race officials dropped Holdsworth from inside the top 10 to 22nd place.

Despite missing out on his debut podium for IRWIN Racing, Holdsworth was thrilled with the performances which keep him well entrenched in the series top 10.

Heading to the next event sitting fifth in the V8 Supercars Championship, Holdsworth is full of confidence after eight top 10 results in 10 races so far this season and believes a podium result is not far away.

The V8 Supercars Championship continues at Phillip Island, Victoria in a fortnight’s time.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

“I’ve taken a lot out of this weekend, a lot of positives. The aim has been to finish top five and we’ve done that twice this weekend plus had another two top 10 qualifiers, including fourth this morning which is my best qualifying result of the year so far. We made some really good gains with the IRWIN Ford which stems from my knowledge of the set up and what it needs to run up the front. The aim is to keep improving and we did that this weekend. We are still ticking boxes which is great; we are still fifth in the championship and consolidated our position a little bit. I just keep looking forward to the next event, it’s exciting.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“Races one and two were excellent; we’ve been aiming for top fives over the course of the year so we were thrilled with our fourth and a fifth place. I think we also picked up our performance in qualifying as well, so we are all really pleased with the weekend. We couldn’t do much about the safety car mess in that third race, sometimes it happens, but you’d obviously prefer it didn’t.”

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after Nine of 29 races

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Race 9 Results

1. #6 Will Davison 50 Laps
2. #5 Mark Winterbottom
3. #1 Jamie Whincup
4. #8 Jason Bright
5. #91 Michael Patrizi
6. #888 Craig Lowndes
7. #14 Fabian Coulthard
8. #47 Tim Slade
9. #34 Michael Caruso
10. #17 Steve Johnson
21. #4 Lee Holdsworth

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Race 8 Results

1. #6 Will Davison 50 Laps
2. #1 Jamie Whincup
3. #5 Mark Winterbottom
4. #14 Fabian Coulthard
5. #4 Lee Holdsworth
6. #888 Craig Lowndes
7. #47 Tim Slade
8. #8 Jason Bright
9. #55 David Reynolds
10. #2 Garth Tander

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Race 9 Qualifying Results

1. #1 Jamie Whincup 55.2889
2. #888 Craig Lowndes 55.4225
3. #6 Will Davison 55.5764
4. #5 Mark Winterbottom 55.5911
5. #66 Russell Ingall 55.7269
6. #55 David Reynolds 55.7314
7. #14 Fabian Coulthard 55.7458
8. #9 Shane van Gisbergen 55.7750
9. #22 James Courtney 55.8491
10. #91 Michael Patrizi 55.8730
14. #4 Lee Holdsworth 55.9003

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Race 8 Qualifying Results

1. #1 Jamie Whincup 56.3260
2. #5 Mark Winterbottom 56.3289
3. #6 Will Davison 56.3439
4. #4 Lee Holdsworth 56.4634
5. #8 Jason Bright 56.5183
6. #55 David Reynolds 56.6063
7. #47 Tim Slade 56.6743
8. #14 Fabian Coulthard 56.7161
9. #91 Michael Patrizi 56.7275
10. #19 Jonathan Webb 56.7326

LEE HOLDSWORTH NARROWLY MISSES PERTH PODIUM

IrwinRacing — Sat, 05 May 2012 07:35:41 +0000

IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth has missed the podium at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway by an agonisingly close three-10s of a second.

Despite this, Holdsworth’s fourth place was his best result since starting with IRWIN Racing at the start of the season, his best ever result at Barbagallo Raceway and his highest finish since taking a third place on the Gold Coast in October last year.

Starting the seventh race of the V8 Supercars season from 10th place, Holdsworth was able to advance throughout the 120 kilometre race to battle in the top five with 15 laps to go.

He took advantage of a tangle between Garth Tander and Will Davison at the start of the race and a well timed, perfectly executed pit stop on lap 26 for soft compound tyres saw him jump two further places.

A wobble by his teammate Shane van Gisbergen in the closing laps of the race saw Holdsworth take advantage as he leapt into fourth place and he pushed Lowndes through to the end of the race.

Holdsworth was thrilled with the IRWIN Ford’s performance and is looking forward to going at least one better in the remaining races of the weekend.

The Trading Post Challenge continues on Sunday with qualifying and two 120 kilometre, 50 lap races.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:
“It is a bit of a relief after yesterday because we were absolutely nowhere on the wet tyre but we put that down to using old tyres. Today to get another top 10 in qualifying and then my best result of the year with IRWIN Racing, fourth, I’m pretty happy; it’s another solid top five. The Irwin Ford definitely had better pace than what I have had here in Perth before. There was a little too much understeer mid-corner to catch Lowndes, but that is something we can work on overnight. The positive signs are that I have a better understanding of what the car needs, I’m getting stronger in qualifying and we know that if we have some better qualifying results then the race results just come with it. We’re looking good, today gives us plenty of reason to feel good about tomorrow.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“It was a little bit of a guessing game after qualifying, but we had good speed on the soft tyre, we maybe struggled a little bit on the hard, but strategy and everything pulled us through. It definitely gives us some confidence for tomorrow. The goal for the first part of the season has been to crack the top five. We are there now and we just have to push on towards the podiums tomorrow. Another box ticked and moving up in the points.”

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Race 7 Results

1. #5 Mark Winterbotton 50 Laps
2. #1 Jamie Whincup
3. #888 Craig Lowndes
4. #4 Lee Holdsworth
5. #22 James Courtney
6. #47 Tim Slade
7. #9 Shane van Gisbergen
8. #34 Michael Caruso
9. #15 Rick Kelly
10. #8 Jason Bright

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Race 7 Qualifying Results

1. #2 Garth Tander 1:02.1974
2. #8 Jason Bright 1:02.2725
3. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:02.3046
4. #19 Jonathan Webb 1:02.3631
5. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:02.3770
6. #55 David Reynolds 1:02.4301
7. #14 Fabian Coulthard 1:02.4711
8. #22 James Courtney 1:02.5026
9. #6 Will Davison 1:02.5549
10. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:02.5972

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after Seven of 29 races

1. Jamie Whincup 917points
2. Will Davison 866
3. Mark Winterbottom 757
4. Craig Lowndes 643
5. Lee Holdsworth 635
6. Shane van Gisbergen 613
7. Tim Slade 557
8. Fabian Coulthard 550
9. Garth Tander 524
10. Rick Kelly 509

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

Event Starts: 93
Race Starts: 203
Best Finish: 1st – Race 23, Oran Park 2007 & Race 26, Sydney Olympic Park 2010
Best Qualifying: Pole – Race 11, Townsville 2009 & Race 26, Sydney Olympic park, 2010
2011 Championship Position: Eighth
Current 2012 Championship Position: Fifth

2011 Race One Qualifying: 11th
2011 Race Two Qualifying: 10th
2011 Race Three Qualifying: 12th
2011 Race One: 16th
2011 Race Two: 9th
2011 Race Three: 18th
Best Western Australia Qualifying Result: Seventh, Race 23, 2009
Best Western Australia Race Result: Ninth, Races 3 & 4, 2007, and Race 8, 2011

TRADING POST CHALLENGE DETAILS:

Circuit: Barbagallo Raceway
Location: Neerabup, Perth
Circuit Length: 2.42 kilometres

Format:

Sunday: 2 x 15min qualifying & 2 x 50 lap races

Tyres: Hard and Soft tyres across weekend

2011 results:

2011 Saturday Qualifying Pole Winner: Jamie Whincup
2011 Saturday Race Winner: Jamie Whincup
2011 Sunday Race 1 Qualifying Pole Winner: Jamie Whincup
2011 Sunday Race 2 Qualifying Pole Winner: Jamie Whincup
2011 Sunday Race 1 Winner: Jason Bright
2011 Sunday Race 2 Winner: Jamie Whincup

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are in Western Standard Time (Melbourne Time)

Sunday, May 6:
Qualifying Race 8: 9.25am – 9.40am (11.25am – 11.40am)
Qualifying Race 9: 9.50am – 10.05am (11.50am – 12.05pm)
Race 8: 11.15am – 12.15pm (1.15pm – 2.15pm)
Race 9: 2.05pm – 3.15pm (4.05pm – 5.15pm)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Times subject to amendment, please check local guides:

Seven Network & 7Mate

Sunday, May 6:
11.00am – 3.30pm Qualifying & Race 8 & 9 (Perth)
12.30pm – 5.00pm Qualifying & Race 8 & 9 (Adelaide)
1.00pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 8 & 9 (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)

WET WEST MAKES IT TOUGH AT BARBAGALLO RACEWAY

IrwinRacing — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:21:35 +0000

For someone that posted only the 24^th fastest lap in practice for the Trading Post Perth Challenge today, IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth is unfazed by the lower than expected placing.

In wet, slippery conditions at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway, Holdsworth only used an old set of last year’s Bathurst tyres as he tuned his IRWIN Tools Ford Falcon for the weekend’s three 50 lap races at Barbagallo Raceway.

Poor tyres, a lack of grip and a braking problem saw him go off the track at turn seven on the ninth lap of the second and final session causing a red flag.

With some new wets tyres and the slicks still to be used tomorrow Holdsworth is confident that he will be significantly higher up the grid than he was today and is expecting to be more competitive in qualifying.

The Trading Post Challenge continues on Saturday with qualifying and a 120 kilometre, 50 lap race.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

“We were just trying to find some grip out there, but we had some pretty old tyres on so we were not that phased. There were a few guys behind us who threw some tyres on at the end and jumped up to the top three. We were not prepared to sacrifice a set of race tyres to jump up there at the end to see where we should be. I think we will be fine once we bolt a new set of tyres on. We had some braking dramas, I was locking the front left which is a corner weighting issue, or a shock issue or something, so we were trying to iron that problem out and we made some progress. There are some other things like the new pit lane entrance – you want to know the length of it and how long it takes to get from one end to the other. That helps with race knowledge and is a good base for the engineers. When you are on such shagged tyres you need to use the session to work on other things. I put it in the sand trap once and I thought there is simply no point pushing it any harder because the time wasn’t in the car. The boys are cleaning the car now – I did not want them to be doing that twice. You don’t win any points on a Friday, but you can certainly lose some.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“We did not have the greatest tyres, they were pretty old from Bathurst. We are not too worried about today’s sessions, but we will have some new wets to work with or some slicks if it is dry tomorrow. We tried to fix a few things like brake locking and work on a bit of engine mapping and stuff like that. Stuff that will contribute to putting a time down tomorrow.”

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Combined Practice Results

1. #7 Todd Kelly 1:03.8251
2. #19 Jonathan Webb 1:03.9072
3. #66 Russell Ingall 1:03.9217
4. #55 David Reynolds 1:04.0092
5. #51 Greg Murphy 1:04.1169
6. #22 James Courtney 1:04.1622
7. #2 Garth Tander 1:04.2065
8. #8 Jason Bright 1:04.2093
9. #9 Shane van Gisbergen 1:04.2398
10. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:04.3566
24. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:04.9970

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Practice 4 Results

1. #19 Jonathan Webb 1:03.9072
2. #51 Greg Murphy 1:04.1729
3. #12 Dean Fiore 1:04.5393
4. #6 Will Davison 1:04.5960
5. #18 James Moffat 1:04.7255
6. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:04.7711
7. #14 Fabian Coulthard 1:04.7904
8. #55 David Reynolds 1:04.8187
9. #9 Shane van Gisbergen 1:04.8975
10. #49 Steve Owen 1:04.9009
28. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:06.0825

V8 Supercars: Trading Post Perth Challenge Practice 3 Results

1. #7 Todd Kelly 1:03.8251
2. #66 Russell Ingall 1:03.9217
3. #55 David Reynolds 1:04.0092
4. #19 Jonathan Webb 1:04.1062
5. #51 Greg Murphy 1:04.1169
6. #22 James Courtney 1:04.1622
7. #2 Garth Tander 1:04.2065
8. #8 Jason Bright 1:04.2093
9. #9 Shane van Gisbergen 1:04.2398
10. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:04.3566
21. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:04.9970

Practice one and two are staged exclusively for cars in the lower 50% of the championship. Lee Holdsworth sits fifth and therefore does not qualify to compete in these sessions

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after Six of 29 races

1. Will Davison 846 points
2. Jamie Whincup 825
3. Mark Winterbottom 657
4. Craig Lowndes 557
5. Lee Holdsworth 555
6. Shane van Gisbergen 549
7. Garth Tander 524
8. Fabian Coulthard 510
9. Tim Slade 489
10. Rick Kelly 453

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

TRADING POST CHALLENGE DETAILS:

Circuit: Barbagallo Raceway
Location: Neerabup, Perth
Circuit Length: 2.42 kilometres

Format:

Saturday: 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 50 lap race
Sunday: 2 x 15min qualifying & 2 x 50 lap races

Tyres: Hard and Soft tyres across weekend

2011 results:

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are in Western Standard Time (Melbourne Time)

Saturday, May 5:
Qualifying Race 7: 12.05pm – 12.25pm (2.05pm – 2.25pm)
Race 7: 2.05pm – 3.15pm (4.05pm – 5.15pm)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Times subject to amendment, please check local guides:

Seven Network & 7Mate

Saturday, May 5:
12.30pm – 3.30pm Qualifying & Race 7 (Perth)
2.00pm – 5.00pm Qualifying & Race 7 (Adelaide)
2.30pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 7 (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)

WIN A NASCAR HOLIDAY WITH IRWIN TOOLS’ ‘RIP A TRIP’ PROMO

IrwinRacing — Wed, 02 May 2012 04:28:12 +0000

IRWIN Tools’ annual sales promotion is again giving two tradies the trip of a lifetime to one of the biggest events in American motorsport – NASCAR’s IRWIN Tools Bristol Night Race.

A simple IRWIN Tools product purchase could see you watching the NASCAR action track-side as drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Australia’s own Marcos Ambrose battle it out over 500 laps as they strive to win the famous IRWIN Tools Bristol Night race.

By going to your local participating hardware store and buying an IRWIN Tools product you could win some fantastic on-the-spot prizes and go into the draw to travel to NASCAR’s great night race.

When you purchase an IRWIN product you will receive your ‘Rip a Trip’ to Bristol card where you will have a one in two chance of winning IRWIN Tools merchandise instantly. You could walk out of the store with an IRWIN branded cap, a t-shirt, stubby holders or a pair of safety glasses.

By simply filling the information out on the back of the instant win card, regardless as to whether you win a prize or not, you will go into the draw to travel to Tennessee, USA, to watch the IRWIN Tools Bristol Night race live.

The trip includes two return flights from the winner’s capital city to Tennessee plus an additional flight anywhere in the US, superior accommodation, meals, entertainment, all transfers plus $1,000 spending money.

“IRWIN Tools is proud to offer this great prize, it’ll be nothing short of an action packed weekend and all you have to do is purchase one of our great products,” said Laura Turnbull, IRWIN Tools’ Marketing Director.

“The IRWIN Tools Bristol Night race is spectacular; it’s the sights, the sounds, the smells and the energy that make a race at Bristol so exciting and so much fun.

“If you love motor sport it’s a must attend event. Buy an IRWIN product and you could be there.”

The IRWIN Tools ‘Rip a Trip’ to Bristol promotion is in-store now and concludes on June 30.

For more information and a current list of participating retailers go to http://www.irwin.com.au/promotions-events/rip-a-trip-to-bristol

LEE HOLDSWORTH OUT TO MAKE HIS MARK AT NEW-LOOK V8 COMPLEX IN PERTH

IrwinRacing — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 23:34:05 +0000

IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth is no longer interested in top 10 results, the top five is his only goal from now on.

Since moving to IRWIN Racing at the start of the season, Holdsworth has finished in the top 10 in all of the races run so far bar one.

Sitting fifth in the championship and with an average race finish position of 7.8, Holdsworth has had enough of the top 10 and is looking forward to some top five results.

Heading to Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway this weekend, Holdsworth kicked the season off with a fifth place in the first leg of the Clipsal 500 and would have finished fifth in his last outing had he not had to conserve fuel.

With an average record at Barbagallo Raceway, a track that he has only had three top 10 results in 14 starts, Holdsworth believes he has a chance to break through for more consistent top five results given his season starting competitiveness and a strong IRWIN Tools Ford.

The Trading Post Challenge begins with practice this Friday. There are three races over the weekend, one on Saturday and two on Sunday.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

Goals for the weekend

“I’ve not had a good run at Barbagallo Raceway; it’s a track I’ve had my least success at. The IRWIN Ford has been working well so far this year and we have good tyre life. We’ve started the year off with some really good results and I’m becoming more accustomed to the car every time I drive it. I’ve had quite a few top 10 finishes so I’ll aim for the top 10 but I’d really like to finish inside the top five somewhere. Given the IRWIN Ford was pretty competitive there last year, as was the team, I think my goals are realistic.”

On the positioning of pit entry on the inside of the track past turn seven:

“Turn seven is the best place on the track to overtake. If you approach the turn side-by-side with another car, you pass on the inside and the guy on the outside needs to get into the pit lane it will be difficult for him. It’ll be difficult for him to cross back over the track to enter the pit lane with a guy on the right (on the inside). It could prevent someone from entering the pits or make it a little more difficult to enter the pit.”

On the positioning of pit exit on the inside of the track after turn one:

“The redesign will make it more interesting on the re-exit. When you exit the pit you will be on the inside (after turn one), if there’s someone coming around turn one, you are going to be side-by-side going up that windy section up the hill. With one guy on cold tyres, it could be very interesting as its challenging enough when you are running side-by-side with another car and you are both on warm tyres. Expect some action there.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“The aim is to try to keep out of trouble by making sure we are at the front of the field and not jostling for position at the back of the pack. The further back you are the more you have to use strategy to get to the front, which is not an easy thing to do on a track that is only 2.4 kilometres long. Keeping on the lead lap is also critical because it is easy to go down a lap given the short nature of the track and the time needed to enter and exit pit lane. IRWIN Racing was very competitive at Barbagallo Raceway last year and I know Lee is keen to improve his record over there. We’ve had some good solid top 10 results this year, it would be good to make that next step forward and challenge for the top five.”

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after Six of 29 races

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

TRADING POST CHALLENGE DETAILS:

Circuit: Barbagallo Raceway
Location: Neerabup, Perth
Circuit Length: 2.42 kilometres

Format:

Friday: 4 x 30min practice sessions
Saturday: 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 50 lap race
Sunday: 2 x 15min qualifying & 2 x 50 lap races

Tyres: Hard and Soft tyres across weekend

2011 results:

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are in Western Standard Time (Melbourne Time)

Friday, May 4:
Practice 1: 11.00am – 11.30am (1pm – 1.30pm)
Practice 2: 12.20pm – 12.50pm (2.20pm – 2.50pm)
Practice 3: 2.35pm – 3.05pm (4.35pm – 5.05pm)
Practice 4: 3.55pm – 4.25pm (5.55pm – 6.25pm)

Saturday, May 5:
Qualifying Race 7: 12.05pm – 12.25pm (2.05pm – 2.25pm)
Race 7: 2.05pm – 3.15pm (4.05pm – 5.15pm)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Times subject to amendment, please check local guides:

Seven Network & 7Mate

Saturday, May 5:
12.30pm – 3.30pm Qualifying & Race 7 (Perth)
2.00pm – 5.00pm Qualifying & Race 7 (Adelaide)
2.30pm – 5.30pm Qualifying & Race 7 (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane)

LEE HOLDSWORTH SIXTH IN NEW ZEALAND

IrwinRacing — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:02:06 +0000

IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth has just fallen short of equalling his best result of the season and finished the second leg of the ITM400 in Hamilton, New Zealand in sixth place.

Holdsworth started off the day a lot happier with his IRWIN Tools Ford when he qualified 10th for the day’s 200 kilometre race.

Rising to eighth on the first lap, Holdsworth’s pit crew gave him an excellent stop elevating him to fourth place.

With a faster, more competitive package Holdsworth was able to attack and just missed out on a top five place.

The result has maintained Holdsworth’s fifth place in the championship.

The series continues in Perth, Western Australia in a fortnight’s time.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

“It was a really clean start, I got a couple off the line and I kept on pumping out lap times that were very competitive which helped me stay with that top group of cars. The boys had an awesome stop, I think we jumped a couple of cars and we were all of a sudden in the top four. Towards the end of the race I had to save a heap of fuel. I wanted that top five, I’m sick of these sixth places but I obviously still wanted to keep it on the track, get some good points and finish in a decent position. (Fabian) Couthard got me because I was saving so much fuel. That top five just slipped away but I came sixth, got a good bundle of points and we’re fifth in the championship.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“Again, a lot better result on the Sunday. I think Lee and I are learning a lot about the IRWIN Ford over the weekend and made some inroads on Saturday night which helped us today. We were aiming for that top five, and we were there until those last two laps, but we had to save so much fuel to get to the finish line. Overall, sixth is okay and we are fifth in the points.”

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after Six of 29 races

V8 Supercars: ITM400 Hamilton Race 6 Results

1. #5 Mark Winterbottom 59 Laps
2. #1 Jamie Whincup
3. #6 Will Davison
4. #888 Craig Lowndes
5. #14 Fabian Coulthard
6. #4 Lee Holdsworth
7. #55 David Reynolds
8. #3 Tony D’Alberto
9. #7 Todd Kelly
10. #9 Shane van Gisbergen

V8 Supercars: ITM400 Hamilton Race 6 Qualifying Results

1. #6 Will Davison 1:21.9712
2. #5 Mark Winterbottom 1:21.9858
3. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:21.9914
4. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:22.1295
5. #55 David Reynolds 1:22.1684
6. #3 Tony D’Alberto 1:22.2423
7. #2 Garth Tander 1:22.3789
8. #14 Fabian Couthard 1:22.4135
9. #18 James Moffat 1:22.4538
10. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:22.4970

LEE HOLDSWORTH FORCED TO FIGHT IN NEW ZEALAND

IrwinRacing — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 05:19:21 +0000

IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth battled hard in today’s 200 kilometre V8 Supercars race in New Zealand but had to settle for a finishing place just outside the top 10.

Holdsworth was forced to fight for his 13th place finish, having qualified 11th earlier in the day.

Holdsworth got up to ninth early in the race, but lost several spots during his first pit stop and then got blocked by James Moffat when the DJR driver bounced off the wall losing the IRWIN Tools driver a further place to James Courtney.

Struggling to find speed and suffering from bent steering after copping a hit in the opening laps of the race, Holdsworth did everything he could to salvage a decent result and earn as many championship points as possible.

Despite the lower than expected result, the points see Holdsworth placed sixth in the V8 Supercars championship.

The ITM400 Hamilton continues with a qualifying session and a 59 lap race tomorrow.

What IRWIN Racing’s Lee Holdsworth had to say:

“That was hard, one of the hardest races I’ve ever done actually. At the start we were pushed around, biffed and barged and I tagged the wall on the inside of the last corner which did a bit of damage to the steering. From there the IRWIN Ford was a pig to drive and we struggled home to finish 13th. We’ll have to put something better together for tomorrow, but we just don’t know where we could have ended up because we didn’t get the opportunity to really drive the car thanks to the bent steering arm. We’ll have to wait till tomorrow to work out where we are.”

What IRWIN Racing’s engineer Brad Wischusen had to say:

“Nothing seemed to go right today, we bent the steering pretty early in the race then lost out in the pit stops, which didn’t really help us. We dropped a few places at the end of the race which didn’t help, but by then the IRWIN Ford was a struggle to drive. We really did the best we could and Lee did quite well all things considered. We still got some points and we finished, so we’ll head into tomorrow with a clean sheet and see what we can do.”

2012 V8 Supercars Championship after five of 29 races

1. Will Davison 717 points
2. Jamie Whincup 687
3. Mark Winterbottom 507
4. Garth Tander 497
5. Shane van Gisbergen 471
6. Lee Holdsworth 453
7. Craig Lowndes 437
8. Tim Slade 417
9. Fabian Coulthard 399
10. Rick Kelly 384

V8 Supercars: ITM400 Hamilton Race 5 Results

1. #6 Will Davison 59 Laps
2. #1 Jamie Whincup
3. #2 Garth Tander
4. #888 Craig Lowndes
5. #15 Rick Kelly
6. #49 Steve Owen
7. #22 James Courtney
8. #34 Michael Caruso
9. #14 Fabian Coulthard
10. #66 Russell Ingall
13. #4 Lee Holdsworth

V8 Supercars: ITM400 Hamilton Race 5 Qualifying (Top 10 Shootout) Results

1. #2 Garth Tander 1:22.3968
2. #9 Shane van Gisbergen 1:22.4346
3. #55 David Reynolds 1:22.5075
4. #1 Jamie Whincup 1:22.6050
5. #49 Steve Owen 1:22.8748
6. #6 Will Davison 1:22.9017
7. #17 Steve Johnson 1:23.3308
8. #888 Craig Lowndes 1:25.9050
9. #18 James Moffat No Time Posted
10. #5 Mark Winterbottom No Time Posted
11. #4 Lee Holdsworth 1:22.3812

LEE HOLDSWORTH CAREER STATISTICS

Event Starts: 92
Race Starts: 202
Best Finish: 1st – Race 23, Oran Park 2007 & Race 26, Sydney Olympic Park 2010
Best Qualifying: Pole – Race 11, Townsville 2009 & Race 26, Sydney Olympic park, 2010
2011 Championship Position: Eighth
Current 2012 Championship Position: Fifth

2011 Saturday Qualifying: 27th
2011 Sunday Qualifying: 6th
2011 Saturday Race: 22nd
2011 Sunday Race: 2nd
Best ITM400 Qualifying Result: Fourth, Race 8, 2008
Best ITM400 Race Result: Second, Sunday Race, 2011

ITM400 HAMILTON DETAILS:

Circuit: Hamilton Street Circuit
Location: Hamilton, New Zealand
Circuit Length: 3.4km

Format:

Sunday: 1 x 20min qualifying & 1 x 59 lap/200km race

Tyres: Hard and Soft tyres across weekend

2011 results:

2011 Saturday Qualifying Pole Winner: Jamie Whincup
2011 Saturday Race Winner: Rick Kelly
2011 Saturday Qualifying Pole Winner: Rick Kelly
2011 Sunday Race Winner: Shane van Gisbergen

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
The times below are in Australian Eastern Time (New Zealand Time)

Sunday, April 22:
Qualifying: 10.05am – 10.25am (12.05pm – 12.25pm)
Race 6: 1.05pm – 2.45pm 59 laps/200kms (3.05pm – 4.45pm)

TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Melbourne times, please check local guides for other capital city times/stations:

Channel 7

Sunday, April 22
12.00pm – 3.00pm Qualifying & Race 6
10.30pm – 11.30pm Highlights Seven MATE