dodgems and a new wet weather specialist

[n.kuiper]

i think the whole field except for lee holdsworth needs a lesson is wet weather driving because the end of race 3 was a mess and well done to lee awesome job i think hrt should get him b4 ford gets their dirty mitts on him

[speedreader]

Yeah, couldnt agree more re Holdsworth handing out a driving lesson to the balance of the field (although I though van Gisbergen did a great job too as an absolute rookie scoring points on debut in the rain)

Why HRT though ? Here's to GRM becoming regular podium finishers so they can earn a few more sponsorship dollars & build even better cars and then we dont have to watch Team Walkinshaw win everything all of the time - after all racin is racin whether it be Holden versus Ford, Holden versus Holden or Ford versus Ford...

[n.kuiper]

yea i think your right it would be good to see more of the battles of today with jr and lee both non twpg cars at the front

[n.kuiper]

im also gonna add the fact that shane was quick in the rain a fifth fastest lap in race 2 a third fastest in race 3

[racer69]

Originally Posted by n.kuiper

i think the whole field except for lee holdsworth needs a lesson is wet weather driving because the end of race 3 was a mess and well done to lee awesome job i think hrt should get him b4 ford gets their dirty mitts on him

If he was in the middle of the pack on a restart he'd have been just as involved in the carnage as everyone else.

[lookleft]

we have a nomination......

... if the guys in the middle of the pack weren't so slow or have poor vision (I could see the rain coming from Brisbane) then they would have set a string of fastest laps and done an excellent job in both wet races....

C'mon - credit where credit is due. Lee brained them today, because of his speed he never had to worry about what the clowns were doing.

[Pro Racer]

no matter who you are what car you drive if you are up the front it is easier than if you are mid-pack especially in these conditions, not to take anything away from Lee's win today he did drive great.

[James63]

I think I have myself a new favourite driver.

[Senna05]

One fact to remember -

48 seconds ahead... In a car that unarguably is not the "quickest", against guys who have had bucketloads more wet experience....

That was unarguably a Senna-esque display. I'll be 100% honest, and admit I've told people I don't "rate" Lee - Today he changed my opnions of him. He drove, in both wet races, a GREAT drive. He was also in the top 2-3 in laptimes in race 2 as well.

GREAT drive! Spiced up the day, thats for sure!

[carbontub]

Originally Posted by Senna05

One fact to remember -

48 seconds ahead... In a car that unarguably is not the "quickest", against guys who have had bucketloads more wet experience....

That was unarguably a Senna-esque display. I'll be 100% honest, and admit I've told people I don't "rate" Lee - Today he changed my opnions of him. He drove, in both wet races, a GREAT drive. He was also in the top 2-3 in laptimes in race 2 as well.

GREAT drive! Spiced up the day, thats for sure!

Awesome job by Holdsworth and a credit to him but come on it wasnt Senna style, he would of lapped the field.

[Senna05]

Well, while I see you are thinking Donington, I think without the safety cars (which they barely used in 93) he would have. I was more thinking Race 2 in comparison to Monaco 84.

[Trev Campbell]

Why don't we call it a Stefan Bellof-esq display then, he was catching Senna at over a second per lap at Monaco in 84

[GtiMagic]

Different cars, different tracks, different era...whats wrong with calling his drive Lee-esque?

Lee was sensational. Absolutely thrashed 'em.

I thought Shane Van Gis Bergen demonstrated an amazing level of maturity. Tough track, tough category, tough boss..he handled it all extremely well..

Lowndes again was sensational.

Need to highlight too some sensational efforts in the Fujitsu Series, which often get overlooked. I think these guys put on better racing than the main series a lot of the time.

Owen Kelly was quite unbelievable in the wet races. He won the round without scoring points in race 1 as he was taken out by that maniac Alajajian. Kelly deserved the round win with those two stellar performances.

Damien White was also a standout in the wet. not quite the pace of Owen, but he lead races 2 and 3 and finished them 2nd and 3rd. He stalled at the start of race 2, yet was fighting Youlden (and won) for the lead by lap 3. Not quiet O.Kelly-esque, but still brilliant and enjoyable to watch.

Pither, while inconsistent, was excellent in race 3, as was O'Brien although he did seem to take Pither out!

While on Fujitsu, I was quite surprised to see Caruso, D'Alberto and Thompson struggle in the wet. The stars of tomorrow? They need to talk to Owen and White and get the secret!

It was an awesome day of close and exciting racing in crap conditions at an even crapper (sic.) facility. Oh, the irony...

[Pro Racer]

well i guess people know the reason i have supported Lee now and as you all know by my posts it has been a while i have supported him, on some weekends i say to myself i wish he was in a WP car but not this weekend.

[NAC]

HRT/ HSV (Tom's teams) are moving a motion to ban all racing in the wet in the future. It seam's there is an unfair advantage and they don't do very well.

Presuming any of this actually happened

[n.kuiper]

lmao well said

[gomick]

congrats to lee holdsworth & grm - always good to see new winners...

[Wood-duck]

Congrats to Lee.. you need luck on your side and he had it. How far would Lowndes had won by had he started on Wets.. same if Jamie Whincup hadnt been taken out by Jason Richards ? It would have been a sensational race between the 3 of these guys in tough, tough conditions.

Still, great work by Lee just to get up there near the front. He was on fire all weekend. Cant say it hadnt been coming, this is one young fellow that steers pretty damn good. Get a longer contract on him Garry - you might need it !!
A lot of people have big wraps on stumpy Canto but Lee has upstaged him hands down this year - and the pair together in the enduros could be quite the smokey...

Just looked at Natsoft - Owen Kelly brai... ooops was going to do a Crompton and say 'brained them' - in the Fujistu races - in a dirty old AU ?? What the ??. That would be a terrific effort - cant wait to see it on the Tele. I bet Steve Richards was having a quiet little smile to himself seeing his enduro buddy doing so well.

[n.kuiper]

i think your post should be in the what if thread to be honest with you

[00 XR8]

Originally Posted by Wood-duck

Just looked at Natsoft - Owen Kelly brai... ooops was going to do a Crompton and say 'brained them' - in the Fujistu races - in a dirty old AU ?? What the ??. That would be a terrific effort - cant wait to see it on the Tele. I bet Steve Richards was having a quiet little smile to himself seeing his enduro buddy doing so well.

By the looks of it Owen drove amazingly well, and I very much hope he can turn it on again in the enduros.

However, 'dirty old AU' is probably doing the car a bit of a disservice. Isn't this car one of the last SBR built cars (i.e, one of the best AUs ever built)........ with extensive preparation work undertaken by a current level one team (PCR), many brand new (not raced until this weekend) components from the FPR factory........... and of course currently enjoying the engineering services of a certain Mr Forgie?

Can anyone verify this (GTR?), or did it come to me in a dream?

Still, great drive either way.

[F J Nedos]

Holdsworth flogged them all, anyway you look at it. His car was straight, he was fast wet and dry and he was competitive all weekend. He was passing some other fancied cars and drivers who were on wets too, so there is no excuses for them.

Whincup was the only one who looked quick in the wet, but he was too impatient passing cars and paid the consequence. Holdsworth didn't flinch, yet he passed just about every car in the field at some point.

Just look at the restarts after the safety car periods - he shot off into the distance every time. It wouldn't have mattered if the big names were directly behind him, he still would have comfortably gapped them. He did this one totally on merit.

This is by no means a rant, just a congratulatory note to a guy who really stepped up on the weekend. He acheived what others couldn't, he made the other experienced so called professionals look silly and he was a deserved round winner. And he put a big smile on the face of all his team members who have had a recent rough trot. That couldn't have happened to a better lot as far as I am concerned. Well done all.

[Mr_Cool]

He had a lot of luck with half the field starting from pit lane - But he never backed off the whole race, Even with Lowndes a lap down he kept the foot down, Remarkable job in shocking conditions

[Vee8]

Originally Posted by F J Nedos

Holdsworth flogged them all, anyway you look at it. His car was straight, he was fast wet and dry and he was competitive all weekend. He was passing some other fancied cars and drivers who were on wets too, so there is no excuses for them.

Whincup was the only one who looked quick in the wet, but he was too impatient passing cars and paid the consequence. Holdsworth didn't flinch, yet he passed just about every car in the field at some point.

Just look at the restarts after the safety car periods - he shot off into the distance every time. It wouldn't have mattered if the big names were directly behind him, he still would have comfortably gapped them. He did this one totally on merit.

This is by no means a rant, just a congratulatory note to a guy who really stepped up on the weekend. He acheived what others couldn't, he made the other experienced so called professionals look silly and he was a deserved round winner. And he put a big smile on the face of all his team members who have had a recent rough trot. That couldn't have happened to a better lot as far as I am concerned. Well done all.

Totally, totally agree with FJ Nedos. Lee took a huge chance keeping the wets on his car when all around him went for slicks, which could easily have come back to bite him on the bum. It didn't, which propelled him down the track to a lead of some 48 seconds. On that score, he was just plain lucky.

However - after the Safety Car restart, every car in the field was on wets and it was as close to a level playing field as you ever get. In this environment, Lee drove away from the field and made some of the big-name drivers look very shabby by lapping them with ease.

To start the third race on wets was incredibly ballsy, considering he was almost certainly looking at his first round podium if he just played safe and fitted slicks. He took a huge risk and it paid off big-time.

Other times - such as at Symmons Plains in '04 - we have seen backmarkers take a chance by going against popular thinking with their tyre choices in the final race. They have nothing to lose. Lee had plenty.

More kudos to him again because he admitted after the race that since Winton, he's been uncomfortable driving in the wet and it wasn't until Sunday that he felt he'd conquered that fear.

I really, really hope he drags that team up with him. You'd have to say that Canto has underperformed there, and I have had the sense that the fire went out of that team's belly when Tander and Bargs left the team. Even McConville's win at Winton in '04 didn't seem to particularly inspire them.

Here's hoping this is the start of something big, and not just a one-off we'll never see repeated.

[sizzle]

Originally Posted by 00 XR8

By the looks of it Owen drove amazingly well, and I very much hope he can turn it on again in the enduros.

However, 'dirty old AU' is probably doing the car a bit of a disservice. Isn't this car one of the last SBR built cars (i.e, one of the best AUs ever built)........ with extensive preparation work undertaken by a current level one team (PCR), many brand new (not raced until this weekend) components from the FPR factory........... and of course currently enjoying the engineering services of a certain Mr Forgie?

Can anyone verify this (GTR?), or did it come to me in a dream?

Still, great drive either way.

Looked awfully like a BA to me.

[Schrodes]

Looked awfully like a BA to me.

Me too. Middle row on the left.