HOLDSWORTH ON THE FRONT ROW FOR THE BATHURST 1000 AS WET WEATHER WREAKS HAVOC
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Saturday, October 8 – 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 |
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Lee Holdsworth and Matt Payne will start the Bathurst 1000 from the front row of the grid after a rain deluge caused the cancellation of the Top Ten Shootout at Mount Panorama, today. |
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On a bittersweet afternoon for the reigning Bathurst champion, Holdsworth conceded the conditions were too unsafe as he missed out on the chance to have one last solo lap of the famous circuit. Loyal fans braved the mud and heavy rain across to watch on as Penrite Racing’s combinations of Reynolds/Campbell and Holdsworth/Payne, got their final race simulations in across two practice sessions on Saturday. Beginning the day in the co-driver only Practice 5, recently signed Penske Porsche factory driver Matt Campbell put on a show in car #26 as he continually improved his lap times at the top of the time charts, before parking up to end the session P5. Holdsworth’s co-driver Matt Payne took no risks and gained crucial Supercars mileage in the wet at Mt Panorama, handing the car #10 back safe and sound. The lead drivers took the reins behind the wheel for the majority of Practice 6 where they were able to bolt slick tyres while the rain took a welcome break. Both Reynolds and Holdsworth took tours through the mud while they tested the limits and worked on set ups for mixed conditions, finishing up P5 a P9 respectively. The 2022 Repco Bathurst 1000 begins at 11.15am AEDT tomorrow – Sunday, October 9. |
COMMENTS |
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Car #10 Driver Lee Holdsworth, said: “It’s great to be on the front row, I would have loved to run in my last Bathurst shootout but In the end the officials made the right call to cancel it.” “In Practice today we gave Matt Payne a lot of laps in a race simulation to get him comfortable, and he did a good job. “We had good speed in the dry which gives me confidence for with mixed conditions expected tomorrow.” “It’s going to be a challenging race, starting up the front will help us avoid some carnage in the pack and we just want to settle in and find a groove. It’s a long day and there’ll be plenty of challenges, if we remain calm we can be there towards the end of the race.” Car #10 co-driver Matt Payne, said: “It was nice to get some wet running in today. We got through all our procedures for the race and I feel more comfortable in the wet but I was focusing on keeping it off the wall.” “I’m pretty excited to make my Bathurst 1000 debut tomorrow. I’ll be nervous but I know what my job is and I’m focused on hitting my marks and making it a good day. “Lee has been great at guiding me through the week and has helped me stay focussed, I want to repay him out on track in the race.” |
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Car #26 Driver David Reynolds, said: “Matt Campbell did a fantastic job in the wet co-driver practice session earlier today, it’s been great having him beside me this weekend.” “For the whole day we just focused on getting ready for the race and I’m feeling good about our chances tomorrow. The worse the conditions are, the better the shot we will have. “It doesn’t matter where you qualifying here at Bathurst, everyone has a chance and I’ve got a handy co-driver and a solid car in mixed conditions. I can’t wait to get stuck into it.” Car #26 Co-driver Matt Campbell, said: “Today was a confidence building day for us. Not being in the shootout allowed us to focus on our race car and we made great progress.” “I was having fun out there in the wet, we’ve got a strong package if the wet but also we’ve got some compromise if its dry so regardless of our grid position and the conditions we can make our way forward. “It’s been great being back in the Supercars paddock and this circuit, the fans in the rain at the track are so dedicated. I really want to bring home a good result in the race with Dave.” RESULTS Top Ten Shootout – cancelled Holdsworth/Payne will start from P2 Reynolds/Campbell will start from P18 Practice 6 (Wet) Reynolds/Campbell: P5 Holdsworth/Payne: P9 Practice 5 co-drivers only (Wet) Reynolds/Campbell: P5 Holdsworth/Payne: P27 |
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