Lee Holdsworth on the trickiest Supercars tracks

Aug 19, 2020 • 0 min read

The Supercars Championship returns this weekend, with drivers eager to start their engines at the Darwin SuperSprint. Strap in for a race-filled weekend, with sharp turns and fast straights, with the team at Tickford and Truck Assist Racing along with driver Lee Holdsworth looking to continue their top form on the asphalt. To prepare for the weekend, we sat down with the veteran racer and picked his brain on the toughest, fastest and most atmospheric tracks in the Supercars Championship.

What’s the most difficult Supercars track to race on?

“Definitely Newcastle. The balance of the car determines how you attack the track, and most of the time you probably won’t have a perfect car, so you have to drive to what the car allows you to do.”

Which track has the trickiest start?

“Townsville’s up there. Turn 1 is pretty tight so when we go through there we’re all side by side, and when you’re on the outside it’s fairly hairy. Turn 2 is a hairpin just after Turn 1, so it’s easy to get tangled up in incidents down there.”

Which track has the most difficult corner?

“Turn 8 at Adelaide is pretty difficult. Its high speed approach requires a lot of commitment. If you’re a foot off the racing line you’re probably going to crash – your day is certainly over, and a lot of times your whole weekend is over, too.”

Which track is the toughest for overtaking?

“I reckon Gold Coast is the hardest. It’s so narrow and has short braking zones. It’s usually an endurance race, too, so you have to be mindful to not damage the car too much as well.”

Which track has the fastest straight?

“We get close to 300 kph on the Conrod Straight in Bathurst. After that we hit corners called the Chase, where you actually go through the first kink at full throttle. If you hit the brakes when you’re still turning, you can easily lock up a tyre and skid off the track.”

What goes into preparing for a track?

“We usually work out which sectors of the track take up the most time of the lap, then we prioritise what balance we need for those sectors to make sure we’re as quick as we can be through those parts.”

Where does the pole position matter most?

“I’d say Phillip Island because you have clean air, which is really important at that track. With so many fast corners you can take away downforce from the car behind you, which hurts their ability to catch you.”

Which track has the best atmosphere?

“Bathurst for sure – it has so much history. The true racing fanatics line the fences around there and create an amazing atmosphere – one that you don’t really get close to anywhere else!”

Be sure to tune in to the races on 22 and 23 August, and you can also follow Isuzu Australia on Instagram for highlights from the event throughout the weekend.

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