After almost a month's break from racing, the Supercars return to action this coming weekend when round six of the 2017 Championship gets underway in Darwin.
The Darwin Triple Crown holds significant memories for Lee Holdsworth and his Preston Hire Team as it was here, twelve months ago, that his 2016 hopes suffered a very harsh blow.
On the opening lap, Lee found himself being pushed off the circuit and slamming hard into the wall, an accident that left fans breathless and on the edge of their seats until they knew the likeable racer was okay.
After being removed from the car and taken to hospital however, it was discovered that he had fractured his pelvis and ribs while also having an injury to his knee.
This saw him sidelined from the championship for three months as he became the ‘laziest man on earth' in a wheelchair for several weeks while his injuries healed.
However, while this was arguably the worst crash of his career, Lee is not letting the memories cloud the way he looks at the upcoming challenges at Hidden Valley this weekend, instead he is confident that he will be able to bank another solid result inside the top ten.
“I always look forward to heading back to Darwin, for a few reasons,” Lee said. “The weather, the town and of course their cool race track. Even though last year was a terrible experience, it hasn't changed my opinion of Hidden Valley. It's one of the most challenging circuits for car set up and requires a technical driving approach with its variation of corner styles.”
Lee's horrific accident in 2016 not only wrote off Lee's challenge for three months, it also sidelined their one and only chassis that was too badly damaged to be repaired, meaning that they had to revert to a car from the Dunlop series for a few rounds until repairs could be carried out.
But, team boss Charlie Schwerkolt, is not one to hold grudges and is confident that are returning to Darwin this weekend with a much improved race car.
“Darwin was our worst race last year, we had the horrific crash which unfortunately injured Lee and also wrote off our VF Commodore,” he said. “We are looking forward to getting back to one of our favourite events in the sizzling Northern Territory and getting some great results. Lee will be out to redeem his continued performance and I really think we will have a quick car. I can't wait!”
Lee had a consistent weekend last time out in Winton where Lee finished P10 and 11, moving him up 5 places in the drivers' championship standings.
