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Brotherly guidance aids in Brett Holdsworth’s return
After nearly a decade away from full-time competition, Brett Holdsworth has returned to be a regular frontrunner in National Trans Am since the inaugural event in 2020.
Aligning with Shaw Motorsport, Holdsworth took a pair of seconds in Adelaide at the start of 2020 in what was expected to mark his return to full-time competition, however due to the global pandemic it was delayed until this season.
Aiding his full-season campaign alongside Shaw Motorsport has been younger brother and Supercheap Auto TCR Australia driver Lee, who has provided engineering insight throughout Holdsworth’s campaign so far.
“I run everything by Lee, he’s always had good in-put into set-up,” said Holdsworth.
“He’s really good when it comes to engineering and interpreting data. I’m probably more focused on my driving and trying to get speed on these young fellas.”
Holdsworth has previously plied his trade in HQs and Commodore Cup, which is where his association with Shaw began.
“I caught up with Tim Shaw at the end of 2019 and he’d bought two cars,” explained Holdsworth.
“We knew Tim after purchasing our first Commodore Cup car through him, so it was the perfect opportunity to have a crack again.”
Recalling the first time he tested the TPS Chevrolet Camaro, Holdsworth identified areas he needed to change as Lee was there to guide the engineering direction.
“The first test day I did, Lee was out there and we did some data overlay where I found I was driving it too much like the old Commodore Cup car,” Holdsworth recalled.
“I found you have to carry a lot of entry speed, so I was probably driving it off the apex a little bit too much to start with, but there’s not much to adapt to drive it.”
Holdsworth highlighted the rising competition within the National Trans Am ranks, crediting the young drivers for raising the bar since the start of the season.
“You see the drivers who are spending more time in the car naturally get faster so these young guys get harder to beat when they’re in the car so much like Nash Morris, who is flying at the moment and a really good kid to race – he’s always fair on the track,” he said.
“It’s just cool to be racing those up-and-coming guys, who have a real big future in the sport.
“To be able to still mix it with those guys is pretty cool.”
Sandown is the next round for National Trans Am where Holdsworth expects the racing to be as good as it has been this year, albeit he admits improvements need to be made if he wants to add another podium finish to his tally.
“If we can get a full field at Sandown, I think we’ll put on an unreal show there,” Holdsworth enthused.
“I think these cars will be really good on that track. It’s good for passing and there’s plenty of that in Trans Am.
“I’ve gone from being at the sharp end of the field at the start of the season, but at Phillip Island and Sydney Motorsport Park we’ve dropped off the pace a little bit, maybe it’s just a case of more time in the car needed.”
The next round of the National Trans Am Series will be held at Sandown International Raceway on September 17-19.