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Holdsworth: No health concerns after first test

Lee Holdsworth has passed the first test on his return to full fitness with flying colours after a short but successful stint in the Team 18 Commodore at Winton today.

Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden Commodore

Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden Commodore

Team 18

The crashed car of Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden
Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden is taken away on a stretcher
Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden
Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden
Lee Holdsworth and Karl Reindler, Team 18
Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden
Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden
Lee Holdsworth, Team 18 Holden

The Supercars star has been sidelined since the Darwin round back in June, when a heavy crash left him with a broken pelvis and ribs and ligament damage in his knee.

Today he returned to the track for the first time, completing four timed laps as part of Team 18’s 20-lap shakedown for its brand new Commodore chassis.

“It was bloody good to be back in the car. It all went really well,” he told Motorsport.com.

“I went out and did an out and an in for its first lap, so it was nice to christen the car. It also gave me a bit of confidence straight away that the body felt right, and it allowed me to jump back in it and go 95 per cent straight away.

“There was a little bit of pain in the ribs, but that is the least of my concerns. I was more worried about how my pelvis and right knee would feel putting full load through the brake pedal. And it wasn’t an issue at all, there was no pain from the pelvis or the knee.

“I’m feeling very good about it, I’m feeling very confident.

“I’ll see how I pull up tomorrow, and if there’s anything I need to work on fitness-wise with the strength in my legs or anything like that. I’ve only been back on the left leg for a couple of days now, so I’ll be working very hard on whatever it is I need to focus on for Sandown.”

Sydney Friday laps still possible

While enduro driver Karl Reindler will race the #18 entry at Sydney Motorsport Park this weekend, Holdsworth is still planning on taking part in some of Friday’s running if the weather stays dry. If it doesn’t, he’ll wait until Monday’s ride day to get back in the car.

“It’s probably weather dependant. The weather looks like it might be a bit dodgy on Friday, so there’s not much point me running in the rain,” he said.

“But if it’s a dry day on Friday, I’d certainly like to do some running – just to get my eye in again, and confirm that everything is fine.

“We’ve got the ride day afterwards to get some more laps in, too.”

One thing Holdsworth says is for sure is that he’ll be back to full fitness for next month’s Sandown 500.

“Absolutely no doubt for Sandown. I’ll be good to go. I’d love to race this weekend, to be honest.”

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