HOLDSWORTH ON HIS FUTURE – “THERE AREN’T MANY OPTIONS OUT THERE”

Lee Holdsworth has declared he is moving on from Team 18 – Photo: LAT

CURRENT PRESTON Hire Racing driver Lee Holdsworth has declared that he will be moving on after four years with Charlie Schwerkolt’s Team.

AUTO ACTION Special Contributor BRUCE NEWTON grilled Holdsworth on his future amid the mounting speculation about driver movements for 2019.

You revealed you’re moving on from Team 18. Why is that?

It all came about as result of that rumour about Winterbottom. I thought I better start getting out there as well.

What are your expectations for 2019, then?

My expectation is to be full-time in the series and with a competitive car and competitive team.

Are there many options out there?

To be fair, no, there’s not. Obviously, most drivers are locked in for next year, most teams are sticking with what they have In terms of how many cars they are running. And so that leaves two or three options, so that’s where it is at at the moment.

There are plenty of talks going on, it’s just a matter of making sure it works from both sides.

If it doesn’t work itself out, are you prepared to go down the co-driver route?

Oh, yes, for sure, I can’t rule that out. If I do go down that path, I do want to have the best opportunity I can get to win races. We all know there are three very strong teams in the field that can do that at the moment, and week-in and week-out challenge for the win. It’s inevitable that that point will come at some stage, but I just feel it’s far too soon.

Will this all drag on for a while?

We all want to get these things locked away as soon as we can, but it does take time. But before the end of the year, I would imagine this will have all sorted itself out and I’ll know exactly what I am dong for 2019.

Teams often ask for money these days. Do you have a budget to support you?

Yes, I do have some backers, some people who are supporting me. It’s a tough place at the moment. The sport is in a bit of a hard position financially, so I think if that helps get something over the line, then you have to play that card.

What’s your attitude to the rest of the season?

Every time I put the helmet on, I give it 110 per cent. Drive to the best of my ability, do the best for our sponsors, the team, the people in our team and, obviously, first and foremost, do it for myself. Your results are so important to staying in this sport, and I feel our team has pushed so hard this year and a lot of what’s happened with reliability and that sort of thing is not the fault of the boys working on the car. It’s been a tough time and everyone’s heads are hanging down a bit, so I will be doing everything I can to give them something to cheer about.

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