Lowndes flips-out at Island testing
9/5/2000 11:49 (Jason Whittaker) - The drama surrounding Holden Racing Team ace Craig Lowndes continues, with HRT confirming that Lowndes rolled his VT Commodore during a test session at Phillip Island, yesterday.
Reports surfaced this morning on Melbourne radio station Triple M that the 25-year-old reigning Shell Series champion had rolled his car during testing at the Victorian circuit yesterday. Speaking to V8SP10 this morning, the Factory Holden Team’s Media Manager, Paul Weissel, confirmed the rumour.
Weissel said the incident was a “simple error,” with the car sliding off the circuit at the turn two hairpin. The Commodore then came almost to a stop before digging into the soft dirt (made so by a rain-soaked weekend) and flipped onto its roof.
The team says damage to the $300,000 machine was minimal, and preparations for the impending Hidden Valley meeting have not been greatly affected. "...The transporter scheduled to leave (for Hidden Valley) on time this weekend," said Weissel.
Reports that suggested the incident occurred during a “chase” by Lowndes to better his team-mate, Mark Skaife’s times were dismissed by the team, who said those reports had been “enhanced.”
A fortnight ago, Lowndes was “docked” 15 points from his championship tally after an overly-aggressive driving style landed him in hot water with race officials. Many have said Lowndes could be feeling the heat after a disappointing opening few races, which has seen him drop to 5th in the championship.
The incident comes a day after two drivers, Gary Quartly and John Trimbole, were rushed to Hospital after sustaining injuries in serious accidents at the Phillip Island V8 Lites meeting over the weekend.
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