Jeroen Bleekemolen paid tribute to his late friend Sean Edwards after becoming the first Dutch driver to climb onto a V8 Supercars podium at the Armor All Gold Coast 600.
Bleekemolen completed the opening 34 laps of the race in the #97 Tekno Commodore before handing over to primary driver Shane van Gisbergen.
The widely travelled Bleekemolen had been close friends with Edwards, who was tragically killed when he was instructing from the passenger seat in a Porsche 996 GT3 Cup car on a private track day at Queensland Raceway last week.
Towards the end of their co-driver stints, Bleekemolen and Baird – also a friend of Edwards – were jostling for the lead, marking a special moment for the pair.
Bleekemolen arrived on the Gold Coast having collected the GTC class in the American Le Mans Series at Road Atlanta last weekend.
“It’s been really hard the last week,” explained Bleekemolen.
“Last week I was crying in the racecar during the race, (but) this weekend was a lot better already.
“It was actually good to fight for the lead with Bairdo because he knew him well too. So I’m sure somehow he (Edwards) was smiling at us.
“I texted Bairdo straight after my stint, you know we had so much fun. It was a hard fight but fair.
“Yes, he (Edwards) gave me strength. It was just good to have a good race.
“He was a great guy and one of the best endurance racers but also a sprint driver, he could do anything.
“It’s just sad that he’s gone. I still feel really bad about it but hopefully time will cure it a little bit. He’s going to be missed.”
Edwards’ funeral will be held in his native England on November 11.
