Lee Holdsworth has opened up on the horror of the crash at Hidden Valley that has left him with multiple bone fractures.
The 33-year-old suffered fractures to his pelvis, right knee and two ribs when his Team 18 Holden struck a concrete barrier on the opening lap of Race 13.
Initially diagnosed with the pelvis injury in Royal Darwin Hospital on Sunday night, the remaining injuries were discovered during further scans in Melbourne’s Freemasons Hospital on Wednesday.
Holdsworth will be replaced by Karl Reindler for Townsville and Ipswich and could also be forced to miss Sydney Motorsport Park in late August.
Wheelchair bound for the next six weeks, Holdsworth describes the accident as “really scary”.
“I knew before I hit that it was going to be a really violent hit,’’ he told the Herald Sun of sliding side-on into the concrete.
“I remember hitting and feeling pain straight away shoot up through my whole body really, mostly the left side of my body.
“I came to a stop and I couldn’t breathe and I was screaming and just couldn’t get my breath back.
“I looked down to see what damage I had done to my own body and I could move all my limbs, but I knew something was going on because I had this excruciating pain in my left hand side in my hip and in my chest.
“I believe the G-force sensor that we have in the car recorded 56 g impact so it’s huge.”
With his hip injury predicted to take up to 12 weeks to heal, Holdsworth admits that the August 26-28 Sydney meeting may prove too early for a return.
“There is questions over Sydney at the moment … but one positive is that I would certainly be back for the whole enduro season,’’ he said.
“I’ll do everything I can to help the car development continue with Karl driving … so that we’re ready to step into a really strong package come Sandown.’’
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