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GARRY HOLT SECURES AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

PRODUCTION CAR RACING in Australia has had many names over the past five years – and now Sydney driver Garry Holt has ensured he has won it under every guise possible after he clinched the Australian Manufacturers Championship (AMC) for the first time at the weekend.

Holt is a past winner of the Australian Performance Car / GTP Championship and the Australian Production Car Championship and added the AMC title to his trophy collection with a strong performance at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne.

It was the second championship title for Holt and his Eastern Creek International Karting Raceway BMW 335i Turbo in a return to front-running form for a car that won the 2007 Bathurst 12 hour Enduro.

After struggling with a lack of horsepower and issues with the vehicles computer for some time, the weekend’s performance was a welcome return to form for the Sydney driver as he teamed up with Ryan McLeod to handle two, one-hour races at the Melbourne track.

Holt qualified third before the combination went on to finish the two races in fifth and fourth, respectively, enough to clinch the overall title.

The championship success and return to 2007-spec and better performance levels has given Holt and his team additional motivation for next year’s Armor All Bathurst 12 hour race; the team confident a return to their winning form is a possibility.

Holt will share the car with 2007-winning co-driver Paul Morris and two-time Bathurst 1000 winner and Australian Touring Car Champion John Bowe.

"Given we beat the two-time defending Bathurst 12 hour winners, in a works supported car, overall we are quietly confident going into the 2010 Bathurst 12 hour," said a justifiably pleased Garry Holt.

"It's very pleasing to wrap up the championship against some very strong opposition. We perhaps suffered at Bathurst this year for not running at Sandown the year before – this weekend has been very good for us and we’ve got a lot sorted on the BMW because of it.

"We have had problems with the car going into limp mode and have been struggling to produce the kind of horsepower we had in the car two or three years ago, but the boys have been putting in all-nighters on the car and it looks like the problem has been resolved.

"Because of the gearing in the car we didn’t show our true potential at Sandown – we never get out of fourth gear there. At Bathurst, however, where so much of the track is done in fifth I think we will be much stronger. That’s where this car is at its best."

Holt said his 2010 driver line-up was the strongest possible.

"Paul has done the job before with us, and to get John Bowe as well gives us a huge amount of Bathurst winning experience. Their records speak for themselves and I’m more confident than ever that we will be back challenging for a race win in 2010."

The 2010 Armor All Bathurst 12 hour will be held on February 12 – 14, 2010.

The final round of the 2010 Boylan Traffic Solutions Australian Manufacturers Championship will be televised on SBS Speedweek this Sunday from 1:00pm.