Final 3 contestants revealed after wildcard Reid is eliminated
Published on 17 September 2012
In the same lightening speed that she came in and turned the competition upside down, Series 1 Supercar Showdown finalist Samantha Reid was eliminated on Saturday.
The Kelly brothers invited Reid to join the competition as a wildcard entry, hoping she would push the final three drivers to their limit.
While her late inclusion in the series certainly ruffled the feathers of Glen Wood, Andre Heimgartner and Jesse Dixon, it was not enough to throw the boys off track.
Reid, who was taken on as a test driver at Kelly Racing after the last series, was hoping the additional experience would help her conquer Winton Raceway, the point of her undoing last time round.
Unfortunately a wet track and late braking into the first corner of the fuel conservation elimination challenge saw Reid veer off the track, and into the bottom two of the competition. She was joined there by Glen Wood, who clocked a satisfactory lap time but expended too much fuel.
Reid stood by her “small error” and was confident her “bit of a moment on the brakes” would not be enough to send her home. Unfortunately the Kelly brothers disagreed and she was eliminated for having a lap time “just too far off the pace”.
A devastated Reid departed the competition from the Winton racetrack for a second time.
"I had a second opportunity to come and show the country what I could do, and I messed it up, and now I’m going home. The prize of being on the grid at Bathurst is absolutely huge…I just hope these guys realise just what's within their reach," she said.
Wood, who narrowly escaped elimination for the second week in a row, was relieved to see Reid depart but also well aware he needs to improve.
“It's one in three again now so next week I’ll give it everything I’ve got, I’m not going in the bottom two,” he said.
Straight-shooter Jesse Dixon was also pleased to see the back of Reid. "She was quick straight away before she went off, so I think she could have been a serious threat in the final challenge," he said.
Young- gun Andre Heimigartner was named as the week’s best driver, however his victory did not come without its trials.
Heimigartner’s first run on the track ended in disaster when the car suddenly stopped. The 17-year old was forced to endure an agonising wait as mechanics towed the car in to the pits and worked in to the night trying to rectify the problem.
In the end a sheared input shaft was found to be the cause and a relieved Heimigartner was given another chance behind the wheel.
The finish line is now in sight as the remaining three rookies face off in the competition’s semi-final. Watch as the boys go full throttle in the showdown for the greatest prize in motorsport!
Shannons Supercar Showdown airs on Saturday on 7Mate (check local guides for times)
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