The #55 Bottle-O Falcon was left worse for wear after a punishing race in Bahrain today where the team finished 27th. The car carried damage in the opening lap and as a result Dumbrell was unable to hold a position near the front.

Dumbrell made an excellent start to the race, powering forward to make an early climb through the field. The promising outlook was quickly cut short when midway through lap 1 the car was tagged from behind and sandwiched between two cars.  The car came away from the tangle with heavy damage to the right rear side and limped around the track until the team brought it into the pits on lap 9 to change rear tyres.

Upon re-joining the field the car showed noticeable improvement and had pace to rival cars in front. Dumbrell was quick to capitalise, and climbed up to 20th position by lap 17.

The team performed their second pit-stop of the race on lap 23, opting to change the rear tyres again and take on fuel.  The car didn’t enjoy the same increase in performance as it did after the previous stop and Dumbrell was forced to fight for position.

Shortly afterwards on lap 30 the car brushed wheels with another competitor which broke the steering arm. There was no other option but to return to the pits for a swift replacement.  Dumbrell returned to the track with two laps to go and finished in 27th.

It was not the finish Dumbrell had hoped for, but the Bottle-O Falcon demonstrated impressive pace that marked it as one of the faster cars on track.  The team will return the car to fighting form in readiness for the next bout of qualifying where Dumbrell aims to secure a good result in the lead-up to the second Bahrain race.

Copyright © Rod Nash Racing 2010

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