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Dumbrell rewarded with 5th in Clipsal thriller |
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The Bottle-O Racing Team has enjoyed a sensational day at Clipsal, with driver Paul Dumbrell clocking the 2nd fastest time in qualifying before a race finish in 5th.
 The team started the day on the right note in qualifying, running strong from the first lap. Dumbrell managed 8 laps for the session with his fastest on lap 6 in a time of 1:21.5772. Dumbrell’s time was 2nd fastest and earned him a seat in the Top Ten Shootout.
The track temperature increased for the shootout, making Dumbrell’s fastest lap a fraction slower than qualifying at 1:22.1511, which secured 4th position on the starting grid.
Dumbrell made a good start to the race, keeping pace with the front-runners to hold his claim on 4th position. Further back in the field matters were not as clean, with trouble brewing that would eventuate in 4 safety car periods throughout the race.
The first safety car period occurred on lap 14 and the 3 cars ahead of Dumbrell chose to pit. Dumbrell stayed out on track and led the field behind the safety car. On the restart the car’s tyres took longer than expected to reach optimum temperature and Dumbrell was forced to yield to pressure, dropping back several positions in the field. He was quick to reclaim ground and made good overtaking choices that awarded a return to 4th by lap 26.
The team made their first pitstop shortly afterwards on lap 27, taking on fuel and changing rear tyres. The car rejoined the field with the pace to move forward. Dumbrell used the car’s performance to best advantage and made a big climb on lap 33 when the majority of the field chose to visit the pits. With a safe return back to the top ten Dumbrell was easily able to lift the tempo and claim 5th position by lap 50.
He completed his second pitstop on lap 53, taking on a final top-up of fuel and 4 tyres before returning to the field in 5th position. Dumbrell pushed forward, hungry for a further gain and relentless in his pursuit of the front of the pack. With solid overtaking moves he was able to reach 3rd which he successfully defended for 6 laps before one of the car’s tyres started to lock up through the braking zones. Dumbrell backed off to avoid a more serious incident, nursing the car home to a finish in 5th.
It was a very satisfying result for the team, generating a positive outlook for tomorrow’s qualifying session and race.
“For tomorrow we’re really looking forward to making a few small improvements to the car and taking the next step forward.” Dumbrell said.
“We know the car’s got good speed. It’s up to us to improve a little bit further to hopefully move up the grid a few more spots tomorrow.”
Dumbrell earned 111 Championship points for the race, bringing his season total to 378, which lifts his rank to 9th in the Championship.
Copyright © Rod Nash Racing 2010
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