Paul Dumbrell overcame a challenging start from 18th in today’s race at Clipsal to finish in 5th position.  It was a punishing race that demanded constant focus from drivers.  Dumbrell thrived under the pressure to produce another top result for the team.

Qualifying raised the first hurdle, with the car struggling to reach peak performance.  The source of the issue was the accelerator throttle, which was sticking during the session and affecting the car’s lap time.

The crew pulled together, quickly assessing the problem and making necessary adjustments to return the car to fighting form.  Dumbrell was able to benefit from the crew’s work and lift the pace towards the end of the session, but with a fastest lap of 1:21.9301 he was handed a race start buried in 18th with an aggressive midfield in his way.

Dumbrell took the first step of his massive climb on the opening lap, making a swift move off the grid to clinch 2 positions.  The #55 Bottle-O Falcon made easy work of the Clipsal circuit, and Dumbrell continued to slip past cars that couldn’t match his pace, reaching 12th by lap 9.  With the top ten in his sights there appeared to be no stopping his charge.

The team opted for a three stop strategy, checking off their first pitstop on lap 16.  Dumbrell rebounded into the field towards the back of the order, but as the rest of the pack peeled away to complete their stops he shot up to 7th.  Dumbrell now had a footing in the top ten and he wasn’t about to give ground.

The car’s next pitstop occurred on lap 42, and was followed shortly afterwards by the third and final pitstop on lap 56 where the car changed to 4 fresh tyres. Dumbrell was ready for a sprint to the finish.

The race grew more intense as the finish approached, but Dumbrell was still in the fight, clocking his fastest lap of the race on lap 74 in a time of 1:22.2472. He brought the car across the finish line in 5th position, delivering another top result for the Bottle-O Racing Team.

“It was pretty disappointing after our strong qualifying yesterday to have to start in 18th but we were very confident we had a good car.” Dumbrell said. “We just had to make sure we stayed out of trouble for the first couple of laps which we were able to do.

“Good track speed and a safety car at the end made it a pretty good day for us.  The team has a lot of confidence coming out of the first three rounds.”

Dumbrell has a short rest before the V8 Supercars make their next appearance at the Melbourne Grand Prix from March 25th.

Copyright © Rod Nash Racing 2010

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