D’Alberto puts in the hard work at Barbagallo

Barbagallo proved to be a tough round for Rod Nash Racing with driver Tony D’Alberto forced to fight hard for every position gained. D’Alberto had to grapple with a start near the back of the field in Race 1, finishing in 21st position. Sunday delivered more hard work for D’Alberto in Races 2 & 3, with finishes in 20th and 23rd. The round netted 84 Championship points, bringing D’Alberto’s total to 286.

It all began with qualifying where a determined D’Alberto faced up squarely to the task, recording solid lap times as the session got underway. D’Alberto hadn’t driven a V8 Supercar on the Barbagallo circuit previously and had climbed a steep learning curve to enable a move forward. Unfortunately an issue with the gearbox surfaced, crippling D’Alberto’s attempt to press on with the pace and the team had the unwelcome prospect of starting Race 1 from 28th on the grid.

As Race 1 began D’Alberto kept a cautious eye on the cars ahead whilst maintaining the pace. Other drivers were quick to defend their position, giving rise to the very real challenge of preserving the car for the remainder of the weekend and still finding a way forward.

The traffic lessened as cars peeled off to complete compulsory pitstops. D’Alberto kept the car out hoping for a change in fortune that would deliver a leap in position, but the prospect looked less and less likely as the race continued. On lap 21 D’Alberto ducked into the pits to complete his stop, and inserted back near the rear of the field on his return to the track.

Over the remaining laps of the race D’Alberto managed to secure 21st position, which he comfortably held for the closing 7 laps.

“At the end of the race the car was actually quite quick and was one of the quickest cars on the track.” D’Alberto said, “At the start of the race we struggled a bit and when you start so far back it’s hard.

“We’re going to try to pick up more pace at the start of Race 2.”

The chance of rain increased the tension in Race 2, bringing about a cautious “weather watch” as teams tried to find an advantage. D’Alberto made a clean start to the race, climbing the ranks as the pit window opened and the view to the front of the field narrowed. By lap 30 D’Alberto was enjoying the fast pace at the front of the field and dived into the pits on lap 32 to notch up his compulsory stop.

The team’s climb was halted by a penalty for exceeding the speed limit in pit lane, which reined the car back near the rear of the pack. Down but not out, D’Alberto pushed on for a finish in 20th. The car still had plenty of acceleration as the race came to a close, clocking a lap of 0:58.8930.

D’Alberto made another good start in Race 3 for the final race of the Barbagallo round, moving forward to 18th in the opening laps and pushing for more pace. After pitting on lap 10 the #55 Bottle-O Commodore reinserted in 22nd, with a hunger to move forward. The racing was no less fierce and D’Alberto faced an aggressive battle for position, trading paint with other drivers as the wrestle to move forward boiled over. D’Alberto had an unwelcome cruise through the dirt in the latter stage of the race, losing a few positions in the process but managing to keep the car from serious trouble and finish in 23rd.

Barbagallo had proved a successful outing for the team with D’Alberto keeping on the pace and moving forward at each opportunity. Sandown is next on the V8 Supercar calendar from 7th-9th June.

Copyright © Rod Nash Racing 2008

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