Challenging times in Races 2 & 3 at Sandown for D'Alberto

Races 2 and 3 delivered a tough day of racing for D'Alberto, with Sandown serving a host of challenges.

Race 2 opened under rain with the sure bet that a wet track would lead to some interesting racing. An aggressive opening lap fed into nose to tail driving where not so gentle taps let drivers know exactly where rivals were placed.

D’Alberto lost a few positions as the race got underway, retreating back slightly in the order to avoid major damage. From a safer position back in the pack D’Alberto manoeuvred his way around the slippery circuit, taking care not to make any unplanned detours across the grass.

The #55 Bottle-O Commodore experienced difficulty under the snap change in conditions and D’Alberto had a struggle on his hands to produce the pace needed to move forward.

As cars began to peel away to complete their compulsory stops the order refreshed, giving D’Alberto a bump up the field. The team held off for their pitstop until late in the window, eventually ducking in on lap 25.

With the compulsory pitstop out of the way it was back to racing for D’Alberto. The safety car was deployed later in the race whilst a marooned car was hauled out of the sand. When racing resumed the battle was on again and D’Alberto found himself in a precarious position with a car level on either side. After an uncomfortable crunch D’Alberto ploughed onwards, finishing the hard-fought race in 25th position.

Race 3 was more hard work for the team, with fortune not falling in D’Alberto’s favour. D’Alberto got away to a good start, holding ground in the opening laps. In contrast to the tactic employed in earlier races the team chose to pit early in the window, bringing the car in lap 7 to complete the stop. It was a struggle to move forward, but D’Alberto persisted, fighting his way through an aggressive field. With progress made D’Alberto was dealt another blow after being shown the mechanical black flag, which necessitated a second visit to the pits. D;Alberto drove on for a finish in 25th.

It was a punishing weekend for the team with a number of challenges served up by the unpredictable Sandown circuit. The V8 Supercar Championship moves on to Darwin for the next round in the series scheduled from 4th-6th July.

Copyright © Rod Nash Racing 2008

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