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Tony DAlberto performs in Bahrain

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Rod Nash Racing driver, Tony D’Alberto had a great start to the Bahrain round, finishing 17th in the first race after qualifying in 27th.
The approach for qualifying was to settle in gently and concentrate on fine tuning the car’s set-up for the Bahrain circuit. D’Alberto had absorbed as much information as possible on the demands of the circuit in the days leading up to the start of the round and showed good form in Thursday’s practice session.

Ranked 15th with a practice lap of 1:25.8823. D’Alberto carried that momentum through to qualifying, churning out 10 laps with his fastest clocked on lap 6 in a time of 1:26.0600.

At the start of Race 1 D’Alberto was faced with the somewhat daunting view of most of the field ahead of him. D’Alberto turned the situation into a positive, delivering a great start that gave him a neat hop to 24th. Tension in the race continued to build, resulting in early damage for some. D’Alberto balanced the car between performance and a clean run, carefully stepping around the tangles on track to have reached 20th by lap 8.

The team chose to pit shortly afterwards on lap 9, returning the car to the field with clean air in front and the opportunity to find faster laps. From there D’Alberto commenced a steady climb, comfortably securing 17th as early as lap 19, which he defended through to the finish.

It was a great result for the team with the race delivering a major move forward. The #55 Bottle-O Commodore had shown top form during the race, answering D’Alberto’s call for acceleration when required whilst remaining responsive on brakes. The team is in a strong position for Race 2 and 3, with plenty of opportunity remaining for a further climb up the ranks

Race 2 delivered another intense event at Bahrain with D’Alberto holding on for a finish in 24th. Race 3 followed with more action and the #55 Bottle-O Commodore clawed back position to finish in 19th.

D’Alberto got away to a fantastic start in Race 2, slipping past rivals to reach 14th. The second lap was fierce and D’Alberto conceded position to avoid further trouble after the car took damage to the bonnet.

The team pitted early on lap 7, making swift repairs before sending the car back on track. D’Alberto found himself further back in the field, but gradually managed to edge back up the order, reaching as high as 23rd, before slipping back to 24th on the finish. It had been a tough race but the car hadn’t sustained irreparable bruising and was able to be fine tuned in preparation for Race 3.

D’Alberto employed a cautious start to Race 3, waiting his chance back in the order for a safe move forward. Closer to midfield the battle was in full swing with cars trading paint in an effort to muscle ahead. D’Alberto launched into the fray on lap 2, making a hop to 22nd which he comfortably held through the opening laps. The team chose to pit on lap 9 and this time it was a relatively swift return to the track where D’Alberto found himself still anchored towards the rear of the field.

With so much action on track it was difficult to separate a genuine passing opportunity from a potentially damage inflicting tangle. D’Alberto played the game and chose his moves wisely, rewarded with a move to 19th by lap 28, which he held to the finish.

The round was a great success for the team with D’Alberto making a solid debut at the Bahrain circuit, finishing all 3 races in good form. The team now faces a whirlwind turnaround to be back in Australia and ready to contest the Tasmanian round form the 21st of November.