Mixed results for DAlberto

The Rod Nash Racing Commodore of Tony D’Alberto had a mixed weekend at the final round of the V8 Supercars as two failed shockers gave the team two DNF’s for the Bottle-O Commodore.
Tony D’Alberto and team managed to turn it around for the final race of the Championship with a 19th place finish.

Race 1 had a frustrating exit for the RNR team, with a collapsed shock absorber ruling D’Alberto out of the finish of the race following a solid performance. It was more bad fortune for RNR in Race 2, with a second failed shock absorber sidelining the #55 Bottle-O Commodore from the race. The team went on to recover from the incident, finishing 19th in Race 3.

D’Alberto had a smooth run in qualifying, powering through the first sector to hold 3rd. In the 2nd sector the competition hotted up and D’Alberto finished in 20th. The team notched up 24 laps in the qualifying session with D’Alberto’s fastest on lap 18 with a time of 1:10.8179. The #55 Bottle-O Commodore got away to a blazing start to Race 1 with D’Alberto rocketing the car up several places to secure 17th on the opening lap. D’Alberto confidently held 17th position and patiently awaited the opportunity for a further gain. As the pit window opened the team kept the car out on track, keeping a trained eye on other cars as the order reshuffled. The strategy worked well and when the team finally pitted on lap 19 the car was reinserted back into the field in 15th.

With plenty of laps left in the race it appeared D’Alberto was lined up for a great finish inside the top 15. Unfortunately the team’s good fortune turned and shortly after the pitstop a rear right shock absorber collapsed in the car. There was no earlier incident to account for the failure of the shock absorber and the team was forced to shoulder the bad luck and call an early finish. The car had been incredibly strong up to that point, clocking its fastest lap of the race on lap 9 in a time of 1:12.1350.

D’Alberto delivered a great start to Race 2, throwing himself into the task of moving up the ranks from towards the back of the field. By lap 7 his momentum had carried the car to 22nd and as the pit window opened the team employed the same strategy as Race 1, keeping the car out on track before pitting on lap 14. D’Alberto reinserted into the field in 22nd position and managed to hold the car steady amidst increasingly fierce competition. On lap 34 the rear shock absorber collapsed in a repeat of Saturday’s race exit. The team was left understandably frustrated, but quickly focused on preparation for the last race of the round that would also close the 2008 V8 Supercar season.

The team headed into Race 3 determined to get through. D’Alberto gave the car the best possible start, weaving through the opening snarl of traffic to reach 17th position. Having reached 16th by the second lap it was clear D’Alberto was on a mission and all eyes were on car performance.

D’Alberto showed great skill in taking advantage of the car’s acceleration, clocking his fastest lap of the race on lap 6 in a time of 1:11.5110. The team held out for a late pitstop and ducked in on lap 16. The car circulated back in 22nd after the pitstop and D’Alberto found himself stuck behind traffic. Over the remainder of the race D’Alberto clawed his way up to 19th which he held to the close of the race.

The car had redeemed itself with no mechanical issues surfacing in the closing race. The round results were not quite what the team had hoped for, but the Race 3 finish went a long way towards easing the earlier frustration. D’Alberto finishes the season with a Championship point total of 890. Stay tuned for 2009!