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This website is now dedicated to covering the Black Bullets. Current Black Bullets news is now provided on iSportz » with past news archived here for your continued reference.
Fast-rising young New Zealand racing driver Earl Bamber has claimed an early lead in the series points standings after a win and a second at the first round of the 2008 Formula V6 Asia championship in Malaysia over the weekend.
The 17-year-old from Wanganui finished second in the sprint race on Saturday then won the feature race on Sunday, giving him a six point lead over TPC Team QI-Meritus teammate James Grunwell in the drivers' points standings and TPC QI-Meritus a 12 point lead in the teams' competition.
On the way he set the fastest race lap in both races, being the only driver to break the minute barrier - 59.761 - in Saturday's race and the only driver to go under 1.01.00 (1.00.921) in the feature.
Bamber's performance was all the more impressive for the fact that mechanical problems meant he did not get to set a qualifying time, then had to start Saturday's race from pitlane after his car's battery caught fire.
Despite that he passed at least one car a lap until he got to second, and was closing on leader and race winner Armaan Ebrahim when the chequered flag came out.
 In Sunday's feature race Bamber joined Ebrahim on the front row of the grid and was looking for a way past when the Indian driver's car suddenly slowed just after a mid-race Safety Car period.
"I didn't get the best of starts," admitted Bamber, and Armaan managed to hold the lead heading into Turn 1. But I really tried to put a lot of pressure on him for the first couple of laps and had a really, really good look up at the inside of him going into Turn 1 but he covered it quite well. We almost touched and I thought that my front wing might have gone, but luckily for me it was still there. After the Safety Car period I had a good restart but then I saw him (Ebrahim) pull aside at Turn 3. The car was good throughout the race and I didn't really change much and I could control the pace I wanted to go at."
Bamber's teammate James Grunwell qualified quickest and finished third in both races, behind Ebrahim and Bamber on Saturday and Bamber and Ebrahim's teammate Isaiah-Ro Charlez in the second.
Bamber now returns home to Wanganui before heading back to Malaysia for the third and fourth rounds of the 2008 Formula V6 Asia Championship (again at Sepang in Malaysia) over the June 20-22 weekend.
2008 Formula V6 Asia Championship Rnds 1 & 2 Sepang Malaysia Sat-Sun May 17-18
Race 1
1. Armaan Ebrahim (IND) 19.12.561
2. Earl Bamber (NZ) +8.322
3. James Grunwell (THA) +14.991
4. Kevin Chen (USA) +23.765
5. Robin Tato (INA) +32.886
6. Hafiz Koh (SIN) +46.769
7. Isaiah-Ro Charlez (MAL) + 2 laps
Race 2
1. Bamber 36.26.276
2. Charlez +4.259
3. Grunwell +4.546
4. Chen +41.804
5. M.Williamson (AUS) +1.00.484
6. R. Tato + 2 laps
7. Ebrahim + 2 laps
Points after Rnd 2 of 12
1. Earl Bamber 27
2. James Grunwell 27
3. Armaan Ebrahim 19
4. Kevin Chen 16
5. Robin Tato 11
6. Mark Williamson 6
2008 AFOS Formula V6 Asia Championship
Calendar
Rnds 1 & 2: May 16-18 Sepang Malaysia
Rnds 3 & 4: June 20-22 Sepang Malaysia
Rnds 5 & 6: July 18-20 Sentul Indonesia
Rnds 7 & 8: September 12-14 Chengdu China
Rnds 9 & 10: October 24-16 Okayama Japan
Rnds 11 & 12: Nov 21-23 Shanghai China
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