Motorsport: Bamber takes third despite car troubles

Third at Monza on Sunday was enough for expat Wanganui driver Earl Bamber to win Rookie of the Championship.PHOTO/FILE

Expat Wanganui driver Earl Bamber has secured the Rookie of the Championship title after a podium finish in round 8 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Super Cup at Italy's famous Monza circuit.

Bamber's third on Sunday was enough for him to win the 2014 Rookie Championship despite battling car set-up problems during qualifying.

From the standing start Bamber (NZ/Fach Auto Tech) got a great run from third on the grid and was able to secure second place.

He held on to second for about three laps before the driver in third bumped his way through.

While Bamber had a couple of looks at second, realistically his car just wasn't up to it. His car was also the only one fitted with in-car cameras and there was a lot of coverage of him during the race.

It was clear he was struggling with handling and even the commentators were able to pick that he wasn't as smooth and in control as usual.

Still a hard-earned third was a great result, especially as he was able to keep his nearest championship rival in fourth position by some clever defensive driving.

Bamber has now stretched his overall lead in the championship from three points to five.

The final two races are at the Formula 1 meeting in Austin, Texas from October 31 to November 2 (November 3 NZ time).