9/7/06 | Macho mumbo in Adelaide as Dale takes the round win

2006 Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship

Round 5 – Adelaide International Raceway

MUMBO Racing’s Sam Dale has taken a popular round win in Round 5 of the Yokohama Australian Formula 4000 Drivers Championship at Adelaide International Raceway.

Dale, a 29-year old Navy helicopter pilot based in Nowra, NSW, is now in his second season of F4000 driving for Mumbo Racing, a team run by Sam’s father and AMRS director Rod Dale.

Despite not winning either of the two races held on the 2.41km Adelaide circuit over the weekend, Dale amassed enough points to win the round ahead of opening race winner and new championship leader, Ty Hanger.

Capping off a great weekend for Mumbo Racing was F4000 rookie Matthew Fox who took two well earned 3rd placings to finish 3rd overall for the round and vault to 6th overall in the championship standings.

Despite AIR being the scene of his first national level race win almost 20 years ago, previous championship leader Derek Pingel had a bittersweet weekend after spinning on the warm-up lap of the opening race and subsequently retiring when black flagged due to a mechanical problem. Pingel sought redemption in the second race though winning at a canter from Dale and Fox and setting the Formula 4000 lap record at 52.08 seconds.

Qualifying

Qualifying for the first ever Formula Holden/4000 race on the Adelaide circuit saw Hanger take pole ahead of Pingel, West and Dale with Fox not setting a time due to a slipping clutch in his Reynard 91D. Missing the session would be Hocking Motorsport driver Les Crampton who encountered a frightening suspension failure in Saturday morning practice which sent the former Silver Star champion spearing off into a tyre barrier. Fortunately, Crampton emerged unharmed and the car would be repaired in time for Sunday’s opening race.

1 - Ty Hanger (51.3635s)

2 - Derek Pingel (51.4391s)

3 - Mark West (52.7737s)

Race 1 (14 laps)

Cold and windy conditions greeted the F4000 field for racing on Sunday with drivers expressing concern in regards to the abrasiveness of the newly resurfaced track and the greasiness of the surface on the entrance to the main straight due to the VHT additive laid down for drag racing.

As the field set off on the warm-up lap for the opening 14-lap race with a rolling start, Pingel spun his Reynard 95D whilst warming his tyres in a display similar to that of Juan Pablo Montoya at this year’s Australian Grand Prix, most likely caused by the slippery surface and a chilly track temperature of 14 degrees. Luckily for Pingel, he was able to get going again but a flickspin executed by the Queenslander in a bid to rejoin unwound the left hand locking nut on the gearbox pinion shaft pushing it into and splitting the gearbox cover plate which allowed the gearbox to pump oil out onto the exhaust.

Nonetheless, Pingel rejoined alongside Hanger for the rolling start and proceeded to lead the field into the first corner from West, a slow-starting Hanger and Dale.

Despite leading the race, Pingel was now under the wrath of the stewards due to his vehicle smoking on the circuit and pitted for a mechanical check and subsequent retirement on lap 3. West’s race was over soon after with gearbox problems claiming the luckless Just Parts driver who pulled off inside the bowl complex.

This had paved the way for Dale who was now leading an F4000 race for the first time from Hanger and team-mate Fox. The race order remained static until the final lap when Hanger easily overtook Dale into turn 1 to claim his fourth victory of the season and in doing so reclaim the championship points lead.

Race 2 (18 laps)

When the lights went out for the second race, it was Dale who accelerated well off the line from Hanger who whilst shifting into second gear bizarrely spun his car off the line and stalled facing the wrong way. While all this was happening, out of nowhere Les Crampton had emerged to lead an F4000 race for the first time from Dale, Pingel and Fox.

The safety car was deployed as marshals recovered Hanger’s car which would rejoin the race a lap down, albeit lucky to continue after narrowly missing Pingel in the incident. When the safety car pulled in, Dale and Pingel pounced on Crampton into turn 1 and relegated the Hocking Motorsport car to 3rd.

Pingel then sat in behind Dale who was complaining of understeer due to excessive front wing settings which compromised the Mumbo driver’s run off the bowl and onto the main straight. Pingel would soon slingshot past Dale on lap 8 and from there on it was plain sailing for the Queenslander who made amends for his first race retirement by taking the win by over 20 seconds which brought back happy memories for Pingel who had his first win in Formula 2 racing at the same circuit in 1987.

Dale and Fox took 2nd and 3rd with Dale collecting 30 points from the weekend to take the round win ahead of Hanger and his Mumbo Racing team-mate.

Heading to Winton Motor Raceway in over a month’s time, Hanger leads the championship from Pingel by 4 points but on adjusted points the situation is reversed with Pingel leading the Gosford driver by the same amount.

Round Results

Dale 30

Hanger 28

Fox 24

Pingel 20

Crampton 20

Championship Standings

Hanger 140

Pingel 136

Dale 102

Crampton 76

West 57

Fox 44

Price 35

Amaduzzi 27

Crighton 21

Clearihan 16

Wade 6

Hibberd 6