Queensland: Tony D'Alberto weekend summary

BRAKE LIGHTS HALT D'ALBERTO'S PROGRESS AT QUEENSLAND RACEWAY

Tony D'Alberto was on his way to a top 20 finish at Round 7 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series when malfunctioning brake lights forced him to pit for repairs six laps form the end of race 3.

The weekend started well for D'Alberto with strong progress being made between practice on Friday and qualifying on Saturday morning.

Tony was once again within half a second of fastest time in the opening bracket of qualifying, yet once again it was outside the top 20 cut-off for the second session -- 21st.

"We are getting closer each round but this series is so tight that even half a second from the front is a long way back," Tony said.

The first two races saw Tony put in solid performances with 20th and 22nd respectively, even though little was gained position-wise.

"It is tough going out there; we are working really hard but it is so hard to push through the field when all the times are so close.

"We just need to keep working on the car and my driving and the results will come with time."

Race three was going superbly for Tony as he broke into the top 20 mid-race in what was his best drive of the meeting.

The pit stop was fast with the guys doing a great job to get the car back on track without losing position and Tony was looking good for a top 20 finish.

With just a handful of laps remaining it was brought to the attention of the team that the brake lights were not working and Tony would have to pit to repair the problem.

Tony pitted with six laps remaining and lost a lap in the process of repairing the connections that had worked loose.

Tony rejoined and finished the race in position 26.

"It was not a good way to finish the weekend when we were travelling so well," Tony said.

"It is a safety issue so I understand the need to pit for repairs."

Tony's next round is at Victoria's Winton Raceway in two week's time.

-credit: tonyd.com.au