*  Earl Bamber
    1st 2006 Formula BMW Asia champion
    1st 2007/08 TRS International Series
    1st 2008 Lady Wigram Trophy
    2nd 2007/08 Toyota Racing Series

10-04-08 - INTERVIEW
EARL BAMBER - LOOKING BACK, LOOKING FORWARD

Fast-rising young Wanganui driver Earl Bamber was one of the stars of New Zealand's latest Toyota Racing Series, winning the International Series (within-a-series) and finishing a close second to Andy Knight in the overall series points standings. The 17-year-old from Wanganui also drove A1 Team.NZL's car in the rookie sessions at two rounds of the 2007/08 A1GP series and competed in the first two rounds of the 2008 Kumho Tyres Australian Formula 3 championship.

Here he looks back on the highs and lows of his 2007/08 TRS season and looks forward to the next stage in his career behind the wheel.

Q. First up Earl congratulations on your TRS season. You managed to wrest the lead off Andy Knight heading into the final round only to be hobbled by coil problems. Still, your stats make impressive reading. Better go through them for us.
A. 8 race wins, 8 Pole Positions, 9 Fastest Laps, 3 Lap Records (Manfeild, Timaru, Teretonga) plus first in the International Series, and winner with my teammate Mitch Cunningham of the Teams' Championship for the International Motorsport TradeZone A1 Team.NZL Junior Development Team.

Q. With seven championship rounds plus the upcoming Trophy round at the V8 Supercar meeting in Hamilton it's been a busy season. Better go through the TRS meetings round by round to jog our memories.
A. Rnd 1 at Pukekohe we were quickest in the final practice session, didn't go as well as we would have liked in qualifying then had a misfire in the first race which saw me spend four laps in the pits and eventually finish13th. The second race we finished fourth but in the final we had a problem with the gearshift mechanism on the warm up lap which meant I ended up finishing 12th. It was pretty gutting at the time but we had to look to the future - I knew we had a very fast car and I was confident in Stephen (Giles, the team's Chief Engineer) and in the International Motorsport Team.

In between the two races I had the chance to test the A1GP car. This was a great confidence boost and give me great experience.

Rnd 2 was the Lady Wigram Trophy round at Powerbuilt Tools Raceway in Christchurch in early January where we had Daniel Gaunt back in a car. He really helped me over the weekend. It was a good meeting in that we qualified on pole and won the Lady Wigram Trophy race. It was the perfect way to start the new year and was what we needed to get our championship campaign back on track. It was also a special race for me as it was my first race win in the Toyota series.

Rnd 3 at Manfeild for the New Zealand Grand Prix where we were back on pole for the second race which I won by over five seconds. The team had given me a fantastic car and we were getting stronger every time we raced together.

Rnd 4 was at the A1GP meeting where we were in with a chance to win the International Series which runs over the three rounds in January. Qualifying went average ending up sixth, fourth and fourth for the three races. In the first I was able to work my way up to third place and in the second I was in second by the first corner. I then attacked Ben Harford and coming out of Turn 7 he spun handing us the race lead and win. With Matt Halliday having a bad weekend and Ben Harford's spin in the second race it was between Andy Knight and I for the International Series. At the start of the race their was a big crash which Andy got tangled up in. This meant I just had to finish the race but as it was I ended up third to take overall round victory and the International Series which was fantastic. We had also moved from 10th in the championship into third but were going to need some luck on our part if we were ever going to catch Andy. He was doing a very good job always finishing in the top three and finishing all the races which was making him very hard to catch.

Rnd 5 was back at my 'home' track, Manfeild, where we qualified on pole for all three races this time, exactly what we needed to do. I won the first race from pole but in the second I made a mistake going into turn one and locked the front brakes letting Andy and Nelson slip through on the inside. We had good pace but it is very hard to pass around Manfeild and we didn't want to risk having a DNF. The last race was more like the first where I got the best start of my life and led away but Andy was right behind me and got by in Turn 1. Fortunately my car came on and the pair of us started to pull away. It was at this stage that I set a new lap record then with just two laps to go Andy slid off the road in the last corner. That put us within striking distance of Andy his series points lead having been cut to 13 compared to the start of the season where it was over 140.

Rnd 6 was at Timaru. This was a track that I had struggled with in the past and one that Andy held the lap record at so it was going to be a hard weekend. However I was .01 off pole in the first qualifying session and on pole by over two-tenths in the second to claim pole for both the second and third races. This was the first meeting that I won all three races and the meeting when I finally took over the series points lead from Andy so we headed south to the final at Teretonga quietly confident that we could achieve our goal of winning the TRS series.

Rnd 7 at Teretonga and what can I say? The team did a great job to give me a fast car but unfortunately we had a misfire in qualifying. This meant we would start sixth, 13th and 13th in the three races. Because of that it was going to be hard to hold our small points lead no matter how quick I was in the races, then we had to start the first race from the pit lane when the misfire - which we thought we had fixed - came back. I was able to work my way from last to sixth in that race but lost the championship lead back to Andy who finished second. The next day the weather was changing by the hour and though it was drying by the time the second race started we all went out on wets. A red flag after a few laps gave us the chance to change to slicks again and we continued our charge through the feild finishing the race fifth. That meant we were still in with a chance of winning the championship but it was going to be very hard with us starting the third race from the back of the grid and Andy off P3. I got a great start and got to eighth by the end of the second lap and set another new lap record as I chased down the leaders including a couple of 'round-the-outside' passes round Teretonga's famous Loop corner. Going into the last corner Nic Jordan went off giving us third place and third for the weekend but that was not enough enough though I finished just behind Andy in both the second and third races. All credit to him and his team because Andy did a great job all season and was a great competitor. Stephen and the International Motorsport team did a great job all season and I would love to work with all the guys again one day.

Q. International Motorsport has won the past two TRS titles with Daniel Gaunt and it was a pleasure to watch you, Stephen Giles and the technicians constantly improving and optimising the two TradeZone cars. What a lot of people seem to have forgotten is that you actually ran in the 2006/07 series and didn't really feature until the end of the season. There's obviously a lot to getting a good set up in the cars.
A. Yes, we struggled for most of the season last year with a combination of my inexperience with the car and not having a good setup. We changed engineers for the last two races of the year and had a third overall at the last round which was a big improvement from where we were running. They are a very different car to drive and you need experience or an experienced team to know how to get the most out of the car which tends to favour drivers that have been in the class longer and also with the limited testing in the cars this becomes even more of a factor. That said, having driven other cars now like the Formula 3 Dallara,  the A1GP car plus Formula Renault V6s in Asia I can say that the TRS car is very close to a Formula 3 car in speed and is a very good stepping stone for young guys to get their grounding here in New Zealand in the Toyota Series before they move overseas. Before young drivers only had Formula Ford and then they had to go overseas. The Toyota Series fills that gap and gives young drivers a better chance before they make the move out of New Zealand.

Q. Speaking of which you had your fair share of highs and lows this season yet you were always utterly professional about it. There were no tantrums, no black moods, just a desire to get on with it. Who 'taught' you this, or have you had to learn it thru karts and/or thru your family etc.
A. As a driver you always have to remember that everyone in the team is doing their best to win and when it happens you just have to keep a clear head and do the best with what you have got. At the last round I was very fortunate to have a very good team that gave me a fantastic car to come through the field. You must always be professional because you are representing sponsors and many other people and there just isnÕt any place for throwing out your toys. I never give up, never have, never will. It's not over till the race results are confirmed.

Q. Let's look at your career to date for a minute. You're still just 17-years-old yet you've got a CV (and obviously a passport) the envy of someone twice your age. Why take the particular route you have?
A. After karts, we ran Formula Ford in New Zealand and won a race at Ruapuna at the second round and Meritus (a top motor racing team operating in Asia) was out here running Hamad Al Fardan. They offered me a test after the BMW World Finals in Bahrain, that test went well and we decided to run the championship up there which I subsequently won. It's a great championship, gave me a good grounding in wings and slicks and opened doors overseas in other areas. Obviously everyone is different and looks at things in different ways but I'm still a big fan of the Formula BMW series. The cars are identical and with a carbon fibre tub very safe, you race on F1 circuits, you learn all about wings-and-slicks and data and you have a TV audience of over 200 million watch each race. Also BMW Europe follow the racing and you have a chance to race at a World Final.

Q. And Asia. Earl. It seems that just over the horizon there are all these brilliant tracks with fantastic facilities just waiting for us to fly up and use. Yet most New Zealanders seem to think that they're better off going to Australia, the US or Europe. You obviously have a different opinion?
A. Absolutely. I think Asia is a great stepping stone into Europe and also for professional drives. Motorsport in Asia is growing every year. They have fantastic Formula 1 tracks like Sepang where I do most of my testing. The teams are very professional with a lot of European engineers running teams so I think itÕs the closest thing to Europe.

Q. While we're on the subject, you've got a close working relationship with the Meritus team. How did that develop and what do you do for them?
A. They are Asia's most successful race team. The relationship started when I was running BMW and has just continued from there. Peter Thompson who is the man behind the Meritus team, has backed me since my first teast and we have become good friends. Meritus obviously helped me in my first year in BMW and we won the championship together. Last year I did a few one off races for them in the V6 Renault but we didnÕt have a full budget. They also took me to Europe to meet with some Formula 1 teams (Renault, Williams, Toyota and McLaren). More recently I've been doing driver coaching for the team with their new BMW drivers. ItÕs a good thing for me as well as it lets you look at the racing from a different angle. Plus I do a lot of laps for them doing development testing in both the BMW and V6 Renault.

Q. For a teenager who last year was still 'at school' at Wanganui Collegiate you certainly get around? So in closing It's probably worthwhile asking you which is your favourite circuit around the world? Also What's your favourite place? And what's your 'next preferred' step? GP2, Champ Car, IRL, F3 Euro series?
A. My favourite track would have to be Autopolis in Japan. I also really enjoyed my first street race at Clipsal so I can't wait for Hamilton. My favourite place would have to be going to Europe visiting all the Formula 1 teams. I would love to have the chance to race A1GP for New Zealand or even GP2 Asia with Meritus but after that it would have to be the F3 Euro series.

Q. Everyone in racing seems to have advice for young blokes like you. But so far you have done pretty well making your own decisions (or at least you and your Dad Paul). Having seen what you have so far, what does it take for a young man to make progress in a career in motorsport? It looks to me like you have to be quick on your feet, and be constantly seeking out and making the most of opportunities., no matter where they might be? Is that right?
A. You're right. We have had the chance to talk to a lot of people round the world in motorsport and have got advice from them along the way. Last month in Malaysia, for instance, we met with Formula One people to get help preparing for Europe and this week I am working on finalising some testing in the US.

Q. And finally Earl, you must have a lot of people you'd like to thank. Here's your chance!
A. The team I have here in Wanganui help to make a lot of the decisions and it's great to have such enthusiastic team behind me. One thing we've never done is just sat around in New Zealand and waited for opportunities to come to us. We have been all around the world searching for opportunities, and a lot of the time it's just been me getting on the plane. You just never know who your next sponsor or who you will meet next so its important to be out their meeting people. Also I have been very fortunate to have had fantastic sponsers in New Zealand. For the last two years in the Toyota Series TradeZone and the supporting brands CRC, Koken, Fuller, Hitachi, Bahco also the Club 500 and the people of Wanganui who have been fantastic supporters. And of course I couldn't have done what I have done in the TRS this season without the help of Lyall Williamson and everyone at International Motorsport plus I would like to thank Colin Giltrap for giving me the opportunity to drive Black Beauty.

Ends
Prepared by FAST COMPANY on behalf of Earl Bamber. For more information on Earl contact Ross MacKay on 021 677 919 or via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it <mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it >