Eight Points Up

Wanganui teenage racing driver Earl Bamber has taken a podium finish at China’s Formula 1 Grand Prix meeting in Shanghai, repeating his recent result as part of the A1 New Zealand team in the Netherlands. The 18-year-old proved just as competitive in his GP2 class debut in China, qualifying his My Team Qi-Meritus.Mahara ninth and starting Sunday’s 120km feature race from P3 on the second row of the grid after finishing sixth in his debut race in the category on Saturday. The result is that Bamber heads to the second round of the 2008/09 GP2 Asia Series at Dubai in the UAE in December fourth overall with eight points. “We know we can compete with these guys, so let’s hope we can continue in the next couple of races. It’s a very high level of driving,” Bamber said.