Dale Wood joins Earl Bamber Motorsport

Dale Wood has entered his fifth Carrera Cup Australia campaign, but with a new team for 2022 as he has joined forces with Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM). The new partnership came about during this past season after taking note of EBM’s entry into the Australian motorsport scene at the beginning of 2021.

Earl Bamber Motorsport is a world-class customer racing team, currently competing in Asia, Australia and Europe in Porsche 911 GT3 R and Porsche 911 GT3 Cup machinery. EBM was founded by racing brothers Earl and Will Bamber, taking their own on-track experience and success into their own organisation. Since its inception, the team has rapidly expanded, achieving victories at all levels in which it has participated including the highest levels of world GT racing. ‘I’m extremely excited to be joining EBM. From the outside looking in last year, I thought they hit the ground running with a very slick operation. I am looking forward to bringing my supporters over to EBM and hopefully we can share some great success together,’ Dale explains. ‘Last year I was with a team, ASM, who had a couple of Pro-Am drivers. I was the only Pro driver, and that can be quite difficult … I really wanted to be with a team full of Pro drivers, because then I can analyse my teammates' data and make sure I’m getting the most out of myself. It’s the best way to push each other forward.’

Australian EBM Team Manager Ben Jenkins said he was excited about Dale joining the three-car team, as he will bring a wealth of knowledge to the maiden season for the other two drivers in the team – Callum Hedge and Ryan Suhle. ‘The experience Dale can and will bring to our team is immense. It’s great to have him onboard, as it will be a huge benefit for our young drivers to learn from someone with the level of knowledge Dale has,’ Ben said.

‘If you look back to the last full season of racing in 2019, Dale pushed Jordan Love all the way to the finish line for the overall championship. We know he will be in it until the very end. ‘We’ve grown from fielding one car to three within 12 months because people can see through our past results what we can offer them.’

Although Dale has changed teams, he hasn't changed colours or supporters. His sponsors such as global company Timken, and local companies like GB Galvanizing and Delta Floorworld, are coming along for the ride.

His 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Car (Type 992) will be easily recognised because he has kept his distinctive orange and black livery, similar to what he has run over the past two years.

Dale competes in the Pro class, which has some of Australia’s best sports car drivers who all compete in the same 911 GT3 Cup (Type 922) race cars based on the current 992 generation road car, the first to feature a wide turbo-spec body. Each produce around 375kW, which is another 18kW more than the previous car.

‘We have the new 992 car this year, so it’s still something I'm coming to terms with. It’s a very different car to the last generation car, but it’s a good thing,’ Dale says. ‘We’ve been fast in testing. We’ve tested at The Bend, Queensland Raceway, Phillip Island and Winton.’

The overall increase in performance of the 992 generation over the Type 991 II generation was immediately apparent in the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup rounds in 2021, where lap times were slashed by up to three seconds at most European circuits.

This was in part due to not only the increase in power, but also increased traction and downforce, with component run times also extended over the previous generation.