09/02/2006
NEWS STORY
New Zealand driver Matt Halliday is determined to skip up the championship points table with a strong performance at the A1 Grand Prix meeting in Indonesia this weekend.
Halliday is looking to continue the form he showed in the 7th Round in Durban the weekend before last, where he scored 12 points to make up ground on the 3rd and 4th placed teams.
"We have some good momentum from South Africa and the car was feeling good," he said. "I've never raced in Indonesia, but we've worked well as a team to learn new tracks and I'm sure we'll work the Sentul Circuit out fairly quickly too.
"We're desperately keen to end the year well. We're up against some tough teams, but gunning for third place in the championship is something we're aiming at."
New Zealand is currently 5th on the championship points table with four rounds remaining. France leads with 119 points, followed by Switzerland on 92. Third placed Brazil, on 63 points, is under attack from Great Britain (58 points) and the Kiwis (54 points), with Portugal not too far behind on 50 points.
Ireland and the Netherlands, both on 44 points, are also threatening.
Halliday said it is incredibly hot and muggy in Jakarta, but the biggest element to overcome this weekend will be rain.
"It's the wet season and there's generally heavy rain in the afternoon. Today, however, it has absolutely pelted down from early morning, so coping with a wet track is highly likely."