24/02/2008
NEWS STORY
Brazil
Bruno Junqueira scored two points for A1 Team Brasil in today's Feature race in Durban, South Africa in round seven of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. The points came as a welcome relief to the team after a frustrating day in which podiums had been targeted.
The Sprint race ended in disaster for Team Brasil after nine laps. After scoring the team's first front row start in over fifty races, Bruno began the race well, keeping out of trouble at the rolling start, albeit falling to fourth behind teams Canada, Great Britain and Switzerland. However, he ran into the back of Switzerland as Neel Jani went slowly into the hairpin on lap two and was forced into the pits on lap five for a new front wing after being passed by several teams. Emerging in 21st position, Bruno's only chance for points in the Sprint race was then to go for the fastest lap. However, in pursuing this he entered the chicane on lap nine a little aggressively and bumped over the high kerb which shattered the front wing. The speed through the chicane then sent him crashing into the right hand side concrete wall, which put an end to his race. He did set the third fastest lap of the race, proving the pace of the team.
For the Feature race the team was forced to switch to a spare car as there was not enough time to fix the broken engine mounts from the damage in the Sprint. Starting from fifth on the grid, Bruno moved up to fourth past Team Canada on the start/finish straight before passing GBR around the outside of the hairpin for third. After a seven lap safety car period following a multi-car incident at the turn 1 hairpin the first pitstop window opened and Team Brasil came in on lap one for its first compulsory stop. There was an issue with the rear-left tyre which delayed the exit from the pits and dropped Brasil to eighth after the pitstop window. Due to the spare car being used, the team was down on pace and China was able to pass Bruno on lap 23. After the next round of pitstops Brasil was in tenth spot and Bruno was determined to come away with points. After another restart following a safety car period on lap 42, once again several cars hit problems on the hairpin and in the melee Bruno hit the rear of Team Italy's Edoardo Piscopo. The race was then red flagged, with the classification formed from the results at the end of lap 41, at which time Brasil was in ninth spot, collecting two championship points.
A1 Team Brasil is now 11th in the championship with 40 points with the next race taking place in Mexico City on Sunday 16 March.
Bruno Junqueira: "It's been a very difficult day. The only good thing that came out of the weekend is that we proved with everything in order we can be very fast, like in qualifying and in the sprint race before the wing broke. We have the pace to win, but unfortunately things just didn't go our way today."
Emerson Fittipaldi, Team Principal: "It was a very frustrating day for us. Bruno did a really good job in qualifying and then the result in the Sprint race was very disappointing. The front wing was damaged so we changed the nose then I think he was too aggressive on the chicane and he broke the wing and crashed. We then had to use the spare car for the Feature race and the team did a good job to get the car ready in a short time, but we didn't have our car with our set-up. So we were losing performance and we were a second off the pace. On the last restart in the Feature race it was another mistake. Everyone slowed down because of the South Africa crash and Bruno hit the back of Italy. Now we have to go to Mexico to recover."
Canada
Robert Wickens powered his way round the streets of Durban, South Africa today to lead A1 Team Canada to its first ever Sprint race victory in Round 7 of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. The Toronto rookie capitalized on his maiden pole position to lead the 22-strong field of nations from green to checkered, claiming Canada's second ever A1GP victory and the first since Sean McIntosh's Indonesian Feature race triumph in the inaugural 2005-06 season.
Wickens threatened a second straight race win having hounded Switzerland's Neel Jani throughout the afternoon's 70-minute Feature event. The Canadian's race ended abruptly however on lap 40 taking action to avoid a backmarker. Despite this, Wickens' superb Sprint victory boosts Canada from tenth to eighth in the A1GP Nations Standings.
Having claimed A1 Team Canada's first ever pole position the day before, Wickens had his sights set on nothing less than victory in Sunday morning's 20-minute Sprint race. Durban's 3.28km temporary street circuit enjoys a notorious reputation for incidents and accidents and despite being hit from behind by New Zealand's Jonny Reid on the approach to Turn 1, Robert held his line at the start and more importantly the lead.
A late-race safety car period had the potential to threaten Canada's hopes but again Wickens showcased his coolness under pressure, the 18-year-old holding off Great Britain's Oliver Jarvis at the re-start with two to go. Robert duly claimed the win as the race ended under a red flag with Jarvis finishing second for Great Britain and Neel Jani third.
Canada then put forward a strong challenge for a second straight win in the Feature. With Robert sitting second after the first round of pit-stops and holding position following the second mandatory stop, the gap to Neel Jani in the lead was cut to as low as half a second by lap 36 with the race clock showing ten minutes to go. Disaster struck four tours later while lapping Lebanon's entry into the first turn.
Attempting to avoid contact with the slower car on the exit, the steering input snapped Wickens around resulting in contact with the wall. Robert then found himself hit by a blameless Oliver Jarvis as the Brit wasn't expecting to see the Canadian car on the exit of the corner. Wickens was out on the spot with Jani going on take to the Feature win ahead of France's Loic Duval and Portugal's Filipe Albuquerque.
Looking back on the highs and lows of the day Wickens commented, "Well obviously the Sprint win was an awesome result for the whole team and we were hoping for more of the same in the Feature. We've had a strong weekend but we should have had at least second place in the Feature. I was going to run into Lebanon on the exit so I put a lot of steering into the car and I just clipped the inside wall and spun around I apologize to Great Britain. We didn't get the result we wanted, I feel bad for the team as they've been nothing short of outstanding all weekend!"
Mark Gallagher, whose Status Grand Prix operates A1 Team Canada said; "When we took Canada under our wing six months ago we aimed to elevate the team onto the podium and today we took a victory after yesterday's pole position. This weekend showed that the technical crew headed by Simon Cayzer is top notch, that Robert is a special talent which the Canadian motorsport community and his sponsors at Red Bull should be very proud of. Similarly Wade Cherwayko's three years of investment in Canadian motorsport in A1GP should be recognized for the opportunity it has given to drivers like Robbie, James Hinchcliffe and Daniel Morad. It's a shame that the Feature didn't result in another podium, but we now look forward to Mexico and another strong weekend!"
Czech Republic
Josef Kral managed to keep the Czech car in one piece during eventful races at Durban and finished both races that ended prematurely with red flags. The youngster was 18th in the Sprint and 16th in the Feature race. South Africans once again showed a great interest in the A1GP and full grandstands enjoyed some thrilling racing and also a beautiful view of the Indian Ocean.
The Sprint started with a big melee at the first corner that was triggered by contact between the Great Britain and New Zealand. The Czech car was stuck at the back and the engine stalled. Kral (www.josefkral.cz) had to wait for a push and spent next laps chasing Lebanon. He managed to find a way past and subsequent safety car period after Brazilians crashed out allowed him to close to the field.
Kral attacked India straight after restart and successfully overtook. However, it was effort for nothing because clash between the Netherlands and Germany brought a red flag out. In such situation are used positions from the lap before. Kral therefore finished 19th but later moved one place up after Germany was disqualified for causing avoidable accident.
The Feature race started in a similar fashion after China clipped Mexico at the first corner and half of the field had to wait to move the cars out of the way. Kral this time managed to keep engine going and joined the field during the first safety car period. Immediately after restart another clash happened at the first corner and the safety car was in. Kral again stood out of trouble and was close to the top ten.
He intended to pit but the Italian car went in his way and he had to brake hard to avoid it. He got a punch from behind and had to do another lap before the first stop. He resumed still in touch with other competitors but the car suffered a gearbox problem. He tried to continue and shifting worsened and eventually had to pit. The Czech team eventually solved the problem and Kral returned to the track although he was 8 laps down. The race once again ended with a red flag after a big crash at the first corner. The Czech car was classified 16th.
Josef Kral: "It was a tough debut but all in all I think it was not bad. I tried to be careful after the start of the sprint and there was a big jam at the first corner. Unfortunately, I pushed clutch just a bit late and stalled. I had to wait for a push and the field was gone. I had a nice fight with Lebanon and overtook him after few laps. I got a chance to close the whole gap when the safety car was deployed. I immediately overtook India after restart but there was red flag soon and it did not count. The feature start basically mirrored the sprint one at the first corner. Once again big jam but I learned from previous mistake and kept engine going. I was enjoying fight with others and everything went well till the first stop. Italian car ahead braked very late before the pit lane entry and I got a punch from behind. I missed the entry as a result and had to pit a lap later. Few laps after the stop started problems with gear shifting. It was worse and worse and I had to pit. We spent some time in the pits to try to rectify it. I returned back to the track mainly to do more laps and also there was always a chance of retirements of others. I am happy that I got a chance to race here. It was tough but I liked the car which is almost four times more powerful comparing to the F BMW. It is just a bit pity that we did not have any luck in the race. If we had not had those gearbox problems we could have scored even points."
Antonin Charouz, Seat holder: "Josef certainly did not disappoint. It was tough for him he was thrown in at the deep end. He did well to finish both races but his inexperience also played some part in damaging the wing on Friday and maybe also in some situations today. We can all see that the gap from between Formula BMW and A1GP cars is a huge one. We will talk with his management about his future participation in the Czech team. I am sure that it would allow him to learn a lot for the future."
France
After a hard-fought weekend A1 Team France leaves South Africa with another podium finish, and is still in second place in the 2007-2008 A1 GP Championship. In the light of yesterday's qualifying, it is an excellent result achieved thanks to the impeccable work carried out by the whole team.
Starting the Sprint Race from 17th place on the grid, Loïc Duval knew that scoring points was going to be difficult. He had fought his way up to ninth when the race was red-flagged after a collision between the Dutch and German teams' cars. Unfortunately, the regulations state that the classification is that of the lap previous to the neutralisation of the race, so the team finished eleventh.
In the Feature Race, A1 Team France's strategy enabled its driver to pull back several places. Loïc was eighth at the end of the first lap, then fourth after his first pitstop, and after his final one he rejoined in 3rd place. Canada's off enabled him to move up another position with a few minutes to go to the end of a race that was also red-flagged before its scheduled finish. The team bagged 12 points for 2nd place, allowing it to overtake New Zealand in the championship, and it is now only ten behind Switzerland, the new leader.
The 2 races in Durban were the last for Loïc Duval in the A1Team France car. The Frenchman's championship obligations in Japan mean that he will no longer be available to drive for the team, which would like to express its gratitude to him for his involvement, his professionalism and his availability. Thank you, Loïc!
Olivier Panis, sporting director: "Our aim today was to limit the damage and we did even better than that; we achieved a rostrum finish and we're still in second place in the championship. Our team did a really great job today. These two races were also Loïc's last ones for us this year. We'd like to thank him for his contribution, and we hope to continue the series of good results which he started."
Loïc Duval: "The weekend finished better than it started! It was almost impossible to score points starting from seventeenth place in the Sprint Race, but it was a close-run thing. In the Feature Race I pushed hard all the way, and thanks to a perfect strategy we made it onto the podium. I'm leaving A1 Team France with the feeling that I've done my job, and I hope that we will win the title at the end of the season: we deserve to! I'd like to express my gratitude to all the A1 Team France members and supporters, thanks to whom the 2007-08 adventure's been unique from both a sporting and human point of view."
Germany
Willi Weber's A1 Team Germany experienced a weekend to forget at the seventh round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in South Africa. Following a run of promising practice sessions the team failed to live up to its previous performance after qualifying in sixth and seventh positions for the two races. An unusually hard penalty in the form of disqualification in the sprint race and retirement through no fault of the team in the main race around the street circuit in Durban ended any chances for Michael Ammermüller in this decisive stage of the championship battle.
At the start of the sprint race Michael Ammermüller from Pocking lost one position in the barging on the opening lap. From the fourth lap onwards he fought with Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen for sixth place. Following a safety car period caused by Brazilian Bruno Junqueira's accident and the subsequent race restart, Ammermüller continued his attack. On the fourteenth lap the Dutch and German A1 GP race cars collided. After the race was stopped the stewards of the meeting declared the result from the positions held on the previous lap, but disqualified A1 Team Germany because of the incident.
In the feature race A1 Team Germany initially held seventh place. An accident between the Chinese and Portuguese teams on the first lap brought out the safety car. After the race was restarted on the fourth lap Michael Ammermüller became another victim of the event around the 3.28 kilometre street circuit. The Australian John Martin pushed the German A1 GP car into spin from behind and subsequently collided with the Irish car. The Indonesian Satrio Hermanto was unable to avoid the melee and rammed Michael Ammermüller car as was then hit himself by the Pakistani Adam Khan. A1 Team Germany left the circuit on the Indian Ocean without a point.
Michael Ammermüller: "I had to brake to a standstill after the barging at the start of the sprint race. Afterwards I was involved in an exciting dice with Jeroen Bleekemolen which unfortunately ended in a collision. We presented our data logging to the stewards and analysed the video data three times. The data indicated that I hadn't braked any later than normal. Jeroen left the door open, I took the chance and then we collided when he cut across my line. He escaped without a penalty and we were disqualified. In the main race I managed four laps before the Australian John Martin pushed me into a spin. We have to wait for all the remaining decisions from this race day before we can make a final assessment about this controversial weekend."
Willi Weber: "We were forced to swallow several bitter pills during this seventh race weekend. We return from South Africa without a single point, and lose touch in the table as a result. It was impossible to develop a rhythm in either of the races because the hairpin was the cause of so many incidents. After the accident between Michael Ammermüller and the Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen we were cooperative and presented all the data. We think that it is clear to see that neither party is guilty. Afterwards we received the maximum penalty and were disqualified. After just a few laps in the main race our car was pushed into a spin by the Australian John Martin. We are still waiting for the final report and decision from the stewards, but it would certainly be dubious if the penalty for two similar accidents were completely different. We are still awaiting a final judgement from both races. The one thing that is clear is that our chances of defending the title have sunk drastically."
Great Britain
In today's A1GP World Cup of Motorsport event in Durban, South Africa, A1 Team GBR's Oliver Jarvis finished in a strong second position in the Sprint race, collecting ten crucial championship points for the team. He looked set for another good points haul and possible podium in the Feature race, before he was forced into the pits for an unscheduled front wing change after Team Canada caused a collision with the GBR car by driving the wrong way on the circuit trying to recover from a spin.
Beginning from fourth on the grid in this morning's 20-minute Sprint race, Jarvis made a brilliant rolling start, darting down the outside and passing Switzerland and Brasil to take second place. After the first hairpin, New Zealand's Jonny Reid hit the right- hand sidepod of the GBR car quite heavily, but Jarvis was able to keep the car under control and remain in second position behind Canada's Robert Wickens. After five laps third-placed Switzerland began to put pressure on GBR, with the gap down to around half a second, but Jarvis was able to comfortably keep his position. The red flag was shown on lap 13 following a collision between Germany and the Netherlands, and the race ended, with the results based on the classification from the previous lap. Jarvis and Team GBR finished on the podium in second position between race winner Canada and third-placed Switzerland.
In what turned out to be a frantic Feature race, with three safety car periods due to multi-car accidents at the unforgiving turn 1 hairpin and another red flag ending, Oliver made a good start, moving up to third past Canada before retaking his initial fourth placed starting position at the hairpin, falling behind Brasil. After the first round of pitstops Team GBR emerged in third position behind Switzerland and Canada. From lap 15 Team France began to put pressure on GBR, but Jarvis fought hard and retained his position, until the second round of pitstops when France's Loic Duval jumped ahead of GBR, putting Oliver back into fourth position. Still with a podium finish in sight, Oliver was fighting hard until an incident on lap 39. Team Canada's Wickens spun after the hairpin, and began to drive the opposite way down the track to try to right his error. Heading into the blind corner, Oliver had nowhere to go when faced with a front on view of the Canadian car and he hit Wickens, breaking the front wing. He was able to continue but had to pit for a new nosecone. After multiple car accident on lap 43 the race was red flagged and the order classified by the positions at the end of lap 41, at which point Oliver was in 11th position.
Following this weekend's Durban, South Africa round, A1 Team GBR remains sixth in the championship but has moved closer to fifth-placed South Africa. The team will now target this fifth spot at round eight of the championship, which will take place in Mexico City on 16 March.
Oliver Jarvis:
Sprint Race: "At the start I noticed everyone in front dive down the inside so I thought I'd try my luck on the racing line. At one point I thought I was going to get the lead as I saw New Zealand drive into Canada which caused Robert Wickens to come out wide and clip me, but I still managed to get round before New Zealand drove into the side of me, damaging the car quite a bit. From then on, I didn't really challenge for the lead as I wasn't totally comfortable with the car - I'm not sure if it was due to the damage or set-up, but we will assess before the Feature race. But I'm happy with second - it's great to get a good result on the board ahead of the Feature race."
Feature Race: "We're absolutely gutted... The team has worked so hard this weekend and a lot of guys have been ill or struggling, plus we had to rush to get the car ready after the damage from the Sprint race. But to race for an hour and be taken out is devastating for the team and myself. Hopefully we can make amends over the next three rounds and deliver some wins, particularly at our home race at Brands Hatch in May. Unfortunately though, it looks like our title hopes are over for this season."
Katie Clements, Team Principal: "We were very happy with the podium this morning and scored some strong points. We were in a good position for this afternoon and having our Feature race podium hopes taken away through no fault of our own is obviously not what we wanted. With South Africa our closest competitor in the championship, we had a good chance to move up to fifth after the Feature race and, because of the accident, we have not been able to do that. Nevertheless, we have had another strong weekend in terms of pace and performance, and we will carry that momentum to the next race in Mexico."
Ireland
Adam Carroll finished 15th for Belmayne A1 Team Ireland in two eventful races which both ended with red flags on the challenging streets of Durban.
After a fuel pressure problem hindered qualifying, Ireland failed to post a time leaving them to start from the back of the grid in 22nd alongside home nation South Africa who also had problems on Saturday.
Adam made a clean start and managed to capitalize on mistakes by those ahead moving up to 16th by the end of the first lap. He then kept his head down chasing Italy around the 3.3-kilometre street circuit, making up a further position when Brazil dropped down the order with a broken front wing. On lap seven, he went back to 16th as South Africa's Adrian Zaugg got through on the inside at Turn 1 before the safety car came out on lap 13 as Brazil crashed out.
Up at the front Canada controlled the re-start with only three laps left to run. Adam made a move to pass Italy into Turn 1 before passing USA when Jonathan Summerton missed the chicane. As Germany and the Netherlands crashed out Adam was provisionally in 12th until the red flag came out, with the result being declared from the previous lap, putting Ireland 15th after Germany were excluded for causing the incident.
Ireland were 13th on the grid for the Feature race with Adam making a great start avoiding the incident at Turn 1 and getting up to P10 as the safety car was deployed. On the re-start, Adam made another good start but was unfortunately run into by Australia and ended in the wall at Turn 1 breaking the steering and front wing. Another safety car period followed but as the marshals struggled to get Adam going again, by the time the car had recovered to the pits and the mechanics had made repairs, he was P19 and three laps down. With over half the race left to run Adam pushed on hoping to gain at least a point for the team's efforts.
On lap 19 however, the team received a drive through penalty for a pit stop infringement but with further retirements ahead Adam was now running P16. On lap 36 Adam radioed in as his steering wheel had come loose following the earlier incident so during the second mandatory pit stop the team spent some more time checking over the car and repairing the wheel before getting him back out on track, now 6 laps down.
Only a few laps later and the safety car was out yet again as Canada and Great Britain collided at Turn 1. The race restarted on lap 43 with Adam making another great start, avoiding a further incident occurring at the Turn 1 hairpin when South Africa made an over ambitious move down the inside. Ireland were up to P10 and in the points but as the red flag came out the results went back a lap once again, leaving Ireland 15th.
The team is now ninth in the championship after an unlucky weekend of racing.
Adam Carroll: "The main thing was we kept the car in one piece for the Feature race. Starting in 22nd is always hard and it's very difficult to overtake around here but we still made up a few places. Twelfth would have been ok but the red flag pushed us back a lap to 16th. "I got a good start in the Feature and made up a few places to 10th. There was a bit of shunt in front so I went wide and as I was going round I thought I was out of trouble then all of a sudden I got hit from behind which put me straight into the tyre wall. The marshals couldn't re-start me because they were so tired from starting all the other cars earlier on; they just couldn't run fast enough so I had to get some other marshals over to help. The impact had ripped the steering wheel out my hand and I actually thought I'd broken my thumb at the time but it seems to be ok. The steering wheel was getting looser though so when we stopped to get new tyres we tightened it back up. Through the second stint our lap times were pretty much the same as the leaders and I was just pushing as hard as I could.
"I'm glad I finished the race and have the experience on the track. You always have to look the positives from the weekend, it's valuable experience for both me and the team and when we come back here next year with a different car it will be a different story."
Dan Walmsley, Race Engineer: "The key thing from this morning was to make sure we got some good running and managed to complete the full race distance so we could understand what the balance of the chassis was going to be going into the Feature where we're starting in a better position. We've got some good information now to move forward for this afternoon. Unfortunately the nature of the circuit meant we weren't going be able to pass many people so P12 on track was a good result.
"We worked so hard to get the car competitive and Adam fought hard to get us up into the points by the end of lap one in the Feature race. Then on the restart Adam made a great move around Australia who unfortunately made a mistake and ran into us which broke the steering and front wing. It took us three laps to get the car going again but we decided to carry on incase others dropped out. Towards the end we put new tyres on the car in an attempt to go for fastest lap as we knew we had the pace, but sadly as soon as we left the pits the safety car came out again and then race was red flagged. Its disappointing but encouraging knowing that the pace in the car isn't reflected by the result. We are looking forward to Mexico where we hope to finally put right what seems to be going wrong."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal: "Two pointless weekends for Ireland and there is really no excuse - the team we set up for Ireland brought Team Canada victory this morning and it's only in Ireland that we continue to fail to deliver. I have a strong opinion after three seasons why that is the case, but in Adam Carroll we have a world-class driver and I believe our engineering is very capable too Today's race also showed that A1GP need to take a hard line with some of the drivers who frankly have left their brains behind when racing on a track like Durban. It's not rocket science to be more careful on a street circuit but the behaviour of drivers for teams such as Germany today shows that there are still drivers who arrive at a street and drive without any degree of intelligence."
Lebanon
A1 Team Lebanon's Feature race result in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Durban, South Africa equalled the season's best with a 13th place finish for Khalil Beschir. However, there was bitter disappointment for the team after a potential points finish was cruelly taken away when the Feature race was red-flagged before the end.
The start of the Sprint race featured the traditional A1GP spectacle of a ‘rolling start' with the field of 22 nations racing to the first corner of this temporary street circuit. A clash between front runners, New Zealand and Great Britain, caused the pack to close up nose to tail. Lebanon was unlucky to be caught behind a stalled Czech Republic car as they reached the corner, but managed to get back underway, although over 30 seconds behind the other cars.
Beschir pushed on and was turning competitive lap times, but with only 14 laps and the narrow track that offered limited overtaking opportunities and with brake problems which hampered his pace,, he was unable to make up enough ground to make any further progress, he was unable to m ultimately finishing in 20th place on the track. A penalty for Germany after a last lap incident that caused the race to be red flagged, promoted the team to 19th.
A dramatic start for the Feature race saw a number of cars tripping over each other at the hairpin, with Lebanon getting caught up in this, damaging a nosecone and forcing Beschir to pit. With the safety car on track he had not lost too many positions and was lying 20th for the restart. The second start of the race saw another first turn incident, which Beschir was able to avoid and he made up a number of places. The first pit stop window opened and teams began to make their first tyre change. Lebanon opted to stay out for a few laps, moving as high as fifth before pitting. Although it was a clean stop, Beschir was soon back in the pits for a pit lane speeding penalty. He was lying 15th on the track after this and improving to 14th place as the race reached half distance. He moved up to 13th shortly after this, remaining in position until the British and Canadian cars clashed, shortly followed by three other cars. With only a few laps of the race remaining, A1 Team Lebanon's hopes for their first points finish were raised but quickly dashed when a red flag flew because the cars were not able to be moved quickly and it was deemed unsafe to continue. The rules in this situation take the finish positions from one lap previously and this left Lebanon back in 13th.
Beschir said after the Feature race, "I thought we had the top ten finish today and if the red flag hadn't come out and the race had continued we should have got it. I'm gutted, as it just couldn't have been any closer. I'm still in shock! I'm just struggling to believe that we missed out by such a small margin. I did everything I could but today it didn't go our way. I've always known that Jimmy (Auby) was going to drive in Mexico, so I really wanted to bring home a good result today. It was a good result, but just not as good as I had hoped."
Luke Craft, A1 Team Lebanon Team Principal adds, "Everyone in the team is very disappointed. We thought we'd done enough to get a point at least, but it wasn't enough. However, Khalil survived two chaotic races which many more experienced drivers fell out of, and that was good. We're a strong team and we'll be back on track in Mexico."
Malaysia
A1 Team Malaysia captured fifth place in the Feature race and ninth position in the Sprint race at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Durban, South Africa today. Fairuz Fauzy and the Malaysian team survived two races, full of crashes and racing action to record their best performance of the season so far.
The Sprint race rolling start was a dash to the first corner, a tight hairpin, with the Malaysian car in the thick of the pack. Third and fourth placed nations, New Zealand and Great Britain, clashed on the first corner, with New Zealand losing its nosecone. Malaysia lost out having been on the outside line and having being held up by the incident. After negotiating the hairpin, Fauzy was lying in 11th place. With little room for overtaking he held position until Brazil had to pit for a new nosecone after another incident and Malaysia moved into a points finish position. The field of cars all held their places until the end, which was red flagged after Netherlands and Germany crashed out. Malaysia finished tenth on track, and was then elevated to ninth taking two points for their efforts after the German team was excluded from the results for causing the crash.
The scene was set for an exciting and dramatic main Feature race with Fauzy lining up in 12th for the standing start. The lights went out and the field of 22 nations headed down to the tight hairpin. Malaysia negotiated it cleanly to lie 11th but behind him there were a number of cars tripping over each other, bringing out the first safety car. After the cars had been cleared from this incident the racing resumed, but on the restart there was a similar incident. Fauzy avoided the stricken cars but a second safety car came out again and the field lined up behind it until the track was cleared. From seventh the team then came in for their first pitstop and slick work returned the Malaysian car to the track in this position.
As the race went to mid-distance the team maintained position. The narrow track provided very few opportunities for overtaking. The second mandatory stop saw the Malaysian pit crew carry out a smooth, quick tyre change and Fauzy was quickly back out on track. Passing Portugal with 12 laps to go, Fauzy was lying in sixth place. Just a few laps later two clashes, one between Canada and Great Britain, the other featuring Italy, Brazil and New Zealand brought out another safety car, but with the cars unmoveable, the race was red flagged with Malaysia finishing fifth and collecting valuable and well deserved points.
Fauzy said of the races, "It was our goal to be in the top ten and so a top five is a bonus. The team did well, particularly in the pitstops. You need to be intelligent for this type of track, with the many incidents around you and the ever present tyre wear. It's been a good weekend, finishing both races in the points. There is not a scratch on the car. The team gave me a great car, which gave me the confidence to push hard, I'm very happy with the results."
Jack Cunningham, Chief Executive, A1 Team Malaysia, added, "We've had two points finishes today and as we had hoped this included a top five. The whole team worked hard for these and Fauzy did his job well driving totally to team orders, particularly in the Feature race where there were so many incidents to avoid, which adds to the pressure. It is one of the toughest races on the calendar with the level of concentration demanded and the physical brutality of the track, so we're proud to have been one of the top performing teams this weekend. Our results today are fundamentally down to team work, team strategy, one excellent pitstop and an extremely good one."
Netherlands
The Durban circuit has again given two races that were packed with spectacle, crashes and some very foolish maneuvers. In all this mayhem A1 Team Netherlands was able to score points with a fifth and fourth place finish, despite being rammed out of a race twice.
It all started with the Sprint race where A1 Team Netherlands started in seventh, but was soon in fifth after Brazil and New Zealand damaged their front wing in the first lap. After that the running order, also because of the safety car after Brazil crashed out, stayed the same. Until Michael Ammermüller decided to pass Jeroen Bleekemolen at all cost and rammed into the rear of the A1 Team Netherlands car. Bleekemolen spins into the wall and is furious. Fortunately for A1 Team Netherlands the race is stopped with a red flag straight away and the team can keep the points for fifth place. Germany is taken out of the result later on because of the maneuver.
Just before the start of the Feature race the A1 Team Netherlands mechanic have to work hard when it is discovered that the fuel pump of the car was broken. With only two minutes left before the pitlane closed and the team has to start from the back of the grid the team succeeds in getting the car out and on the grid.
In the same spectacular fashion as the Sprint race the Feature race in the afternoon gets underway. In front of packed grandstands the safety car comes out on track twice in a short period after incidents in turn 1. Many teams have to come in for repairs and amongst others Indonesia and Germany have to retire. Jeroen Bleekemolen is running sixth, being chased closely by France. After the first pitstops New Zealand has dropped back after an incident in the pitlane. A1 Team Netherlands stays in sixth however, after dropping some places after their first stop. The race stays very hectic with several teams retiring and penalties because of the incidents in turn 1. The end is packed with drama however as Canada spins out and in an effort to get back on track again takes out Great Britain as well, they were running second and fourth. This makes A1 Team Netherlands move up to third on the timing screens. This is later rectified as the transponder of Portugal which is in fact running in front of Bleekemolen, is broken. As the safety car comes in and a pack is thundering towards the first corner Adrian Zaugg, in an effort to move up the order, makes an insane move. He brakes much too late, bounces across the curbs and slams hard into the side of Jeroen Bleekemolen. The A1 Team Netherlands car is stuck on track, smoking and with severe damage. There is a short fire but that is put out straight away. Because of the fact that the race is stopped with the red flag straight away the fourth place finish of A1 Team Netherlands stands.
Jeroen Bleekemolen; "A lot has happened. It is a shame that our first pitstop did not go very well, the car was running quite ok then. We did lose about four places with that stop though. France and Portugal were amongst the teams to pass us. Then I had a complete clear track in front of me, but that second stint did not go well at all. The tyres started acting up quickly, maybe the tyre pressure was a bit too high. After the second stop it went quite well again. I had a good pace going and the times we set were quite good. In the end I thought I was in third, then South Africa slammed into my side and the car caught fire. Then I heard from a marshal that the race had been red flagged and I thought that I had finished in third, but that proved to be fourth. We did not finish twice but did score points twice. That is not bad at all. The Sprintrace crash was insane. He hit me a number of times and the last time it was ridiculously hard. The entire rear wing broke off. He did get his penalty though, I am pleased about that. And in the Sprintrace the same thing happened to him, so that was kind of a revenge. "
Jan Lammers; "The organisation took the right decision to wave the red flag. That way we were able to keep our fourth place. For a moment it looked like we finished third, but that came because of Portugal's transponder being broken. Compared to Friday we had expected to be able to compete more upfront. We are happy though with the points that we have managed to score. About are crashes. Ammermüller is just driving into our rear a number of times. That is not the way to race. You have to be more creative to pass someone. China more than once showed this in the Feature race. The final one is just too insane. Zaugg is at least 50 meters late with his braking, that was a real strike. It made no sense at all. "
With three race weekends left to go, A1 Team Netherlands is in seventh with 69 points. The gap with Great Britain is 1 point, Germany is eight points in front. Switzerland is leading the Championship with 118 points.
New Zealand
New Zealand's challenge for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has hit a speed bump after a tough street fight in Round 7 on Durban's waterfront. Despite qualifying in 3rd position for both races, Jonny Reid finished in 20th place after a Turn One accident in the Sprint Race and spluttered to 10th place in an incident-packed Feature Race following a pitstop mishap.
Black Beauty picked up just two points for the weekend – one point for setting the day's fastest lap and the other for surviving a Feature Race that resembled a demolition derby at times, particularly at the Turn One hairpin.
Switzerland, with a 2nd place and the Feature Race win, has catapulted into the championship lead with 118 points, France is now outright second 10 points back on 108 points and New Zealand has dropped to 3rd, 20 points behind the Swiss.
Team manager John Sears says two incidents spoiled what was shaping up to be a strong weekend. "The onboard data shows Jonny was as quick as anyone, but he was a bit optimistic in the Sprint Race and paid the price for colliding with Canada and the pitlane incident was debilitating when we had started the Feature Race so well," Sears said.
The narrow pitlane and a communication mix-up saw the departing Black Beauty bump the incoming Mexico during the first scheduled pit stop. Second at that stage, New Zealand lost valuable time replacing the car's nose cone and then had to complete a drive through penalty for causing the collision.
Reid says his first races on a street circuit were real eye-openers. "I've learnt the hard way how unforgiving street circuits can be and I'm sure I'll be a stronger driver for the experience," Reid said. "Both incidents could have been avoided, although the Sprint Race smash was my fault for getting too close to Canada and not appreciating Robert Wickens' braking style heading into the hairpin. He went off the brakes before braking hard again and I couldn't avoid hitting him.
"I have to shrug off any negativity, get back on the horse and fight hard over the next three race weekends. We need to push back on Switzerland and France, create pressure and keep them honest."
Just three rounds remain in the 10-round series, but Sears says the title is still within the team's grasp. "Jonny is a big fan of the next two circuits in Mexico and Shanghai and we've got every confidence that the car will be as strong as usual," Sears said. "It's a case of re-grouping and fighting hard. We've reeled Switzerland in from a 19 point advantage earlier in the season and we just have to focus on doing that again."
Pakistan
Having promised so much, the A1GP Durban, South Africa turned into a disappointing event for A1 Team Pakistan and Adam Khan. Having shown great pace in practice and qualifying the team had high hopes, but today's Sprint and Feature races were action packed affairs which turned out to be races of attrition. The Durban race track lived up to its fearsome reputation, with numerous crashes, safety car periods and both races ending under a red flag. Having finished 12th in the Sprint race, Pakistan were involved in a multi-car incident in the Feature race which resulted in retirement.
Having put in a strong performance in qualifying, the team were due to line up 15th for the Sprint race. However, A1 Team India - who had qualified 9th - were put to the back of the grid following a late driver change, elevating Pakistan to 14th on the grid.
Featuring the traditional rolling start, the 22 A1GP cars thundered towards the first corner as the Sprint race got underway. As various cars made contact and sustained damage, Khan stayed out of trouble and made up one place to cross the line 13th at the end of the first lap. A lap later, the Pakistan car was passed by the French car and was back in 14th place. One of many cars to hit the wall, Brazil was one of the first teams to crash out, elevating Pakistan to 13th place. That accident also brought out the safety car for a number of laps while officials cleared the stranded car. With only a few minutes remaining, the race was restarted. Determined to make up further places, Khan took advantage of the restart to put in a great move to pass the USA car and crossed the line in 13th place. A controversial move by A1 Team Germany in the closing stages of the race later resulted in exclusion from the final standings, with Pakistan therefore taking 12th place.
As tensions rose ahead of the 70 minute Feature race, Pakistan took their place in 14th place on the grid. As the lights went out, the A1GP cars hurtled towards the tight hairpin bend that makes up turn one. As a number of cars failed to make the tight turn, Pakistan was caught up in the unfolding melee and hit from behind by the host nation, South Africa. Managing to rejoin the field, having received assistant from track officials and pitted for a new nose cone, the Pakistan car lay 17th.
At the restart, the German car was pushed into a spin at the first corner, blocking the outside line. Khan, looking good to pass a number of cars, headed around the outside of the corner, only to find the German car blocking the track. Braking to avoid the stranded car, Khan was hit by Indonesia behind, and in a concertina effect, a number of cars were left stranded, ending A1 Team Pakistan's race.
An understandably dissatisfied Adam Khan said, "I'm so disappointed to have been taken out of the Feature race. That first corner is so tight, with 22 cars trying to get round at once, there's bound to be an accident. I managed to rejoin the field after the first crash, but unfortunately at the restart there was another multi-car crash, which ended our race. I really am just so frustrated that we weren't able to show what we were capable of today."
A1 Team Pakistan driver coach Danny Watts said, "Adam did a good job in the Sprint race, he defended his position, made up a place at the restart and brought the car home in one piece for the Feature race. Unfortunately we were taken out of the Feature race early on, I don't think there's anything Adam could have done to avoid the accident – it's just on of the perils of racing at a street circuit like Durban."
Team Manager John Allen added, "We knew before the race started that it would be a matter of luck as well as good racing as to whether we would finish. However, I don't think we quite expected so many incidents, the first corner here is so tight, if there's one accident there's little chance of avoiding it. It's a shame for both Adam and the team that we couldn't continue, a lot of work has gone into this weekend, and I think we could have had a good race. We need to just forget about this weekend and turn our attention to the next event in Mexico."
South Africa
In an incident-filled Feature race run in hot and humid conditions, Switzerland's Neel Jani recovered from a sleepless night caused by stomach problems to score his third win of the season in the streets of Durban this afternoon. The race ended behind the safety car after an accident involving South Africa's Adrian Zaugg brought out the red flag with five minutes to go.
Loic Duval, driving his last race for Team France, finished an excellent second after starting from eighth on the grid and was followed across the line by Filipe Albuquerque, making his debut for Team Portugal.
Zaugg, who was running a hard-earned sixth after starting from 15th on the grid, collided with Team Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen when he failed to stop in time as he came down the inside of turn one. The incident resulted in several other cars making contact with each other as the field, bunched together because of a restart following one of several red flag incidents that brought out the safety car, crowded into the tight hairpin bend.
Because of the red flag conditions, the result of the race was determined by the order at the end of the previous lap, which put South Africa in seventh place.
"I'm really sorry for what happened," said a contrite Zaugg after the race. "I didn't keep my brakes and tyres warm enough while we were behind the safety car before the restart. I was crowded into a tighter line into the hairpin than I'd taken at any other time and it was very slippery there. I couldn't stop the car in time and when I hit the curb I lost control of the car and ran into the side of Team Netherlands."
It was a sad end to what was otherwise a masterful performance that saw Zaugg in 11th place at half distance, having made up four places in he first 24 laps. He was eighth after the second of the two compulsory pit stops following a slick change of all four tyres by Team South Africa and looked set for a good points-scoring result. However, it was not to be, but South Africa did enough to retain fourth place in the championship with three rounds remaining after picking up four points for seventh place.
Earlier in the day, Zaugg finished 13th in the Sprint race behind first-time winner Robert Wickens of Canada after starting from 20th on the 22-car grid. Great Britain was second and Switzerland third. Zaugg fought hard against the odds to achieve a targeted 10th place at the finish (which would have earned him South Africa a championship point) and a strong performance saw him overtake nine cars in the 20-minute race. In fact, he finished 11th on the road after Germany ran into the back of the Netherlands and South Africa passed Pakistan. The race ended behind the safety car after it was red-flagged and the result was based on the positions at the end of the penultimate lap. Germany was subsequently excluded from the result as a result of its driver's manoeuvre.
"We're very happy to have salvaged enough points today to retain our fourth place in the championship," said Mike Carroll, general manager of Team South Africa. "Things might have been a lot different if we'd had better luck in qualifying yesterday. We should have qualified better. The team did a great job this weekend and their quick work in the second pit stop helped Adrian make up a significant place (South Africa passed Brazil) at an important time."
USA
Jonathan Summerton finished 10th in the Sprint race for A1 Team USA on Sunday in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Durban, South Africa.
Summerton was forced to retire from a mechanical failure in the Feature and was 18th in the results.
"We certainly didn't get the results or to race as much as we wanted," Summerton said. "We managed to score one point, but we came here to score a lot more. It's disappointing the way the races went with all the crashes and the damper problem in the Feature with our car."
Summerton, of Kissimmee, Fla., survived in a Sprint race that had two multi-car crashes, two full-course cautions and a red flag, which stopped it early. It was scheduled for 15 laps and the results were classified after 11 on the 2.04-mile street circuit. Summerton started from 13th position, moved up one position from qualifying after India replaced its driver.
"We had a good start in the Sprint race, but there were two yellows and the race ended under a red," Summerton said. "On the last lap restart, we were hit by France again. He (Loic Duval) ran over our front wheel trying to pass us on the outside in Turn 1. It's the third time this year he's run into us without any chance of making the pass. At least it didn't take us out like before and, as it turned out with another crash on a different part of the circuit, the lap didn't count with the race ending under red. It still doesn't change things. He's a driver out of control."
Summerton lined up 16th for the Feature and was trapped in a multi-car pileup in the first turn of the first lap. He nudged into South Africa's Adrian Zaugg and the front wing on the A1 Team USA car was broken. Summerton pitted to have it replaced and returned to the track in 21st place, but on the lead lap.
On the restart, there was a crash involving six cars in Turn 1. Summerton drove through it and emerged in 14th. He climbed to 10th by lap 15, but A1 Team USA suffered a flat tire and was forced to make another unscheduled pit stop.
"We worked our way up in front of China before the scheduled pit stop (on lap 10) and just came out behind Italy," Summerton said. "The ‘We the People' car was passing Italy when we had a right-rear tire puncture. We came in and got that changed, but I noticed it still felt weird. We came in again and checked the right rear and found the damper (shock absorber) was broken. We had to park it."
A1 Team USA completed 25 of the 41 completed laps in a race that had been scheduled for 48 and also ended with a red flag.
"We had a very difficult day," A1 Team USA owner Rick Weidinger said. "Except for the excellent pit stop the crew performed, that's about all you can say and move on to Mexico City. At least we won't have to worry about Loic Duval running into us there. France says he has schedule conflicts and won't be racing in any more A1GP races this season. He's run into us three times this season, cost us points and has never once apologized to Jonathan or our team."