A1 Team Lebanon will debut a new driver for the team at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Durban event this weekend. Allam Khodair joins current drivers Khalil Beschir and Alex Khateeb in the South African city, with Basil Shaaban focusing on his summer race season plans.

Khodair, 25, joins the team for the eighth round of the Series, which is in its second season of competition. Khodair has a strong Lebanese heritage, with both grandparents being born in Beirut and three of his four uncles born and raised in the country, although the young racer is Brazil-born and domiciled.

Making his first A1GP appearance representing Lebanon and the Arab world in the Rookie session on Friday morning, Khodar will be taking on the challenge of the demanding street circuit in downtown Durban. One of the key attributes of Khodair is his prior street racing experience in Formula Renault Brazil. His first victory in the category was at his first street race, held in Florianapolis, Brazil, in 2002.

A1 Team Lebanon is chasing its first elusive championship point and Khodair hopes that he can help to bring this to the nation. He says, "I'm not daunted by the challenge of the Durban street track, but I know how big a challenge it is for the team here. Street circuits demand precision and knowing your limits, not necessarily of the car's power, but more in the braking. It's a similar car to the F3000 that I've driven, but with a little more horsepower to control. The paddleshift is new to me as well; I've only used this in a PlayStation game, but it shouldn't take long to master it. Adapting to the circuit with this particular car, within a highly competitive category, is my main focus and I'll be aiming for the all-important 'point' this weekend."

Khodair's previous racing experience includes two years of Formula Renault in Brazil, in which he was Champion in the second season. He competed in European F3000 in 2004 and for the last two years has been racing in the Brazilian V8 Series. The Durban event is the jewel in the crown of the A1GP Series and promises to be one of the most colourful, exciting race weekends of the season. A sell-out crowd is expected for the races, with more grandstands, more giant TV screens and plenty of track action to entertain the fans.