09/10/2005
NEWS STORY
A1 Team Malaysia enjoyed a strong sixth place finish in the Sprint race at the second round of the A1 Grand Prix series in Germany this weekend. The top ten finish was a welcome result which driver Alex Yoong was unable to capitalise on in the main Feature race, after an incident filled race which left the Malaysian finishing in 16th place.
Alex Yoong took his 18th place grid slot for the German round of the A1 Grand Prix series with high hopes of improving on this position by the end of the 18 lap Sprint race. A superb start by the former Formula 1 star catapulted him to seventh place after the first lap. First lap incidents ahead and consistent driving promoted Yoong to sixth place, a position he maintained until the chequered flag, holding off challenges from behind for a full 13 laps of exciting racing action to bring home valuable points for A1 Team Malaysia in the World Cup of Motorsport.
In the 38 lap feature race Yoong started from his sixth place Sprint race finish position. At the green light Yoong demonstrated his experience and sheer racing grit by storming off the start into second place at the first corner. Handling problems with the car dropped Yoong back down the order in the following laps, settling into sixth place as the race settled down. Pitting for his mandatory stop on lap six, Yoong rejoined in eleventh. A mid race off-track excursion put the Malaysian driver down the order into nineteenth place. As the race moved into the final stages, a technical infringement resulted in a drive-through penalty for the team, with Yoong finally crossing the finishing line in 16th place.
Alex Yoong reviewed the race, saying, "In the first race I knew it would be carnage into the first corner as it has a bad camber and I could see cars would slide into each other, so I went to the outside, two cars went off and I was fifth, finally finishing sixth. For the second race I had another flying start and was up to second, I dropped back a bit after that, and unfortunately our pit stop wasn't too quick because of a wheel nut problem which I think is affecting quite a few of the teams. I am delighted to have added to our points tally for the Series, and we'll be back out in Portugal trying hard for more".
Jack Cunningham, Team Principal, adds, "After difficult qualifying this weekend, we are extremely proud of the team's work this weekend. The result in the Sprint race was excellent. Alex's work in the car to hold off the charges from behind him was very, very good for 13 nail biting laps. The final result of the main race brought mixed fortunes for A1 Team Malaysia this weekend in Germany, but that is the nature of Motorsport. We have a competitive car. We can run up the front and we now need to improve our consistency. "
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