19/10/2005
NEWS STORY
A1 Team Malaysia moves on to Portugal for the third in the trio of European rounds that have kicked off the inaugural A1 Grand Prix series.
Estoril circuit, just over 30 kilometres northwest of Lisbon, is the location for the next round where it promises to be an exciting weekend of race action, with A1 Team Malaysia ready to take on the challenges of this demanding circuit.
For the team's regular drivers, Alex Yoong and Fairuz Fauzy, it will be their first visit to Estoril, with their knowledge of the track being derived from watching Formula One races on television where the Brazilian F1 hero Ayrton Senna made his mark, winning his first race in torrential rain.
Yoong competed for A1 Team Malaysia in the last round of the Series in Germany, bringing his car home sixth in the first of the two races following his 5th place in the feature race in the UK.
Fauzy, who will take on all the driving responsibilities at Estoril, looks ahead to the weekend saying, "I will be back in the car in Portugal and am very excited to be driving both the sprint and the feature races. Estoril is a circuit that I've always wanted to drive."
Yoong, boosted by his strong performance in Germany, adds, "We'll be working hard as a team to continue to score World Cup points and keep A1 Team Malaysia performing competitively. Estoril, as a former F1 track, has a special place on the calendar and I hope it will be the venue for a strong showing from the team with Fairuz leading the charge for us."
Team Principal, Jack Cunningham, adds, "We had a good weekend in Germany with our sixth place finish and I hope that we can continue with this level of performance in Estoril. We don't know the track, so we don't underestimate the challenge ahead, but we have a dedicated team of motorsport professionals and the will to win, so we'll be out to do our best. Fairuz will do all the driving this weekend as Alex, with his knowledge of the circuit in Australia, will carry out all the driving duties there. We will be assessing how this strategy will work over the coming two races."