08/03/2006
NEWS STORY
The penultimate round of the A1 Grand Prix series takes place this weekend in Laguna Seca, California and A1 Team Malaysia is ready to take on its rival nations in a bid to secure more World Cup of Motorsport points. Driver for A1 Team Malaysia, Alex Yoong, is determined to record more top ten finishes and improve Malaysia's seventh place position in the standings.
Laguna Seca is one of the most revered circuits in North America, featuring the unique Corkscrew. The complex of corners starts with a blind crest followed with the track dropping through 50 feet, and sweeping through a curling 'S' of turns and on to the front straight. The circuit lies in a natural bowl to provide elevation changes, sweeping corners and long straights; a track which Yoong anticipates will suit him.
"Visiting Laguna Seca is definitely one of the highlights of the A1 Grand Prix calendar for me," says Yoong. "The circuit is on every driver's '10 tracks I most want to drive' list, all due to the appeal of the corkscrew. I don't think I can gauge just how good it is as a corner until I get in the car, but roll on Friday practice, I can't wait!"
"The job for me this weekend is to learn the circuit quickly and then start setting up the car for the track and weather conditions. We need to qualify well for the Sprint race, improve on the start position to get some points in the bag, then from a good Feature race starting spot, have a good pitstop strategy, run cleanly and bring the car home in the points again. With only four races left, we'll definitely be going for it."
Jack Cunningham, Team Principal, A1 Team Malaysia, says of the race weekend, "We've had our ups and downs in this first season of A1 Grand Prix, and we have made steady progress as we have gained experience, the excellent team of mechanics, engineers and support staff have gelled and built the strong framework needed for a successful team. In an ideal world, we'd like to finish the season with four strong points results and hopefully."