13/07/2006
NEWS STORY
Oliver Jarvis, winner of the 2005 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award, will sample an A1GP car for the first time next week, Monday 17th – Tuesday 18th July, having been invited to test with A1 Team Great Britain at the Pembrey Circuit in South Wales.
Jarvis, the 2005 Formula Renault UK Champion, will have his first taste of the 500bhp A1GP car on Monday following an initial shake-down at the 1.456-mile track by Yorkshire's Darren Manning – who competed for A1 Team Great Britain in the season finale of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in China back in April, scoring a second place podium on his debut.
Previewing Jarvis' maiden A1GP outing, John Surtees, A1 Team GBR Team Principal commented: "This is very much a getting to know you session so there's no pressure on Oliver to go out and set the world alight with stunning lap times. We're interested in testing him based on his previous performances and the ability shown in his racing to date. We wanted to do an evaluation in preparation for the official A1GP test which takes place later in August. We hope to continue this as a programme dependent on A1 and the availability of equipment. Pembrey enjoys a reputation as a great test track so we decided to head there for this evaluation."
Competing in the 2006 British Formula Three Championship for Carlin Motorsport, Jarvis (22) scored his first win of the season at Mondello Park in Ireland last month, dominating the race from pole position. The young Brit from Burwell, Cambridgeshire currently sits third in the championship standings. Last season Jarvis captured the Formula Renault UK Championship racing for Manor Motorsport in a season that included five wins, seven podiums and four pole positions, his achievements and skills eventually leading to his naming as the winner of the prestigious McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in December.