19/07/2006
NEWS STORY
A1 Team Great Britain enjoyed a successful two-day test at Pembrey this week, with Cambridgeshire's Oliver Jarvis (22) sampling an A1GP car for the first time in his burgeoning career.
The reigning Formula Renault UK Champion and 2006 British F3 race winner, no stranger to the South Wales circuit thanks to its popularity as an F3 test venue, showcased his talents behind the wheel of the 500bhp A1GP car and impressed the team with both his attitude and ability over the course of the two days.
Pleased with the outcome of the test A1 Team GBR Team Principal John Surtees commented: "We tried to keep the pressure off Oliver for this test in order to evaluate his capabilities behind the wheel but like all drivers he's clearly a competitive individual. He acquitted himself very well throughout the test. Oliver's feedback was commendable, we purposely made some changes to the car to see how he would respond and he did so extremely well. It's given him a good base knowledge of the car to which he can build on in future tests, perhaps starting at Silverstone at the official A1GP tests at the end of August."
Reflecting on his debut A1GP outing Jarvis, winner of the 2005 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award said: "The test was exactly what I expected and I have to thank A1 Team GRB for the opportunity to try out an A1GP car. There was a great atmosphere within the team and it's a very professionally run set-up. I was actually quite surprised by how well the car handled. It's a really nice car to drive, the trick is just fine tuning the balance to get it set up to your own particular style.
"Hopefully given the chance I can work with them again and run some races for A1 Team GBR. This was a great opportunity for me and it's always a bonus when you can step up and test more powerful machinery. I'd love to be involved in A1GP, I think it's a fantastic concept and the new season looks like it could be even more competitive than last year's."