01/10/2006
NEWS STORY
Team Brazil
A1 Team Brasil suffered a disappointing opening weekend of the 2006/07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, when it was unable to score any points in the two rounds held at Zandvoort Park Circuit, the Netherlands. Driver Tuka Rocha finished the sprint race in 14th position and was then classified 12th in the feature race, although he was actually forced to retire just metres from the finish line when he was pushed into the Armco by the A1 Team New Zealand entry of Matt Halliday.
In the 20-minute sprint race, which began with a rolling start, Tuka began well for the team, moving from his 16th place grid slot to 14th after the first lap. Unfortunately, with so little time and in a series which is increasingly looking even more competitive than last year, he was unable to improve on his position before the chequered flag.
The feature race turned into a luck of the draw situation as unexpected rain began to fall on lap 15, by which time around half the field had made their compulsory pitstops, including Team Brasil. As it began to get heavier, everyone was into the pits to change to wet tyres and, as the track began to dry fifteen laps later, they were back in for slicks. It meant that although Tuka was driving well, up to 10th by lap five from 13th and looking in a very strong position after his first pitstop, he was disadvantaged by requiring four stops to some teams' two stops and as the clock ticked down he was only able to salvage what looked to be a 12th place finish. However, on the last corner the Team New Zealand driver tried to overtake Tuka, hitting the side of him and pushing him into the Armco barrier at the start of the pit straight.
Teams will now travel to the Czech Republic for the second weekend of A1GP, which will take place at the Brno circuit next weekend, 6-8 October.
Tuka Rocha: "Although the results do not look good, and I am very disappointed, I have to look at the positives and just work on getting prepared for Brno. This is the first time I've raced A1GP so for the first time today I did the rolling start, used the PowerBoost button and had experience of the pitstops, and everything in that respect went well. Our lap times were also not bad and we have managed to make some progress with the development of the car over the weekend. It was extremely difficult to overtake here, so I was just taking advantages when I could see them of another driver making a little mistake. We will be working very hard to improve for next weekend and I hope that we can get some good results and open our points account in the Czech Republic."
Team Canada
Toronto's James Hinchcliffe enjoyed a mixed debut driving for A1 Team Canada in the opening round of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Holland today. An encouraging eighth place finish, from a field of 23 competing nations, in the 20-minute Sprint race preceded a tumultuous Feature race for the 19-year-old, where the weather, and in particular an early race thunder storm, ultimately thwarted plans for back-to-back top-ten finishes for the Canadian rookie.
Sprint Race
Hinchcliffe held off a spirited race-long charge from home-favorite Jeroen Bleekemolen in the A1 Team Holland entry to score an eighth place finish for A1 Team Canada on his A1GP debut. Gaining a position before the race, moving up to seventh following A1 Team Switzerland's post-qualifying penalty, James took the start and headed for the first of Zandvoort's 11-turns. He dropped back to eighth on the first lap but a feisty performance from the rookie saw him withstand the pressure from the Dutch car to hold station for the duration of the Sprint. A late-race sideways 'moment' failed to phase the Canadian and he took the checkered in eighth, just two places shy of the points.
Feature Race
Starting eighth on the grid for the Feature race, Hinchcliffe led the A1 Team Canada car to sixth by the end of the first lap. Up to fifth just before the mandatory pit window opened, a safety car period immediately followed forcing James to pit later than planned and unfortunately as mixed overhead conditions complicated proceedings. Opting for slick tires, the heavens subsequently opened forcing the Canadian entry back to the pits for a set of wets, James losing ground to those who made the call for wets on their first stop.
Gingerly racing his way towards the top-ten, Hinchcliffe survived a brief run through the gravel at Turn 1 half-way through the race to keep the charge going only to see track conditions improve again as the sun returned. Back in the pits for a third visit on lap 30, this time for a set of slicks, James resumed his charge and climbed as high as 11th before taking 13th at the flag when the race was called on time and not the scheduled 45-lap running.
James Hinchcliffe: "Well it was a very eventful afternoon! We got off to a great start and I was up to P6 by the end of the first lap and hounding New Zealand. Unfortunately after my pit stop we had to come back for wet tires which dropped us back. The car was great at the start so we know we have a good footing, we just got caught out by the weather today and effectively threw in an extra pit stop which hurt us."
Team France
Nicolas Lapierre, 22, claimed third place in the short 12-lap Sprint Race of the opening round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Zandvoort which gave A1 France their first four points of the season. Starting third on the grid, he maintained his position until the chequered flag.
The position on the grid for the Feature Race being a combination of the competitor's grid position for the Sprint Race, the competitor's final position of the Sprint Race and the fastest lap in the Sprint Race meant that A1 France had to start from the 3rd position. Lapierre had a terrific start and gained one place. After one lap, Team Mexico went too wide in a corner and Lapierre took the opportunity to take the lead of the race. With the weather being so uncertain, some teams pitted at the beginning of the allowed pit-stop window but France waited till the end of that window and this turned out to be right time as the rain was falling down. The car was very efficient in dry conditions but did not go so well in the wet. However by stopping at the right moment to change slick tyres, one lap before Germany and if an unfortunate gearbox problem with 10 laps to go did not prevent them from finishing the race., France would have been able to win the race, as Germany did.
Nicolas Lapierre commented: "The start of the Sprint Race was quite hectic, as there was a lot of action, but it was all fair racing. I think I was a bit faster than Team Mexico but it is quite difficult to overtake especially as the track was still a bit wet. The most important thing was to finish well in that race in order to be in a good position for the Feature race."
"I had a good start in the Feature race and I think we had the best car. We had the right choice of strategy when we stopped to fit wet tyres. Then when we changed to the slicks, I started having problems with the gearbox losing the second, then third and finally the fourth gear. The car was impossible to drive so I went back to the box. It is really a pity as we would have had good chances to win the race this afternoon but this is part of racing." he added.
Jean-Paul Driot, team principal, A1 France added: "We are very disappointed with the result of the Feature Race as we had a gearbox problem which forced us to retire from the race. However, we are very satisfied as our car has been performing well the whole weekend. We had a very good strategy: we stopped at the right time to put the wet tyres, then we stopped again at the right time in the last 16 minutes to change into slicks and this, one lap before A1 Team Germany. This lap would have meant a lot as I think we could have won the race as, as we have seen, Team Germany has just won it. We leave Zandvoort tonight with a mixed feeling of satisfaction and disappointment."
Team Germany
Willi Weber's A1 Team Germany claimed a fine first victory at Zandvoort, The Netherlands, in the curtain raiser of the 2006-2007 season of the A1 Grand Prix Series. Having finished fourth in the sprint race, new recruit Nico Hülkenberg gave an excellent demonstration of his skills in the 70-minute feature race that started in the dry, turned wet and dried off again. He won by a margin of 7.870 seconds.
Having qualified for fourth position on the grid in the field of 23 identical cars, Nico Hülkenberg stormed ahead of A1 Team France in his first-ever A1 GP rolling start in the sprint race. He leapfrogged the French car on a damp track only to lose his position in the first right-hander as he was on the outside lane. Until the end of the 12-lap sprint race, the positions in the top group stayed as they were. In finishing fourth, the German scored the first three points for A1 Team Germany.
In the feature race, seat holder Willi Weber who attended the opening round on the Dutch circuit witnessed a stunning performance of both driver and team. In the dry, Nico Hülkenberg initially run third behind Mexico and France and claimed second in lap 4. In lap 20, the first pit stop to get rain tyres briefly dropped him back to third position, only to claim second in lap 24 again. In lap 32, A1 Team Germany stopped again on the drying track and David Sears' team bolted on slicks. Hülkenberg joined the track on fourth position. On lap 34, 25 seconds separated the 19-year-old driver from the leading A1 Team Netherlands, followed by second-placed A1 Team USA. Within three laps, A1 Team Germany closed the gap to its American rival to 0.354 seconds, with A1 Team Netherlands dropping back to third position. In lap 38, Hülkenberg took the lead at the wheel of the 520 hp A1 GP car, extending his lead within four laps to 7.8 seconds at the finish, with A1 Team Australia on third place already 33.619 seconds behind.
It was A1 Team Germany's first victory in the A1 Grand Prix Series. The German squad now heads the standings with 13 points to its credit, followed by Mexico (11 points) and USA (9 points). For Nico Hülkenberg, the success was particularly sweet: the youngster who also speaks Dutch won his inaugural A1 GP race for Willi Weber's team on a circuit just an hour's drive away from his hometown Emmerich near the German-Dutch border.
Nicolas Hülkenberg: "That was an amazing first race in A1 GP! In the sprint race, we finished fourth. When the car started to understeer in lap 4, we could no longer attack. We tried to dial out the understeering with some minor set-up changes for the second heat. The feature race started in the dry. In lap 20, I pitted when it started raining. Jeroen Bleekemolen's A1 Team Netherlands car was faster in the rain. When it started drying off, Nicolas Lapierre's French car got slower and I overtook him. I pitted for new slicks in lap 32, whereas the Dutch car stayed out on rain tyres and dropped back. I thought I had to lap A1 Team USA, but my team told me on the radio to attack and go for P1 just four minutes from the end. Only then I realized that I had a chance to win. I really didn't expect this victory in my inaugural A1 GP race."
Willi Weber: "I'm really pleased. This is an excellent result in the A1 Grand Prix series on a wonderful day in motorsport. Nico has shown an immaculate performance on his first outing for our team. He never risked anything, drove a safe race and still won it by a considerable margin. After the tests in August, it was clear that his skills allowed him to handle a car perfectly that is not easy to drive. We feel a boost in everybody's motivation after this stunning success at Zandvoort. Already in a week's time, we have the chance to continue our streak at Brno. I hope we will do well again."
Great Britain
A1 Team Great Britain scored in both the Sprint and Feature races today, fifth and seventh place finishes respectively, as the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport launched before a sell-out Dutch crowd. Weather proved to be the decisive factor at Zandvoort but Darren Manning's efforts behind the wheel of the British entry sets the team seventh in the A1GP Nations Standings heading to Round 2 next weekend at Brno in the Czech Republic.
Sprint Race
Darren Manning opened A1 Team GBR's scoring account with two points for a fifth place finish in the morning's 12-lap Sprint race round the 2.6-mile, 11-turn Zandvoort track. The Yorkshireman, starting fifth following A1 Team Switzerland's post-qualifying penalty, briefly dropped a place to sixth on the opening lap but fought back to regain his starting slot ahead of the second tour. From there he chased the leaders, oversteer a factor on the slick track, but his race proved to be a lonely affair holding fifth over A1 Team New Zealand in sixth, the gap between them at the checkered almost three seconds.
Feature Race
Up to fourth at the start of the 70-minute Feature race it wasn't long before Manning found himself in a podium position. The first team to make their mandatory pit stop, Manning pitted the A1 Team GBR car from third and with the subsequent safety car period on lap 11 effectively meant he would assume control of the race once the field completed their stops. The race was then turned on its head by a sudden thunderstorm, allowing those who hadn't stopped to seize the advantage and put a set of wet tyres on, Manning eventually following suit. With the track drying in the later stages a third trip to the pits was required for a set of slicks with Darren successfully keeping the British entry in the top-ten, taking seventh at the flag and four more points to add to A1 Team GBR's morning tally.
A1 Team GBR Team Principal, John Surtees: "Well it looked like fortune might have been on our side at one stage but it turned sour when it rained as it allowed those who hadn't stopped to come in for wets! We ended up making three stops but importantly we scored twice today to put a decent foundation down to get the season started."
Darren Manning: "We made some changes to make the car a bit more competitive for the second race and we ran well at the start climbing to third, almost taking the lead at the first turn. We were ahead of the game with the way the safety car initially played out but the rain put paid to that. Overall though we know we can compete at the sharp end and now we have an idea of where the competition's at."
Team India
A capacity crowd of 75,000 fans watched a stunning race at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport's opening weekend at Zandvoort. The 70 minute feature race, characterised by breathtaking overtaking moves and unpredictable conditions, was finally won by A1 Team Germany, the country's first-ever A1GP victory, just over seven seconds ahead of A1 Teams USA and Australia. A1 Team Netherlands finished its home race in a popular 4th position. 17 year old Armaan Ebrahim, representing A1 Team India, drove with superb composure in difficult conditions and survived an earlier spin to climb to 7th place before spinning again with just 5 laps to go and finishing 18th.
In the sprint race, Armaan got a fantastic start climbing five places before the first corner. Unfortunately he was faced with two spinning drivers ahead of him, and had nowhere to go except off the track to avoid them. He pulled off a brilliant manoeuvre to avoid the spinning cars, but landed himself off the track and onto a wet piece of grass where the car got beached. That was the end of his sprint race. His Team Manager Alan Cole was all praises for Armaan's abilities for avoiding what could have been a big shunt and would have undoubtedly caused a lot of damage to the car.
Armaan repeated his start line prowess in the feature race, and picked up four places by the end of lap one. He put his head down and drove steadily, climbing up to 7th place by lap 14. After his compulsory pit-stop, he was running 10th when the heavens opened up. All the drivers, Armaan included, pitted to change to full wet-weather tyres. He continued his excellent smooth driving, having a great dice with Cheng Congfu of A1 Team China, swapping 11th and 12th a few times. Meanwhile the rain had ceased, and the track was now drying out rapidly. Soon the track had a distinct dry line almost all the way around, and many drivers started to pit again for dry tyres. With a few rain clouds still in the sky, A1 Team India took a gamble and decided not to change Armaan back onto slicks. This proved to be too much of a gamble, and with the rain not recurring, Armaan's tyres were losing grip, lap by lap. On lap 35, and with the front tyres almost shot to pieces, the car ran wide out of the first corner and Armaan's race ended in the gravel trap. He was classified 18th.
Commenting on the race, Armaan said, "This was my first time driving at Zandvoort, and with the intermittent sunshine and heavy downpours on what is renowned as a very demanding track, it was very challenging. Unfortunately I ended up on wet weather tyres which went bald as the track dried out towards the end of the race and this resulted in my spin. Handling was a bit problematic but I was nevertheless happy overall with the car set-up and am confident that, with the engineering team we have in place and with the experience of Zandvoort under my belt, we can expect a stronger finish at Brno next weekend."
Team Ireland
Ireland finished 14th in today's opening round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Zandvoort, Holland, after driver Michael Devaney endured a series of mishaps that prevented the Rathfarnham driver from converting his impressive pace into a points-scoring result in the Feature Race. This included a lengthy first pit stop caused by a sheered axel mechanism and a spin later in the race which dropped him down the order after he had made good progress. He recovered to claim 14th, lapping quickly in both the wet and dry conditions which made the event challenging in terms of race strategy and driving conditions.
Michael Devaney: "This was a disappointing end to a frustrating weekend for me and the whole team. Nothing seemed to go right for us and the races were difficult after qualifying so far down the order. The Feature Race was a bit of a lottery, the pit stop took ages because of the axle problem and I also made a mistake later on which cost us a lot of time. We shouldn't have been starting 15th on the grid in the first place. At least we know where we are with the car which means we'll be in better shape for the race next weekend."
Andy Miller, Technical Director "The result is no where near a reflection of the pace we have got. It is vital to qualify at the front and stay with the quick runners rather than get held up. The strategy we ran was correct but equipment failure meant we did not reap the benefits. Michael was very quick in the wet and in the dry latter part of the Feature Race, so we just have to make sure we make things count next weekend in the Czech Republic."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal "We knew this weekend would be tough but from the moment we encountered the fuel pressure problems which robbed us of final practice, it was an uphill battle. The Feature Race was marred by the pit stop caused by a component failure which we will have to discuss with our colleagues in A1GP. Michael drove hard and set good times which give us reason to believe that without the problems we'd have been at the sharp end. It was fantastic to see a capacity crowd here in Zandvoort and to see A1GP get off to an amazing start for year 2. The support we have had from Irish fans here has been terrific."
Team Lebanon
The new season of A1GP opened with a dramatic, hectic race in Zandvoort, Holland. The main race featured five different leaders, changing weather conditions which saw teams changing from dry tyres to wet and back to dry, and numerous drivers sliding around the track to cope with the challenging Dutch circuit.
The action kicked off with the 20 minute Sprint race this morning. A1 Team Lebanon gridded in 19th place and at the green flag for the rolling start left the line well, maintaining track position. In the scramble through the first few corners Shaaban tangled with the Italian car, but was able to continue. At the end of the opening lap the Lebanese driver had been able to make up ground and lie 16th. Over the course of the 12 lap race Shaaban was challenged by the Czech car behind him, but he defended his position and held off the European rival until the chequered flag.
A new grid position formulation for A1GP determines grid position by an amalgamation of points awarded for Sprint race start, Sprint race finish and fastest lap times. This system resulted in A1 Team Lebanon starting in 17th position for the main Feature race.
The Feature race in A1GP has a standing start format, and Shaaban got away cleanly off the line and fought hard, gradually climbing his way up to twelfth, before pitting for the first time, for his mandatory stop, staying on dry tyres. Unfortunately the weather turned a few laps later, with heavy rain making conditions on slick tyres treacherous and, like all the teams except for USA, the Lebanese driver had to make an unscheduled stop to change to wet tyres. As Lebanon started to change tyres, the Indonesian car mistakenly slid into the Lebanon pit box, tipping over a crew member, who luckily was unhurt in the incident.
Returning to the race Shaaban was experiencing the track in the wet, but was caught out on the slippery track, spinning off line and into the gravel, resulting in an early retirement for Team Lebanon on lap 15.
Shaaban said, "The conditions out on the track were very difficult. It's a highly competitive field and right from the green flag we were racing hard. I successfully fended off the persistent challenges of the Czech Republic in the Sprint race and went the distance. The feature race was much tougher. The weather was changing all the time, and varied at different points on the circuit, so the track grip levels were very variable. The slippery track caught me out and ended my race, but I gained so much valuable racing experience with this car, at one of the most technical, physical tracks on the A1GP calendar."
Tameem Auchi, Seatholder, A1 Team Lebanon added, "This first weekend of A1GP racing in the second season was one of the most frenetic and demanding that I've experienced. Basil coped well and was unlucky to be caught out in the Feature race. A1GP is very competitive and unpredictable; these opening races certainly lived up to this reputation."
Team Malaysia
A1 Team Malaysia posted fastest lap of the main Feature race at the first round of the new season of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport today in Zandvoort, a small consolation for the team after finishing 17th in the race.
In the 12 lap, 20 minute sprint race A1 Team Malaysia started on slick tyres, along with the rest of the field, in damp, drying conditions. >From 10th place, Yoong made a good rolling start and held position through the first part of the lap, until dropping back by the end of the opener. He maintained position in the early part of the race, but lost out to the China car to be 12th on the track, the team's final finishing position in the first race of the day.
The grid for the second (Feature) race is determined by a unique points-scoring position that allocates points according to teams' finishing position, qualifying position and lap times in the Sprint race. One point is awarded to the winner, two to the runner-up, three to the third-placed finisher, running down to the 23rd classified finisher, who will be awarded 23 points. The same points system is applied to the qualifying and fastest lap classifications. The points are then added together to determine the grid. This system gave Malaysia its 11th place start.
Yoong's bid to improve on his Sprint race finish was nearly over before the Malaysian driver had a chance to race, with a parade lap stall from Switzerland in front of the team, causing Yoong to take avoiding action, but in the process he clipped his front wheel against the Swiss car and broke a front wishbone.
Yoong was able to reach the pits and, after rapid repairs, he was able to join the race, four laps down. The aim for the Malaysian team was to complete the distance and gain valuable data for next week's race, which Yoong achieved, along the way proving how competitive the team is by recording the fastest lap of the race.
At the end of the 41 lap, timed 70 minute race, Yoong had driven from the back of the grid to 17th.
Yoong said after the races, "In the first race we were struggling with understeer which was a problem we had for much of the weekend, but we made some changes after the Sprint and the car felt much better. I think we would have been reasonably quick and competitive, but I made a mistake on the grid and effectively threw it all away. At the start of the parade lap the car in front of me stalled and trying to get round it I clipped the Team Switzerland car broke my car's wishbone. The guys did a great job to get me back out only losing four laps, but we had lost too much time. On a positive note, we recorded the races fastest lap, so we know we do have a competitive car."
Jack Cunningham, Chief Executive, A1 Team Malaysia, adds, "I'm pleased that we took away the fastest lap in the Feature race, as it gives us some indication that we have the car and the performance to be a challenger in this Series this season. It's unfortunate that the grid problem changed our prospects, but we used the race wisely, giving Alex a race distance, which will help us in our preparations for the next race in Brno in a week's time."
Team Mexico
A1 Team Mexico obtained their first podium in the year in the A1GP Series through Salvador Duran during the opening round at the 4.18-Km. - 2.6-mile Circuit Park Zandvoort. During the Sprint race, Duran started from the first row and fought hard to take the victory, but eventually ended second.
When being questioned about his performance today, Salvador Duran said: "In the Sprint race I was first at the first turn. The race was very competitive. I've felt comfortable and I was very fast. In the second race I have also reached the first place from the beginning, but the things did not go as planned, the weather changed a lot, sometimes the track was dry and sometimes was raining, and we pitted three times. In addition, I have lost radio contact with my pit box and that made harder the process for pitting. I think I have to improve my performance. We have to work further to be better and to be able to give Mexico more podiums."
The Feature race was scheduled to be held at 40-laps or 70 minutes, whichever happened first and eventually the Mexican driver finished fifth in a 70-minute race. At the completion of the Feature race the Mexican team was ranked second in the series standings, just two points behind first place Germany. The race meeting was well organised and hosted over 75,000 fans.
Team Netherlands
The opening race of the second A1GP season at Circuit Park Zandvoort is one which many will keep in their memories for a long time. The races of today brought everything which A1GP stands for, action on track, overtaking, emotion, excitement and entertainment. And A1 Team Netherlands absolutely stole the show during their home race.
The day started for A1 Team Netherlands with a ninth place in the Sprint race after which A1 Team Netherlands, with the new system, started tenth in the 45 lap Feature race. A1 Team Netherlands driver Jeroen Bleekemolen had a good start and with a good timed pitstop the team managed to bring to a virtual second place. After a safety car, during which the teams could not do their pitstops, it suddenly started raining and almost everyone switched to wet weather tyres. The teams who had not yet stopped took advantage from that. A1 Team Netherlands had a second stop, switched to wets and was ready to move up the field again.
The way Bleekemolen was doing that was very impressive. Fueled by the huge crowd of spectators, who everytime Jeroen overtook another car were cheering, waving with flags and making a huge noise. It looked like a football stadium where a goal had just been scored. Like a warm knife through butter, that was the way Jeroen was flying up the order on the wet track. With some magnificent overtaking maneuvers he firmly took the lead. But the rain lasted only for a short bit and with a fast drying track many teams went back to slicks. A1 Team Netherlands, firmly leading the race at that time, decided to stay out. A1 Team USA, Germany and in the end also Australia were that much faster on their slick tyres that Bleekemolen could not keep them behind and in the end he got A1 Team Netherlands a fourth place.
What happened after the finish was giving everybody goose bumps, tears in their eyes and a lump in the throat. Jeroen was lifted on the shoulders of the A1 Team Netherlands mechanics, went to the spectators in the main grandstand for a well deserved thank you. Bleekemolen climbed the fences, the public started singing and almost nobody no one had eyes for the podium ceremony with the deserving winner A1 Team Germany, followed by the USA and Australia. Embracing, singing and team principal Jan Lammers was also lifted on the shoulders of Allard Kalff and a clearly emotional Michael Bleekemolen, in the mean time cheered on loud by the spectators. It was a more then fitting close for the A1GP races in Zandvoort.
By then the party in the Racing for Holland House had really kicked in and on the podium Jeroen, Jan, Tony Texeira and everyone of A1 Team Netherlands and A1GP were cheered one more time and thanked for this memorable weekend.
Jeroen Bleekemolen: "What's very good is that we were able to get close to the top fast. We had to make an extra pitstop, the strategy proved not to be too ideal. But, the gamble we took, you take together as a team. It is just fantastic that I was in the position to drive this race. You can even win the race if everyting goes your way. We have showed that we will absolutely finish on the podium this year. In the rain we were clearly the fastest and were able to pull of some great overtaking maneuvers on Team France, Germany and many others. This was a great learning experience for me. Now we can continue scoring the rest of the season. Just missing out on the podium was off course a pity but when you do a lap along the circuit with all those people and everyone is happy you can be only happy yourself. I could never have held on to third place, there was to much difference between the slicks and wet weather tyres. No matter how you look at it, it was a very good race", said Jeroen who could clearly hear the cheering on of the spectators. "In the rain there is a little bit less noise and you drive a bit slower and I have actually heard the people scream. That is so bizarre, when you overtake someone you see the whole dunes move. There was no way you could not miss that. Of course you are focused on your driving, but you do see everybody cheer".
Jan Lammers: "I think this is the reward that the spectators at least deserved. We have had a difficult week of cours. But what I just want to say, this is what we mean with A1. This is just racing, emotion, show, action and entertainment in the most broadest way. At some point I thought, I cannot believe that Jeroen could actually win. Then there will be 80.000 people crying for joy, even the not emotional ones. It was an absolute joy, we have shown what A1 is and what we are capable of", said the A1 Team Netherlands team principal. "The choice not to switch back to slicks was well thought through. At the moment it stopped raining we knew that USA was on slicks and that we could forget winning. You can then finish second and maybe third. Then you must make the choice during such a fantastic weekend and bring the car in with the risk that something goes wrong during the pitstop. I could not take that chance. We thought, if there is one more small shower, we are on top of the world. But we already knew that the worst result of staying out would be fourth. We are happy with what we have got".
New Zealand
A horror pit stop has taken the gloss off a promising start for New Zealand at the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport's season opener at a packed Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands.
Under grey skies and with light rain that made track conditions unpredictable, Kiwi driver Matt Halliday drove Black Beauty to a superb 6 th place in the Sprint Race to earn one championship point.
But a disastrous pit stop when a jammed wheel nut meant the left rear wheel refused to budge cost the team dearly a third of the way through the Feature Race, dropping the car well down the field before Halliday fought back to finish 11 th – just one place out of the points.
The drama for New Zealand happened during the switch to wet weather tyres to cope with increasing rain. The pit lane hold up dropped Halliday, who had started 6 th on the grid, well down the field after establishing a top 4 spot. A spin into the trackside kitty litter didn't help either.
Only eight nations won races in the inaugural season of A1GP, but there were two new winners today as South Africa cleared out from Mexico and France in the Sprint Race and Germany edged out the USA and Australia in a topsy-turvey Feature where tactics in the rain-affected race played a crucial role.
Germany has set the early pace on the championship table with 13 points from the weekend, followed by Mexico on 11 points and the USA on 8. New Zealand, with one point, is 12th equal among the 23 nations.
New Zealand's Engineering Team Director David Sears says Halliday did a good job coming to grips with the track in the limited time he had to practice, given he couldn't take part in the newly-implemented Rookie Sessions.
"But the pit stop problem didn't help the cause and left us battling up-hill," Sears said. "It was all the more galling because we'd been so slick in our pit stop practices the entire weekend.
"We simply have to learn from this experience and move on. The second round in the Czech Republic takes place next weekend, so we have to re-focus our attention fairly quickly."
Halliday was philosophical about the extended parking time in the pits.
"These things happen from time to time," Halliday said. "That's simply motor racing. I'm positive the guys will work on it and make sure it doesn't happen again."
Earlier, Halliday made a rollicking start in the opening Sprint Race. New Zealand had qualified 10th, but moved up a spot when Switzerland was demoted because of a technical infringement in qualifying.
Halliday scorched from 9th to 7th by the first corner, whipping past the Netherlands and Canada, and quickly reeled in the United States to move up to 6th. The benefits of passing in traffic were quickly apparent as the order of the front runners went unchanged over the next 11 laps of the 12-lap race on the 4.18km circuit.
South Africa, with 19-year-old rookie Adrian Zaugg driving, became the 9th nation to win an A1GP race with its first-ever win, a feat repeated by another rookie, German teenager Nico Hulkenberg, in the Feature.
Sears says the new drivers were fearless in their first taste of A1GP and the Series already looks stronger and more competitive than last season.
"There was some seriously entertaining driving and dramatic action, particularly in the Feature Race, and having two completely new winners has shown that last year's front-runners are in for a huge challenge."
Jonny Reid will drive Black Beauty at next weekend's second round at Brno in the Czech Republic while Halliday competes at Bathurst.
Team Pakistan
A1 Team Pakistan, with its national flag liveried A1GP car competed in the first two races of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Zandvoort, Netherlands, today. In front of a capacity crowd of excited and vocal spectators, Nur Ali, driving for his home nation, experienced the highly charged environment of A1GP racing, finishing in 20th in his first outing, the Sprint race, but was unable to complete the distance in the Feature race.
Ali started 23rd for the 20 minute Sprint race, and at the rolling start was able to pace with the pack, but avoiding a spinning car lost the Pakistani some time. With the race length only 12 laps Ali was unable to regain the lost ground, but over the course of the opening race of the season he improved three places to finish a creditable 20th place.
The Sprint race was won by South Africa with Mexico second and France in third place. A new grid position formulation for A1GP determines grid position by an amalgamation of points awarded for Sprint race start, Sprint race finish and fastest lap times. This system resulted in A1 Team Pakistan starting in 23rd position for the main Feature race.
The standing start for the Feature race was the first challenge for Ali this afternoon, as it was the first time that he had experienced this style of race start. Ali coped well with the pressure of his first A1GP experience and started to settle in to the frantic race, which was shaped by alternating wet and dry track conditions, which saw many of the drivers slip and slide on and off track. Ali overshot the pit entry after locking up his rear wheels, which delayed him in to the pits for his tyre change, but he was able to rejoin the race. He continued on with rain falling, and requiring a further stop for wet tyres. A few laps later the tricky conditions caught out the rookie A1GP driver, with the Pakistan car sliding off the slippery track, but as he was unable to re-engage gear, he was forced to retire from the race.
Ali said at the end of the races, "This was a very tough day of racing for me, but a very enjoyable learning experience. I struggled with my visor in the Sprint race, with the inside fogging over, but managed to sort it for the Feature race. With very little track time and the drastically changing weather conditions, I knew the Feature race would be tough. I was caught out by the slippery track on a couple of occasions, although able to recover from the first, in the second one I had a problem with engaging gear and it put me out of the race, which was a shame. I haven't had much time to understand and develop the car yet, so we'll move on to Brno now and remain positive."
Arif Husain, Chairman, A1 Team Pakistan, adds, "I'm very pleased that Pakistan was able to be represented on this international grid of nations in A1GP. Nur had a difficult task today, with so many new experiences for him. He coped well in the circumstances and I know he'll learn and develop with us. Flying the flag for Pakistan is a big responsibility, and Nur will represent us well, with the attention of so many A1 Team Pakistan fans watching us, not only in our country, but all around the world."
Team South Africa
Sprint Race
South Africa scored its first A1GP win here this morning when 19-year-old Adrian Zaugg scored his first win on debut in a stunning display of dominant driving. He started from pole position and led each of the 12 laps of the 4,3-km Zandvoort circuit, setting the fastest lap on lap 7 and finishing a clear 2,2 seconds ahead of Mexico (Salvador Duran) with France (Nicolas Lapierre) seven tenths of a second back.
Duran got the jump on Zaugg at the rolling start and was first into turn one, the famous Tarzan corner, but the young South African came back immediately at the more experienced Mexican, twice a race winner in A1GP, and retook the lead to stamp his authority on the 23-car field.
Three laps into the race he had opened up a gap to the Mexican of over a second and by mid-race was 2,5 seconds ahead. Behind him France and Mexico were engaged in a close battle for second place, with Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand, USA, Canada, the Netherlands and Switzerland making up the top 10.
South Africa becomes the 9th nation to win an A1GP race since the World Cup of Motorsport started in Great Britain in September last year.
The race was run on a 'green' track after heavy rain on Saturday night, but the surface was dry for the race and all the cars were on slick tyres.
South Africa's car, Vulindlela (meaning 'clear the way'), in its striking new livery based on the rainbow South African flag, was clearly in a class of its own and Zaugg paid tribute to his team after the race.
"Thanks to the team. They gave me a great car," said the beaming youngster, thoroughly enjoying his very big moment. He made it look so easy and his faultless performance and total dominance not only bodes well for his future in motor racing but stamps him as one of the most exciting prospects among a large crop of rookies to the World Cup of Motorsport. A total of 12 of the 23 starting drivers were rookies to A1GP.
"It's a fantastic feeling to win my first race in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport," said Zaugg. I was watching these two guys in the last season of A1GP (Duran and Lapierre) and saw them win races. I am very proud to stand between them here today."
Feature Race
There was totally unexpected and almost instant heartbreak for A1 Team South Africa as Sprint Race winner Adrian Zaugg crashed out of the race at the second corner of the first lap. He started from pole position, but was beaten off the line by A1 Team Mexico's Salvador Duran and was fourth into the first corner, Tarzan, behind Mexico, France and Germany. As he braked for turn two, Gerlach, his front wheels locked up and he went straight off the circuit and into the tyre barrier.
It was a desperately disappointing end to a race that had promised so much for the 19-year-old South African, who dominated the earlier and shorter sprint race in a manner that clearly announced the arrival of a new star in A1GP.
"I made a bad start and as I approached turn two I was right behind Darren Manning (A1 Team Great Britain)," explained Zaugg, nursing a bandaged bruised wrist. "He braked earlier than I expected and my front wing went under the back of his car. It broke and became wedged under my car, raising my front wheels off the ground. The car lost all traction and I lost control.
"Sure, I'm disappointed, especially for the team and all the South African supporters. We had hoped for much more, but that's motor racing. One moment you are on top, the next you can be right down."
Team Switzerland
Following a decision of the Stewards of the meeting, A1 Switzerland newcomer Sebastien Buemi had to start the Sprint Race from 11th position on the grid. After a good rolling start, he managed to gain one position and kept it until the end of the short 12-lap race.
It was then a difficult but rewarding Feature Race for Buemi. The young Swiss driver stalled at the start of the formation lap and his rear wheel was hit by the Malaysian Team driver which resulted in a slightly bent suspension and therefore made the Swiss car difficult to drive throughout the race. However he managed to regain his position on the grid on time for the start. However this cost him a drive through penalty, as according to the sporting regulations, he should have started the Race from the back of the grid. Therefore as a result of his penalty, he lost many positions. However, A1 Switzerland took great advantage of the rain, went to pit at exactly the right time and therefore as the rain stopped and the track dried out, he climbed up to 3rd with only a few laps to go. Unfortunately, Buemi made a slight but costly mistake and went into the gravel but managed to go back onto the track to finish in 8th position. Moreover, he set the fastest lap of the race which gave him one more well-deserved point.
Sebastien Buemi said: "I had a reasonable start in the Sprint Race and I have managed to gain one position but then, I could not pass the two teams in front of me as the only good place to overtake on this circuit was still a bit wet and it would have been too risky."
"I am really disappointed with the result of the Feature race. I stalled in the formation lap, started again and went back to my position. But then, I was given a drive through penalty for that. I fought really hard to come back to the front and took advantage of the rain. It is really a shame that I made this mistake at the end as otherwise I could have finished on the podium. I have learned a lot this weekend and I am looking forward now to Brno."
Max Welti, team principal, A1 Switzerland commented: "What a race! This is certainly one of the most exciting races in my more than 30 years of Motorsport. I am happy that at the end of the day, we have finished in the points. Of course it is very sad not to finish on the podium as this is where we would have been if Sebastien did not have bad luck. All in all, he was astonishingly convincing the whole weekend. We will continue working very hard to in order to be where we would like to be."
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