05/11/2006
NEWS STORY
Adrian Zaugg, the 19-year-old South African racing driver who gave A1 Team South Africa its first victory in the opening race of the 2006/2007 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Zandvoort in the Netherlands on October 1, will drive Vulindlela in the inaugural A1GP street race in Beijing on November 12.
"We are absolutely delighted that we have been able to secure an agreement for Adrian's services for the third round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport," said Ms Dana Cooper, CEO of A1 Team South Africa.
"Red Bull, to whom Adrian is contracted, has agreed to release him from his Red Bull commitments for this weekend. If Adrian and DAMS, the French team who prepare Vulindlela alongside the A1 Team France car, can replicate their commanding performance at Zandvoort, we should see our campaign to challenge for the World Cup get back on course," said Ms Cooper.
Zaugg's debut for A1 Team South Africa in the Netherlands was a memorable occasion, with the teenager dominating official qualifying and the 20-minute sprint race in front of a record crowd of some 85 000 fans. He stamped his authority on the A1GP field of 24 nations, which includes several young and talented new drivers among the dozen or so rookies in the series, who have thrown down a clear challenge to the more established drivers.
All four races held so far - sprint and 70-minute feature races with mandatory pit stops at Zandvoort and also at Brno in the Czech Republic on October 8 - have been exciting, closely-contested affairs and have featured three different rookies on the podium.
While Zaugg crashed out of the feature race in the Netherlands after Vulindlela lost its nose in a collision, the race was won by 19-year-old rookie Niko Hulkenberg of Germany.
In the Czech Republic, both races were won by relative veteran Alex Yoong driving the A1 Team Malaysia car, with the ex-Formula 1 driver benefiting from a first lap crash in the feature race that eliminated the first two cars on the grid - A1 Team Germany with Hulkenberg at the wheel and A1 Team New Zealand with 23-year-old Jonny Reid at the controls.