08/11/2006
NEWS STORY
A1 Team Switzerland ready for the first Beijing street race, third round of the 2006 A1GP season Wednesday, November 08, 2006 - A1 Team Switzerland heads to China for the third round of the 2006 A1GP season. Under the leadership of team principal Max Welti (right), the team is determined to build on its success as runner up in last year's inaugural World Cup Of Motorsport under the leadership of team principal Max Welti.
A1 Team Switzerland will be present in China for the Beijing street race with its driver line-up of Neel Jani and rookie Marcel Faessler. 17-year-old Sebastien Buemi was at the wheel for the opening two rounds of the A1 Grand Prix season (Zandvoort and Brno) and helped the team score four valuable points.
Team principal Max Welti comments: "I'm really looking forward to the third round of the season. We're determined to make our country proud and focused on one goal: success. Everything is new for this Beijing street race for all drivers competing. The location is very promising and the General Administration of Sports China (GASC), the Automobile & Motorcycle Sports Administration Centre and the Beijing municipal government authorities amongst others have worked a lot to
make the 10 turns and 3.104 km long circuit at the Jingkai Convention and Exhibition Centre in Beijing`s Economic and Technological Development Zone a great success. We hope that with Neel Jani's experience and our talented rookie Marcel Faessler for the first time at the wheel, A1 Switzerland will maximize results and the abilily to score valuable points for the Championship."
Neel Jani said: "I am looking forward to find my A1GP car again after two first races of the season off, as I was completing my duties as third driver for Scuderia Toro Rosso in FI. The fact that this third race in the streets surrounding Beijing`s North East Ring Road is a new track does not bother me. I am ready for the
15 laps of the Sprint race nor the 50 laps of the longer feature race. Let's hope that the surface of the new track is not too bumpy. I love street racing and street racing is usually good to me. I claimed two podiums in South Africa, finishing the sprint race in third and the feature race in second. Hope to make such a good result here in Beijing."
Marcel Faessler. "I had such a good impression and time testing the single seater for the team at Silverstone, I can't wait for Friday to step in the car and am very curious to race onto the Beijing street circuit for the first time of my career."