17/01/2007
NEWS STORY
A1 Team Pakistan driver Nur Ali is keen to get the remainder of the A1GP season under way this weekend, as the Series continues its journey around the globe. The southern most race on the calendar, the A1GP Taupo, New Zealand will be a new challenge for A1 Team Pakistan.
Despite being one of the first nations to sign up to the vision of A1GP, the driver and team combination at A1 Team Pakistan is still one of the youngest in the global series. Having been called up to represent his country just a few days before the start of the 2006/07 season, Ali has taken the opportunity over the winter break to take stock of his whirlwind tour around the world, taking in five races in just three months.
Ali commented, "The break over the last few weeks has been great, New Year was good and gave me chance to spend time with my wife, family and friends. But before the celebrations even finished I was already thinking about the rest of the A1GP season and my preparations for the New Zealand round.
"Looking back on the last few months, it's hard to believe where we are now, considering how late the call up came to join the team. It's such a great honour to represent my country and the Pakistani people. My reason for taking part in A1GP exists beyond the race circuit though. As I have the chance to compete a truly international series, I feel it is my duty to raise awareness of motorsport in Pakistan and develop new drivers, whether that be through Formula 3, racing in the USA or in A1GP."
The 3.5km long track at Taupo has seen dramatic change over the last 12 months. Barely more than a club circuit then, the circuit has undergone a $12.5 million facelift to bring it up to the standard required by the A1GP series. The A1 Team Pakistan car will be watched by 25,000 people, sat in temporary grandstands built especially for the A1GP race.
Speaking about the new circuit and the host nation, Nur said, "This is my first visit to New Zealand, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of this beautiful country as well as racing on a brand new track which has been completed specifically to host an A1GP event.
"I'm looking forward to getting on the track and Friday and seeing what it's like to drive. We had our best finish of the season at the last race in Indonesia, and hopefully we will be able to improve on that and move towards the top ten in the Feature race. To score a few points this season would be a great result for the team, which is still a relatively new outfit in A1GP."