20/01/2007
NEWS STORY
Brazil
A1 Team Brasil's Raphael Matos (right) will line up on the sixth row of the grid for tomorrow's A1GP sprint race at the Taupo circuit in New Zealand. After this afternoon's four-part qualifying session, the drivers' two best qualifying laps were combined to form the grid, with Raphael's two laps putting him in twelfth position overall.
This morning's final one-hour free practice session proved disappointing for the team. After a satisfying rookie practice yesterday, Raphael was hoping to set some improved times this morning, but in a competitive session, running on tyres that had grained yesterday, he was only able to finish 21st in the standings, with a lap time of 1:15.797.
Although not the top ten grid slot the team were hoping for, this afternoon's qualifying session was an improvement on some of the team's more recent results. He was able to improve his lap times in the session, setting his fastest laps of 1:15.479 and 1:15.354 in the second and final segments respectively.
Tomorrow's 20-minute sprint race will begin at 1100hrs local time (GMT+13hrs). The top six finishers in the race will score points and the final standings will form the grid for the 70-minute feature race. The main race will begin at 1500hrs and will see the top ten finishers scoring points.
Raphael Matos: "I wouldn't say I'm happy with the qualifying position, but I think we made a lot of progress from this morning, and definitely from Malaysia and Indonesia, and I believe that we are much closer to the top guys than before. In practice we had to suffer from a problem we had yesterday with tyre graining. We used the old tyres and had to live with losing almost a full second just because of that, but we knew that qualifying would be much better, and it was. The car is getting better and I'm still learning about the one-lap qualifying and working with my new engineer. I am hoping that we can score some points tomorrow."
Emerson Fittipaldi, Team Principal: "We have made an improvement from the last races, but we still need to find another second. The car is still off but we are getting there. The weekend is going very well, the crowds are good, the track is beautiful and the organisation is unbelievably good. The race is big news here, the whole country seems to be behind it and we have news everywhere; on the TV and the radio and in the newspapers. New Zealand is showing the potential that A1GP has internationally."
Canada
A1 Team Canada's James Hinchcliffe marked his first qualifying session of the New Year with a seventh place effort at Taupo Motorsports Park, New Zealand on Saturday prior to Sunday's sixth round of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.
The 20-year-old Toronto-native, competing for Canada in the nation versus nation series for the first time since Round 3 in China last November, clocked an aggregate time of 2m30.021s from his two fastest laps around the 3.5km Taupo circuit, setting himself up for a fourth row grid slot in Sunday morning's 20-minute Sprint race.
Hinchcliffe started the first of his four timed runs with an absolute flier on a fresh set of Cooper tires. The rookie racer posted the second fastest lap time with a 1m14.996s, just two tenths of a second shy of France's Loic Duval's leading best. Staying on the same set of rubber for his next run James remained competitive with the sixth fastest time, a 1m15.025s.
James' attempt to improve his best time on new tires was hampered by New Zealand's Jonny Reid in his third outing as the home favorite, and winner of both races in Round 5, forced the Canadian to back off following a brief off-track excursion leading to a disappointing 1m15.701s lap. While he bettered that on his fourth and final run, Hinchcliffe couldn't find the speed in the car to top his first two outings. Germany's Nico Hülkenberg claimed his maiden A1GP pole with French rookie Loic Duval joining his European rival on the front row for the morning's Sprint event - the results of which determine the grid for the afternoon's 70-minute Feature race.
"We'd certainly hoped for more from qualifying," stated Hinchcliffe: "I'm disappointed as I know I've got to work on my qualifying performances but we also just didn't have the speed there in the final run on new tires. This is a really slick track as it's a brand new surface. We've seen plenty of people go off so we can hopefully get a decent points haul tomorrow if we steer clear of trouble!"
France
Following a trouble-free final practice session on Saturday morning where A1 Team France finished fifth fastest with a time of 1.14.658. In his first ever A1GP qualifying, driver Loic Duval (left) qualified in 2nd place and will leave from front row for Sunday's sprint race.
Duval looked in strong shape under the grey sky in the morning practice session. He explains his day and the qualifying session: "The weather was not as hot as yesterday when we first took the car to the track. Considering I had a problem with a tire going flat, I managed scoring a good time. We did not want to take any risk in the morning and did not run in the last 15 minutes of the session. We kept the effort for the afternoon's pole. It is important to leave in front on such a narrow and technical track as passing cars is difficult.
"For my first qualifying as a driver, I bring the team their best qualifying performance this season. Two races in a row is a demanding exercise but there is no need to take risks in the first short sprint race. I am also very fit physically as I am used to long races in the Nippon Formula.
"In the first qualifying outing I cracked the times scoring the first time below 1.15 in 1.14.770 ahead of Canada James Hinchcliffe (1.14.996) and Netherland Jeroen Bleekemolen(1.15.057)" continues Duval. "I also wrapped up the second part of qualifying and maintained the fastest time again with 1.14.725 ahead of new Zealand, 1.14.747. This was a solid start. I only made it to second fastest in the third outing with 1.14.184 and a total of 2.28.909 for my two best times. I tried to push and take the maximum performance out in the fourth session, but I went a bit on the grass and I ended 2.28.553 behind Germany Nico Hülkenberg and ahead of New Zealand, Jonny Reid. With a strong strategy I hope to secure good results for the team and the Championship."
The team is now working to prepare a good race strategy and fine-tune the car's balance for tomorrow's races.
Jean-Paul Driot, Team Principal, A1 France added: "Loic Duval experienced his first ever qualifying session. There was a bit of pressure in his fourth outing as he was fighting for the pole with Germany Nico Hülkenberg who has a lot of experience. Front row for the start of the sprint race is excellent. Loic Duval results with the team have been consistent all week-end. He did a good job all week-end."
Germany
The Willi Weber managed A1 Team Germany finally broke its jinx down-under: To add to its championship lead, the team also proved its form in qualifying and starts the sixth round of the A1 Grand Prix Series in New Zealand for the first time from pole position. Nominated driver Nico Hülkenberg (right) recorded the fastest qualifying time of 2m28.218s, and, as a result, starts from the front row for the second time this season, after having taken second position in Brno in October 2006.
Hülkenberg set the sixth fastest time of 1m15.507s in the first of four qualifying segments in Taupo. The powerful 520 hp A1 Grand Prix cars struggled for grip at the beginning around the dusty 3.5 kilometre circuit. The "star of tomorrow" bettered his time to 1m14.726s in the second run, which gave him third fastest time overall. He made this improvement of almost eight tenths of second on the same set of tyres he used for the first attempt – clear indication that the circuit conditions had changed since the opening minutes of qualifying. The 19-year old Rheinlander upped his pace once again in the third quarter on his second set of slicks: The time of 1m14.146s was not only his personal best, but also the absolute fastest lap in the entire field. In Hülkenberg's fourth and final attempt he improved yet again: His time of 1m14.072s presented the team with the fastest time of the weekend.
Nicolas Hülkenberg: "Finally my first pole position – a fantastic feeling! There was a touring car practice session just before our qualifying, and they kicked a lot of sand onto the track. The sun also disappeared behind the clouds, so it was difficult for me to get the tyres up to temperature. After making the first couple of runs on one set of tyres we changed the tyre pressure in the second and third sets and I drove more aggressively on the warm-up lap. There's absolutely no grip off-line – we'll have to be very precise. It'll be an exciting race."
Great Britain
A1 Team Great Britain's Robbie Kerr rebounded in the second-half of Saturday's qualifying session to secure sixth on the grid for Sunday's Sprint race as the Taupo Motorsports Park in New Zealand prepares to host Round 6 of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.
A slow start to qualifying left the British entry languishing down the timesheets as Kerr prepared for his final two 'hot' laps around the brand new 2.17-mile Taupo circuit, situated on New Zealand's North Island. The Burbage racer and the engineering team opted for a more extreme set-up for the third and fourth runs, the changes implemented resulting in significant gains as Kerr rocketed back up the order.
Setting the sixth fastest lap time in the third session, with a 1m15.103s, Robbie's final effort, a 1m14.554s, broke the top-five with the combined aggregate placing A1 Team Great Britain sixth on the grid for Sunday's Sprint race - the results of which then determine the line-up for the 70-minute Feature race. With points awarded to the top-six in the Sprint and the top-ten in the Feature, Kerr's keen to close the gap to A1 Team Germany, winners of Saturday's pole battle with France and the current A1GP points leaders, Britain sitting in second place just 12 points behind Germany (48-36).
"I'm a little bit disappointed we're not higher up," reflected Robbie Kerr at the end of the qualifying session. "I could barely get the car to turn in during my first run of the day so we opted for a more radical setting when I went back out on fresh rubber for my third and fourth runs. The changes made really helped improve the handling at the rear of the car. The car turned in a lot quicker and I could really use the corner speed to my advantage. I made a slight error at the chicane on my final run but we still moved up to sixth on the grid which will hopefully translate into a points paying Sprint finish."
A1 Team Great Britain Team Principal John Surtees is similarly looking for a good score in New Zealand. "I think the team's in good shape for tomorrow," Surtees commented. "We seem to have found a good set-up and we're firmly in the mix for points with our top-six starting position. We perhaps need a bit more consistency but Robbie's efforts in the later stages of qualifying did the business. I have to say I've been very impressed with our reception at Taupo, the organisation and enthusiasm shown here has been of the highest order which is great for us and for A1GP!"
India
Narain Karthikeyan has recorded A1 Team India's best ever grid spot in only his first A1GP event. Karthikeyan will line up 10th on the grid for tomorrow's Sprint race at the brand new Taupo Circuit on New Zealand's North Island.
A1GP has a unique qualifying system, consisting of four ‘flying laps' within four 15 minute qualifying segments, with the team's best two times aggregated to produce an overall qualifying position.
A consistent front runner throughout the weekend, Karthikeyan was caught out by oil on the track on his first run. In the remaining three qualifying laps, Karthikeyan put in a great performance to push the team onto the fifth row of the grid.
Speaking about his A1GP qualifying session, Karthikeyan said "The car acted very differently on new tyres compared to old tyres and we were caught out with that. The balance seems to change quite a lot, so we weren't able to fully benefit from the new tyres. Again, these are things we need to learn as a team. I expected there to be some characteristics like this, which the team and I would learn together.
"I'm pleased with 10th, it's a good start, and as I said at the beginning of the week, we are aiming to get some points, and I think we can do that this weekend. The team didn't really have any data, because the previous drivers have been quite inexperienced, so we've been developing the whole package. We'll take it one step at a time and build on what we've learnt today."
Having raced in the high pressured arena of F1, Karthikeyan was unperturbed by the A1GP qualifying system, "it's quite easy to make a mistake in qualifying, as you are pushing hard on just one lap, but it is similar to F1 in that respect, so I'm used to that kind of pressure."
A1 Team India Seatholder, Yohann Setna was pleased with the team's performance, "Top ten qualifying is what we were hoping for at the beginning of the weekend. I think we'll be able to pick up a couple of places in the Sprint race which should help us in the Feature race. We'll be playing it safe in the Sprint race, Narain hasn't done a rolling start for a while, so we won't be trying any heroics. If we can get a couple of points out of the weekend, it will be exactly what we wanted."
Ireland
Ireland will start tomorrow's A1GP Sprint Race from 9th position on the grid following a strong showing in practice saw Richard Lyons set the 3rd fastest time. One of his qualifying runs was affected by traffic while the car also suffered tyre problems which prevented Lyons from repeating a practice time which would have placed him 4th on the grid.
Ireland's best qualifying position of the season so far came after the Hillsborough driver had forecast that qualifying would be tough as he continues to learn how to get the best out of the Cooper Avon tyres. Under the engineering leadership of Gary Anderson the Irish team has made good progress this weekend.
Richard Lyons: "We had a good practice and if I had been able to repeat my best time (1:14.546) on the two best qualifying runs we'd have been 4th on the grid. Unfortunately we had a problem on new tyres with the pressures going much higher than expected during a run. I also had problems with traffic on the second of my three sets of new tyres and on the final run everything was ok until I made a mistake on the final sector which cost me three tenths of a second. It was partly down to the way the car was handling, but anyhow we weren't as quick as we wanted to be. My objective tomorrow is to come away with two good race finishes and a baseline set-up that we can really work with going forward. Overall things are pretty good."
Mark Kershaw, Team Owner: "It tells you something when I say we feel a little disappointed to start 9th, but that's only because Richard and the team have shown in practice that we are indeed capable of running in the top 3 or 4. Qualifying was always going to be tougher, and so it proved, but with a top 10 result we can more realistically aim for points in both races tomorrow. Richard, Gary Anderson our Reserve Driver John O'Hara and the rest of the team have worked really hard over the past few days and we've seen some real progress."
Lebanon
A1 Team Lebanon continued with race preparations at the scenic New Zealand venue for this weekend's A1GP World Cup of Motorsport event today. In morning practice driver Alex Khateeb finished in 18th place after one hour of track time, the final period in which the team are able to fine tune the Lebanese car before the afternoon qualifying session. Khalil Beschir is supporting his team mate and watched the action from the pitwall.
Afternoon qualifying was held in warm, sunny conditions with high track temperatures adding to the demands placed on all the A1GP drivers, as they battled to achieve the best starting position for the Sprint race tomorrow, the first of the two A1GP races.
In this sixth round of the Series, Khateeb was making his first qualifying appearance, after running in the rookie session of three previous events in Netherlands, Czech Republic and Indonesia. The unique style of A1GP qualifying comprises four segments with each driver being given a warm up lap, ‘flying lap' and slow down lap in each of these segments. The two fastest laps of these sessions are aggregated together to determine the start position for the Sprint race.
Khateeb coped with the pressures of running a quick lap with little warm up time, and at the end of the session had posted 21st fastest time.
He said after qualifying, "It's very difficult to stay calm and not push too hard, while also trying to get the best time that we can. The crew were very supportive and really helped me through the session. I got the first run wrong, so I was a little more conservative on my other runs. But now I've done a qualifying session and have the experience of it, so next time it should be a little easier for me."
Martin Stone, Racing Manager, A1 Team Lebanon, added, "Alex has worked very hard today, working well with the engineers and the crew to make progress. He is competing against a highly experienced field of drivers including two current F1 test drivers, a former F1 driver, and champ car drivers. With his very limited driving experience, our aim is to improve our performance each day and Alex has accomplished this. The races tomorrow bring another new challenge for him and we'll be out to do the best we can."
Mexico
A1 Team Mexico was ranked in 13th position for the starting grid of the Sprint race that will be held this Sunday at the 3.5-Km. (2.17-mile) circuit of Taupo.
With Salvador Duran (left) behind the wheel, the Mexican team set the following times in qualifying: 1'16.373 (13th place) in the first segment, 1'16.011 (17th place) in the second segment, 1'15.561 (10th place) in the third segment, and 1'15.288 (11th place) in the fourth segment. Duran lowered consistently his times, but only they were enough to be placed in the 13th spot with an aggregate of 2'30.849.
About his performance today, the Mexican driver said: "It has been hard. The things are not working well this weekend. I think that we have something in the car, but simply we did not find what it is. I feel very comfortable on the track and I feel the car well, simply we are slow. The problem is that this is such a short and narrow track that it's very easy to loose time with a small detail."
"I am not in a bad moment because I am well, that's why I feel frustrated because the things are not working as we would like. However, we keep working to do better. I think this may be our worst qualifying in this A1 season and this can not be in this way after all those podiums and good results. Now, we have to carry on. We have to figure out how we can improve our performance in the best way possible," he said.
Netherlands
In an exciting qualifying for the A1GP at Taupo A1 Team Netherlands has qualified on a fourth grid position for the A1GP Sprint race at Taupo Motorsport Park, despite a problem with an engine not firing up.
In the four qualifying sessions Jeroen Bleekemolen set an aggregate time of 2'29.114 (1'14.367+1'14.747). With that A1 Team Netherlands showed that it can compete up front in both races tomorrow.
After the first qualifying segment A1 Team Netherlands was in third place. In the second run the team was able to keep that position. Just as the team wanted to go out right at the end of the third qualifying segment, the engine refused to fire up. The car had to be push started and Jeroen Bleekemolen was unable to cross the start / finish line in time to begin his flying lap. Because a number of teams managed to set faster times in this session, A1 Team Netherlands dropped to fifth.
In the fourth and final qualifying session Jeroen Bleekemolen managed to set his fastest time of the qualifying, which made A1 Team Netherlands move up to fourth.
Jeroen Bleekemolen was pleased with the result, despite the fact that it could have probably been better; "On the one hand I am pleased, we are very competitive. Apart from China this is our best qualifying position. On the other hand we could have been on the front row if we could have just run the third segment. We had a problem with a car that would not start, nobody can help that. It is a terrible shame though, we were really battling for pole. But anyway, we can still prove that we are amongst the quickest here and I am hoping for two good races".
A1 Team Netherlands team princial Jan Lammers, who followed the qualifying from The Netherlands, was also very pleased with this qualifying result; "Considering the problems, fourth just is very good. We were really battling for pole here. Jeroen did a very good job, just as did the rest of the team. Again it has showed how competitive A1GP is, despite the fact that some of the big driver names might not be there for those who are not racing fanatics. It would be very nice if Jeroen is able to put on a good show tomorrow, for himself and for the Netherlands".
New Zealand
New Zealand has qualified in third position for tomorrow's opening Sprint Race in the SuperPoints A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Taupo.
It is the first time in four drives this season that Jonny Reid won't be on the front row of the grid, but he's relieved to be up the front after a disjointed qualifying.
Reid touched the kerb on the third of his four qualifying runs and, with time running out to get on the track for his final run, the remote starter mechanism failed. A replacement was quickly found from the German team in the shed next door and Black Beauty pulled out of the garage with just seconds remaining for Reid to start his run and post an official time.
"I'm a little bit disappointed," Reid said. "It didn't run too smoothly compared to the morning practice (where Reid set the fastest time). But, given the incidents, I'll take third."
The qualifying result is the best for a home team in A1GP history, but Reid wants the accolades tomorrow as he strives for 1st place on home concrete.
"I've got a bit of work to do to win the race, but I'll be pushing 100% to put Black Beauty out the front."
The table-topping Germany qualified on pole with the defending A1GP champions, France, in second place. The Netherlands will start alongside New Zealand on the second row.
New Zealand's head of engineering David Sears said Reid shouldn't be beating himself up over one small error and he is thrilled with the way he's coped with all his commitments in Taupo.
"Jonny's been under enormous media pressure with the whole spotlight of the country on him," Sears said.
"I still think the race will be a different thing. He's definitely in with a chance of winning and it's up to us as a team to support him and ensure he's able to focus on his drives."
Sears isn't discounting the weather playing a part in proceedings as all five previous A1GP meetings this season have been rain-affected.
Pakistan
A1 Team Pakistan was back on track today, qualifying for tomorrow's Sprint race. On a circuit that proved tricky for many drivers, Ali put the car on the 11th row of the grid for the first of Sunday's races.
Representing his nation, Ali completed four flying laps around the brand new circuit, situated minutes from the majestic Lake Taupo on New Zealand's North Island. With weather conditions remaining dry and sunny, the drivers have yet to contend with the wet track conditions that have characterised A1GP's last two races in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Speaking about his qualifying performance, Ali said, "In the morning's practice session we improved our times quite dramatically compared to yesterday's times. I felt quite comfortable in the car and there were still places we could make up some time. So I was expecting us to go even better this afternoon, but unfortunately it didn't turn out like that. A lot of the drivers had issues with the track during qualifying, with even the most experienced drivers going off. It's a bit frustrating, we didn't improve the way I wanted to, I went off a couple of times, but that's what happens sometimes when you are trying to push hard. I went into a couple of corners a little too hot and lost the rear end of the car.
"Now I'm just going to clear my mind and focus on a new day tomorrow. We'll be back fighting, a lot of people have been going off track, so if we stay focused and put in some consistent times, there could be places to make up in the races. Most importantly, we'll be out there representing Pakistan."
Bobby Issazadhe, Team Manager of A1 Team Pakistan, added: "This track is very technical and unfortunately Nur has not had the opportunity to gain any more experience since the last race in Indonesia, some six weeks ago. The circuit is very demanding, there are some slow corners, which require accelerating hard in low gears, so I think Nur is having to learn a new style of driving to cope with that. Hopefully he has learnt from his mistakes today and will improve again in the Sprint race and learn a bit more, which will help us in the Feature race."
South Africa
A1 Team Germany with rising young A1GP star Nico Hulkenberg at the wheel took their first pole position of this unique one-make series in today's qualifying for tomorrow's inaugural A1GP in New Zealand. France's Loic Duval, competing in his first A1GP race weekend, will start tomorrow morning's 20-minute Sprint race alongside the German with home favourite New Zealand (Jonny Reid) and the Netherlands (Jeroen Bleekemolen) filling the second row of the grid.
Hulkenberg's aggregate time for his best two laps of four was 2 min 28,55 sec, just three tenths of a second ahead of Duval and four tenths better than Reid.
South Africa's Alan van der Merwe, at the wheel of Vulindlela for only the second time in a round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, was headed for a likely third row grid position after occupying seventh place at the end of the third qualifying segment when he put just a little too much effort into his final qualifying lap and spun away his chances of what would have been a well-earned top six grid position. He will start from 11th position out of 22 runners and row six of the grid.
Alan van der Merwe: "When you are operating at your extreme limits then you are going to make mistakes sometimes. However, we weren't quite as strong as I thought we were going to be.
"This new Taupo circuit is a pleasure to drive. It's tight and technical and conditions were made very testing by its very dirty surface. Just the slightest miscalculation and you're off the black stuff, as we saw with even some of the top drivers.
"We have a big challenge tomorrow to get ourselves into a good grid position for the all-important Feature race. DAMS has done a great job helping me set up the car and now it's up to me to deliver the goods. I'll be giving it my very best shot and am confident we can do better on Sunday."
Mike Carroll: "With Germany and France doing 1 min 14,1 sec lap times in the third of the four qualifying segments, Alan really pushed himself hard in the fourth segment and set his quickest first sector before unfortunately spinning. While the outcome is not what we were after, his approach is the right one. You have to allow any competitive race driver occasional mistakes, rather that than no mistakes and no pace."
Switzerland
Sebastien Buemi experienced a trouble-free final practice session on Saturday morning where A1 Team Switzerland finished sixth fastest, with a time of 1.14.799. Buemi qualified later in a stunning fifth place for Sunday's sprint race.
The weather conditions were not as hot this morning than yesterday. Sebastien explains: "We worked a lot last night to understand the track that I had seen yesterday for the first time. I lost a bit of time on my best lap-time during the third official practice session and I could have finished third had it not been the case. But I now feel prepared for the afternoon qualifying."
During qualifying, Buemi finished the first of the four qualifying periods in 1.15.461 and the second part in 1.14.875 placing him in sixth position. After a third segment in 1.14.739, and a fourth segment in1.14.890.Sebastien's total two best aggregate time of 2.29.614 was good enough for Buemi to be 5th on the grid.
Buemi commented, "I am proud to bring Team Switzerland their second best qualifying result after the pole in Malaysia. I took to the track for the first outing, and to finish fifth quickest with 1.15.431 ahead of Germany gave me confidence for the rest of the session. I wrapped up the second part in 1.14.875 and that put me in a comfortable sixth place. I pushed very hard from start to finish but there was not much I could do. I finished in fourth overall clocking the third outing in 1.14.739 which resulted in an aggregated time of 2.29.614. I'm pleased with the result of the qualifying. It looks like we have found the right balance on this challenging track. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the long feature race will be interesting and challenging for everyone and that something good can come out of it.
Max Welti, team principal, A1 Team Switzerland commented: "Sebastien's result is very interesting. He worked his way up with the team's engineers all week-end in a very professional way. His performance gives him a good advantage for a good start of the sprint race on a challenging track. We need a good start tomorrow
so that Sebastien can find a good pace for the two races to finish in a good position."
USA
After a disappointing day in Taupo, A1 Team USA will start from 16th position Sunday in the A1GP-World Cup of Motorsport Sprint Race in New Zealand's first-ever A1GP. A1GP qualifies with a unique system that requires two laps. There are four 15-minute sessions in which to post laps and the best two are added together to determine position on the grid.
Team USA's new driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, had a promising practice early Saturday, steadily making improvements in every corner to finish in 11th place. In the qualifying round, however, Hunter-Reay met with unexpected oversteer on his first run. The team then made necessary changes, and improved significantly on the second run, but gains expected from new tires in Q3 did not materialize. The oversteer then returned for Hunter-Reay's 4th run as the team finished the day on a sour note despite all of their hard work.
"We're all disappointed with the result for qualifying, because we know the speed is there to be in the top 10," said Hunter-Reay. "In Qual 2, we were 9th quick, and after that we experienced some inconsistencies in the balance of the car which unfortunately caught us out. Had we matched our time from Q2, we would have been P11. We're going to work on improving the car for tomorrow."
"It was a tough day for A1 Team USA," owner Rick Weidinger said. "But we have two races tomorrow and I'm confident that we can make big gains to put ourselves in position to walk away with some Championship points this weekend."
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