16/03/2007
NEWS STORY
Oliver Jarvis will spearhead A1 Team Great Britain's attack on Round 9 of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport next weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico, Friday 23rd – Sunday 25th March. The 23-year-old from Cambridge will make his second start for the British team having had his first taste of A1GP race action in Round 3 last November, magnificently steering his way to a second place podium finish in the Feature race in Beijing.
Jarvis, winner of the 2005 Formula Renault UK Championship and runner-up in last season's British Formula Three Championship, joined A1 Team Great Britain last summer to fulfill rookie duties, taking part in the ‘Rookie-Only' sessions on Friday mornings at each A1GP meeting. He made his race debut in China, taking over from team-mate Robbie Kerr, where he excelled in difficult circumstances when a variety of track issues disrupted the earlier part of the weekend.
Oliver subsequently led the team to its first podium finish of the season with a second place effort behind Italy's Enrico Toccacelo in the 70-minute Feature race on the streets of Beijing, the young Brit showcasing the ability that led to his naming as the 2005 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year, part of his prize being a test drive with the McLaren Formula One Team.
A1 Team Great Britain had originally planned to utilize Jarvis' rookie status to their advantage in New Zealand at the start of the year but a commitment clash, relating to Oliver's forthcoming campaign in the 2007 All-Japan Formula Three Championship, meant he was unable to fulfill race duties at the brand new Taupo Motorsports Park facility.
With the 2.74-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez another new track on the A1GP schedule, located deep in the heart of Mexico City, the team has opted to employ Jarvis throughout the whole weekend to maximize their track time. Robbie Kerr will also be present in Mexico City, the former British F3 Champion on-hand to assist the team following his podium run in South Africa last time out.
"I'm thrilled to be back racing for A1 Team Great Britain,' stated Jarvis. "I had a great time competing in China last year and hope to be as competitive, if not more so, this time round in Mexico. The team's coming off the back of a great result from Robbie last month and I certainly hope to keep that momentum going. The track in Mexico's new to most drivers on the grid so it'll be more of a level playing field and obviously we can take advantage of my rookie status to get as much track time as possible. I enjoy doing my bit in the rookie sessions but there's no substitute for actually racing!"
"This is a great opportunity for Oliver on a new circuit," commented Team Principal John Surtees. "Oliver ran well in China when he last raced for Great Britain, he certainly proved his worth and we're hopeful he can deliver for us again in Mexico. We need strong results to bring ourselves back into contention after a series of misfortunes since the turn of the year, unrelated to the team's performance, with the exception of Robbie's podium run in Durban. He'll be with us in Mexico even though Oliver's driving, it's very much a full team effort in Mexico City!"