26/03/2007
NEWS STORY
Great Britain
Oliver Jarvis led A1 Team Great Britain to its first ever A1GP World Cup of Motorsport victory on Sunday with a commanding performance in Round 9's Feature race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez in Mexico City. The 23-year-old from Cambridgeshire led all but eight laps in this afternoon's 45-lap main event to follow up his second place Sprint race podium from the morning with the sweet taste of victory in the Feature.
Sunday morning's 20-minute Sprint race saw Jarvis keep pace with pole-sitter Alex Yoong for Malaysia as they charged to the green flag from a creeping rolling start. Stealing second from Germany, Oliver left a scene of carnage firmly in his mirrors as the home-favorite, Mexico's Salvador Duran, tagged Brazilian Champ Car veteran Bruno Junqueira into a heart-stopping sideways spin.
While the expected Safety Car period failed to materialize, Jarvis concentrated on giving chase to Yoong ahead. Narrowing the gap to the ex-Formula One racer to 1.4 seconds on lap eight, both Yoong and Jarvis settled for securing front-row Feature starts, the Malaysian taking the chequered flag four laps later ahead of his British rival with Australia's Ian Dyk rounding out the Sprint race podium.
Jarvis, who scored a Feature race podium in China on his series debut last November, vowed to go one better heading into the afternoon in Mexico. He wasted little time in fulfilling his promise as he rocketed off the line to leave pole-sitter Alex Yoong trailing in his wake down the monstrous 1km main-straight. With a clear track ahead of him the 2005 McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year set to work edging out an advantage over Jonathan Summerton in the A1 Team USA car.
With the gap up to 1.5 seconds by lap nine, Jarvis darted down pit-lane, the British team the first to make their mandatory stop with a lightening fast tyre change executed by Jarvis' pit-crew. While the running order shuffled through as his rivals followed suit, Jarvis assumed the lead again on lap 18 and never looked like surrendering it despite some late race pressure from Summerton.
Having maintained a healthy 3.5 second gap over his American rival through much of the race, with 10 laps to go Summerton began to close in on Jarvis. Down to 2.2 seconds with five laps to the chequered, then 1.4 seconds at the start of the final lap, Summerton gave it his all but he couldn't crack the steely reserve and the hunger to win demonstrated by Jarvis. Crossing the start-finish line Oliver punched the air with delight as Great Britain finally broke its duck to score a long awaited A1GP win, the USA duly sealing second with Adrian Zaugg for South Africa in third.
"This is just a fantastic result for the whole team and a great boost ahead of our return to home soil for the A1GP season finale at Brands Hatch next month," said a jubilant Oliver Jarvis. "Everyone's worked so hard for this result and it's a great reward for everyone's efforts. Jonathan pushed really hard at the end but I felt I had everything under control through to the chequered. Hopefully it won't be so long now until the next British win!"
Malaysia
The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Mexico gave A1 Team Malaysia its third win of the season today, with a dominant performance by the team in the Sprint race. A fifth place finish in the main Feature race added to the team's total points in the World Cup of Motorsport, and moved Malaysia up to fifth position in the overall championship standings.
The Sprint race was a flag-to-flag victory for the Malaysian team. From the rolling start Yoong kept the pack behind him in the run down to the first corner. The British car was behind, but Yoong was able to keep it at bay, with an unrivalled race pace that was untouchable. Malaysia gave a superlative performance to seal the win, with a comfortable two second lead, and a reward of six World Cup of Motorsport points.
Just before the start of the formation lap, on the grid for the Feature race, the team realised it had a problem with a damaged crash box after finding difficulties jacking the car. Despite the difficulties the team were able to take the start but Alex Yoong was very slow to pick up speed and dropped down to seventh place by the first corner. Yoong fought back to sixth and maintained position until the scheduled pit stop. The pitstop was slower than normal, as the earlier grid problem created further issues with the jacking of the car to change the tyres.
Returning to the track and after all the teams had pitted, the Malaysian team were lying fifth. The Portuguese and New Zealand cars were close behind and attacking hard, but lap after lap Yoong defended his position, determined to finish the race in the best position possible. He kept his concentration and wore down his pursuers and, after a tough 45 laps, was able to take the chequered flag in fifth.
Yoong said after the races, "For the Sprint race, it was great to be out in front and it's such an advantage, as we saw today, with the incidents happening behind me. We had new tyres left over from qualifying, so we were able to control the race from the front and it was fairly straight forward. However we knew we had a big understeer problem with the car, and we thought we might have a problem in the Feature race with a heavy fuel tank, and we did. We just didn't have the pace for it in the end. I had to defend hard, but there was no way I was going to let them through and I'm happy with the fifth.
"As for the start, I don't know what happened, I was very easy on the clutch, but it just wouldn't go; it was a bit of a disaster. We also lost time in the pits after our grid problems, but overall it's been a good weekend, and taking fifth back in the championship is the right reward for the team."
Jack Cunningham, Chief Executive, A1 Team Malaysia, commented, "It's been a great weekend for Team Malaysia and I'm delighted that all the hard work of the team has been repaid with a superb victory and a well-deserved fifth place. It's taken a few weekends of racing for us to regain our form, but we're back in the hunt now. We've been up there all weekend and showed that we're winners, and can battle for every point.
I'd like to thank everyone in Team Malaysia for their efforts this weekend. It's our teamwork that gets us to the front and we never underestimate the role that everyone plays in reaching our goals. Alex has driven with great confidence and determination this weekend and I commend him on his performance, it's been first class."
USA
A podium finish for the Feature Race of the Mexico City A1GP was the well-deserved reward for a week's worth of hard work from A1 Team USA. Jonathan Summerton produced the drive of his life today, netting second place in the Feature Race, along with the fastest lap, following a fifth place finish in the Sprint Race.
As the morning's 12-lap Sprint Race got underway, the Brazillian car of Bruno Junqueira was intent on a swift getaway, pushing the limit before the green light. He then spun across the track, right in front of the We The People car, sending debris and competitors spinning in all directions. Summerton reacted sharply, steered clear of trouble, and emerged in 5th spot by the first corner.
There followed a great race between Summerton and Adrian Zaugg of South Africa. Clearly quicker, Jonathan ducked and dived, but even with the aid of the Powerboost button, he could not find a way past. In the end, a safe run and a points-paying 5th place was the reward for Team USA.
"It was an interesting start," said Summerton following the Sprint Race. "I saw Brazil go to the left, and a lot of smoke, so I thought "this is it", and swerved to the right. It all worked out pretty well."
Starting in 5th position for the Feature, Summerton made a blazing start, blowing away the pole sitting car of Malaysia, and squeezing through a seemingly nonexistent gap between Australia and South Africa to place second into the first corner. Summerton's good friend Oliver Jarvis then held the We The People car at bay until lap 8, when the British driver dived into the pits for fresh tires. Team USA led from lap 9 to lap 14, pulling away from the following cars. Lap 14 was USA's turn to make a pit stop. Summerton emerged from the pits in 5th spot. On lap 17, he circulated in 1:27.841, a time which would remain unmatched by anyone during the race.
As the final pit stops took place, the picture again came into focus. Team USA was in 2nd place, trailing Team GBR by 4 seconds. However, the race was not even half over. Summerton drove with all his heart. At every corner, he pushed to the limit and never made a mistake. Inch by inch, the gap closed. With 10 laps to go, the gap was down to 3 seconds. With 5 to go, it was down to 2 seconds. It looked like the gap was just too much, but Summerton kept producing stunning laps, and Jarvis was clearly feeling the heat. As the cars came off the last corner, the gap was almost zero, and the cars crossed the line nose-to-tail.
"I practiced my starts several times in pit lane, and it always went well. It really paid off in the race," said Summerton. "The car felt great on my second set of tires, and I was really able to push. When they told me the gap to Oliver, I knew I could close it down. This puts us in great shape for Shanghai. I'm really looking forward to it".
"What a fantastic effort from our team--producing nine championship points for Feature and two for Sprint," said A1 Team USA owner Rick Weidinger following the race. "I knew we had something special in Jonathan and to see him pull out this second place result for A1 Team USA is simply a great feeling. The entire team did a fantastic job. It was a picture of true desire and coherence that everyone worked so effectively together to produce a competitive car for Jonathan to secure a second place finish and nine championship points. A few more laps and we probably would have secured ten championship points and a first place finish. We will celebrate this evening together and then focus on China in on Monday."
South Africa
Great Britain finally won an A1GP race when Oliver Jarvis was first to the chequered flag in the 45-lap Feature race of round nine of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Mexico City on Sunday.
Second, less than a second behind after a race-long battle with the winner, was the United States (Jonathan Summerton) with South Africa's Adrian Zaugg at the wheel of Vulindlela third, a further nine seconds in arrears.
The 23-year-old Jarvis, who was runner-up in the 2006 British Formula 3 championship, started from second on the grid alongside Malaysia's Alex Yoong after the pair had finished first and second in the 12-lap Sprint race.
While the Malaysian had a poor start and dropped to sixth in the opening laps, Jarvis took an immediate lead from Summerton, an 18-year-old rookie competing in only his second A1GP race meeting. They remained in these positions throughout the 70-minute race except for the period between laps eight and 20 when the drivers made their mandatory pit stops to change tyres.
Fourth was Italy (Enrico Toccacelo) followed by Malaysia (Yoong), New Zealand (Jonny Reid), Portugal (Alvaro Parente), Australia (Ian Dyk), Germany (Christian Vietoris) and China (Ho-Pin Tung).
Zaugg gave South Africa its second podium of the year following his victory in the Sprint race in the opening round of the current season, at Zandvoort in Holland on October 1 last year. The 20-year-old South African had started from fourth on the grid and recovered from a slow start (he was sixth into the first corner) to take over a safe third place after a well-orchestrated pit stop.
"We practised the start a few times, but I didn't get it right," said Zaugg. "We made good progress during the weekend after battling to match the power of the top teams. We had a good pit stop strategy, but I was held up by some of the cars after I rejoined the race on my new tyres. This is a good result for the team under the circumstances."
Earlier in the day South Africa was fourth in the Sprint race after qualifying 11th on Saturday and starting from the inside of the sixth row of the grid. There was chaos on the run to the first corner after the rolling start when Mexico, Brazil and Germany were involved in a crash and Zaugg was able to make up quite a few places and avoid all the accident debris in the confusion that followed.
He held off a strong challenge from USA's Summerton in the closing laps to take his best result since his Netherlands win and earn valuable championship points for his country. China was sixth followed by Italy, Indonesia (Ananda Mikola), Netherlands (Renger van der Zande) and Switzerland (Marcel Fassler).
A1 Team South Africa technical and sporting manager Mike Carroll praised his driver's efforts on both races. "We have been at a considerable power disadvantage for much of the weekend and to take home the points for fourth in the Sprint race and third in the Feature event is a great achievement for the team. Adrian did a great job all weekend and thoroughly deserved being on the podium this afternoon."
New Zealand
Courageous driving from Jonny Reid has helped salvage what could have been a grim weekend for New Zealand in the 9th Round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Mexico.
A puncture ruined Reid's chances after a promising start in the day's opening Sprint Race, but he worked his way through the field to finish 6 th in the Feature Race after starting a distant 16th on the grid.
The five points he picked up cemented second place in the championship behind Germany, which could only manage two points for the weekend after being a victim of a spectacular crash in the opening Sprint Race.
The day's big mover was Great Britain which won its first-ever A1GP race with victory in the Feature Race after finishing second in the Sprint Race.
Reid was "pretty happy" with his effort given a disappointing qualifying and the Sprint Race heartache. "It's all we could ask for really," Reid said. "We had a bit of damage to the front end after Italy closed the door on me at the start of the Sprint Race and we struggled for straight line speed all day.
"That's why we couldn't get past Malaysia after battling through the field. But, given I had France stuck on my rear tyre at the start of the Feature Race, we're pleased to have even been out there. It was a case of simply putting your head down and getting on with the job."
Lesser lights were to the fore on the 4.46km Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit with the USA, South Africa and Australia earning valuable points as five Top 10 nations failed to add to their tallies.
Germany, with 101 points, still has a huge 28 point buffer at the top of the table. With 34 points on offer in the remaining two rounds, only New Zealand, on 74 points, can challenge the Germans for the title.
"The dream is still alive," Reid said. "Germany would have to crash out in Shanghai and Brand's Hatch for us to stand a chance, but you just have to look at what happened to France this weekend to appreciate it could still happen. I'm sure Germany will be working hard, but we're going to work even harder to peg them back."
Great Britain (61 points) leap over France (57) into 3rd place and Malaysia (50) bump off Switzerland (45) for 5 th after an impressive 12-point haul in Mexico City, including a win in the opening Sprint Race.
That Sprint Race began with a dramatic start-line crash involving host nation Mexico and Brazil that also claimed championship leader Germany. New Zealand's nearest challenger France bowed out two laps later, but misfortune was to strike Black Beauty too.
Reid had worked his way up to 8th from 14th on the grid after only three laps, but his car ran over some debris left by the front straight collision and he had to replace a punctured right front tyre on lap four. Reid rejoined the race and set the third fastest lap time of the day as he finished 16th out of the original field of 22.
"I'm proud of the team's efforts because we saved what could have been a disastrous weekend." A1 Team.NZL spokesman Bob McMurray echoed Reid's sentiments. "We said at the start of the season that there will be bad weekends ahead," McMurray said. "To get through this round having edged even closer to Germany ended up being a fantastic effort...and we're now looking forward to Shanghai and Brand's Hatch with renewed confidence."
Germany
Ninth place at the ninth round of the A1 GP World Cup of Motorsports was sufficient to see Willi Weber's A1 Team Germany defend its commanding 27 point lead at the head of the standings despite Christian Vietoris being involved in an accident during the Mexican race. The 17-year old German from Gönnersdorf in the Eifel was deprived of reaping the reward for his excellent qualifying performance after being forced to retire in the sprint race when his car sustained damage after two competitors collided. In the main race he stormed through the field from 21st to ninth.
Christian Vietoris marked his race weekend, during which he qualified and competed in both races for the first time for A1 Team Germany, with an excellent performance. The "star of tomorrow" claimed second position on the grid in qualifying. However, starting from the front row in the sprint race turned out to be chaotic. Salvador Duran of A1 Team Mexico collided with the Brazilian Bruno Junqueira whose car cannoned into Christian Vietoris' race car – both the German and Brazilian cars retired. The David Sears Motorsport squad changed the right-hand rear suspension, a driveshaft and various aerodynamic components and the bodywork on the A1 GP car during the break between the two races.
Christian Vietoris was involved in many breathtaking wheel to wheel fights and overtook several cars from 21st on the grid in the feature race. A1 Team Germany had already taken 16th position when several competitors opened the first round of pit-stops on lap nine. Christian Vietoris stopped to make his mandatory tyre change one lap later. All the remaining teams had made their compulsory pit stops by lap 19. The German team occupied ninth position afterwards. The debutant in the cockpit maintained this position to the chequered flag and, in doing so, collected two points for the team. A1 Team New Zealand, closest rival to championship leader Germany, finished sixth, reducing the gap from 30 to 27 points in the process. Up to 34 points are up for grabs on the remaining two race weekends.
Christian Vietoris: "I didn't make a good enough start in the sprint race and dropped to third when the accident in which I was involved occurred. It was a great shame because otherwise I could have fought for a podium finish. In the main race I started moving up through the field, during which I frequently used the PowerBoost-Button, with which the power increases from 520 to 550 hp. I missed a braking point 17 laps before the finish and flat-spotted a tyre which caused a big vibration. In view of our starting position I'm not satisfied with the race result. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the team for helping me leapfrog a few rivals as a result of the excellent pit stop."
Willi Weber: "Everybody was delighted with Christian's fantastic performance in qualifying, which is the reason why it was so disappointing to see him retire on the first lap of the sprint race for no reason of his own. The team was penalised twice as hard: There were no points from the sprint and the starting position in the main race was the worst imaginable. Christian performed a damage limitation exercise for us and scythed through the field from 21st to ninth position. Even though he would have preferred to score more points this was nevertheless a remarkable performance for somebody competing in his first race in an A1 GP car. Christian will have ample opportunity next season to show exactly what he is capable of."
France
A1 Team France's Jean-Karl Vernay - did not finish his first sprint race in Mexico despite excellent qualifying for his first event the 15-lap long sprint-race. In the 45 lap-long feature race Jean-Karl Vernay's effort were stopped by an accident with New Zealand, at the start, but he spectacularly managed to finish the race despite the incident.
Jean-Karl Vernay says: "It was a tough start from the sprint race. I was surprised at the pace. As the cars pulled off the grid the action began and Junqueira passed me. It went quick: Mexico and Brazil collided. Germany and Brazil were forced into early retirement. Then I resisted and was third. Australia came from behind. I did not want to let it go. I was the next victim. This also means a disappointing result for me despite my qualifying fifth in my first A1GP weekend. I do not know what happened, and then that was it, I spun. I only completed two laps but the car is not damaged which is the main thing so I can start for the feature race. The feature race will be long and physical. I will start way back in 19th, sort of sandwiched between Mexico Salvador Duran with Brazil and Germany next to me just like in the sprint race."
Vernay's ambitions were shot in the feature race when he touched with New Zealand at the start on his first lap. Vernay added: "For the start of the feature race, it all went very fast. I had a contact with New Zealand and thought that the race was over for me as I flew off on his back wheel. Landing on the grass destroyed the spoiler and messed up the geometry of the car. There damage to my car was important, but as I saw I did not stall, I managed coming back for repair. Then I rejoined the race although I was going to be one lap behind. There was no way I would miss this race and was going to drive with my heart and my head. I was going to fight every inch in this first race. At the end, I was racing a strong race and completed two good pit stops throughout the race. A good learning curve. I have to rush back to Europe as I will be testing F3 in Nogaro tomorrow. "
Eric Boullier, General Manager - A1 Team France added: "Jean-Karl Vernay's problem in the sprint race cost us a lot over the week-end after an excellent qualifying session in fifth and we finished a lap down as the accident at the start cost us a good chance of a strong fish. To Start from the back of the grid is always difficult. Despite his contact with NZ Jean-Karl finished the race but he had to pit to change front nose. It is a very disappointing consequence as his physical condition was ok for a long race like this and his race pace is good. Jean-Karl learnt a lot from this weekend and we look forward to next race with him in Shanghai to keep showing our pace and this time, keep our position the whole weekend."
Netherlands
A1 Team Netherlands has not been able to score points at the A1GP Mexico City. In the Sprintrace the team finished in ninth and in the Feature race an electronics problem with the steering wheel caused the team to end up in seventeenth place.
Renger van der Zande made his A1GP race debut this morning in the 12 lap Sprintrace. From a sixteenth grid position the A1 Team Netherlands Rookie had a good race. He stayed out of trouble at the start crash between Mexico, Brazil and Germany. There Van der Zande even got a piece of bodywork of the Mexican car stuck in the sidepod, but fortunately this did not cause problems. Renger also was able to continue without trouble when some teams were suffering punctures due to debris on the track. He managed to overtake some teams on the track and thus won some places. With that ninth place A1 Team Netherlands then still had points within reach for the Feature race.
From a ninth grid position Jeroen Bleekemolen started the Feature race. The A1 Team Netherlands driver again had a great start and immediately gained some places, but he had to give up some positions soon after. Then bad luck struck for A1 Team Netherlands. Halfway the lap the electrical systems of the steering wheel seized, including the radio contact with the pits, forcing Bleekemolen to finish the lap in third gear and go in for an unannounced and thus unscheduled pitstop. The team reacted quickly and worked hard to get Jeroen out again as quickly as possible. The time loss was huge though and A1 Team Netherlands returned on the track in 22nd. Bleekemolen then showed that the pace was good though and managed to gain some positions with good lap times, but the points stayed out of reach.
Renger van der Zande; "I did enjoy my first race in A1GP, it went very well. Of course I wanted to get the maximum out of it and this meant overtaking. I had some luck at the start when I managed to avoid the crash. The only thing I saw there was a big cloud of dust and some flying pieces of bodywork. I had to lift shortly. The pace was good and I was able to overtake people. I overtook the Czech Republicin the fastest corner of the circuit by braking 30 meters later. It is real fun racing in this Series, you can really get in close behind someone else without loosing grip and downforce. For me this was a good warm up for Shanghai".
Jeroen Bleekemolen; "I did notice I drove not nearly enough this weekend. Before I entered the race I had only done 14 laps. I had a great start and was amongst the front runners, but then was passed because I did not know the track well enough yet. With that came the electrics problem with the steering wheel. That is just plain bad luck. After that we were amongst the fastest, if not the fastest. We did set the fastest lap of the race a couple of times. It is just a shame, because I know for sure that looking at the pace we could have gone for victory here, or at least the podium. Regrettably It did not go our way".
Jan Lammers; "We did make it hard for ourselves this weekend, but the result is that we were able to show a new talent, Renger. With ups and downs he has 'survived' this weekend, an experience richer and stronger for the future, especially the next race in Shanghai. Jeroen has again displayed his skills, especially the great start showed his drive, but the anti climax came soon as an electrical problem spoiled things. Fired up by the internal competition things have heated up. The young talent in A1GP has taken victory again and we will hear so much from Jeroen and Renger that this weekend will soon be forgotten. This is another bone thrown to the fanatics!"
Canada
A disappointing weekend in Mexico City for A1 Team Canada concluded with a 15th place Feature race finish for James Hinchcliffe in Round 9 of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Sunday. The 20-year-old from Toronto had earlier raced his way from 19th to 13th in the Sprint race but frustratingly failed to break into the points-paying top-ten in the later Feature event.
Sunday morning's 12-lap Sprint race saw James skillfully pick his way through the main-straight carnage following contact between local hero Salvador Duran, in the Mexican entry, and Champ Car racer Bruno Junqueira. With Junqueira's Brazilian car spearing sideways across the track, by the time the Canadian entry arrived on the scene a clear path through the carnage had just emerged. Up to 14th by the third lap, Hinchcliffe found himself at the tail end of a train of six cars headed by New Zealand's Jonny Reid.
Battling gear selection problems and over-steer, Hinchcliffe gained another spot to 13th following a puncture for Reid and remained there through to the checkered. Malaysia's Alex Yoong converted pole position into his third win of the season, beating Great Britain's Oliver Jarvis by two seconds with Australia's Ian Dyk enjoying a successful rookie debut wrapping up the podium celebrations.
Starting from Row 7 for the scheduled 45-lap Feature race, Canada dropped a spot on the opening lap and unfortunately for the team things failed to improve through what was a caution-free race at the 4.42km track. Opting to take their mandatory stop later in the allotted window, Canada climbed as high as first on track but dropped back to 16th on lap 19 following their trip down pit-lane. From there Hinchcliffe held position through to lap 36 when he climbed one place to 15th. The slower, lapped car of Pakistan, then hindered the Champ Car Atlantic racer's hopes of closing the gap to the Czech Republic and Hinchcliffe had to settle for 15th at the checkered.
A1 Team Great Britain capitalized on a flying start from Oliver Jarvis over Sprint race winner Alex Yoong in the Malaysian entry to dominate proceedings, the British racer taking his team's first ever A1GP victory in only his second start in the series. Jarvis led home Jonathan Summerton for the USA with Adrian Zaugg taking third for South Africa.
"We tried a slightly different strategy today but things just didn't go our way," reflected Hinchcliffe after the Feature. "It's been a frustrating weekend for the team, not least as we've all worked really hard to put something together that would get us further up the order. I was hoping to make more of an impact in the Feature and was catching a train of cars before the Pakistani entry really blocked me for the best part of a lap. After that I might have cooked the tires a little too much trying to make up for lost time. It would be a bit of a stretch to find some positives from the weekend at this stage."
Brazil
A1 Team Brasil's run of bad luck continued today at the Mexico City round of the 2006/07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport as driver Bruno Junqueira was put out of this morning's sprint race by the home entry of Team Mexico. This put him at the back of the grid for the feature race, and although he made up six positions over the 45 laps, he wasn't able to score any points. It is disappointing for the team after making a huge leap in performance over the weekend, setting lap times as fast as the front runners, and scoring its best qualifying position of the year.
After recording Team Brasil's highest qualifying slot this season yesterday, lining up seventh on the grid, Bruno and the team had high hopes for today's sprint race, especially after showing a very strong pace throughout Saturday. Bruno made an outstanding start and moved up to fourth when his race was cruelly ended before the first corner as Salvador Duran of Team Mexico hit him from behind, pushing him horizontally down the main straight and then into a spin, which caused
him to crash into the Team Germany car. He managed to nurse the car back to the pits, but retired from the race.
Starting from 20th in the afternoon's feature race, Bruno began to pick his way up, passing three cars in the opening laps and moving up to 17th. On lap 7, he made a brave move on Team India's Narain Karthikeyan, but suffered a spin and dropped back to 19th. Undeterred, he began his fightback once again, and by lap 18 was in 14th place. Mid-way through the race he had a dice with India again for 13th place, and after switching positions various times, he eventually got the upper hand, and crossed the line in 13th.
Bruno Junqueira: "It was a really difficult race this afternoon. Everything started in the sprint race. I made a good start but then I was hit by Salvador, so I started from the back in the feature race. I went past a few guys, and I tried to save the PowerBoost so I went past like that. Then I tried to pass India and the car went sideways in second gear and I nearly stalled, so I lost out a bit there. I had a good fight with India after that, and eventually I went past and stayed ahead. When I had a free track ahead for the first time, the car was good and I was setting lap times faster than the leaders. It's a real shame we had a car that could fight for a podium and we didn't end up doing that."
Emerson Fittipaldi: "I was very unhappy with the sprint race. Bruno made a fantastic start, he was already up to fourth and then Salvador [Duran] hit him from behind and took him out of the race. Bruno was already ahead so he should have backed off and instead he ruined our race. I think we've had an unfortunate results because we had a good weekend up until today. We had great pace in the race though, sometimes we were running faster than the leaders when Bruno had a clear track. The sprint race upset the whole weekend, we had a car and driver able to be on the podium. Bruno is a true racer though, and I hope he can race well for us in Shanghai and Brands Hatch."
India
The ninth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport took place today, under sunny skies at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez circuit on the outskirts of Mexico City. Narain Karthikeyan was behind the wheel for his third A1GP event, but it was another tough race for the F1 test driver. The team struggled to find a good set-up throughout the weekend, but salvaged an 11th place finish in the Sprint race. Fortunes turned in an incident filled Feature race, which saw the team cross the line in 18th. Nevertheless, Karthikeyan set the second fastest lap of the race.
Karthikeyan lined up 17th for the 12 lap Sprint race and had a good start to avoid a first corner incident and make up two places. The Chennai born racer fought boldly to defend his position while still suffering with handling issues, as well as taking any opportunity to improve his position further. The team went on to cross the line in 11th, the position Karthikeyan would take for the main race.
The team opted for a conservative approach to the Feature race, after the drama of the start line incidents in the Sprint race and by the first corner Karthikeyan had dropped a few positions. With many other experienced drivers fighting further down the field, Karthikeyan had an intense and well fought battle with former Brazilian Champ Car driver Bruno Junqueira, who had previous experience of the circuit. Both cars made contact forcing Karthikeyan off track, and in this incident the car's front tyres were damaged. Forced to pit for another set of tyres, A1 Team India lost further track position, but rejoined to show the team's true potential, setting the second fastest lap of the race.
Commenting on his weekend, Karthikeyan said, "The Feature race start was really bad, the car just bogged down and we seemed to have a long first gear on the car which caught me out a bit. I had a good battle with Junqueira, but when he tried to pass me about seven laps in, we made contact and I went off track and damaged the tyres. That then exaggerated the understeer we had been suffering from and I had to pit for more tyres. Pace wise we weren't too bad; we set some good sector times and the second fastest lap of the race.
"In New Zealand everything looked good and we thought we would be challenging the front runners, but we seem to have struggled since then. As a team we need to sit down and work out a strategy. I'm here to be a front runner and feel confident in the car; I'm not here to run around at the back. Things have to change quickly."
A1 Team India Seatholder Yohann Setna added, "The Sprint race went well, we benefited from a couple of teams making mistakes, and although Narain had to back off on the front straight to avoid the first lap incident, we still finished 11th which was a better position for the second race.
"We didn't have a great start in the Feature race, and it was very difficult to claw back track position. Narain had a great fight with Bruno, which was good to see between such experienced racers.
"This is a disappointing result, but actually it has motivated the team more. We know the team can do it, and obviously Narain has the pace and ability to be a front runner and finish on the podium, so we are now focusing all our effort on Shanghai."
With the season entering its final stages, A1 Team India will take a three week break before making its second visit to China, for the penultimate round of 2006/07. Indian racer Karthikeyan is familiar with the Shanghai International Circuit, having previously competed there as an F1 driver.
Ireland
Team Ireland salvaged a 16th place finish from a difficult weekend at Mexico City's Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, lead driver Richard Lyons recovering from a start-line pile up in Sunday morning's Sprint Race to finish the Feature Race after climbing to as high as 3rd position during the mandatory pit stops.
The morning's Sprint Race, which decided the starting order for the main event, saw Lyons eliminated on the first lap after a pile-up caused by Brazil's Bruno Junqueira and Mexico's Salvador Duran. The Irish driver backed off to avoid the incident only for another car to ram into the back of him, causing serious damage to the bodywork and gearbox casing. The Team Ireland mechanics repaired the damage in time for the Feature Race. Lyons started from 21st place on the grid, rising to 15th at the first corner but finishing in 16th place after a steady race.
Richard Lyons; 16th, Feature Race, A1GP Mexico; "The car was not too bad during the race, particularly after the pit stop because we stopped very late and it meant we had new tyres and a relatively low fuel load. However, we weren't on the pace of the most competitive cars so it was a case of keeping going and getting the finish. This has been a tough weekend for the team."
Gary Anderson, Technical Director; "The performance this weekend really wasn't good enough so we have some thinking to do before the next event in Shanghai. The Feature Race went according to plan, but when you start so far back you know it's not going to add up to a lot unless something unusual happens. We have to make sure this weekend was a one-off."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal; "We were uncompetitive all weekend and the result is embarrassing. The cars are all identical in A1GP, so when you have as bad a weekend as this it's down to the way the team works. We need to improve, everyone knows that. However I would like to thank the mechanics who did a terrific job repairing the car between races and set the 2nd fastest pit stop time."
Pakistan
A1 Team Pakistan today competed in the ninth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez circuit in Mexico. The weekend began well for the team, with Nur Ali making a good level of progress through the various practice sessions. Ali made up several places in the Sprint race to finish 15th , but later struggled for pace in the second race of the day, and crossed the line 21st.
Conditions for the A1GP Sprint race were cooler than yesterday's qualifying session, with the track temperature only reaching 31°C. Ali lined up on the 22nd row of the grid for the 12 lap race and did well to avoid an incident at the first corner to make up five places. Pakistan maintained position to cross the line in 15th place, the grid slot Ali would take for the main race of the day.
After a colourful opening ceremony, the field of A1GP cars lined up for the standing start of the Feature race. Although dropping positions, Ali steered clear of any first lap incidents and drove consistently to finish 21st.
A1 Team Pakistan driver, Ali said, "This was a physically demanding event, and also a bit frustrating. We had a decent Sprint race, moving up to P15, which gave us a better starting position for the second race. The first corner here is quite narrow after a wide straight and had caused some incidents during the Sprint race. So ahead of the Feature race, the team told me to be cautious and aim for the finish instead of any first lap heroics.
"Towards the end of the Feature race I had the race leaders behind me, and obviously as a courteous driver I didn't want to affect their racing. Unfortunately, when you move off-line here the track is very dirty, and I collected quite a lot of debris on the tyres which affected the handling of the car."
A1 Team Pakistan team manager Bobby Issazadhe added, "This was a pretty uneventful race for us, we weren't really quick enough here today, and I don't think Nur managed to get the best out of the car. He set some good sector times towards the end of the race, but unfortunately our times weren't consistent which meant we lost a position to Lebanon in the Feature race. We will now focus on improving at the next race in China."
Lebanon
A1 Team Lebanon completed a tough weekend of racing in the Mexican capital city, at the most challenging track of the season, with Allam Khodair driving for only his second A1GP event. Earlier this weekend the team prepared with practice and qualifying, and Khodair impressed early on with fifth fastest time on Friday morning.
The morning Sprint race was full of opening lap drama, which unfortunately left Lebanon as a victim. At the rolling start the pack of A1GP cars raced to the first corner and in the rush, the Mexican car tipped Brazil into a spin which pushed him into other cars. Heavy braking behind this incident caused Khodair and the Ireland car to brake hard, running into each other, and causing substantial damage to the Lebanese car. Pitting for a new nose cone, Khodair returned to the track, but a slow puncture hampered his progress in the remainder of the race, and he finished in 18th place.
The Lebanon crew checked over the car during the interval between the two races and identified further suspension damage, and they set to work to make the necessary repairs. The team's efforts ensured that Lebanon was back out to take the grid for the main Feature race in the afternoon.
Khodair made one of the best starts of the season for the team at the green flag for the 45 lap race, improving by five places through the opening corners. Pitting early with many of the leaders, he was quickly back out into the race, but an unscheduled second pitstop dropped the Lebanese team back down the order, to finish in 19th place.
The A1 Team Lebanon driver said at the end of the day, "I've started my A1GP career with the Lebanon team driving at two of the most difficult, demanding circuits on the calendar. The first was the tight street circuit of Durban and now, this highly technical, high altitude track. This hasn't made it easy for me to get to grips with the A1GP car, but we've been making progress as I gain more experience and work together with the excellent Lebanon crew."
Tony Snook, Team Principal, A1 Team Lebanon added, "Allam's second weekend of racing with us continues with the learning process, and we're making good progress. We're particularly pleased with his fifth position in the rookie session on Friday, and for working through the bad luck of the unscheduled pit stops in both the Sprint and Feature races. He's working well with the team, and now we must just continue to work hard together to improve our performance as we head to the conclusion of the season."
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