12/04/2007
NEWS STORY
The second season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport draws to a close with the penultimate round in Shanghai, China this weekend and A1 Team Lebanon will be represented in this tenth round of the unique nation versus nation motor racing championship.
Allam Khodair (right) will be racing for the team this weekend, with Khalil Beschir attending as reserve driver. Shanghai will be the third A1GP event for the 26-year-old driver and with each race, the Brazil-born Lebanese racer is gaining experience of the A1GP car and improving his performance.
The Shanghai facility is one of only two FIA Formula One World Championship venues on the A1GP calendar, and with a state-of-the-art infrastructure, a fast, smooth track and extensive grandstands it is the perfect backdrop for the A1GP Series. The 3.4 miles (5.5 kilometres) circuit was designed by famed F1 track designer, Hermann Tilke, staging its first F1 race in 2004 and the A1GP's inaugural season finale in 2006.
One of the longest tracks that A1GP visits, it is also one of the hardest to learn for the A1GP drivers. The track is very technical, requiring a good set up for the long straights and the combination of slow and high speed corners.
Khodair says of his upcoming weekend, "My first two race weekends have given me a mix of experience which I hope to be able to use at this track. In Mexico we completed the distance in both races, so I now have a better understanding of the way that the car reacts at different stages of the race.
"I haven't been to the circuit, while quite a few of the drivers will be returning for their second race weekend. The extra rookie session should help me though, so I'll be able to use this time to learn the circuit, find the best lines and start to work with the team to set the car up for this track."
Tony Snook, Team Principal, A1 Team Lebanon adds, "Although Team Lebanon visited this circuit last year, Allam wasn't in the driving seat. We do have data from that race weekend, so as a team we should be able to start from a position of knowledge, and will be able to help Allam to get himself up to pace fairly quickly.
Now that Allam has some experience of A1GP and the Team Lebanon car, we're hoping that we can start to see further improvements on the track. We're up against an exceptionally talented field of drivers which makes it much more difficult for small nations and inexperienced drivers, such as our team, but one of the most important aspects of our programme is that we're representing Lebanon on this global motorsport platform, and we're giving young drivers from this country a chance to further their careers at a relatively high international level of motor racing. We also need to look to future seasons, with nations like Lebanon needing a period of time to catch up with more experienced nations and to attract new young talent."