25/04/2007
NEWS STORY
This weekend's final round of the 2006/07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will be a homecoming for the Series, with a return to the venue of the first ever A1GP event, Brands Hatch circuit in Kent, England. A1 Team Lebanon will be one of the 23 nations represented on the grid for this eleventh round of the second season of A1GP competition and is aiming to finish on a high note with two strong race results on Sunday.
Allam Khodair will be racing for the Lebanon team, with Alex Khateeb and Khalil Beschir as reserve drivers. Khodair joined the team in 2007 and has driven in Durban, South Africa; Mexico City and Shanghai, China. With a 14th place finish in the Feature race at Shanghai, he has made strong progress over the course of only three races and improved his performance with each outing in the A1 Team Lebanon car. The Series now moves on to the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for the finale of its second season.
This track is loved by drivers and spectators alike, with its ideal mix of undulating corners and changing cambers, thrilling esses sections and the adrenalin-rushing Paddock Hill Bend. This was the scene of Beschir's dramatic accident in the first race of the first season, an event which is now consigned to the history books of the Series.
Khodair will be experiencing this track for the first time when he takes part in the Friday morning rookie session prior to the first practice of the weekend. He says, "Brands Hatch is a track that every driver wants to race on at some time in their career, so it's going to be a very exciting weekend for me. I've been trying it out on a computer game but that's the nearest I've been to it so far and I'm sure the real thing is very different to this. I think quite a few of the other A1GP drivers will have experience here, so I'll need to be getting on the pace as quickly as possible; I'm sure my team will be helping as they are very familiar with the circuit and will be able to give me plenty of driving tips."
Tony Snook, Team Principal, A1 Team Lebanon adds, "We've had two full season of A1GP racing since we arrived at Brands Hatch in September 2005. The Series has given us an opportunity to put Lebanon and the Arab world on to an international motor racing platform, and we've seen strong support for the team at every venue we've visited. A1 Team Lebanon has made a big impact in the Middle East and is well known for its efforts of flying the flag around the world and we'll continue to do so this weekend in the UK. With Allam we're now running midfield and hope to improve on that with some good luck to reward the team for all its hard work."