08/10/2007
NEWS STORY
Following Oliver Jarvis's superb Feature Race victory in the Netherlands, Britain's Robbie Kerr is eager to get back behind the wheel and add to A1 Team Great Britain's tally of victories and grab the series lead as the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport™ moves on to Brno in the Czech Republic this weekend. A1 Team GBR holds second place in the championship after the season opener and the squad is determined to take the title fight to early leaders South Africa.
Although Kerr will undertake the team's driver duties this weekend, Jarvis will also be in attendance – flying in from testing his Formula 3 car in Japan to join the A1GP TV crew as an expert pit lane reporter two weeks after his stunning drive in Zandvoort. Meanwhile, with Italian Formula Renault racing commitments to fulfill at Monza, the team's third driver Oliver Turvey will not be in Brno, but is looking forward to taking part in the rookie sessions as the season progresses.
Kerr has had no time to relax during the build up to his first A1GP event of the season, the 28 year old contesting his first race in the prestigious ALMS series in a ten hour endurance race at Road America last weekend. Despite being plagued by starter motor issues which cost the Highcroft team a potential podium finish, Kerr and co-drivers David Brabham and Stefan Johansson were the only Acura team to cross the finish line at the 10th Petit Le Mans race in a credible 8th place.
Robbie Kerr finished 9th in the Sprint Race and 6th in the Feature Race in the 2006/07 A1GP Brno event. A1 Team Czech Republic had come close to becoming the first nation to taste victory on home soil with 2nd place in the Feature Race, but it would be Kerr and A1 Team GBR who would later break the A1GP home race taboo, with a famous win in the season finale Sprint Race at Brands Hatch. At present Robbie is tied with Germany's Nico Hulkenberg for the most podium finishes in A1GP (14) and will be aiming to surpass this when the racing starts on Sunday.
Robbie Kerr: "I'm delighted that A1 Team GBR's title-bid got off to such a good start in Zandvoort – Olly and the team did a fantastic job. I'm confident that our strong form will continue in Brno and am really looking forward to racing the British A1GP car again. Brno's a circuit I enjoy as it's a real drivers' circuit and encourages close racing. Last year we unfortunately lost our fastest lap time in qualifying dropping us to the fifth row of the grid which was disappointing, so we're definitely going there to have a better showing than last year and show our true pace, with our main aim being to score some serious points!"
Katie Clements; Team Principal: "In the first two seasons of A1GP our championship challenge was hampered by failing to put enough points on the board in the early rounds; we've certainly rectified that at Zandvoort with victory in the Feature Race. Robbie Kerr delivered us two wins last season and I know he can't wait to get back in the car. It's not easy for a racing driver to sit on the sidelines but Robbie was still an integral part of the team in the Netherlands. Were it not for our lower than expected grid position for the Sprint Race I'm sure we'd have a far smaller points gap to the current series leader. Our aim in Brno is at least to reduce this gap, and at best emerge from the weekend as championship leaders."