12/12/2007
NEWS STORY
Belmayne A1 Team Ireland will continue the Asian leg of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport when they head to Zhuhai, China next weekend looking to challenge at the front.
Adam Carroll (right) will be back behind the wheel, looking to build on the team's strong start to the season which has seen it finish in the points in every race – one of only four countries to do so. Last time out in Malaysia the Portadown driver progressed from P13 at the rolling start in the Sprint Race to finish 9th on the road by the chequered flag and reeled in further points when a late stewards' enquiry dropped both Germany and the Netherlands down the field, promoting Ireland to 7th.
The Malaysian Feature Race started well and, in spite of a high speed spin, Adam recovered well to finish 7th overall taking four more vital championship points. The team is now looking to be back up on the podium at Zhuhai, and is targeting another double-points finish in its efforts to challenge the top six contenders.
A new addition to the calendar for this season, Zhuhai International Circuit is 4.3km long and has 14 turns. Located one hour's ferry-journey from Hong Kong, Zuhai was China's first purpose-build race track in recent years. With none of the teams having any previous data, there will be a level playing field as everyone heads into the unknown hoping to come out on top.
The Irish team currently lies seventh in the championship standings and will be looking to close the gap to new leaders Switzerland, with Carroll determined to return to the podium after scoring a superb 3rd place in his first A1GP event in Brno, Czech Republic.
Since the last race, Adam took time out to fly to Dublin to join Team Owner Mark Kershaw at Motorsport Ireland's Dunlop Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards lunch. Formula BMW racer Niall Quinn was announced as the Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Year and will join the team at Eastern Creek, Sydney, Australia on 1 February 2008 to take part in the rookie test as part of his prize for winning the prestigious award. Adam will be ineligible to take part in the rookie sessions from Australia onwards.
Adam Carroll: "We're going to go and put 100% into next weekend, we know where we need to improve and hopefully we'll be much stronger in China from the very beginning. I'm really looking forward to getting to the circuit and I'm feeling confident and excited heading into the race."
Dan Walmsley, Race Engineer: "It's a new experience for all the A1 teams as it's the first time we've all been to Zhuhai. We have done a lot of preparation simulations and are feeling confident. The whole team felt Malaysia did not reflect our true position, but we've bounced back and are ready to show what we can do. It's going to be a level playing field and we've now sorted out a few issues we had with Adam's seat so it's looking good."
Mark Kershaw, Team Owner: "We had a challenging weekend in Malaysia but the team performed well again and we are confident we will once again be in the thick of the action in Zhuhai. I think Team Ireland has surprised a few people already this season, yet to be honest we have not really shown our true potential, so there is plenty to come. Adam is working hard and the team has never been more motivated."