13/02/2008
NEWS STORY
Oliver Jarvis (right) returns to the cockpit for A1 Team Great Britain for round seven of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Durban, South Africa.
Oliver Jarvis will return to competitive action for A1 Team GBR next weekend in Durban, as the team heads to South Africa determined to secure some strong results to improve its championship position in what is turning out to be the most highly competitive season of A1GP yet.
Jarvis returns to the cockpit to face the unique challenges of the Durban street circuit. The track was designed specifically for A1GP and, as the races over the last two years have proved, drivers need to be inch-perfect on the 3.3km circuit that snakes through the narrow streets of the beachside city. In his races for Team GBR this season Oliver has already scored some impressive results, with a fantastic Feature race win at the opener in Zandvoort, the Netherlands last September and strong points finishes in the Sepang, Malaysia and Zhuhai, China races. The 24- year-old completed the rookie practice sessions in Durban last year so has track knowledge and an idea of the challenges ahead as the team heads into round seven.
In the last two outings at Durban Robbie Kerr led the charge for the Team GBR and has claimed success on the tricky circuit. In 2006 Robbie finished second in the Sprint race and then went one better in 2007, putting in a stunning drive in the Feature race to finish second after beginning ninth on the grid. Robbie was able to stay on the tail of the dominant Nico Hulkenberg from Team Germany in the latter part of the race, showing the strength of Team GBR at the South African circuit. Robbie, who finished on the Feature race podium last time out in Australia, will be on hand next weekend to assist the team and Oliver as they aim to achieve further success in Durban.
Heading into round seven, Team GBR is currently sixth in the title race with 58 points. Tied at the top are Teams New Zealand and France on 96 points, with Switzerland three points adrift. South Africa and Germany are fourth and fifth with 79 and 77 points respectively. With a maximum of 32 points available on race day and on a track such as Durban, with its history of a high rate of attrition, Team GBR will be aiming to score high next weekend.
Before the action begins at the circuit, Great Britain's Jarvis will join fellow A1GP drivers on Wednesday to visit a charitable project a short distance from Durban. The Mount Moriah Ministries Care and Support Centre is an organisation run by Food4Africa which cares for the disadvantaged and malnourished in the surrounding community. The initiative began as a soup kitchen and now provides day care for over 200 children and offers skills training as well as physical and emotional support to adults in the community. A1GP drivers will visit to learn about the work of the project and to interact with the children.
Oliver Jarvis: I'm delighted to be back in the British car and I'm especially looking forward to the Durban event. I had the opportunity to do the rookie session in Durban last year and it's a fantastic street track in a beautiful setting, so I'm really looking forward to racing there this year. Hopefully we can continue on from Robbie's podium in Australia and get more podium finishes in order to keep Britain in the championship fight.
Katie Clements, Team Principal: Following Robbie's podium in Australia and our previous results in Durban, we are very confident ahead of next weekend and looking forward to scoring some good points. Our aim is to finish on the podium and move closer to the teams ahead of us in the championship. We are happy to welcome back Oliver and are sure he is ready for the challenges of the tricky nature of this event.