21/02/2008
NEWS STORY
On the streets of Durban A1 Team Netherlands is aiming to resume with their progress and through this start to move up in the Championship again. The narrow circuit right through the city centre of the South African coastal resort has suited A1 Team Netherlands very well over the past seasons and it was here that the team took their maiden victory in A1GP.
The Durban event is the only streetrace on the calendar this season and none of the drivers has been able to drive here in other series . That might hold some advantage for Jeroen Bleekemolen who knows the track from the previous season, contrary to many of his competitors who drive in A1GP for the first season.
Building up to the Sunday races, which will be broadcasted live just as the qualifying by RTLGP, the Dutch TV audience will be treated to an extensive ‘behind the scenes look’ with A1 Team Netherlands. This footage was shot at the previous race in Eastern Creek. Furthermore the team’s radio communication will be aired uncensored and live during the TV broadcasts again this weekend.
On Wednesday A1 Team Netherlands Rookie driver Arie Luyendyk jr, together with a number of A1GP drivers, visited the Mount Moriah Ministries Care, part of the Food4Africa program. Here children, some of which are infected with HIV, are cared for. Luyendyk enjoyed the visit, playing a football match against the children and painting the swings together with the other drivers. A1GP also donated some wire A1GP cars which were made by local women from steel wire and recycled materials, the footballs and an A1GP slot race track.
Arie Luyendyk jr (right) is very much looking forward to this weekend; "Durban should be great! It's really hot and humid here this weekend, shades of Malaysia. It will be quite physical for Jeroen on Sunday, as for me the sessions are pretty short so it shouldn't be an issue. I'm excited because our team has done really well here in the past and street courses are wonderful so I'm eager to see the track layout. I've driven on a few street courses and I've always enjoyed being close to the concrete and managing a bumpy track, I am looking forward to helping the team through a successful weekend."
The 3.28 km long Durban circuit has been especially designed for A1GP and is considered one of the toughest tracks of the season, with very little margin for error with the concrete walls. The circuit has got 11 turns and starts at Snell Parade running parallel to the beach. After that there is a hairpin and through a left-right chicane onto Argyle Road. After a fast right hander the cars hit the longest straight at the back of the circuit. Next they pass the M4 freeway and go through a second chicane just before passing the Suncoast Casino and entering the start-finish straight again.