04/04/2008
NEWS STORY
Robbie Kerr and Duncan Tappy will be in action for A1 Team Great Britain at round nine of the A1GP championship in Shanghai, China on 12-13 April 2008.
Robbie Kerr will head to China next week with his sights firmly set on attack, as he aims for maximum points for A1 Team Great Britain at the penultimate round of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Shanghai.
A1 Team GBR lie just 13 points adrift of third-placed Team France, with second-placed New Zealand just five points further off. With 32 points available in each of the two remaining rounds in China and Great Britain, the British squad has everything to play for. Supporting Kerr in Shanghai will be Duncan Tappy, who made his GBR debut in Mexico last month as rookie driver.
Kerr will resume the lead driver role for Team GBR in Shanghai after two races with Oliver Jarvis in the cockpit. Jarvis scored high at the last round in Mexico with two second place podium finishes in the Sprint and Feature races and the team is looking to continue this strong points-scoring form. Kerr has yet to score a race win in the 2007/08 season and, with Shanghai the location of a previous win for the Brit, he will be aiming to break his season duck in China.
Shanghai has traditionally been a rewarding venue for Team GBR; at the inaugural event in 2006 Darren Manning finished on the podium in the Sprint race with a great drive to second. Kerr scored one better in 2007 with a Sprint race pole position and win, his first A1GP victory, which he then followed up with a second place in the Feature race.
Duncan Tappy will support Kerr for round nine in Shanghai as he will once again drive in Friday morning's rookie practice session. Tappy will take the wheel for the two 25-minute segments and after he has acquainted himself with the circuit he will move onto set-up work in preparation for Kerr taking over driving duties on Friday afternoon.
Robbie Kerr: "I'm really looking forward to returning to Shanghai next week for the penultimate round of the current season. It was absolutely fantastic getting pole position there last year and then converting it into a win for GBR, and this year I plan to go there and give it equal performance if not better."
Duncan Tappy: "My objectives in Shanghai will be much the same as in Mexico. Although there is not a lot of track time in the rookie sessions, I'm now much better acquainted with the car and will feel more comfortable to show what I can do than in Mexico. I'll definitely try to show more pace this time, whilst still approaching the job in a mature, sensible manner to make sure that everything possible is done for the team in their preparations for qualifying and the races."
Katie Clements, Team Principal: "We have scored consistently well over the season and, with a good boost from the last round in Mexico, there is no reason for us not to aim to overtake France, and possibility New Zealand, in the championship this weekend. Robbie is very good on this circuit, as we saw last year, and the team is confident as we head to Shanghai. I'm pleased to invited Duncan back to drive the rookie sessions; he did a solid job for us in Mexico and I'm sure he will be a good support to Robbie next weekend."