10/04/2008
NEWS STORY
Belmayne A1 Team Ireland makes its second trip this season to China, heading to the Shanghai International Circuit this weekend fresh from the team’s maiden A1GP World Cup of Motorsport victory in Mexico City just over two weeks ago.
Lead driver Adam Carroll was consistently threatening all weekend in Mexico and in the Feature Race, a stellar drive coupled with two fantastically slick pit stops from the crew propelled Team Ireland to their first ever A1GP victory.
The team is now in Shanghai preparing for the penultimate round of the championship. Sweeping corners and long fast straights, leading into hairpin corners, look set to provide some exciting racing. The 16-turn circuit is one of the fastest that the series visits all year with cars reaching a top speed of 280kph.
Over the past two seasons, Shanghai has seen four different winners and Team Ireland will be hoping to add their name to the list of victorious nations this weekend.
Dan Walmsley, Race Engineer: "The team can reflect on a great result in Mexico and now no- one can question the fact that Ireland is a winning team. We must not lose the focus and determination that we have applied all year as we are now within touching distance of the teams ahead of us in the championship. We can expect to see our fastest speeds of the year in Shanghai so getting the correct aerodynamic balance will be critical for a good result."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal: "The success in Mexico has given the entire team a boost and both the drivers and team technical staff have every right to look forward to this weekend in Shanghai and then the A1GP finale in Brands Hatch on May 4th. We have enjoyed a huge response to our win in Mexico, and the fact that the pit crew played such a key role in securing the win is very satisfying. Both our drivers showed their pace in Mexico, and I hope we can pick up similar pace this weekend; there is always the likelihood that after a win you get a rude awakening, so I don't imagine for one second that we will go out and beat everyone again - but at least we now have the confidence that comes with success, and that is worth a lot to this team."