Zandvoort, the Netherlands, 05 October 2008. Fairuz Fauzy and the Malaysian A1GP team followed up a sensational opening race victory with a second placing in the Feature race at Zandvoort in the Netherlands today as the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport kicked off a ten event global tour with two action packed races and a capacity crowd braving torrential rain to enjoy the feast of nation-versus-nation A1GP racing.
Fauzy took up his pole position on the grid for the Feature race this afternoon, but with the rain relentlessly pouring down at the Zandvoort circuit there was no alternative but for the organisers to declare a safety car start for this race. After two laps the field of 17 nations taking part this weekend were released to race for national glory.
Fauzy led the grid away at the green flag and retained his lead in the opening laps pitting early in the first pitstop window, while second placed team, France, continued on. An errant wheel nut delayed the team by a few seconds but Fauzy was soon back out.
The French team made a late stop and in the process took the lead of the race with Malaysia four seconds behind at the end of the first round of pitstops. As the laps counted down Fauzy remained in second place, and the second round of pitstops saw a clean stop from the Malaysian crew placing Fauzy back out on track in the runner up spot. A dramatic accident for the Lebanon and China cars brought out a safety car close to the end of the race, with the race finally finishing under the safety car. A1 Team Malaysia claimed second place, and after winning the Sprint race now lead the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport standings.
Fauzy said of his two podium results, “It’s been a dream start to the season for A1 Team Malaysia. We were certainly hoping to have a good performance here, and two podiums is just great. The weather conditions were treacherous today, which made it difficult for all of us, but that makes it all the more rewarding. There is something extra special when you are driving for your nation, so I’m very proud of our achievements today. It’s been a real team effort and I’m delighted that we are leaving Zandvoort leading the championship.”
A1 Team Malaysia Chief Executive, Jack Cunningham, added, “Fairuz performed extremely well. These are probably the worst conditions we’ve seen and he showed real professionalism, real ability to think under pressure, recognition of how to get the best out of the car, defeat the weather; a really excellent performance. On top of that I think all the teams should be congratulated on the fantastic event they have put on today, defying all the odds that have faced us in the build up to the start of the season.”
The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport continues its ten event global tour next month with the second round taking place at Chengdu, China from 7 – 9 November 2008.
