A1 Team Malaysia is preparing to battle its A1GP World Cup of Motorsport rivals this weekend on home turf with the third round of the Series taking place at the Sepang circuit close to Kuala Lumpur. Driver Fairuz Fauzy and team mate Aaron Lim bring the nation to the venue as Championship leaders following the first two rounds of competition which has seen strong results for the team.
Victory and a second place finish in Zandvoort backed up with a fifth place in Chengdu has kept the Malaysian team at the top of the leader board A1 Team Malaysia is the only team to have achieved this since the inception of the Series in 2005. With temperatures set to reach 40ºC and humidity at 85% this event is a true test of driver, car and the A1 Team Malaysia crew. The Sepang circuit is popular with many drivers, as it is the only A1GP round to be held at a Formula One circuit. This impressive state-of-the-art facility is a long, wide track with extensive run offs which encourages overtaking and close racing.
Jack Cunningham, A1 Team Malaysia Chief Executive, says, “We’ve had some good results so far and as a team this is building our confidence and increasing our determination to keep pushing everyone for their best performance. We’re really pulling together and this team effort is bringing us the rewards we’re looking for. We couldn’t be in a better position coming into our home event as the leading nation and although the pressure is on to retain this I know that we’ll have the loyal support of our fans and Malaysia, so we have an exciting weekend ahead.
The pressures of representing his country do not daunt Fauzy as he says, “Racing at our home circuit gives us an extra buzz. The tremendous support we’re given may add to the pressure but it’s a positive for us, it fires us all up, the adrenalin pumps and it really helps us – we all really enjoy the attention and focus on our team.
“Sepang will be the perfect track for the new A1GP car, with its long straights and sweeping corners. We’ll achieve top speeds we haven’t seen yet and with the PowerBoost we should reach in excess of 300kph. I think it will be a real favourite with all the drivers and I know I can’t wait to put the car through its paces here.”
Lim says of driving at Sepang, “This is THE race weekend of the season for me. It’s very special to be driving for your country at your home event and with the team leading the Series this time I know all eyes will be on us. I know we’ll have tremendous support, so it’ll be a fantastic event. The new A1GP car is going to really suit this track and I want to savour every moment of it in the rookie session.”
All the team members will be busy this week with the crew setting up the pit garage and the drivers participating in a number of PR events including a visit to the Kuala Gandah Elephant Orphanage on Thursday. Racing action starts on Friday with the Sprint and Feature races taking place on Sunday.
