Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 21 January 2009: A1 Team Malaysia returns to the track this weekend as the new year of racing in A1GP kicks off at the Taupo Circuit in New Zealand. The fourth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will see Fairuz Fauzy leading his nation once again with Aaron Lim taking up Rookie driver duties after a seven week break since the last round in Sepang. The team will be hoping to build on their solid start to the season and maintain their front running pace as the competition gets tighter at the top.
Fauzy and Lim have already arrived in New Zealand in a bid to acclimatise and familiarise themselves with the Taupo circuit. During the long break since Sepang, both drivers have continued to work on their fitness regime and focus on preparing for the race weekend. The race team have also been working hard back home practicing pit stops to ensure they are up to speed after seven weeks away from the track. The pit stop practice will hopefully give the team an edge when it comes to the three mandatory stops on Sunday.
The 3.5 km Taupo circuit with its new pits facilities and pit complex and 13 challenging corners, is a track loved by drivers and fans alike. Last year the track was altered slightly to provide more overtaking opportunities. The previous left-right-left sequence is now two corners, a tight left hander, followed by an even tighter right hander leading onto the start/finish straight, and giving fans close up and personal racing action. The tight and twisty track has also resulted in changes to the starting format for A1GP. The ‘s’ bend close to the start has caused collisions in the past, so the rolling start will be replaced by a standing start for this weekend’s Sprint race.
Fauzy commented ahead of the race, “It’s no hardship to travel out to Taupo early as it’s a great country to visit and the weather is perfect for outdoor training. Aaron and I will certainly be ready to get in a car by the time Friday arrives, as it’s been such a long time since we were last in the car at Sepang. Our focus will be on gaining valuable points this weekend. We had a setback in Sepang but it’s made us all more determined to get back up the front and improve on our standings position.”
Lim added, “I just love driving the A1GP car, so I can’t wait to be out there on the Taupo track. We’ve had time to relax a little in the past few weeks, but it’s back to work in earnest now. We have so much support from Malaysia that everyone is committed to putting in the best performance possible. We’re all very fired up for the challenge of the weekend!”
Jack Cunningham A1 Team Malaysia Chief Executive, says, “The Taupo Circuit could be a bigger challenge for our team than for some others this weekend, as Fairuz has no experience of racing there. However, we’ve seen at every event just how quickly he can rise to the challenge. Aaron was the rookie driver last season and so Taupo should still be relatively fresh in his mind and he’ll work hard together with Fairuz and the engineers on setting up the car for the track.”
The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Taupo, New Zealand begins on Friday 23 January with the Rookie/developing nation’s session in the morning, followed by the afternoon official practice session. It continues on Saturday 24 January with final practice and qualifying, which will set the grid for Sunday’s Sprint and Feature races on the 25 January.
