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Brands Hatch, UK, 30 April 2008 - A1 Team Malaysia heads
to the Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent, England this weekend
for the final round of the third
season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. In September
2005, A1 Team Malaysia made its debut alongside 24 other
nations for the first-ever A1GP race weekend at Brands
Hatch. This season the venue will host the final event
of the third season of the A1GP series. Fairuz Fauzy will
be back in the Malaysian car this weekend as the main driver
and Aaron Lim will join him as the team’s rookie
driver.
As part of the build-up to the final race of the season,
all of the 22 nations in A1GP made a pit stop in London’s
Regent Street last Sunday. The A1GP race cars were laid
out in grid formation along one of London’s prime
shopping streets, giving fans the opportunity to get up
close to the cars. To signal the start of the day, one
of the 550bhp Zytek engines in the A1GP machines was fired
up, giving the crowd a genuine feel for the atmosphere
of A1GP. A1 Team Malaysia and driver Fairuz Fauzy were
present at the event and chatted on stage with A1GP commentators
John Watson and Ben Edwards before taking time to meet
fans and sign autographs.
The A1GP spectacle now moves from Regent Street in London
onto the historic Brands Hatch Circuit in Kent for the
final round. The 3.7km Grand Prix configuration of the
circuit that the A1GP cars race on is the longer, more
technical version of the track taking the cars out into
quick sections of track through a forested area. Brands
Hatch is one of the greatest race tracks in the world
for both drivers and spectators. Paddock Hill Bend, with
its blind entry over a crest, the fast Dingle Dell chicane,
the mix of corners and probably the fastest one in the
entire Series, Hawthorn Bend, are both a joy to watch
and to drive.
Fauzy’s last visit to Brands Hatch was last season,
but he only drove in the first practice session. He was
the first Malaysian ever to compete in the series when
he represented Malaysia in the Sprint race at the debut
of the Series back in September 2005. This year he will
drive in both the Sprint and Feature races, with Aaron
Lim taking up rookie duties.
Looking ahead to the weekend Fauzy commented, “I’m
really looking forward to going to Brands Hatch, it’s
a great driver’s circuit with lots of challenges.
I did the rookie sessions there last season, raced for
the team at the Series’ debut and have driven here
in my early racing career, so it’s a track that’s
quite familiar to me.
We will need to work hard to hone the setup in the practice
sessions; there are plenty of other teams who have extensive
experience of the circuit so we know it will be a tough
weekend. We’re a tightly knit team with plenty
of fight in us, and we’re ready to do battle on
track!”
A1 Team Malaysia Chief Executive Jack Cunningham commented, “A1
Team Malaysia has had a tough season and we’ve
not had the results that we’ve wanted or needed,
but we had a good points haul in Shanghai and we hope
to score again at Brands Hatch this weekend with Fauzy
at the wheel. I think it’s a fitting venue for
the last round and we’re going to be looking for
a successful conclusion to our season.”
The tenth round of A1GP competition at Brands Hatch marks
the end of the third season in which over 22 teams have
travelled around the globe showcasing the unique A1GP
Series, which pits nation against nation. The Brands
Hatch race weekend starts on Friday 2 May with the two
races on Sunday 4 May.
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