2006 A1 GRAND PRIX

A1 GP (2005/2006)

REPORT

TEAM LEBANON

• A1 Team Lebanon races hard at A1 grand Prix of Nations, Mexico The A1 Grand Prix of Mexico, held at Parque Fundidora, Monterrey produced two exciting races with A1 Team Lebanon competing hard for national honours. Recording the team’s best Sprint race finish in 13th place, the team’s new driver, Graham Rahal followed this with 14th place in the main Feature race.
• A1 Team Lebanon driver, Rahal was selected to drive this weekend, with Khalil Beschir and Basil Shaaban supporting their new team mate trackside. Rahal quickly settled himself into the team, qualifying in the highest slot so far for the team, with an eighth row start alongside Great Britain.
• The opening lap of the Sprint race saw Rahal move up from 16th to 14th , but a safety car came out on this lap to slow up the field due to an incident between Mexico and Ireland. With green flag racing returning on lap five, Rahal was back on the power and soon up to 12th place. As the race unfolded Rahal kept on the pace in mid-field, and finally finished 13th after dropping back a place in the closing stages, due to electronic problems.
• In the Feature race Rahal took the start from the seventh row and exercising caution crossed the line in 15th place on the opening lap. The leaders pitted at the first opportunity and A1 Team Lebanon opted to remain out to capitalise on the clearer track. Rahal was able to move up to second before pitting for new tyres, returning to the track in 15th spot. At mid-distance the young driver lay 14th, a position he retained until the chequered flag.
• Rahal said after his first two A1 Grand Prix races, “I had a good start in the sprint race and were moving up the field, but an electronics problem slowed me and pushed me down a few spots. In the Feature race we were running a consistent pace, keeping up with many of the strong runners such as USA, Brazil, Malaysia – all the guys that often run up front. We worked our hardest and will be looking for more next time.”
• Tameem Auchi, Seat Holder, A1 Team Lebanon, added, “Rahal has made a promising start and has impressed us all with the speed with which he has acclimatised himself to the A1 car and A1 Team Lebanon. Throughout the weekend he has shown his maturity and professionalism, both on and off the track, and we should not forget that this is his first weekend in the A1 car and he’s only 17 years old. He is a valuable addition to our driver line-up and we welcome his contribution. We’re certainly improving as a team and I hope that we can continue to make progress in the final races of the season.”
• The A1 Grand Prix series moves on to North America with its first visit to the USA taking the international field of drivers to Laguna Seca in California, a picturesque circuit hidden away in a natural bowl in the hills overlooking Monterey Bay. The race takes place from 10 – 12 March and will be the penultimate round of the inaugural A1 Grand Prix series, which has its finale on April 2nd in Shanghai, China.

TEAM MALAYSIA

• A1 Team Malaysia went away with a seventh and a eleventh in the Mexican round last weekend but more preciously were the 4 points scored in the Sprint race's seventh position which propelled Malaysia from ninth to seventh in this inaugural A1 Grand Prix also known as the "World Cup of Motorsports".
• The nations which the Malaysian team leapfrogged over were Ireland and Portugal which had even less to show as Ireland had two non-finishes while Portugal had a non-finish in the Sprint race and a tenth with one point in the Feature race.
• A recap of the results for the team over the nine rounds run thus far showed seven top tenth qualifying in nine rounds with a highest qualifying position of sixth in the Indonesian round and 11 top ten race results over 18 races with the best race result a second in the Indonesian round.
• The team's performance at the mandatory pitstops of the Feature race to change tyres seemed to be lacking as there was not a single time where the team has not lost positions to other teams in the pitstop - in fact on some occasions the team lost as much as fifteen positions to other teams following a pitstop.
• Car set up also clearly did not allow the Malaysian team to run as quick as the top two teams which are the championship leaders France and Switzerland. This definitely posed a serious obstacle for the team to make a serious bid to run in the front with France.
• So, where does that leave the Malaysian team in relation to the 25 A1 national teams that have started the championship?
• The answer is indisputably top-seven using the championship standings after Mexico as a marker. And perhaps top-five if we consider the fact that the team finished in the top-five in 5 races and the team missed out on the top-five in 6 races when the team had disastrous pitstops.
• In comparison with other Asian teams, Malaysia at 7th is on top of the Asian pile as the nearest rival Indonesia in a lowly 19th position followed by Japan, China and Pakistan in 20th to 22nd positions and India yet to score a single point.
• Twenty championship points tantalisingly separate Malaysia in 7th and Great Britain in 3rd. Do we dare dream that the chase for Malaysia to dislodge the GB team from 3rd with 40 maximum points available in the 2 remaining rounds of USA and China is possible?
• We say anything is possible as the teams ahead of the Malaysian team's route to be the third best team in the world are afterall, Britain, Brazil, Netherlands and New Zealand, all of which the Malaysian team has the measure of - but with a qualification, the team will need to improve on the pitstop performance and dial the car in with the perfect balance for the remaining 2 races.
• If, in the end Malaysia cannot be the third best A1GP team in the world, the team can reasonably be expected to reel in New Zealand which lies sixth with a 11 point advantage over Malaysia - "the sixth best team in the world" amongst 25 national teams - no one will disagree that this will be a great achievement for Malaysia.
• Max Revson

PREVIEW

TEAM LEBANON PREVIEW

• GRAHAM RAHAL JOINS A1 TEAM LEBANON FOR A1 GRAND PRIX SERIES
• Son of Indycar legend, Bobby Rahal, set for debut in Monterrey, Mexico Graham Rahal, son of Indycar legend, Bobby Rahal, joins A1 Team Lebanon this weekend at the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Monterrey, Mexico. Rahal recently tested for the team at Misano, Italy and strengthens the current line up of regular drivers, Khalil Beschir and Basil Shaaban.
• Graham was born into a motor racing family and has grown up in the United States of America surrounded by cars of all types, from go- karts to Indycars, CanAm sportscars to Formula One. Tameem Auchi, Seat Holder for A1 Team Lebanon, explains, “We’re delighted to welcome Graham to A1 Team Lebanon. He is from such an illustrious motor racing family, we’re very proud that he has agreed to join with us in the A1 Grand Prix series. Our team is one of the least experienced in the Series and we are always reviewing our driver options in order to compete at the highest level, and recruiting Graham to the team enables us to accelerate our learning curve, while also expanding our fan base to the Arab American community.
• Although only 17 years old, he brings very useful racing experience from which we can benefit. Our aim remains to do the best we can for Lebanon and the Arab world.” “This is an exciting opportunity for me,” says Rahal, whose family originally came from Aitaneet in Lebanon. “I’ve always recognised my Lebanese roots, so to compete for the country of my ancestry is very special. I hope that I can work with Khalil and Basil to share our racing knowledge and bring pride to Lebanon with our results on track. I’ve grasped the chance to compete in this new Series which is attracting so much attention worldwide. It will give me valuable international exposure outside the USA.” Graham’s father adds, “I’m very proud of our Lebanese heritage and this unique opportunity for my son to represent not just Lebanon and the Arab world, but the Lebanese community in the United States. The racing will give Graham a new challenge and the first chance for him to compete on a truly international platform. I look forward to being at Monterrey, Mexico for the A1 Grand Prix and watching Graham in the A1 Team Lebanon car.”
• Rahal first sat in a kart at the age of nine and was racing competitively by the age of eleven, winning nine of 16 races in the Ohio Valley Karting Association regional races that year and named Rookie of the Year in the 100cc class in the region. In the following four years he competed at national level in karting, before moving up to the Formula BMW single seater championship in 2004. Winning a driving scholarship for the series, Rahal received an exemption to run in the 2004 season at the age of 15. He finished third in the Formula BMW USA Rookie of the Year battle, and seventh overall in the championship, as he posted four top-five results and 11 top ten finishes in the 14 race schedule, despite being the youngest driver in the series.
• In 2005 Graham finished fourth in the Star Mazda Championship, winning one race and finishing in the top three in six of the 12 events. Aside from being the youngest winner ever in the series, Rahal also won the SCCA Formula Atlantic National Championship, emulating his father who won the title 30 years earlier.
• For 2006 Rahal kicked off a busy year of racing competing in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sports car race. He now turns his attentions to international competition with A1 Team Lebanon at the final three rounds of the A1 Grand Prix series, following this with a full season of running with Conquest Racing in the Champ Car Formula Atlantic Championship.

TEAM NEW ZEALAND / MATT HALLIDAY PREVIEW

• HALLIDAY HAS HEAD START IN MEXICO
• A1 Grand Prix driver Matt Halliday feels like he’ll hit top gear quickly at this weekend’s 9th Round of the World Cup of Motorsport in Monterrey, Mexico.
• The circuit, which snakes its way through the spectacular scenery of a former steel works at Fundidora Park, has hosted a round of Champ Car annually since it opened in 2001 and Halliday’s Champ Car connections have given him plenty of information on the track.
• “Eric Bachelart, who co-owns the Conquest Racing team, has been really helpful in supplying information,” Halliday said. “I also think we’ll benefit from the current set-up of the car and the team itself is confident following our good performances in the New Year.”
• Halliday had his now-traditional run around the circuit today and, once he took his eyes off the magnificent mountain range in the background, quickly got a handle on the track’s nuances.
• “It’s a very technical circuit with short straights and tight little chicanes,” Halliday said. “But the first thing you notice is that it is very low grip, which is typical of any type of street circuit that doesn’t get used much.
• “It’ll be one of those weekends where you’ll struggle to get traction early on, but it will get better as the feature races loom. The current car set-up following on from South Africa and Indonesia is low-grip, so we’re starting our weekend in good shape.”
• Halliday arrived in Mexico early in the week direct from his win at the Manfeild round of the Porsche GT3 Challenge Cup.
• “I felt a bit knackered after a hard weekend of racing, but I’ve re-charged the batteries and can’t wait for the weekend.
• “There’s a good vibe in this New Zealand team and we now have such a good base knowledge of the car that it is becoming easier to trial different ways of maximising speed and handling.”
• Halliday is keen to see Black Beauty back to its best after two on-track scuffles during the last round in Indonesia left the car banged up.
• Despite the bumps, the New Zealand team strengthened its hold on 5th place in the championship.
• With just three of the 11 rounds remaining, France (132 points) and Switzerland (104) enjoy clear air at the top of the championship standings. Back in the pack Brazil (70) is just two points ahead of Great Britain (68) in the race for third, with the Kiwis (61) nipping at their heels.
• Four teams should benefit from their drivers having raced Champ Cars at Fundidora Park circuit.
• Patrick Carpentier, who is taking over the A1 Team Canada seat from Sean McIntosh - winner last time out in Indonesia - has raced on this northern Mexican circuit three times. Christian Fittipaldi, who joined A1 Team Brazil in place of Nelson Piquet Jr last time out at Sentul, finished third in 2002.
• Another new face to A1 Grand Prix at the most recent round, Marcus Marshall of A1 Team Australia, had his first taste of Fundidora Park last year. While the driver who stood one step higher than him on the podium for the feature race at Sentul, A1 Team Malaysia's Alex Yoong, raced there in his one-off season of Champ Car.

TEAM MALAYSIA PREVIEW

• Track Experience Counts A Great Deal In Mexico
• With so little testing opportunities before the inaugural A1 Grand Prix season started in Britain in September last year and with zero testing once after the season has started, driver experience for the Fundidora Park circuit in Monterrey, Mexico where this weekend's races are run is a paramount jigsaw piece to a possible good result.
• Especially so when this circuit has been described as "A tight and twisty circuit almost like a street course." and "Interesting circuit with very little grip and slow corners." by Malaysia's Alex Yoong and Ireland's Ralph Firman respectively.
• So, who are those with experience on the Monterrey circuit?
• Before this weekend, there were only three A1 team drivers with experience are A1 Team Malaysia's Yoong who finished 9th in the points in his first ChampCar race there in 2003, Christian Fittipaldi, who joined A1 Team Brazil in place of Nelson Piquet Jr last time out at Sentul, who finished third there in the 2002 ChampCar season and Marcus Marshall of A1 Team Australia, who had his first taste of Fundidora Park last year.
• The ranks of drivers with experience on the Fundidora circuit swelled to five with new team driver appointees announced for Canada and home team Mexico.
• Patrick Carpentier, who is taking over the A1 Team Canada seat from Sean McIntosh - winner last time out in Indonesia - has raced on this northern Mexican circuit three times in ChampCars. And David Martinez, who has raced in Fundidora twice in junior formula races before, was picked ahead of Salvador Duran to represent A1 Team Mexico in this weekend's A1 Grand Prix of Nations in his home city, Monterrey.
• But the advantage of track experience that these two new appointees have must surely be wiped out by the fact that they are stepping into these A1 cars for the first time ever.
• Meanwhile, France's pair of Alex Premat and Nicolas Lapierre must be the last of the drivers to arrive in Monterrey as they just wrapped up their GP2 tests at Paul Ricard yesterday (Thursday) to travel transatlantic with little hope of getting over their jetlag before practices start today.
  How will this weekend go?
• My money is as usual placed with consideration for the championship leaders, France and Switzerland, but with the French drivers having to contend with jetlag, Swiss Neel Jani having a purple patch and all three of them without the benfit of track experience, I would also cast an eye on Brazil, Australia and of course Malaysia.
• With Mexico being 14 hours behind Malaysia, I've changed my sleep pattern since 2 nights ago to stay up from 3am on Monday morning Malaysian time to catch the live actions of this Sunday's races on Star Sports and 8TV.
• Roll on Mexico! (Max Revson)

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