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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.
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