A1GP
Kyalami: Team Ireland preview
Ireland Aim to Stay on Top in South Africa The A1 Team Ireland squad heads to Gauteng Province, South Africa for round five of the A1 World Cup of Motorsport on top of the points standings and looking forward to racing at a new venue for the A1 ...
Published: Jun 19, 2009, 7:36 PM
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Ireland Aim to Stay on Top in South Africa
The A1 Team Ireland squad heads to Gauteng Province, South Africa for round five of the A1 World Cup of Motorsport on top of the points standings and looking forward to racing at a new venue for the A1 series.
Ireland carries a 16 point lead into the weekend following the victory and second place finish at the last event in New Zealand and will be aiming to maintain the current level of competitiveness at the world famous 4.26km Kyalami circuit.
Lead driver Adam Carroll is looking forward to learning a new track layout and is particularly keen to race at a venue that is steeped in motor racing heritage having hosted the South African Grand Prix on 21 occasions between 1967 and 1993.
"I'm really looking forward to it," says Carroll. I've heard a lot about Kyalami and I'm sure it will be great to test myself on what is known to be a really challenging circuit.
I've also seen the enormous enthusiasm of the crowds at the A1 race in Durban and I feel sure there's going to be a great atmosphere at the event".
Carroll was out of luck in Durban last year, failing to score points in both the sprint and feature races and is hopeful that the switch to the Johannesburg circuit will bear greater fruit.
"This is a new season, a new car and a new venue for the series in South Africa so it'll be a completely clean slate for us. So far we've adapted well and had no problems getting on the pace in Chengdu, another new venue for the teams.
For us the challenge is to maintain the current work rate and intensity because the other teams are sure to be upping theirs. Everyone in the team is really motivated to keep pushing all the way to the chequered flag on Sunday afternoon."
The work theme is echoed by Team Principal, Mark Gallagher, who is asking his team not to lose focus as the series enters a critical phase.
"It's terrific that we have come to Kyalami and that the region has made this huge investment in bringing A1GP to Johannesburg.
From a team point of view we are determined to defend our championship lead this weekend; we really feel we have the momentum and the Kyalami track will suit Adam's track style".
Qualifying for Sunday's two races takes place on Saturday afternoon with the race action getting under way on Sunday morning with the Sprint race including one mandatory pit stop. The afternoon Feature race includes two mandatory visits to pit lane.
The timetable for the weekend's activities commences with first Practice on Friday at 2.30pm (12.30pm in Ireland) with qualifying on Saturday getting under way at 2.15pm (12.15pm in Ireland). Sunday's race action begins with the Sprint race at 11am (9am in Ireland) followed by the Feature race at 3pm (1pm in Ireland).
Irish fans should note that Setanta Sports 1 Ireland will broadcast Sunday's race action at 10pm. The remaining events will be broadcast live on the Setanta Ireland network and also live on Sky Sports.
-credit: ireland
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