[Jaime]

This week the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport moves on to make its debut at a brand new race track in Portugal. A1 Team Malaysia will be looking to score as many points as possible as Fairuz Fauzy and Aaron Lim spearhead the team’s efforts this weekend at the sixth round of the season.

The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve is a purpose-built facility that was completed earlier this year. It is an impressive 4.69-kilometre circuit designed to Grade 1, Formula One standards and is expected to become another favourite destination for top-class international race teams such as A1 Team Malaysia.

It is the second visit to Portugal for A1GP, with the series having raced at Estoril in 2005.

Fairuz Fauzy commented ahead of the weekend, “The new Algarve Circuit looks fantastic; I’ve heard people say it’s like a rollercoaster because it is so undulating, and everyone has been really positive about it so far. The width of the track means there is plenty of room for overtaking, which is one of A1GP’s attractive strong points, so hopefully we can use that to our advantage. I’m really looking forward to driving there this weekend. With it being a new circuit, it means everyone is starting from scratch and we all have to focus on the set up. It will be a level playing field for all teams.

“We’ve had a tough run of races, where we haven’t had the results we’d have hoped for, but in qualifying we have shown pace and we just need to translate that into strong results. I think if we build up well to the races and have a good set up on the car we are in a good position to achieve points finishes this weekend.�

Aaron Lim commented, “The Algarve Circuit will be a great challenge for me and I feel very privileged to be having the experience of driving at so many different circuits with A1 Team Malaysia. The track layout looks really interesting and as it is a new circuit the track surface will be very smooth. I think this could be an important factor for me to consider as I run before Fairuz as when the track is still ‘green’ there will not be any rubber down to create grip. After our session and some of the other support race cars have been out it will be fine. I think it will be a great venue for the A1GP cars and we are all really looking forward to the race weekend.�


“Another new track and therefore an unknown quantity for us all�, adds Jack Cunningham, Chief Executive, A1 Team Malaysia. “One of the unique properties of A1GP is the diversity of tracks that we race on and this new facility in the Algarve is an example of this. At the last event in South Africa we raced at an historic circuit for the first time. The history and heritage of Kyalami was appreciated by everyone, drivers and fans alike. This next stop is the opposite end of the spectrum with the backdrop of high-tech buildings and the latest specification of track layouts featuring huge run offs, but interestingly there are some similarities to Kyalami. The Algarve circuit has the undulations, blind crests and fast corners that produce the excitement and challenges to test the cars and drivers. We’re set for another very exciting weekend during which A1 Team Malaysia will work hard to put as many points as possible on the board.“

The sixth race of the A1GP season will take place from the 10-12th April, starting with the rookie and developing nations practice sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday and two races on Sunday.

Ends.