Korea’s New Dawn – Asia’s Stable Of A1 Teams Grows

A new dawn in the history of Korean motorsport rose yesterday as the new A1 Team Korea officially unveiled its entry into the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at a launch ceremony in Seoul.
 
More than 500 guests from Korea’s political, business and entertainment world attended the event on Wednesday evening, enjoying a five-course banquet and the large-scale on-stage production that heralded the Republic of Korea’s first step into international motorsport competition in A1GP this season.
 
Seat-holder Jung-Yong Kim, whose entry first announced at the Shanghai A1GP event in April, said: “Launching A1 Team Korea will open a new chapter in Korea’s automotive industry, and add pride for our nation. We want to popularise motorsports in Korea, and the nation versus nation concept is ideal.”
 
A1GP CEO, Pete de Silva, also addressed the crowd. “Korea, as the fifth biggest manufacturer of cars, is a powerhouse in the automotive world,” he said. “Adding motorsport to that has always been an ambition of A1GP, and we’re delighted that Mr Kim has achieved that.”
 
Alongside a show car with its new livery for the start of the season, the team also unveiled the men who will form its driving squad. The primary driver will be Hwang Jin-Woo, 25, a former single-seater racer who currently competes in the Japanese-based Super GT series. He will be backed up by promising 18-year-old driver Sung-Hak Mun, who currently races in the UK in Formula Renault.
 
Long-time motorsport team boss, Trevor Carlin, whose operation will oversee the technical running of the team, said: “It’s a hugely exciting chapter for Korean motorsport. Our team contains much motorsport experience, and we look forward to using all this to develop the young Korean driving and engineering talent.”
 
Representatives of A1 Team China and A1 Team Malaysia attended the launch to show support for the latest addition to A1GP from the Asia-Pacific region.

 A1 Team Malaysia’s Azrai Razuan said: “On behalf of all Asian teams participating in the series we welcome Korea with open arms. This is good news for the series and it is great news for Asian motorsport.”