A1 Team Malaysia Heads To The Desert

Alex optimistic in Sepang...(click image to enlarge) - Photo from HBL Network

Alex will drive both races

The Arabian desert is the next destination on the A1 Grand Prix calendar for A1 Team Malaysia, with the sixth round of the Series taking place at the Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates next weekend.

Two top ten finishes in the team's home race at Sepang circuit, Kuala Lumpur has elevated the team to sixth place in the overall points standings for the World Cup of Motorsport, and the team is now aiming for consistent points-earning places.

Alex Yoong will be driving for the team in the Dubai event, while team mate Fairuz Fauzy prepares for his wedding, which takes place in early January.

Yoong scored a fifth place finish in the main feature race in front of his home crowd two weeks ago and is now looking to improve on this in sunny Dubai.

Yoong says, "Our highest finish position so far is fifth, which we've achieved three times now, so we've proved we're competitive and can run up front. We want to step up another gear now and our goal is to bring the car home consistently in the points and hopefully get us, one day, in the top three. The name of the game is consistency now. I haven't been to the Dubai Autodrome, but most of the other drivers are also new to the track, so I need to learn it quickly and spend as little time as possible getting on the pace and dialling the car in for this new, challenging circuit. We have a lot of experience in this Team so that should help us get ahead at a new track."

The Dubai circuit features 16 turns in its 5.39 kilometre course, which is set in the sandy desert surroundings of this popular holiday destination. The event is the home race for the Series founder, His Highness Sheikh Maktoum.

Jack Cunningham, Team Principal, A1 Team Malaysia, looks forward to the Dubai event saying, "As we head towards mid-distance in the first year of A1 Grand Prix, A1 Team Malaysia has proved it is a serious contender in the Series, with seven top-ten finishes in the ten races that have taken place so far. Alex will be trying his hardest this weekend to keep us in the top six in the championship. However, motor racing is never just a one-man effort; it is the work of a dedicated team of hard-working professionals that has brought us these results. We're a very determined bunch of people, and we'll be pushing ourselves hard this weekend to bring home more points. Fairuz has to prepare for his wedding so can't be with us this week - nothing will give the Team greater pleasure but to inform him of a good result on Sunday night."

Following the summer sun around the globe, A1 Grand Prix will deliver 12 weekends of exciting racing action outside of the traditional motorsport season. Now midway through its inaugural season A1GP has raced in Great Britain, Germany, Portugal, Australia and Malaysia. A1 Grand Prix is now preparing for the next race at the Dubai Autodrome on 9-11 December before heading to Indonesia, South Africa, Mexico, USA and China to complete the season.

Full details of the race calendar can be found at www.a1gp.com.

8TV is the official Malaysian broadcaster of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations.

A1 Team Malaysia