Team South Africa is in a more optimistic mood ahead of this weekend’s A1 Grand Prix leg in Australia, despite dismal performances in the last two rounds.
Team South Africa is in a more optimistic mood ahead of this weekend’s A1 Grand Prix leg in Australia, despite dismal performances in the last two rounds.
Twenty-five year old IRL driver, Tomas Scheckter, was at the helm most recently in Portugal when his left rear tyre was clipped on the first lap and he was forced to retire on lap 15 after suffering a collapsed suspension.
The team’s best performance thus far was in the opening round when Stephen Simpson finished sixth in the feature race and picked up five points.
“We’re obviously not happy with our results so far,” said Team South Africa chief executive, Dana Cooper. “But the entire team has been working very hard to improve our performance and, indeed, we have got better with each race although the results don’t reflect this.
“The A1GP series is proving to be a hotly contested and close competition and although the cars are all technically equal, the way each car is set up by the technical team and the performance of the driver on the track are what makes the difference between winning and losing.
All cars are identical and are fitted with 3,4-litre V8 engines mated with a six-speed sequential gearbox. The engine produces close to 400 kW, though each car is equipped with a powerboost function that allows for an extra 22 kW at short bursts.
“We haven’t achieved optimum performance yet, but I am confident we will come close in Australia,” said Cooper. “With the enthusiastic support of all South Africans we will do our country proud.”
This weekend’s race action will be staged at the anti-clockwise Eastern Creek Raceway locates outside Sydney. The circuit has been regarded as a safe one with several direction changes, rises and dips, and good passing points.
Vulindlela’s driver will be announced in Australia at the start of the race weekend. SABC will broadcast Saturday’s qualifying live from 05h00 to 07h00 and Sunday’s two races live from 04h00 to 07h30.
