A1GP fans will be celebrating the fact that ticket sales for the A1GP Durban race went on sale over the weekend, but there are doubts about promising SA team driver Adrian Zaugg’s participation in the upcoming Indonesian race.
By Gareth Dean
As Team South Africa readies itself for the fifth round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the weekend; sales of tickets for the second running of A1GP Durban (scheduled for February 25 next year) has gone on sale.
At next year’s South African A1 round, Friday the 23rd’s first practice (for rookie drivers and drivers from developing countries) will take place from 1 to 2pm (with a five-minute break at 1.30pm). The second practice session, which will be open to all drivers is scheduled from 4 to 5pm.
Saturday the 24th’s single practice session will take place from 11am to noon and will be followed by official qualifying from 2.15 to 3.30pm (four 15-minute sessions separated by 10-minute breaks). Sunday the 25th’s 20-minute sprint race will start at 11am and the 70-minute feature race at 13pm.
General admission prices for Friday and Saturday are R100, Sunday admission costs R160 and a Weekend Pass (that covers Saturday and Sunday) will set you back R220. The Silver, Gold and Platinum grandstand tickets will range from R100 to R200 on Friday and R250 to R350 for Saturday. Sunday’s Silver, Gold and Platinum offerings will go from R450 to R850 and a Weekend Pass for all three days will relieve you of between R500 and R1000. Bucket seats are available in the Platinum grand stand, but none of the tickets include access to the pit or paddock areas.
The newly introduced Weekend Passes give fans the opportunity to save money by purchasing tickets for two or three days of the event, depending on the package they opt for. For those itching to get closer to the cars, four 20 minute pit walks will be available to members of the public on Friday and Saturday, costing R250 per person per walk.
Disabled spectators will have access to designated viewing areas with wheelchair access tickets costing R100 on Friday, R250 on Saturday and R450 for Sunday. A Weekend Pass will cost R550 and all tickets allow for one minder per patron. Giant TV screens will also be placed around the circuit.
Hospitality packages are available and details can be obtained by calling 0861 124 722 or by visiting the circa website. The other tickets are available from Computicket.
Meanwhile, the official practice for the Jakarta race will commence this Friday at the Sentul circuit, with qualifying taking place on Saturday and racing on Sunday.
Sentul is a 3,9 km circuit located 45 minutes outside Jakarta that has featured prominently in the Asian F3 series and motorbike racing. The circuit runs in a clockwise direction and features 11 turns. Factor in high temperatures and humidity and a challenging prospect awaits A1GP competitors here.
A potentially big blow to A1 Team South Africa will be the possible absence of Zaugg as a result of a problem affecting his forearm muscles. Having set a great platform for the team by wining the October race at Zandvoort in the Netherlands, Zaugg’s has recently received medical advice that could see him undergoing corrective surgery. As a result, the team will only later announce whether Zaugg will race at Sentul, whether team-mate Alan Van der Merwe will make his A1 race début, or whether Stephen Simpson will return to the cockpit.
A1 Team South Africa chief executive Dana Cooper said; “We’re obviously concerned about Adrian’s condition, (therefore) we are giving him all the support we can and are confident he will overcome this problem with the right medical care. In the meantime we are also confident that we have the driver talent at our disposal to give a good account of ourselves in any A1GP that Adrian might be forced to miss.”
Saturday’s qualifying will be broadcast live on SABC3 from 9 to 10.30 am and Sunday’s two races from 9 to 11.30am (sprint race delayed and feature race live from 10am).
