 Login |
Not a member yet? Click here to register.
Forgotten your password? Request a new one here.
|
|
 |
Welcome |
|
|
Welcome to A1GPOnline, the 2008-09 Edition!
|
|
8th and a retirement for Carroll in GP2 at Istanbul |
|
 Adam Carroll headed to Istanbul, Turkey with Fisichella Motorsport for round two of the GP2 Series last weekend (9 – 11 May) but suffered clutch problems in both races which left him eighth in the feature and forced him to retire from the sprint race.
Despite never having sat in the new 2008 GP2 car until this weekend, Adam qualified third for Saturday’s race and started from pole position on Sunday.
A difficult start in the feature saw Adam lose five positions and fall down the order to eighth. He maintained position throughout the 34-lap race, taking seventh from Javier Villa in the latter stages, but crossed the line in eighth after the Spaniard retook position on the final lap as Adam suffered a problem with the clutch. Due to the reverse grid system, his eighth place finish put Adam on pole for Sunday’s shorter, 23-lap race. He made a good start but clutch problems robbed him of victory as he lost several positions in the first complex of corners, before retiring.
Adam Carroll: I’ve really enjoyed the weekend and it was a real shame about Sunday’s race because we had a cracking chance to win. The car felt good on the warm up and my initial start was very good, it’s when I took second gear that the clutch just went and that was that. With Saturday’s race I was disappointed with my start and really don’t know why that happened. It was really important for me to do the full race distance in the new car as it’s a bit different to drive, so that was a positive and we had good pace throughout the race and picked up that final point.
|
|
Irish reaction to the new A1GP Car |
|
 Mark Kershaw, Seatholder: "The new car represents a new era in the development of the A1GP Series and reflects the fact that Ferrari's involvement is bringing a new dimension to the World Cup of Motorsport. Sponsors and drivers have the opportunity to be part of something very exciting, a world-wide series with nation competing against nation in highly sophisticated cars powered by 600bhp Ferrari engines. The three seasons of A1GP have seen the series capture the imagination of hundreds of thousands of race fans who have attended races, while for TV viewers and motorsport fans around the world the closeness of the racing has fulfilled everyone's hopes. The new 'Powered by Ferrari' phase in A1GP's development means we can look forward with excitement to the coming seasons as Ireland battles for honours in a series which is growing in prestige and competitiveness in equal measures."
Mark Gallagher, Team Principal: “From what we have seen and heard the new A1GP car will offer drivers, engineers and teams a new level of performance and complexity. The deal between A1GP and Ferrari was always going to excite followers of the World Cup of Motorsport, but the new car design illustrates just how high the series is aiming, not only in having the best racing in the world but also cars that look and sound exciting. Anyone who wondered where A1GP would fit into the motor sport hierarchy should look no further than the new car design to see that the World Cup of Motorsport offers drivers a unique opportunity to drive a highly sophisticated race car, compete on a level playing field against world-class competition and represent their nation."
|
|
Indonesian team pleased to see the new Ferrari car |
|
 The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has revealed the first image of its brand new ‘Powered by Ferrari’ car for use in season four (2008/09). The CAD drawing was released ahead of the car’s inaugural shakedown test in Southern England.
A1 Team Indonesia Team Principal, Bagoes Hermanto, commented, “It’s great to finally see what the new car will look like, we really pleased at how good it looks. We feel that the next season of A1GP will be really exciting with the new partnership between A1GP and Ferrari bringing a new era to the sport. The technical expertise and fan support that the brand will bring will be a huge benefit to A1GP over the coming years.”
A1 Team Indonesia driver Satrio Hermanto added, “The new car looks fantastic, I’m really pleased that I am here in A1GP representing my nation with the prospect of driving the Ferrari powered car next season. After scoring a point for the team at the final round in Brands Hatch, I’m excited for the future of A1 Team Indonesia and what we can achieve in season four.”
|
|
Pakistan seatholder eagerly awaiting new Ferrari car |
|
 The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has revealed the first image of its brand new ‘Powered by Ferrari’ car for use in season four (2008/09). The CAD drawing was released ahead of the car’s inaugural shakedown test in Southern England.
Arif Husain, Seat Holder, A1 Team Pakistan, says of the partnership between Ferrari and A1GP, “The new images released of the new Ferrari A1GP car have already got us here at A1 Team Pakistan excited ahead of the fourth season. We’re eagerly anticipating the first race in Mugello, Italy on the 21st of September where we’ll see 20 or more nations in the new cars out on track for the first time.
A1 Team Pakistan driver Adam Khan commented, “The new image released of the A1GP car powered by Ferrari give us a strong indication of how the car will look in the flesh. It looks good on paper and I’m sure it will look even better in real life, I can’t wait to see it when it is launched.”
|
|
Lebanese nation looking forward to new A1GP Ferrari |
|
 A1 Team Lebanon and the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport have revealed the first image of its brand new ‘Powered by Ferrari’ car for use in season four (2008/09). The CAD drawing was released ahead of the car’s inaugural shakedown test in Southern England.
A1 Team Lebanon Seatholder Tameem Auchi is looking forward to next season and running with the new Ferrari powered car, “The association between A1GP and one of the most iconic automotive brands in the world is a fantastic prospect for all of the teams involved. The new car looks impressive and even though this is only a 3D drawing, you get a feel for how this will look out on track.”
Lebanese driver Khalil Beschir commented, “A1GP is moving into a new era with this new car, the series is going from strength to strength and with the new car there will hopefully be a new interest for the fourth season. The new car, powered and designed by Ferrari will no doubt be fantastic to drive; I can’t wait to see how the shakedown goes at the end of this week.”
-------------------------------------------------------
كشف القيّمون على بطولة العالم للـ"آي وان غران بري" النقاب عن الصورة الأولى لسيارة الـ"آي وان" الجديدة التي صممتها فيراري لتكون السيارة المعتمدة من قبل جميع الفرق المشاركة في بطولة موسم 2008-2009.وسيتم اختبار السيارة خلال تجارب ستقام في انكلترا.وسيكون للسائق الأسطوري السابق في الفورمولا- 1 والمعلّق التلفزيوني جون واطسون الشرف بقيادة السيارة كأول سائق يقود السيارة الجديدة التي جُهّزت بمحرك "في "8 من فيراري والذي تبلغ قوته 600 حصاناً.وصُمّم هيكل السيارة ليلتلاءم مع هيكل الـ "أف "2004 وليضيف طابع المنافسة والاثارة خلال سباقات الموسم المقبل.وقد أشرف المدير التقني في الـ"آي وان غران بري" جون ترافيس على تصميم السيارة وتطوير أدائها في "بونيور ريجيس" في بريطانيا مع روري بيرن الذي كانت له صفة المستشار.وطوال مدة العمل،أشرف على الأعمال أحد العاملين في فيراري جان جاك هيس.
تجدر الاشارة الى أن الاعلان عن الاتفاق مع شركة فيراري لتصميم هيكل سيارة الـ"آي وان" وتزويدها بمحرك من الشركة تمّ في 11 تشرين الأول من عام 2007 في اتفاق مدته ست سنوات بحيث يبدأ التنفيذ في الموسم الرابع على انطلاق البطولة أي في الموسم المقبل.وبالنسبة لتجربة السيارة وهيكلها ومحركها قال رئيس الـ"آي وان غران بري" طوني تكسييرا " ينتظرالجميع بفارغ الصبر رؤية السيارة الجديدة وأنا سعيد لرؤية سيارة الـ"آي وان" في طرازها الجديد حيث ستدور اطاراتها لأول مرة الجمعة المقبل.وما يزال لدينا العمل المضني والشاق لتكون السيارة جاهزة للموسم المقبل وما سنراه الجمعة ليس سوى خطوة أولى ضمن خطة تطوير وتجربة السيارة الجديدة لكنني سعيد جداً بالتقدّم الذي أُنجز.لدينا مجموعة صغيرة من الأشخاص الذي يُكرّسون وقتهم في "بونيور ريجيس" .وأنا مسرورللقول بأننا نُطبّق البرنامج الذي وضعناه ونحن على السكة الصحيحة وسنعلن عن التاريخ الرسمي للكشف عن السيارة الجديدة قريباً".
|
|
A1GP Drivers Racing Across The Globe: Volume 1 (12/05/08) |
|
It was a busy weekend for lots of past and present A1GP drivers, as they participated in many different series around the globe.
Former A1 Team Brazil driver Nelson Piquet and former A1 Team Germany driver Adrian Sutil, who are now both in Formula 1, participated in the Turkish Grand Prix in Istanbul. Piquet qualified a disappointing 17th in his Renault and could only manage 15th in the race, while Sutil qualified his Force India 20th and last but, despite having to pit during the race for a new nosecone, he came home 16th, one place below his former A1GP rival. Neither men have scored a point so far this season, so neither has a current championship position.
A number of other A1GP drivers were also in action in Istanbul, competing in the F1-supporting GP2 Series. Former A1 Team India driver Karun Chandhok finished a solid 4th in the feature race, but made contact with Javier Villa during the sprint race, ending the shorter second race in 12th. A1 Team Ireland's Adam Carroll qualified a sensational 3rd for the feature race, despite only sitting in the new GP2 car for the first time that morning, but got a poor start and could only manage 8th in his return to the series. This gave him pole for the reverse sprint race, but a clutch problem forced him to retire on the first lap. Sébastien Buemi, formerly of A1 Team Switzerland, was very consistent - he took 6th in the feature race and 3rd in the reverse grid sprint. Former A1 Team China driver Ho-Pin Tung didn't have a very successful weekend, however. 11th place in the feature race was followed by a disappointing stall on the grid in the sprint, which caused him to retire from the race. Former A1 Team Portugal racer Álvaro Parente had a disappointing weekend – the winner of the season’s opening race in Barcelona retired from the feature race and, despite making up a remarkable 16 places from his grid position in the shorter sprint, he finished outside of the points in 8th. Buemi now lies 3rd in the championship, ahead of Parente (6th), Chandhok (9th), Carroll (15th) and Tung (no championship position).
There were two other A1GP drivers racing in Turkey this past weekend – A1 Team Netherlands racer Jeroen Bleekemolen and former A1 Team GBR rookie Danny Watts were participating in round 4 of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup season. Bleekemolen retired from the race while Watts came home 7th. Bleekemolen has dropped from the lead of the championship to second after the pointless weekend, while Watts is in 6th.
A1 Team France’s Loïc Duval had an average weekend in Suzuka, where he was participating in round 2 of the Formula Nippon season. He qualified 20th and last, five seconds off the pace, but overtook 10 cars in the race on his way to 10th place. He now lies 15th in the championship, with 2 points from 2 races.
A1 Team Switzerland rookie Rahel Frey finished 6th in the first ATS F3 Cup (German F3) race at Oschersleben, and retired from the second on the first lap. She is currently 12th in the standings.
Meanwhile, A1 Team Italy racer Edoardo Piscopo scored a double win in the Italian F3 series at Mugello. Piscopo leads the championship.
In Japanese F3, A1 Team Switzerland rookie Alexandre Imperatori had a disastrous weekend, the former National Class championship leader finishing the first race at Suzuka in 14th and retiring from the second. He has dropped to 2nd in the National Class and 10th overall as a result.
Two former A1 Team Australia drivers were in action in the V8 Supercars Australia races at Barbagallo. Will Davison finished 8th, 6th and 5th in the three races while Marcus Marshall placed 22nd, 17th and 19th. Davison is currently 7th in the championship, while Marshall lies 24th.
In the Le Mans Series at Spa, former A1 Team France championship winning driver Alexandre Premat finished 2nd overall in the Audi he shares with Mike Rockenfeller. Premat’s team-mate in France’s title-winning season, Nicolas Lapierre, finished 3rd overall alongside A1 Team France sporting director Olivier Panis in the ORECA Courage. Former A1 Team Netherlands driver Jos Verstappen finished 6th overall, winning the LMP2 class, in the Porsche he shares with team owner Peter van Merksteijn. A1 Team Great Britain’s Robbie Kerr finished 9th overall, 6th in LMP1, in the Creation he shares with Stuart Hall. A1 Team France tester Guillaume Moreau finished 13th overall, winning GT1, alongside Luc Alphand and Patrice Gouselard in a Corvette C6.R. Former A1 Team Russia driver Roman Rusinov was 15th overall, 2nd in GT1, sharing with Peter Kox while Tomas Enge, of A1 Team Czech Republic, was 16th overall and 3rd in GT1 alongside Antonio Garcia. Former A1 Team Czech Republic driver Jan Charouz finished 36 laps down in 29th overall, 10th in GT1, alongside Stefan Mucke. Jonny Kane, who tested the biofuel A1GP car, retired he and team-mate Warren Hughes’ Zytek 66 laps from the end. Pedro Lamy, the former A1 Team Portugal tester, also retired he and partners Stephane Sarrazin & Alex Wurz’ Peugoet from the race.
|
|
The new A1GP car - powered by Ferrari - COMING SOON! |
|
 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport has revealed the first image of its brand new ‘Powered by Ferrari’ car for use in season four (2008/09).
The CAD drawing was released ahead of the car’s inaugural shakedown test in Southern England.
A1GP’s own tv commentator and Formula One legend, John Watson, will have the honour of driving the car for the first time, powered by a V8 Ferrari engine producing in the region of 600 bhp.
The chassis is based on the design of the highly successful F2004 chassis, incorporating A1GP’s core values to deliver close, exciting racing among a competitive field where overtaking is an essential part of the entertainment.
A1GP technical director, John Travis, is overseeing the design, development and production of the car from premises in Bognor Regis in the UK, with Rory Byrne acting as consultant. Meanwhile the work on the manufacture and supply of the A1GP engine is being overseen by Ferrari’s Jean-Jacques His.
The Powered by Ferrari project was first announced on 11 October 2007 when the most famous name in motorsport signed a six-year agreement to manufacture and supply all A1GP engines for this unique series and provide consultancy on the design of all A1GP chassis from season four onwards.
‘Everyone is very excited about this project and it will be fantastic to see the new A1GP powered by Ferrari car turn a wheel for the first time on Friday,' said A1GP chairman Tony Teixeira.
'We obviously still have a lot of work to do as this is just the first step in what will be an intense development and testing programme, but I am very happy with the progress made so far.
'We have a small, dedicated group of people in Bognor Regis and are very lucky to be able to use some well known motor racing companies for certain areas of expertise. I am pleased to say we are on schedule and we will be announcing the date of the official unveiling of the car soon.’
---------------------------------------------------
O A1GP World Cup of Motorsport revelou hoje a primeira imagem do seu novo monolugar “Powered by Ferrari” a ser utilizado a partir da próxima época (2008/09).
A imagem 3D foi divulgada antes do primeiro teste do carro a ter lugar no sul de Inglaterra.
Será o ex-piloto de Fórmula 1, John Watson, agora comentador da A1GP para a televisão, a ter as honras de conduzir pela primeira vez o monolugar equipado com um motor V8 Ferrari com uma potência na ordem dos 600 cavalos.
O chassis é baseado no bem sucedido F2004 que dominou a época de Fórmula 1 durante esse ano, preservando ao mesmo tempo a dinâmica do A1GP, por forma a que as corridas continuem a ser excitantes e recheadas de ultrapassagens.
O director técnico do A1GP, John Travis, vem supervisionando a concepção, desenvolvimento e produção do novo carro, a partir das instalações localizadas em Bognor Regis no Reino Unido, tendo Rory Byrne como consultor. Entretanto, no que diz respeito à produção e fornecimento do novo motor, essa tarefa está a cargo da supervisão de Jean-Jacques His da Ferrari.
O projecto “Powered by Ferrari” fora anunciado a 11 de Outubro de 2007, altura em que seria assinado um acordo por seis anos entre a Ferrari e o A1GP para a produção e fornecimento de motores, bem como para a prestação de serviços de consultoria ao nível de desenvolvimento do chassis.
Tony Teixeira, Chairman do A1GP, encontra-se naturalmente entusiasmado: “Estamos todos bastante entusiasmados com este projecto, e vai ser fantástico ver o novo carro A1GP “Powered by Ferrari” rodar pela primeira vez na sexta-feira”.
“Obviamente que temos muito trabalho pela frente, já que é apenas o primeiro passo no que será um intenso programa de testes e desenvolvimento, mas estou satisfeito com os progressos feitos até agora”.
Temos uma pequena mas muito dedicada estrutura a operar em Bognor Regis, bem como a sorte de poder contar com a ajuda de algumas empresas bem conhecidas do desporto automóvel para determinadas áreas mais especificas. Tudo está a correr de acordo com o planeado e o carro oficial será apresentado muito em breve”.
|
|
TW Steel becomes Timings Partner of A1GP |
|
Precision is a key word in both motorsport and the watch industry, so the announcement of TW Steel as the new Official Timing and Watch Partner for A1GP World Cup of Motorsport is an ideal match.
Both the series and the watch company are young and growing rapidly, so the three year deal, starting for the 2008/09 season, will see them continue to do this together on a world stage.
‘This is a very exciting period for A1GP and TW Steel,’ said A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira, ‘We are both expanding at a vast rate of knots and have the same aspirations to be recognised in the four corners of the world for excellence in our own fields – A1GP for providing the most exciting racing and TW Steel the most innovative and desirable time pieces. Timing is an essential element in motorsport, so to have such a young, vibrant company partnering us in this is exciting.’
This new partnership is also viewed by TW Steel as a major development which will aid the growth of what is a relatively new company and its Managing Director Jordy Cobelens said: ‘The partnership with A1GP is a very big and important step for TW Steel, and it will help achieve the goal of becoming the biggest brand in oversized watches.’
The company’s logo, which includes two solid dots that are on the face and strap of every watch, will appear on all the series’ official timing screens and on trackside signage, while fans will be able to buy a special A1GP edition watch, all accurate to one twentieth of a second, as part of a retail and merchandise partnership.
TW Steel is a Dutch company with its name meaning ‘The Watch in Steel’ and its tag line being ‘big in oversized watches’. These highly individual watches have proved so successful since they were first introduced three years ago that in 2007 alone the company’s turnover rose by 300 percent, and its worldwide representatives doubled in numbers to nearly 50. Size is very much part of these watches identity with their faces being between 37 and 50milimetres and the company claiming ‘large sizes are also in chime with the current fashion trends’.
|
|
Coulthard to boost A1GP? |
|
 David Coulthard is interested in running a Scotland team in the A1GP series when his career in F1 finally ends. And another grand prix veteran, Giancarlo Fisichella, is looking at the possibility of a Team Italy.
Several other F1 drivers have also been in touch with the boss of A1GP, Tony Texeira, who says that a new deal which will see the series branded as ‘powered by Ferrari’, has provided the respect to make F1 drivers reach for the phones.
|
|
Mugello finally confirmed as 2008/09 Season Opener |
|
 As we 'Exclusively' reported back in March, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport have finally confirmed that the first race of the 2008/09 season will be held at the Mugello circuit in Italy on 21 September 2008.
The A1GP organisers have taken this opportunity at the start of 2007/08 championship finale at Brands Hatch, when there is a large media focus on the series, of announcing a brand new venue for the start of Season Four.
It will be the first time Italy has hosted an A1GP round, and the Italians are renowned as a nation who love their sport. Italy is the current football World Cup holders, having taken that crown in 2006.
The 5.25km Mugello circuit is one of Italy’s most popular racing tracks and currently hosts motorcycling’s premier series, MotoGP. It is located near Florence in Tuscany.
Mugello joins the current schedule alongside the previously announced round at Zandvoort, the Netherlands, which will take place two weeks later on October 3-5. The remainder of the 2008/09 schedule will be announced shortly.
|
|
Choi set to drive Korean car for 2008/09 entry? |
|
 The chances are that Récardo Bruins Choi will be driving for A1 Team Korea next year. The Dutch/ Korean driver is now negotiating with Team Korea which was launched in China last Sunday.
"There are talks going on between A1 Team Korea, Récardo Bruins Choi and two other drivers. Récardo has the best chances, as he is the most experienced driver of the three", so the management of Récardo told GPupdate.net.
The 22-year old has been approached before to drive A1GP. "Two times before something went wrong while starting up the team, so this time, we wanted to be sure that there actually was going to be an A1 Team Korea to begin with."
A seat in the A1GP will bring Bruins Choi closer to his ultimate goal, Formula 1.
"Korea will be organising their first Formula 1 race in 2010, and it's our goal to get Récardo into F1 by 2010. A1GP is going to be a good preparation to his future in F1."
About Récardo's other plans: "He will be driving the Asian Renault V6 championship for E-Rain. Earlier, Karun Chandok and Armaan Ebrahim were driving for this Korean team. And should A1GP fail then we will be looking if Récardo can get a seat in the Superleague Formula for a Korean soccerteam."
Récardo Bruins Choi finished fourth in the German ATS Formula 3 cup.
|
|
| Forum |
|
| A1GP & Ferrari |
|
|
