New year hopes for points in New Zealand

A1 Team Lebanon resumes competition in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport this weekend in Taupo, New Zealand. It is the second visit to this Australasian outpost for the A1GP Series, with its introduction to the calendar for the first time last season.

An instant hit with the drivers, fans and teams, Taupo has all the ingredients of a great race venue – beautiful setting, warm hospitality and superb race track. Chris Alajajian and Khalil Beschir will travel to the location, with Alajajian representing the team on track and Beschir supporting as reserve driver.

Alajajian, an Australian Lebanese driver who lives in Sydney has experience of the circuit, so the team is hoping that it can benefit from his track knowledge to secure the team its first World Cup of Motorsport points. The 3.5 km circuit with its new pits facilities and pit complex, and 13 challenging corners, is a track loved by drivers and fans alike. This year the track has been altered to provide even more overtaking opportunities.

The previous left-right-left sequence is now two corners, a tight left hander, followed by an even tighter right hander leading onto the start/finish straight, and this will give fans close up and personal racing action. This weekend also marks the introduction of A1GP’s most important environmental initiative as they become the first global motorsport body to switch to a 30 per cent biofuel mix.

The ‘Think’ greener racing initiative was launched at the beginning of season three to mark A1GP’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. By implementing the E30 fuel mix, A1GP should reduce CO2 emissions by up to 21% per car.

Alajajian says of his Taupo challenge, "We had our best finish of the season so far at the last event in Zhuhai, so I’m hoping that we can build on this and actually achieve our goal of scoring our first points. It’ll be strange for me racing the A1GP car here as the last time I was here was the first A1GP event and I was racing in one of the support races. Now, I’m representing Lebanon in this great series and I’m very determined and focused on getting the best results possible."

Beschir says, "We’ve had a short break over the Christmas period and I think everyone is ready to work hard and try to bring Lebanon the points. We know that is what everyone wants and we do too. Chris has some experience in Taupo, so I hope that this combined with the expertise that we have within our team, can produce the results that we so richly deserve."

The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Taupo, New Zealand begins on Thursday with the rookie/developing nation’s session in the morning, followed by an afternoon official practice session. It continues on Saturday with final practice and qualifying, which sets the grid for Sunday’s two races. The first of these is a short Sprint race and the second one a 70 minutes Feature race including two pit stops.

A1 Team Lebanon fans in the Arab region can watch the action live on Al Jazeera Sport- 

- Alison Hill - also photo