A1 Team Lebanon completes pre-season testing at Silverstone

A1 Team Lebanon, one of the 22 teams in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, completed its final preparations ahead of the first round of the new season, running in the pre-season test session at Silverstone circuit in England this week.

Khalil Beschir and Chris Alajajian drove the Lebanese car at the test, sharing testing duties and working with the team of mechanics and engineers to fine tune the car setup ahead of the first race in the Netherlands at the end of the month. Beschir was the first to get behind the wheel of the powerful 550 bhp A1 race car.

The team used the opportunity to shake down the car, with Beschir undertaking a test programme designed to improve the performance of the car and make technical checks prior to the car being transported to Zandvoort, the location of the first race weekend. Alajajian took over from Beschir in the afternoon and continued with the car setup work.

The young Australian-Lebanese driver has had minimal experience of the Lebanon car, so his focus was on gaining a better understanding of its handling as well as working with the team to make further progress with the lap times. On the final morning of running both drivers had turns in the car and enjoyed their opportunity to fine tune the car for the upcoming season.

Alajajian said of the test, "It was good to have more time in the car before the season starts. I hadn’t had much experience of A1GP before this test, having just shared the car with two other drivers late last month, so I was able to do much more running and feel more confident of myself and the car."

Beschir added, "The team has been working really well over the last two days. We’ve been able to feel comfortable in the car and over the course of the test, have been trying different setup options to improve on our performance. I enjoy driving this car and although I’m not up to speed yet as I’ve not had much racing over the last year or so, it shouldn’t take me long to get on the pace.

A1 Team Lebanon welcomed a team guest for the two-day test, with Marwan Semaan joining the crew. Lebanese student, Semaan, is studying motorsport engineering at Oxford Brookes University in Oxford, England. He took the opportunity to learn first-hand the role of race engineer for an A1GP team.

The 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, with a winter calendar of 11 events will chart a global course as it showcases the unique brand of international motor racing to a diverse audience in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

A1 Team Lebanon has participated in the A1GP Series since its inception in September 2005. This third season is undertaken with a focus on improving performance and nurturing young Lebanese driving talent. The team travels to Zandvoort, Netherlands next week for the first of the eleven events.

Fans can follow the team’s progress at www.A1Team Lebanon.com  

- Alison Hill -