The third season of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport is to get underway this weekend at the Zandvoort circuit in the Netherlands and A1 Team Lebanon is ready to line up alongside 21 other countries to compete for the pride of its nation.
The team start this new season with two drivers representing their country. Khalil Beschir has been with the team since the inception of the team and he is joined by Chris Alajajian, an Australian-born Lebanese. Alajajian, as a newcomer to the Lebanese team, has never competed in an A1GP race before, but has been given the chance to drive for the nation at the first round of the 2007/08 Series in the Netherlands.
The race at Zandvoort will be an opportunity for him to showcase his abilities alongside some of the best motorsport nations in the world. Prior to joining A1 Team Lebanon, Alajajian was competing successfully in the Australian Formula Three series before being given the chance to participate in three A1GP test sessions in the UK. The tests took place at the Snetterton and Silverstone race circuits, and after impressing the team during these sessions, Alajajian sealed his chance to race for the Lebanese nation.
Khalil Beschir will travel with Alajajian to Zandvoort, although with only one car, he will have to wait a little longer for his turn behind the wheel. He will be on hand for team PR duties throughout the weekend, as well as being an important team member and continuing to learn from the experienced engineering staff.
Speaking ahead of the new season, seat holder Tameem Auchi commented: "We are looking forward to the third season of A1, we feel confident that we’re improving and we’re constantly aiming for those elusive points.
We’ve chosen Chris to drive for us at Zandvoort because we feel he is ready for a race weekend, even though he will have less track time than normal at Zandvoort because we aren’t running on Friday, he is a quick learner and should cope with the pressure well.
"Both Chris and Khalil play an important role in the team and alongside our new engineering operation, Argo Racing, we are confident that we can improve as we move through the A1GP 2007/08 calendar."
Rookie driver Chris Alajajian is thrilled at the prospect of lining up for Lebanon; "When I was invited to test with Team Lebanon it was a dream come true in itself, I never thought that so soon after driving the car I would be asked to be lead race driver.
My parents are coming over to watch the race, and as Lebanese, they are excited to see me in a car with our national flag on the side, so I hope I can do well to make them proud. I will definitely be focusing on bringing the car home as high up the field as I can.
"I’ve not raced at Zandvoort before, but I Khalil and I did make a quick trip there last week to familiarise ourselves with it. The track looks interesting and should provide the fans with some good racing, as there are some good overtaking places.
It’s a technical track, so during the two days of running, there will be plenty of work to do to learn the track and work on set-up prior to the races on Sunday, but I think we can get a good result from the weekend."
A1 Team Lebanon is one of over 20 countries represented in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. The Series, now embarking on its third year of competition, will travel the globe showcasing highly competitive, exciting racing which pits nation against nation in identical cars.
The new season starts in Zandvoort, Netherlands on the 30th September.
For all the information on the team visit www.A1TeamLebanon.com
- Alison Hill -
Photos will be on automobilsport.com under PHOTOS - A1GP Series
