11/03/2008
NEWS STORY
A1 Team Pakistan returns to racing action this week, for the eighth round of the 2007/08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. After an exciting, eventful but ultimately disappointing race weekend in Durban, South Africa, the team is keen to fight back and improve on their results. Adam Khan (right) will once again represent his nation, racing with countries from around the globe at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico.
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit hosted a round of the F1 World Championship from 1962 to 1970 and again from 1986 to 1992. After widespread renovation, the track has recently held Champ Car and NASCAR events. This will be the second year the A1GP series has visited the 4.42 km, 17 corner circuit. The bumpy surface makes handling difficult for drivers and the relatively high altitude – the track lies at 2,285 metres (7,500 feet) above sea level – adds to the challenging conditions. At nearly one and a half miles above sea level, the A1GP drivers and cars will be under increased stress in Mexico City, with poor air quality and low oxygen levels. Not only will this prove tiring for the drivers, but it will also affect the performance of the engines, with the A1GP cars likely to suffer a reduction in power.
The challenge for Khan is greater than many racing this weekend, as it will be his first visit to the track, while many of the field experienced it last season. He says, "I will spend the first part of the session learning the track configuration, and this one will take a little longer than others as it's fairly long and quite technical. I'm looking forward to driving at this track as it's renowned for the Peraltada corner which is meant to be adrenalin-pumping and needs you to be brave to get the best out of it. I don't think it will be easy to score points here, but we'll be trying our hardest."
A1 Team Pakistan Seatholder Arif Husain added, "The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez will present a difficult test, but I know the team always put in 100 per cent to get the best possible result for Pakistan. Of most importance is to see the A1 Team Pakistan car racing on this global motorsport stage and representing this great nation of wonderful people. With equal machinery, A1GP always provides us with close racing and on this very challenging circuit I'm sure that this weekend will be no different. We look forward to watching Adam representing his home nation in Mexico."