Sunday, January 25, 2009

A1 Team Indonesia finished 13th in the Sprint race, but retired from the Feature race in Taupo, New Zealand today. The fourth event of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport brought this unique brand of motor racing to the island with thousands gathering to enjoy the spectacle.



Satrio made a good start, overtaking the Chinese car in the opening lap and then benefiting from an incident between Brazil and Great Britain, to lie 16th at the end of lap one. After all the teams had made their mandatory pitstops, and very quick pitwork from the Indonesian crew, Satrio was lying in 14th place. The young Indonesian held position for the remaining seven laps to cross the line and finish 14th. The team was promoted to 13th place when the Monaco team were penalised for an incident in the Sprint race.



Of the Sprint race Satrio said, “We didn’t have the best start, but it’s quite difficult when the grid is on a bend. On the warm up lap I struggled with traction, so we put more wing on and this helped to give me more grip. Once we were into the lap we were able to make progress and made up ground. The team gave me a very good pitstop although I was a bit slow into the pit box. In the second part of the race we had a good pace”.



In the Feature race Satrio made a good start, quickly passing slower cars to move up to 13th place. He dropped back one place by the time of the first pitstops but ran in 14th spot until a small error ended with a spin, dropping the Indonesia team back two places. After the first round of pitstops Satrio was lying in 16th place and he retained this position until after the second stop. An off course excursion by the Chinese car ahead of him gave Satrio an opportunity to take 15th place and he stayed in this slot for the mid-part of the race. The Ferrari safety car appeared on track while the marshals removed a stranded Monaco car with 12 laps to go, and after two paced laps the field were released to race again. In the closing stages Satrio was unfortunate to spin at the final chicane with the car coming to a halt on the grass, ending the Indonesian team’s day.

Satrio summed up his Feature race saying, “We had a good start and were up to 13th, but I found it very slippery which was why I spun. In the mid-section we had a better pace, but then I spun out and it was the end of my race.”



Bobby Issazadhe, Team Manager, concluded of the day, “We haven’t had the best of weekends and that is reflected in our results. The car was good and the pace should have been there. I know Satrio is trying hard and gaining more and more experience, so I’d like to see the results we need now.”



The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport moves on to South Africa next month for the fifth event of the season. Kyalami circuit in Johannesburg will host the A1GP Series for the first time, following three successful events at a street circuit in Durban. The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Gauteng takes place from 20-22 February.

Saturday, January 24, 2009
A1 Team Indonesia continued preparations for the fourth round of the 2008/09 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Taupo, New Zealand today. The team will line up in 19th place for tomorrow’s Sprint race and 18th for the main Feature race.

Picture from A1GP.com

With the track kicking up plenty of dust, the field of A1GP drivers took to the track for a final practice session this morning. Satrio and the Indonesia team were hot off the mark to gain as much track time as possible in preparation for the afternoon qualifying session. The demanding track, with 13 turns over the 3.5km lap distance is a test for driver and car. The tight corners have heavy G-forces and require top level driver fitness, and the narrow Taupo track features dusty runoffs, needs precise driving and a well balanced car to get the most from it. Satrio drove consistently to finish 18th fastest after the hour and the team then started work on final preparations for qualifying.


The first two parts of the qualifying session set the Sprint race grid and the second two parts determine the order that the cars line up in for the Feature race. In the first of the team’s flying laps Satrio put in a solid effort to line up in 19th place to line up in this position on the Sprint race grid. In the final two segments he drove another two consistent laps to line up in 18th position for the Feature race.

Picture from A1GP.com

Satrio said of the day, “It was a tough session, I made a mistake on the first corner which cost me six tenths, so we could have had a better time for the Sprint qualifying. In the Feature race I braked too late in the last corner, so again I didn’t put in a good lap time. We have the pace, so we should be better tomorrow. We need to keep the car on the track and away from any incidents as I’m sure there will be a lot of these and safety car periods, as it is such a narrow track. Hopefully we can gain from other drivers misfortunes.”


Bobby Issazadhe, Team Manager for the Indonesia team adds, “Overall it’s been a bit disappointing, as we didn’t gain enough with the new tyres and not enough improvement. I think the car has a decent balance on old tyres, so we have to play it safe and pick up on other peoples mistakes.”


The A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, New Zealand race weekend concludes tomorrow with the finale of the weekend, the Sprint and Feature races.