A1GP 2007-2008

[kallu]

So this seasons first official test is finished
NK was behind the wheel.

1 SOUTH AFRICA 01m 10.484s
2 FRANCE + 0.047s
3 GREAT BRITAIN + 0.075s
4 IRELAND + 0.183s
5 SWITZERLAND + 0.189s
6 GERMANY + 0.390s
7 INDIA + 0.398s
8 NEW ZEALAND + 0.541s
9 NETHERLANDS + 0.585s
10 MALAYSIA + 0.853s
11 BRAZIL + 0.864s
12 USA + 0.961s
13 AUSTRALIA + 1.094s
14 ITALY + 1.129s
15 PORTUGAL + 1.188s
16 CHINA + 1.389s
17 INDONESIA + 1.536s
18 CZECH REPUBLIC + 1.680s
19 CANADA + 1.742s
20 PAKISTAN + 1.912s
21 LEBANON + 2.007s
22 MEXICO + 2.854s

Indian has gone with a complete new livery, opting for the sporting colours rather than flag colours.

[jaydeep]

Good to see us in the top-cars mix ... This year we should aim for higher as Narain is going to available for whole season and these testing help them to tune car properly for the race.

[kallu]

Yesterday's testing in silverstone. So NK is still hanging around the A1 crowd..

http://www.a1gp.com/News/NewsArticle.aspx?newsId=32137

‘I don’t think we are going to change the set-up massively but we just need to work on it to suit my driving style.’

so is he still gonna race for IND ?

1 NZL NEW ZEALAND 48.613 56 48.102 51 48.102
2 IND INDIA 48.637 45 48.362 32 48.362 +0.260 +0.260
3 NED NETHERLANDS 48.373 41 48.730 22 48.373 +0.271 +0.011
4 FRA FRANCE 48.395 49 49.305 30 48.395 +0.293 +0.022
5 CHN CHINA 49.114 48 48.421 31 48.421 +0.319 +0.026
6 GBR GREAT BRITAIN 49.112 26 48.432 38 48.432 +0.330 +0.011
7 RSA SOUTH AFRICA 48.540 43 48.597 38 48.540 +0.438 +0.108
8 GER GERMANY 48.567 28 48.977 26 48.567 +0.465 +0.027
9 CAN CANADA 48.687 59 48.570 42 48.570 +0.468 +0.003
10 IRL IRELAND 49.531 32 48.688 33 48.688 +0.586 +0.118
11 SUI SWITZERLAND 48.742 42 50.535 48 48.742 +0.640 +0.054
12 PAK PAKISTAN 48.765 22 49.055 27 48.765 +0.663 +0.023
13 USA USA 48.821 73 49.567 32 48.821 +0.719 +0.056
14 MAL MALAYSIA 48.890 65 49.474 6 48.890 +0.788 +0.069
15 BRA BRAZIL 48.925 40 49.772 37 48.925 +0.823 +0.035
16 ITA ITALY 48.956 58 49.212 58 48.956 +0.854 +0.031
17 AUS AUSTRALIA 49.172 54 49.063 58 49.063 +0.961 +0.107
18 POR PORTUGAL 49.140 44 49.160 37 49.140 +1.038 +0.077
19 LEB LEBANON 49.388 60 49.180 62 49.180 +1.078 +0.040
20 CZE CZECH REPUBLIC 49.775 40 49.213 43 49.213 +1.111 +0.033
21 INA INDONESIA 49.839 20 49.221 49 49.221 +1.119 +0.008
22 MEX MEXICO 51.008 25 50.288 75 50.288 +2.186 +1.067

[jaydeep]

As per recently read interview of Narain, he mentioned in that he is committed this whole season to A1 GP ... I m trying to find link of it.

[piranha]

NK just went fastest on the secod day of testing at Silverstone :

1 IND INDIA 48.637 45 48.362 32 47.809 24 47.809
2 NZL NEW ZEALAND 48.613 56 48.102 51 47.901 43 47.901 +0.092 +0.092
3 SUI SWITZERLAND 48.742 42 50.535 48 47.932 46 47.932 +0.123 +0.031
4 GER GERMANY 48.567 28 48.977 26 47.957 13 47.957 +0.148 +0.025
5 MAL MALAYSIA 48.890 65 49.474 6 48.114 50 48.114 +0.305 +0.157
6 BRA BRAZIL 48.925 40 49.772 37 48.132 8 48.132 +0.323 +0.018
7 RSA SOUTH AFRICA 48.540 43 48.597 38 48.140 29 48.140 +0.331 +0.008
8 GBR GREAT BRITAIN 49.112 26 48.432 38 48.142 27 48.142 +0.333 +0.002
9 CHN CHINA 49.114 48 48.421 31 48.179 24 48.179 +0.370 +0.037
10 ITA ITALY 48.956 58 49.212 58 48.186 24 48.186 +0.377 +0.007
11 IRL IRELAND 49.531 32 48.688 33 48.196 16 48.196 +0.387 +0.010
12 PAK PAKISTAN 48.765 22 49.055 27 48.326 11 48.326 +0.517 +0.130
13 POR PORTUGAL 49.140 44 49.160 37 48.345 22 48.345 +0.536 +0.019
14 NED NETHERLANDS 48.373 41 48.730 22 48.421 57 48.373 +0.564 +0.028
15 FRA FRANCE 48.395 49 49.305 30 48.442 17 48.395 +0.586 +0.022
16 CAN CANADA 48.687 59 48.570 42 48.495 41 48.495 +0.686 +0.100
17 USA USA 48.821 73 49.567 32 48.572 57 48.572 +0.763 +0.077
18 INA INDONESIA 49.839 20 49.221 49 48.664 23 48.664 +0.855 +0.092
19 AUS AUSTRALIA 49.172 54 49.063 58 48.715 85 48.715 +0.906 +0.051
20 LEB LEBANON 49.388 60 49.180 62 48.869 14 48.869 +1.060 +0.154
21 CZE CZECH REPUBLIC 49.775 40 49.213 43 48.945 16 48.945 +1.136 +0.076
22 MEX MEXICO 51.008 25 50.288 75 49.107 76 49.107 +1.298 +0.162

[kallu]

yeah that was awesome stuff by NK...yesterday he said there was few tenths left in the car...and he proved it .

i dont know how competitive we will be, but this is india's best preseason so far..

[jaydeep]

Karthikeyan ready for A1 GP

Narain Karthikeyan is committed to race for Team India in the A1 Grand Prix till December as long as it does not clash with his possible participation in Formula One this season.

With Narain and Parthiva Sureshwaren forming the team, India is expected to perform better this season.

Ok, that means Narian is committed to A1GP for first 5 races of total 11 races ... So in those 5 races we can hope for podium finish.

[akmohanty]

Narain's races at Zandvoort were a dissappointment given his pre-season promise. He could qualify only 11th and 9th for the sprint and feature races, respectively. In the sprint race, he managed 1 point finishing in 10th. In the feature race, it was worse as he retired on lap 13. so, only 1 point from this weekend, a huge dissappointment 

[jaydeep]

Yup, expectations were high after his superb pre-season testing ... Hopefully he will comeback strongly in next races.

Jaydeep.

[Prem]

Bad day for NK.
But heard in the commentary that NK was not keeping well and hence had to retire from the feature ace too...Probably there lies the reason for a disappointing show.

[kallu]

yeah i was all hyped up for this weekend...ah well, this is only the first race !! Still not entirely sure what happen in the feature race.. news is bit slow to come from A1gp !

[jaydeep]

India's bad luck continues

Narain was forced to pull out of the race with a mechanical failure after a freak accident in the 13th lap and that ended any hopes Team India had of getting something out of the race. Officials in the team were certain though that the car was hit from behind during the initial laps.

"We were hit from behind and it was never the same after that. We aren't sure which car hit us but our car went about four-five feet in the air and then hit the ground hard, that was it," said the Chief Operating Officer of Team India, Yohann Setha.

"After the incident Narain told us that he was not very comfortable with the back end of the car and we were one of the first teams to go into the pits," said Yohan. "We felt it was a problem with the tyres so we changed them. But even then Narain continued feeling uncomfortable and so we decided to stop."

"We had a similar problem in Shanghai last year and we failed to identify it. Subsequently the driver suffered a huge accident," said Yohan. "So we didn't want to repeat the same mistake and put our driver's safety, as well as the other drivers, at risk."

[jaydeep]

A two-time F1 world champion, winner of the CART and Indianapolis 500 Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi (Emmo), who is currently in charge of Team Brazil in the A1 Grand Prix gave nice interview to DNA's Bikash Mohapatra ... In which he talked about Karthiketan, A1 racing and racing drivers.

He is still A1

What do you think of Narain Karthiketan as a driver?
Tiago Monteiro drove for me in America, in Champ Car. I know Tiago well and on his day he can be really fast. And then I saw Narain race against Tiago in a qualifying session and do well. I was surprised to see this guy doing so well against Tiago. He is fast, very fast. He needs time and experience to consolidate his position at an international level. He’s like a diamond that needs to be cut properly.

Many feel Michael Schumacher is the best driver of all times. Your comments.
Michael was a fantastic driver. I mean, to win seven world titles, it has never happened. But then he had a period of time when there was no competition. He was the only top contender. He was fast but he also had a good time period. Do you agree?

So I think Juan Manuel Fangio - the five-time world champion from Argentina - is the greatest of all time. If you put Fangio now, say in a McLaren, he’ll still win. But there have also been many other great champions - like Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart - in different generations.

[jaydeep]

In interesting development Ferrari have signed a 6 yrs deal with A1GP to provide engines and design cars for the A1GP series from 2008 ... And from 2009, Ferrari will also supply engines to a new regional A2GP series as well as designing and consulting on the manufacture of that single seater car ... This also includes an exclusive licensing agreement for A1GP merchandise to use the Ferrari name and phrase 'Powered by Ferrari' from January 2008.

Ferrari to power A1GP series

[kallu]

this deal increases the profile of A1, These will be the only other open wheel ferraris apart from F1. And i think this will bring other high profile drivers to A1.