A1 Team India confident of good performance at Sepang

Sepang, Malaysia, Nov 20 (UNI) A1 Team India exuded confidence of a good show in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2007-08 with the third round race of the season beginning on November 23 here.

India's speed maestro Narain Karthikeyan's familiarity with this track justified A1 Team India's optimism as it heads for Sepang. Karthikeyan was enthusiastic for the race and sounded pretty confident for the race.

''I am really looking forward to racing in Malaysia again.

It's the closest we have come to a home race, with a lot of support from the Indians who live in Malaysia.'' he said.

He further added, ''I know the circuit quite well, having raced there before in F1. The heat will also, I hope, be a factor in my favour, as it's really hot in India too. Our race pace has been very good so I think we really need to work hard on finding the sweet-spot in qualifying.'' Despite just two of the 10 rounds having been held so far this season, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport 2007-08 title race has become an exciting event to watch out for.

The circuit was designed in 1999 with former world champion, Michael Schumacher playing a leading role in its design. The A1GP's first entry to the Asian market on this very track two years ago saw the local hero Alex Yoong reach an impressive fifth position for the home crowd's enthusiasm.

Switzerland will, however, bring the surprise package as did demonstrate the growing role of women in motorsport by naming Rahel Frey as its rookie for the weekend. When she takes to the track on Friday, the 21-year-old will become the fifth woman to drive an A1GP car during a race weekend.

Current championship leader New Zealand will have its sights firmly set on extending its one-point advantage over South Africa while Oliver Jarvis will be aiming to keep Great Britain, currently lying third, in title contention.

UNI