A1GP news

Bleekemolen up for title fight

Jeroen Bleekemolen believes A1 Team Netherlands is in better shape than ever before to fight for the A1GP title - and expects the team's improved form to continue in Malaysia. The Netherlands currently sits fourth in the A1GP standings - equal on points with Great Britain in third - having experienced a much better start to the season in 2007/08 than it had last season.

At this stage in 2006/07, the Netherlands was only eighth in the championship, but two podium finishes in two events has already marked Bleekemolen's squad as one of Season Three's front-runners. Bleekemolen also qualified on pole for the first time for the Feature race in Brno, Czech Republic. 'It will all be down to consistency in the end - and it seems we should be consistent this year,' Bleekemolen said.

'At the end of last year we were pretty much on the pace and this year we have started taking more podium finishes. We are quick enough and are really challenging for the title, which is what we have got to fight for. We've had two podiums and the other two races we had points, so it is a good start - although it is disappointing because from those other two we deserved a bit more.'

Crucially however, the 26-year-old believes this improvement can continue into the next round in Sepang, Malaysia on 25 November. That meeting was the scene of one of the team's poorer 2006/07 rounds, with just two points scored across both races. 'Last year we were really struggling in Sepang - but we were struggling even more in Brno and look what we did there this year, with the pole position and the podium. We have changed so much more of the set-up of the car for this that we know we should have a good set-up in Malaysia, the whole team has got a lot better.

'So I see no reason why we cannot be on the same pace there as we were in Brno - but it is hard to predict because you because everyone is so competitive.'

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