A1GP news
Van der Drift to race in Taupo
30 December 2008A1 Team New Zealand's Black Beauty roars into life in just over three weeks for the team's home race in Taupo, over the weekend 23-25 January 2009. In the build up to the race, the team is proud to announce Hamilton born Chris van der Drift as the driver to power Black Beauty around Taupo for the third time that A1GP action hits New Zealand.
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Having shared driving duties with Earl Bamber for the current season of A1GP racing, van der Drift gets back behind the wheel for Round Four of Season Four of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.
2008 has been a year of on track success for van der Drift, the 22-year-old driver winning the International Formula Master title in style after claiming second overall in the same championship in 2007. On his way to securing championship victory, the young Kiwi won six races, and was on the podium a total of ten times.
Van der Drift grew up and raced in New Zealand until he was 17, and won a huge number of New Zealand Kartsport titles in this time. He now bases himself in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, as he chases the motor-racing circuit around the globe.
'Vandy' as he's known to his friends and fans was on duty at Chengdu, China for Round Two of the current season of the A1GP championship. The weekend proved to be one to forget, with the bumpy nature of the circuit not mating well to van der Drift's aggressive and late braking driving technique.
The team took home just two points from Chengdu, but the allowance for teams to drop their lowest points score of the season will no doubt help the team at the tail end of the season.
As a proven championship winner and impressively fast driver, the selection of van der Drift to drive at Taupo makes sense. Both Chris and the team believe he is well placed to bounce back from the disappointment of Chengdu.
The fact that Taupo is a new circuit doesn't bother van der Drift, as he's spent much of his career learning new circuits during competition in A1GP, as well as Formula BMW, International Formula Master and GP2 racing.
A1 Team New Zealand sits third equal in the points table with 31 points, still well within reach of current points-leader Ireland who have scored 43 points to date. A1 Team Portugal is second in the standings heading to Taupo with 35 points, while France is tied with New Zealand for third.
Chris van der Drift commented on his assignment: "Taupo is an important race for the team. Seeing as I haven't done much racing in New Zealand in my single seater career, it's so fantastic to have the opportunity to drive Black Beauty at Taupo.
"I haven't driven on the [Taupo] circuit in its current form, but I know the circuit and have walked it when I was helping Earl Bamber in 2006. The sound of the new A1 racecar is on another page! They really have that typical Ferrari engine note.
"I'll treat Taupo like another race. I don't feel too much pressure, and won't let that get in the way of my performance."
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| Chris van der Drift news | |
|---|---|
| 08 Apr. | Bamber retained by New Zealand for Algarve |
| 06 Oct. '08 | Van der Drift wins Honda F1 test |
| More Chris van der Drift news, Photos | |
| A1 Team New Zealand news | |
| 10 Apr. | Bamber sets early pace, Beatriz crashes |
| 12 Feb. | Bamber to race in Gauteng |
| 29 Sep. '08 | Bamber to race for A1 Team New Zealand |
| 16 Mar. '08 | New Zealand wins Mexican sprint |
| 02 Feb. '08 | Title rivals grab Sydney poles |
| 20 Jan. '08 | Reid wins sprint race at home track! |
| More A1 Team New Zealand news, Photos | |