Full Throttle

I don’t have the official qualy times as yet but France’s Nicholas Lapierre has taken the pole at Eurospeedway in Lausitzring, Germany. Team USA with Scott Speed at the wheel sits in second and Nelson Piquet Jr, winner of the first event at Brands Hatch is third.

It was quite a turn around for Speed after a disasterous Brands Hatch where he qualed mid-pack and finished a distant 17^th when an electrical problem sent him to the pits. Lapierre had been consistently fast throughout Friday’s practice and he maintained that during all four of todays sessions to grab the pole.

There have been a few driver changes of note this week. The Russian Team aren’t playing this week and have taken their Cooper Tyres and gone home. They are doing what is being called a “reorganization.” That may have something to do with being 11 seconds off the pole two weeks ago. But I could be wrong, maybe it’s just a Stoli break!

Other changes see Christian Jones making his first A1GP appearance for father Alan’s Australian Team, while Tomas Enge - free of IRL commitments - takes over for the Czech Republic. Salvador Duran, who had an excellent start in the U.K. will be contesting the F3 finale, and gives up his Mexico Team seat to David Fernandez. New Zealand substitutes Jonny Reid for Matt Halliday, who is competing at Mount Panarama this weekend in the Super Cheap Auto 1000km at Bathurst.

If laps times are an indication, the first 9 on the grid are only one tenth apart, it should be a hotly contested event and unlike Brands Hatch Nelson Piquet Jr should have some competition.

A1GP, Auto Racing, Sports