Montréal, Canada (August 01, 2007) - A1 Team Canada Seat Holder, Wade Cherwayko, has expressed his delight with today's announcement of the 2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport schedule. Heading into a third season of global competition, A1GP, which pitches nation against nation in identical 550bhp open-wheel race cars during the traditional 'off-season' in motorsport, today unveiled an 11-round calendar starting in September 2007 and concluding in May 2008 with A1 Team Germany as the defending World Champions.
Continuity is foremost in the 2007-08 A1GP calendar with many popular venues returning from last year's schedule. Circuit Park Zandvoort in The Netherlands again has the honour of kicking off the new season, the Dutch seaside resort hosting a 70,000 sell-out last October, while Great Britain's famed Brands Hatch Circuit once again closes the season having hosted the 2006-07 A1GP finale in April - A1 Team Great Britain creating series history there becoming the first nation to score a home pole position and victory before a rapturous British crowd.
Brno Autodrom in the Czech Republic, home of A1 Team Canada's sole podium finish last season - a second place Sprint race finish for Toronto's James Hinchcliffe, follows Zandvoort with the series heading to Asia in November with races in Malaysia and China. The New Year again sees trips to Taupo Motorsports Park in New Zealand and Sydney, Australia with the streets of Durban, South Africa hosting a street race for the third straight season in February 2008. A1GP crosses the Atlantic for a return visit to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico in March before a second stop in China in April and the season finale in Great Britain in early May.
Following an 11th place finish in the 2006-07 A1GP Nations Standings, having fielded James Hinchcliffe and Vancouver's Sean McIntosh behind the wheel, A1 Team Canada is looking to break back into the top-ten after finishing tenth in the inaugural 2005-06 season including a Feature race victory in Indonesia courtesy of McIntosh.
"I think the new calendar represents the growth of A1GP as a truly international racing series," stated A1 Team Canada Seat Holder Wade Cherwayko. "We've established a foot-hold in some amazing territories and the fact that we're returning to race at some venues for a third straight season shows how well the series has been working with individual promoters. We need to get A1 Team Canada firing on all cylinders now and into regular contention for race wins. We've had a win and some podiums through the first two seasons but if we're to take on the likes of Germany, France and Great Britain we need to focus on our own consistency!"
James Hinchcliffe (20), a front-runner in this year's Champ Car Atlantic Championship, raced for A1 Team Canada in A1GP last season scoring a total of seven top-ten finishes. "It's a nice, tight, consistent schedule," said Hinchcliffe. "It's great that the series is returning to some venues which hosted amazing racing last season. The Canadian team has some unfinished business in the likes of the Czech Republic but overall the consistency in the calendar will be good for the teams and drivers and is likely to make the quality of the racing even more spectacular if that's possible!"
2007-08 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport Schedule
Round Date Event
1 30 September 2007 Zandvoort, The Netherlands
2 14 October 2007 Brno, Czech Republic
3 4 November 2007 Asia - Venue TBC
4 25 November 2007 Sepang, Malaysia
5 16 December 2007 Zhuhai, China
6 20 January 2008 Taupo, New Zealand
7 3 February 2008 Sydney, Australia
8 24 February 2008 Durban, South Africa
9 16 March 2008 Mexico City, Mexico
10 6 April 2008 Shanghai, China
11 4 May 2008 Brands Hatch, Great Britain
A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
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