A1 Team New Zealand has taken its third race victory of the season winning the A1GP Shanghai, China Feature race this afternoon ahead of second placed Great Britain but it was Germany that had the most to celebrate as their third place finish gave them enough points to take the 2006/07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport title.
As the pack weaved through turn one, South Africa made contact with India, damaging the front wing of the first and the side pod of the latter, further back, a tangle between Mexico and Australia forced Brazil wide and the three. Debris on the track caused the safety car to be deployed at the end of the first lap and as it slowed the race speed and re-grouped the field, South Africa took advantage heading into the pits to replace its damaged nose cone.
Racing quickly resumed as the safety car pulled off at the end of lap three with Great Britain s lead instantly coming under attack from an aggressive New Zealand. The USA made its move on a struggling German car for fourth and an unusual mistake from last year s race winner, Malaysia saw the bright yellow car head into the gravel losing seventh place to Italy.
Malaysia re-joined the field at the back of the pack but was offered the opportunity to improve the situation after a spin from Mexico on lap six re-deployed the safety car. With the Mexican car recovered, the safety car headed back to the pits at the end of lap eight and the race re-started with Great Britain leading a top ten of New Zealand, Germany, USA, Switzerland, India, Italy, Netherlands, Australia and Ireland.
After their podium finish in the Mexican Sprint race, hopes were high for A1 Team Australia as it headed to China and despite a poor start to the weekend, things seemed to be on the up for the team. With rookie Ian Dyk behind the wheel again, Australia had the best start off the grid, moving up from 16th to 11th by the end of the first lap. By lap five they were running back in the points in ninth place and were looking strong to continue further but unfortunately it was not to be. Gear selection problems forced a pit stop for a steering wheel change on lap16 and the car headed out again but vibrations in the rear wheel, caused by the first lap collision with Mexico ultimately led to the team s retirement.
