Asian Motor Sports

Jonny Reid, making his first appearance of the new season for A1 Team New Zealand, earned his country pole position for tomorrow’s A1GP sprint race ahead of Germany (Nico Hulkenberg), Malaysia (Alex Yoong), Great Britain (Robbie Kerr, also making his season debut), a much-improved China (Congfu Chen) and Canada (Sean McIntosh, in his first qualifying this season).

Stephen Simpson, enjoying his first race weekend in the SABC Sport and Telkom-backed Vulindlela after spectating in the Netherlands last weekend, was 14th out of the 23 competing nations at the end of the four 15-minute qualifying sessions this afternoon.

Reid, like GB’s Kerr and Canada’s McIntosh (a winner last season), was making his first appearance for his country in the second season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, had an aggregate time of 3 min 30,05 sec for his two best laps, 0,47 sec ahead of Hulkenberg and 0.99 sec better than Yoong (also a winner in the 2005/2006 season). Reid was also credited with the fastest qualifying lap of 1 min 45,013 sec. Simpson’s best lap was 1 min 46,80 sec. (Story continued at A1 Podium)