NZ Cement 2nd on A1GP Table
New Zealand has tightened its hold on second place in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport after podium finishes in both point-scoring races on the waterfront street circuit in Durban this morning.
Kiwi driver Matt Halliday finished 3rd in both the Sprint Race and the Feature Race to snare 14 points and extend the team's lead over 3 rd placed France from five to 12 points.
Championship leaders Germany, who qualified on pole, were runaway winners of both the Sprint Race and Feature Race - their sixth win on the trot and eighth of the season. Germany also set the fastest lap of the day to tally the maximum 17 points for the weekend.
Germany now has 99 points, New Zealand 69 and France 57, with Great Britain (46 points) and Switzerland (45) rounding out the top five.
A1 Team.NZL spokesman Bob McMurray said Halliday drove bravely and well in his first A1GP drive since early November.
"The key to street racing is keeping it clean, keeping it off the wall and going fast and Matt did all three," McMurray said. "He had a few valiant attempts at reeling in the hard-charging Great Britain, but he had to defend as well as attack and 3rd in the feature was a good result given the drama behind him."
The Feature Race generated plenty of thrills and spills with 14 cars in the field of 23 failing to finish as the challenging circuit and fierce conditions took their toll on gearboxes throughout the race.
Halliday started slowly, dropping from 3rd to 6th, but a slick pit stop and a drive-through penalty accorded the Netherlands allowed Halliday to make up ground and he spent the rest of the race locking horns with GBR driver Robbie Kerr in the most compelling contest of the day.
Earlier, Black Beauty dropped one place to finish 3rd in the Sprint Race after qualifying in second spot. Halliday scored four points in finishing behind Germany and France, with the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland securing points for being in the Top 6.
Halliday said a little bit of rustiness was the reason behind his slow starts in both races.
"I'm really disappointed I cost us a better position with both starts, but I can't be too disappointed in two podium placings," Halliday said.
"Great Britain was quick enough in the right places to hold me off and I didn't want to take too many gambles and risk losing valuable championship points."
The A1GP series now heads to Mexico for Round 9 on 25 March. The final two rounds of the season take place in Shanghai on 15 April and Brands Hatch, England on 29 April.
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Kiwi driver Matt Halliday finished 3rd in both the Sprint Race and the Feature Race to snare 14 points and extend the team's lead over 3 rd placed France from five to 12 points.
Championship leaders Germany, who qualified on pole, were runaway winners of both the Sprint Race and Feature Race - their sixth win on the trot and eighth of the season. Germany also set the fastest lap of the day to tally the maximum 17 points for the weekend.
Germany now has 99 points, New Zealand 69 and France 57, with Great Britain (46 points) and Switzerland (45) rounding out the top five.
A1 Team.NZL spokesman Bob McMurray said Halliday drove bravely and well in his first A1GP drive since early November.
"The key to street racing is keeping it clean, keeping it off the wall and going fast and Matt did all three," McMurray said. "He had a few valiant attempts at reeling in the hard-charging Great Britain, but he had to defend as well as attack and 3rd in the feature was a good result given the drama behind him."
The Feature Race generated plenty of thrills and spills with 14 cars in the field of 23 failing to finish as the challenging circuit and fierce conditions took their toll on gearboxes throughout the race.
Halliday started slowly, dropping from 3rd to 6th, but a slick pit stop and a drive-through penalty accorded the Netherlands allowed Halliday to make up ground and he spent the rest of the race locking horns with GBR driver Robbie Kerr in the most compelling contest of the day.
Earlier, Black Beauty dropped one place to finish 3rd in the Sprint Race after qualifying in second spot. Halliday scored four points in finishing behind Germany and France, with the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland securing points for being in the Top 6.
Halliday said a little bit of rustiness was the reason behind his slow starts in both races.
"I'm really disappointed I cost us a better position with both starts, but I can't be too disappointed in two podium placings," Halliday said.
"Great Britain was quick enough in the right places to hold me off and I didn't want to take too many gambles and risk losing valuable championship points."
The A1GP series now heads to Mexico for Round 9 on 25 March. The final two rounds of the season take place in Shanghai on 15 April and Brands Hatch, England on 29 April.
www.a1gp.com