in partnership with a1gp world cup of...

sHOW FEATUREs

in pARTnERsHip WiTH A1Gp WORld CUp OF MOTORspORT

sKYCiTY sUpERCAR sHOW The SKYCITY Supercar Show in partnership with A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will be split into four sections:

lUxURY On WHEElsOn display are cars from some of the World’s most famous marques, including Lamborghini, Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari.

RACE plACEGaze at the finely tuned speed machines that sprint around racing circuits, and learn how top drivers progress from kart racing, to competing with Black Beauty powered by Ferrari.

GREEn MACHinEs

Discover how today’s most energy efficient vehicles work. Models from Hyundai, Lexus, and Volkswagen will be on display – including a diesel/electric powered rally car.

ViRTUAl RACinGFeel the rush as you go up against your mates in one of the race simulators.

sKYCiTY sUpERCAR sHOW T ECH spECs WiTH FlExCar enthusiasts will have a rare opportunity to gain unique insight into the preparation of New Zealand’s premier race car next week at the SKYCITY Supercar Show in partnership with A1GP.

A1 Team New Zealand’s Data Engineer, Jonathan Moury aka “Flex”, will be running daily seminars on the technical specifications and set up of Black Beauty, A1 Team New Zealand’s ‘Powered by Ferrari’ A1GP car, throughout the show.

The Belgian worked in several race series around the world, including the Le Mans Endurance Series, World Touring Car Championship, British Touring Car Series, FIA-GT, and the Victory Challenge America’s Cup campaign before joining A1 Team New Zealand.

The audience will learn about aspects of race preparation, race simulation, data analysis and will be given the opportunity to ask questions to both John and A1 Team New Zealand drivers Chris Van Der Drift, Jonny Reid and Earl Bamber.

Tech Specs with Flex seminars, will run between 2.30pm - 3.15pm daily throughout the duration of the show. Carries no additional charge.

THE CARs

sKYCiTY sUpERCAR sHOW

» McLaren F1 LM Road Car

» McLaren M8A Can-Am Class

» Aston Martin DBS

» Aston Martin V8 Vantage

» Ferrari ENZO

» Ferrari 430 Scuderia

» Jaguar XF SV8

» Jaguar XKR

» Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder

» Audi RS6 Avant

» Audi R8

» Audi Q5 3.0 TDI (New Zealand Launch)

» Bentley Continental Flying Spur

» Lexus ISF

» Porsche GT2/ Gen II 911

» Porsche Cayman S

» Porsche Cayenne Turbo

» Porsche Boxster

» Renault Megane R26 F1 Edition

» Volvo C30 T5

» Volvo XC 60D5 (New Zealand Launch)

» Land Rover Range Rover Sport

» Land Rover Defender 90 SVT

» Land Rover Discovery 3

» A1GP 08/09 Powered by Ferrari

» A1GP 05/06 -

A1GP 07/08 Powered by Lola/Zytek

» Porsche 2008 997 GT3 Cup Car

» Ford Fiesta ST150, Winning NZ Rally Championship N3 car and winner of NZ Fiesta Sporting Challenge Sponsor NZ Truth

» Mitsubishi Evo 9 RS, Pirelli Star Challenge, Sponsor Citizen Watches

» Kosmic TS28 Junior Yamaha Class Kart

» Kart Rotax Heavy

» Lexus GS450h

» Volkswagen Polo Blue Motion

» Volkswagen Polo Rally Car

» Volkswagen Jetta Blue Motion

» Volkswagen Passat Blue Motion


AsTOn MARTin dBsThe newest model from Aston Martin and featured in the latest James Bond film.

AUdi Q5The new Audi Q5 will make its first appearance at this show. This new entrant into the SVU segment combines a dynamism of a sports sedan with an impressively versatile SVU interior.


F ERRARi EnZONamed after the founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, it is one of the most powerful naturally aspirated (petrol powered) cars in the world. Produced between 2003 – 2004, only 400 were ever made making it especially rare on New Zealand roads. This is the only one in New Zealand. Not surprisingly it typically trades above US$1 million at auction.

Also capable of incredible speeds it can reach 100kph from a standing start in just 3.14 seconds and tops out at around 368 kph. It will cover quarter of a mile in approximately 11 seconds! The Enzo is pushed along by Ferrari's F140 65° V12 with 4 valves per cylinder, dual overhead cams and variable valve timing.

FERRARi 430 sCUdERiAFirst unveiled by Michael Schumacher at the Frankfurt Motorshow in 2007 the 430 Scuderia very much picks up where the Enzo left off in terms of performance and incorporates many styling cues from classic Ferrari's produced over the years. So it's not only sexy but it's blisteringly quick too with a top speed of 319 kph and 0-100 kph time of 3.1 seconds.

Based on the Ferrari 430 the 430 Scuderia weighs 100kg less and incorporates super fast shifting - helping to make it one of the fastest cars from an acceleration perspective.

lAMBORGHini GAllARdO spYdERThis car reaches a top speed of 314kph with the roof up and 307kph with the roof down. Accelerating from 0 to 100kph in 4.3 seconds.


MClAREn F1 ROAd CARUntil recently this was the fastest legal road car in the World. With a top speed of 386 kph it is nothing short of a rocket on wheels. Capable of going from 0 to 100kph in just 3.1 seconds the McLaren is powered by a 6.1-litre 60° BMW S70 V12 engine. It was also one of the first production cars to use a carbon-fibre monocoque chassis and made use of other expensive materials like carbon fibre, titanium, gold, magnesium and kevlar.

First introduced in 1993 there were only 106 of these rare machines ever built (and only 64 were road legal like the one on show). Manufacturing ceased in 1998.

MClAREn M8AM8A-2, Denny Hulme’s car was constructed at the McLaren Colnbrook factory in England in early 1968 by the team, which included New Zealanders Colin Beanland, Cary Taylor, George Begg and Chris Charles. The two M8As were only just ready in time for the opening round of the 1968 Can-Am series in North America and at Elkhart Lake the McLaren Team pulled several all nighters to make the cars raceworthy.

pORsCHE GT2/ GEn i i 911The classic Supercar. 390kW (530hp) @ 6,500 rpm and can do 0 to 100kph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of 329kph.

nEW ZEAlAnd’s A1Gp dRiVERs


CHRis VAn dER dRiFTHometown: Hamilton, NZ

Lives: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Age: 22

Hamilton born Chris van der Drift carries New Zealand’s hopes into the country’s home race of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Taupo Motorsport Park over the weekend of 23-25 January. While he may not have been on the radar for many Kiwi motorsport fans over the past few seasons,Van der Drift’s time spent on the tough European racing circuit will stand him in good stead as he tackles his first home race for three years.

In 2008 van der Drift won the International Formula Master championship in style, claiming six race wins and a total of ten trips to the podium. There has never been an International Formula Master race in New Zealand, but to put the speed of the cars in perspective, they are placed in between a New Zealand Toyota Racing Car, and an A1GP car.

Racing in Europe is especially competitive, so the race-craft and results van der Drift has earned over his last few years of competition no doubt pr oves him as a top choice to drive Black Beauty at Taupo. Van der Drift has clocked up some strong mileage behind the wheel of Black Beauty, driving her in the first official test day of the current A1GP season. Following this, he lined up for his first race weekend for New Zealand at China’s Chengdu circuit. The weekend didn’t reward the team with the results they were after; the best result was seventh place in the Sprint race. But the break over Christmas has allowed time to further refine Black Beauty’s technical settings before Taupo to ensure Chris has the best equipment to do the job.

Hamilton was home for van der Drift for many years, until both his parents and grandmother sold their homes and moved to Europe, to invest in Chris’ career and give him the chance to provehimself. Now based in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, van der Drift is rarely at his European base due to his busy racing calendar.

Chris’s first foray in car racing came about after he won the European Formula BMW scholarship.The prize paid for part of the season’s racing, but van der Drift’s family had to cover the rest of the budget. The investment was rewarded by his winning the Rookie of the Year title, and securing fourth overall. Rookie of the Year titles also followed for van der Drift in 2006 in the Formula Renault Eurocup and NEC championships, before moving to the European Formula Master championship in 2007, where he secured second place in his first year in the category.

An adrenaline junkie, ‘Vandy’ as his friends call him, rates skydiving as one of the most exciting things he’s done outside of driving race cars.


EARl BAMBERHometown: Wanganui, NZ

Lives: Wanganui, NZ

Age: 18

Wanganui’s Earl Bamber is a young Kiwi on a mission – a motor-racing mission! At just 18-yearsold, Bamber has already competed in more than 100 motor races. More impressively – he’s won more than a quarter of these races, a race to win ratio achieved by very few drivers in the world.

Bamber starred for A1 Team New Zealand at the opening round of this season’s A1GP racing at Zandvoort, The Netherlands. Going in to the Zandvoort race weekend, Bamber’s only A1GP experience was three ‘Rookie’ test sessions in Season Three which take place before the main A1GP racing action starts.

Despite his relative inexperience in A1GP competition, Bamber produced a performance well beyond his years, coming home second in the Sprint Race, and third in the Feature Race. With extremely challenging wet weather confronting him, Bamber kept a cool head to come out of the weekend in third place on the points ladder. After Zandvoort, Bamber packed in a mega schedule of driving commitments around the globe, before returning to the drivers’ seat for the third round of A1GP, this time at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit.

Once again Bamber put in a mature drive, while many far more experienced competitors were caught up in spectacular crashes. He again brought Black Beauty home on the podium in the Sprint Race with third place, before carving his way from fifteenth to sixth in the Feature Race. While Bamber has other racing commitments that prevent him from joining A1 Team New Zealand in Taupo, expect to see him back behind the wheel of Black Beauty soon.

Bamber is a protégée of the Toyota Racing Series, having raced in New Zealand’s premier wings and slicks class as part of the A1 Team.NZL Junior Development Team. Prior to this, he grew up with a background in Kartsport and Formula Ford. These days, Bamber also fills his schedule with stints driving in the GP2 Asia championship, a class genuinely seen as one of the final steps before Formula 1.

Bamber is no different to so many Kiwis with their love of the outdoors, and when he gets back to New Zealand after a time away, the talented driver loves nothing more than swapping his racinghelmet for a surfboard.

And it seems petrol runs in the veins of the Bamber family. Earl’s fifteen year old brother has recently progressed to car racing from Kartsport, so the brotherly rivalry between the two is often taken out on car-racing computer games.


JOnnY REidHometown: Auckland, New Zealand

Lives: Auckland, New Zealand

Age: 25

Jonny Reid became a household name for many Kiwi fans of A1 Team New Zealand following stunning performances from the first season of A1GP racing. After claiming his first A1GP race win in Season Two at Indonesia, Reid went on to score a total of seven A1GP victories at the helm of Black Beauty.

The twenty-five year old Auckland based driver not only steered Black Beauty to race victories, he also twice took A1 Team New Zealand so close to championship stardom. New Zealand finished second in both Season Two and Three of A1GP, with Reid playing a major part as one of two drivers for New Zealand in Season Two. For Season Three of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, Reid was nominated as New Zealand’s sole race driver for the team, and all season put in strong drives to again secure second place in the championship.

Reid grew up racing in Kartsport since he was nine years old, and from an early age established himself as an extremely successful racer. He claimed numerous titles racing Karts, including five New Zealand championships. Having proven himself in Kartsport, Reid made the transition to car racing, starting out in Formula Ford. His raw speed in a kart was translated to full sized cars with exceptional pace, seeing Reid win the 2002-03 New Zealand Formula Ford championship and the 2003 New Zealand Grand Prix. Following Reid’s Formula Ford success, the young Kiwi driver has continued to forge a path as a versatile and super quick driver. He has competed in races around the globe, in categories including Australian Formula Holden, Japanese Formula 3, European Formula 3000 and Australian V8 Supercars at famous circuits such as Bathurst. Lately, Reid has chased the American racing scene, pursuing a drive in the Indy Pro Series.

A further feather in Reid’s cap was his award of the Jim Clark Trophy in 2008, MotorSport New Zealand’s premier award which recognizes drivers competing at the highest level of the sport. Joining Reid on the honours list for winning the Jim Clark trophy are luminaries such as Scott Dixon, Paul Radisich and Greg Murphy. While the date of Reid’s next outing in Black Beauty is not confirmed, the likable New Zealand hero can be expected to be back at the wheel of his nation’s very own race car in the near future.

When he’s not behind the wheel of a race car, Reid can often be found near the water taking part inone of his favourite pastimes, wakeboarding. And like all serious racing drivers, Reid takes great pride in his fitness, maintaining a strict training regime to ensure he’s at the peak of his game.


WHAT is A1Gp? » An entirely new concept in motor racing:

A1GP pits nation against nation in the “World Cup of Motorsport”

» A level playing field:

Drivers from more than 20 nations compete as equals without financial or technological advantage

» Inclusive not exclusive:

Despite its glamorous profile, A1GP is both accessible and affordable to everyone

» Speed and glamour combined:

A1GP offers a series of fast, adrenaline-fuelled weekends set in sensational locations across the world

» High speed action at every turn:

Tight, twisty street circuits and world-famous venues guarantee excitement

» A wider audience:

In addition to the traditional motorsport fan base, A1GP attracts a new audience passionate about their country and heritage

» Interaction with teams & drivers:

Over three days of on-track action A1GP builds a close affinity between fans, teams and drivers

» A new medium for national & international brands:

A1GP offers a unique opportunity for brand exposure on a global scale


H isTORY OF THE A1GpOn 30 March 2004, A1 Grand Prix, a brand new concept in international motorsport was launched to the world’s press at the prestigious Jumeira Beach hotel in Dubai. Series’ founder Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum unveiled his vision for an exciting yet accessible sport where all countries would compete on a level playing field. From this spark, grew A1GP, a series with deliberately equalised technology and national teams, racing their country flag in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport.

From March 2004 onwards, Sheikh Maktoum and his business partner, Tony Teixeira, set about building the team that would bring this exciting concept to reality. British firms Lola International and Zytek Engineering were appointed to develop the chassis and engine respectively, based on the initial drawings of Sheikh Maktoum himself while US company Cooper Tires was chosen as the official A1GP tyre supplier. By July of that year, the first generation of A1GP race cars was ready to be unveiled.

While Sheikh Maktoum focused on developing every strand of his initial vision, from the design of the cars, to the look and feel of the website, tickets, branding and overall consumer experience, Tony Teixeira set about attracting investors and potential team owners.

Over the following year, 25 national teams were developed representing countries as diverse in culture and economic prosperity as they were in their motorsport experience. Countries such as China and Lebanon would compete against the likes of the USA, Great Britain and France and with the launch of each team came the support of high profile sports stars and successful businessmen alongside world leaders and politicians.

Following three seasons of A1GP action, renowned for its exciting and close racing, the series takes a step further forward by beginning a six-year partnership with Italian sportscar giant Ferrari. Ferrari will supply all the engines from the 2008/09 season onwards, and will consult on the design of the chassis.


B lACK BEAUTY pROFilEGeneral Lee. Nightrider. Bigfoot. Black Beauty. There’s very few cars in the world that have such a special name as New Zealand’s race car in the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport. Black Beauty has travelled the globe in two guises since late in 2005 when the A1GP championship was first launched.

For the first three seasons, Black Beauty was a race car built by Lola in the United Kingdom. Things changed for the current season of A1GP racing. Some Italian blood was injected into Black Beauty, as the second generation A1GP car was launched, this time with engines and development from Ferrari.

With underpinnings of a 2004 Ferrari F1 car, Black Beauty in her current form represents hugely impressive speed and delivers drivers and fans alike a thoroughbred racing car.

The A1GP is based on a level playing field for teams, with Black Beauty’s technical construction the same as all the other cars in the A1GP championship. Her heart and sole on the other hand is truly New Zealand, with the distinct all black paint scheme featuring on the car since the very first race ofA1GP.

Maximum power of 600bhp is put to the ground by huge Michelin slick tyres, and is fed through a six speed sequential gearbox with ‘paddles’ behind the steering-wheel that drivers use to tell the car when to change gear.

A personal favourite of New Zealand’s drivers is the carbon ceramic brake discs. These allow the drivers to put the brakes on Black Beauty incredibly deep in the braking zones, something that rewards brave drivers. This technology is an improvement over the first edition of Black Beauty, which had more traditional steel brake discs similar to what are found on most road cars.


B lACK BEAUTY TECHniCAl spECiF iCATiOn:Chassis

Carbon fibre monocoque

150 litre fuel tank

695kg weight

Engine

Ferrari 4.5 litre V8

Max Power 600bhp (448kw)

Max Torque 406 lbs ft (550Nm)

Brakes

Brembo Carbon Discs

Six-pot aluminium callipers

Adjustable balance front to rear

Suspension

Double wishbone

Pushrod operated Penske adjustable shock absorbers

Full adjustment allowed subject to A1GP rules

Gearbox

6 speed sequential

Paddle shift system on steering wheel

AP three plate carbon-carbon clutch

Tyres

Michelin slicks and wets

Front 13” diameter, 12” wide

Rear 13” diameter, 14” wide

Electronics

Magnetti Marelli dashboard mounted in steering wheel

Full data logging for engineering analysis

Bosch MED 9.6 engine management


MEdiA inFORMATiOnFor Immediate Release

14 January 2009

For further information about A1 Team.NZL please visit www.A1NZL.com or contact via following details:

TiM MARTinMEdiA MAnAGERpHOnE : +64 21 340 911

EMAil : TMARTin@A1nZl .COM

Hi Res media images are available upon request, please email with your requirements.

To register for media accreditation for A1GP Taupo, please register URGENTLY via the following hyperlink:

http://a1gp.accreditation.changepond.com/preaccreditation/mediaRegistration.do

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