After nearly 2 months stop, the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, flies to New Zealand. This week end Tony Teixeira’s nation vs nation series will take place in Taupo (Lake Taupo, North Island) for the fourth round of the season.

A1 Team Italy lands in the southern hemisphere in search of an important result. After the 7th place in the Sprint Race and 11th in the Fature Race in Malaysia (November 2008), Edoardo Piscopo, first driver of A1 Team Italy, returns at the wheel of his “Powered by Ferrari” car. In these months the young driver has trained, in order to improve his resistance in the long races.

“I have concentrated the training on the physical body – tells the twenty year old Roman driver – in the gym I have worked out to improve the aerobic ability and I have run with go-kart, ideal for keeping the reflexes alive. I know the Taupo circuit quite good, I have run here in the last A1 GP season and with the Formula Toyota in 2006. If I have New year’s resolutions? I would immediately like to reach the point zone and buy back the performance in Sepang”.

“I expect a brilliant performance – comments Piercarlo Ghinzani, seatholder of A1 Team Italy – Taupo is a mixed circuit, where chicanes and turns prevail, with only one fast turn. Edoardo is very good on average fast tracks, where it is important to keep an harmonic and measured driving”.

” The track is similar to the Chengdu one – continues Piscopo – I think that we could do a similar set up of the car”.

The latest changes concern also the Sprint race. Like for Zandvoort (Holland), the short race in Taupo will have a standing instead of a rolling start.
The series has adopted this security measure in order to avoid incidents in the turns close to the start. Changes have also been made in the infrastructure: the business park and the training centre have been completed.

Important changes have also been made inside the A1 Team Italy. With the new year the team lead by Massimo del Prete, got richer with the prestigious presence of Gianni Reggiani, telemetrist engineer, that will begin to work with the team in Taupo.

“The presence of an expert engineer like Gianni Reggiani – considers Del Prete – reinforces our technical team in a moment of growth for the team”.

“I have been in the team in the last 24hours, and the atmosphere has seemed to me very good – declares Gianni Reggiani – After the different Formulas and the GT world, I am happy to work with a new successful series. I have found numerous colleagues known in 2002, when I first have known Ghinzani. I am glad to work in a tight-knitted team, composed by big professionals. What do I expect from the race? Certainly I hope doing a good job, but the most important thing is to understand how my experience can be useful for the team”.

Last season the Sprint and the Feature Race have been respectively won by the New Zealand driver Jonny Reid and the German Christian Vietoris and a year after the technological development of the series has revealed new talents and new national teams. The Irish Adam Carroll and the Portuguese Filipe Albuquerque, for the moment first and second classified, are favourites.

“The level of the A1 GP driver has grown very fast – observes Edoardo Piscopo – Now the series involves professional driver, coming from Formula 1 and GP 2. I am among the youngest participants”.

On the eve of the Taupo round, the general ranking shows Ireland first with 43 points, followed by Portugal with 35 points and France with 31 together with the landlords of New Zealand. Italy is 13th with 4 points.

Tonight A1 Gp Taupo will start with the rookie session, reserved to the young drivers and the first Practice session. The Sprint and the Feature Race will be broadcasted by Rai Sport Più, Sunday, January 25th from 2.15 pm on.