A1 Team New Zealand was the New Zealand team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.
Management
The team was formed by and is owned by prominent Auckland businessman Colin Giltrap, well known for this car dealerships. The team is managed by Kiwi Bob McMurray who retired last year after nearly 30 years involvement with the McLaren Formula One racing team. The car is run by David Sears' organisation, Super Nova Racing, as is the A1 Team Germany car, meaning that the two teams are often thought of as one. Prior to Super Nova's involvement, the car was run by West Surrey Racing, a British organisation run by New Zealander Dick Bennetts which fields the Team RAC cars in the British Touring Car Championship.
History
2008–09 season
Drivers: Earl Bamber, Chris van der Drift
Team New Zealand shocked the A1 paddock by revealing 18-year-old Earl Bamber as their main driver for the race in Zandvoort, even after the success of Jonny Reid in previous seasons. Bamber went on to record two podium finishes at a rain-soaked Zandvoort. However, his replacement Chris van der Drift had less success in Chengdu, China, only scoring two points in the Sprint Race and just missed out on points in the Feature Race.
2007–08 season
Driver: Jonny Reid
Again, Team New Zealand challenged for the championship, but lost out at Great Britain to Switzerland. The team recorded 4 victories and 2 podiums.
2006–07 season
Drivers: Matt Halliday, Jonny Reid
Team New Zealand were championship challengers this season, but even with 3 victories and 8 podiums, lost out by 35 points to Germany.
2005–06 season
Drivers: Matt Halliday, Jonny Reid
In the inaugural season, Team New Zealand scored consistently, as well as a podium, to finish 4th in the championship.
Drivers
Name Seasons Races(Starts) A1GP Title Wins Sprintwins Mainwins 2nd 3rd Poles FastestLaps PointsEarl Bamber2008-091 (2)1118Matt Halliday2005-06, 2006-0713 (26)3103Jonny Reid2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-0819 (38)7435344219
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(key), "spr" indicate a Sprint Race, "fea" indicate a Main Race. Year Racingteam Chassis,Engine,Tyres Drivers12345678910111213141516171819202122 Points Rank2005-06West Surrey RacingLola,Zytek,Cooper AvonGBR sprGBR feaGER sprGER feaPRT sprPRT feaAUS sprAUS feaMYS sprMYS feaARE sprARE feaZAF sprZAF feaIDN sprIDN feaMEX sprMEX feaUSA sprUSA feaCHN sprCHN fea774thMatt Halliday3414166615136487Ret881284Jonny Reid441482006-07Super Nova RacingLolaZytekCooper AvonNED sprNED feaCZE sprCZE feaBEI sprBEI feaMYS sprMYS feaIDN sprIDN feaNZ sprNZ feaAUS sprAUS feaZAF sprZAF feaMEX sprMEX feaSHA sprSHA feaGBR sprGBR fea932ndMatt Halliday61110933168Jonny ReidRet738113322166212007-08Super Nova RacingLolaZytekCooper AvonNED sprNED feaCZE sprCZE feaMYS sprMYS feaZHU sprZHU feaNZ sprNZ feaAUS sprAUS feaZAF sprZAF feaMEX sprMEX feaSHA sprSHA feaGBR sprGBR fea1272ndJonny Reid97115810214292010112Ret4882008-09Super Nova RacingFerrari,Ferrari,MichelinNEDCHNMYSNZLRSAPORGBR367thsprfeasprfeasprfeasprfeasprfeasprfeasprfeaEarl Bamber23368RetRetRetRetRetChris van der Drift711513
External links
A1gp.com Official A1 Grand Prix Web Site West Surrey Racing Web Site Official Team Website - A1 Team New Zealand