Team USA Battles Hard All Day

TAUPO, New Zealand— On a hot, sunny day by beautiful Lake Taupo in New Zealand, Ryan Hunter-Reay strove hard for every one of the day’s 65 laps, taking the We The People car from its 16th place starting position in the Sprint, to a points-paying 10th place by the end of the feature.

In Sunday morning’s 15-lap sprint, Hunter-Reay began with a spectacular move to the outside, then fought nose-to-tail in a tightly packed group of five cars from the green light to the checkered flag, eventually finishing the sprint race in eleventh position.

There was no let-up in the Feature Race. Hunter-Reay battled first with Mexico and China, then fought off strong challenges from Ireland and Malaysia. Problems with oversteer in the middle of the race, then fading brakes towards the finish could not keep A1 Team USA out of the points today, with 10th place as the eventual reward.

“The entire team did a great job today, as we bounced back from our qualifying session yesterday," said Hunter-Reay following the Feature. “We picked up five spots in the Sprint Race, and I was able to get us into the points in the feature. I feel like I really came to terms with the A1 Team USA car in the second half of the race. That was the first standing start of my career, and I look forward to making several more in the We The People car."

“I am really proud of Ryan and pleased with the job our team did today, moving up five positions in the Sprint and one in the Feature," said A1 TEAM USA owner Rick Weidinger. “Ryan showed real tenacity, pushing the car the whole race. For a driver to score a championship point on his first outing in such a competitive series is remarkable. The Team is now focused on Australia as we head for the land of Oz."

The A1GP race in Taupo, New Zealand can be seen in the USA, Canada and Mexico on Wednesday, January 24 at 4 PM on the Speed Channel.

A1 Team USA currently holds the 11th place in A1GP standings with 21 points. Next up, TEAM USA heads to Australia for the seventh race of the season at Eastern Creek Circuit on January 4th.