Plenty of attention for A1GP cars

Published on 24 January 2006 by Thorsten Hendriks

On Wednesday the A1GP teams start working on their cars to get them ready in time for Sunday's race and hopefully in the fastest trim.

50 race cars (two for each of the 25 teams) arrived last Monday with special transportation from Durban International Airport. Escorted by police cars and motorcycles they drove through the city towards the beach where the pitboxes have been erected.

The so called 'shacks' (large containers with spare parts) were already delivered on Sunday. These shacks have been manufactured especially for A1GP. "These shacks use every centimeter of possible space in a Jumbo jet and we can stack them 3 high with only a few centimeters to spare." David Mansell, of Gibson Freight - Sydney, told us. "Every ten centimeters of space in an aeroplane will save us thousands per annum."

The so called 'shacks'

As soon as these shacks have been openend the mechanics can walk in and out of them or even work in them. Three Boeing 747-400 Jumbo jets took a total of 280 tonnes of freight over from Indonesia. David Mansell and his assistent were the only passengers in the planes. It took them 12 hours to off load the planes and transport the shacks to where the pitlane is.

We asked them if they are concerned about the cargo during transport? "Yes very," Mansell answered while he waits for the last four cars. "But we to take so many precautions to avoid irregularities that if something goes wrong, there have be several problems at one before anyone notices."

David Mansell said about this circuit: "It will take a lot of rest out of the mechanics. Most drivers want to go up front, but it is extremely narrow so accidents will happen."

It is very busy at the circuit at the moment. Race experts, safety officials, caterers, paramedics and contractors trying to get everything done in time.

The PR official of the circuit, Chris Botha told us that a lot of safety measures have been taken around the circuit. "A Vodacom Netcare 911 helicopter will be on stand-by near the pits, ready to fly any possible injured driver to the St. Augustinus hospital which will only take 5 minutes. At every entrance a trained medic is placed to ensure everything goes smoothly especially because this circuit is hard to get to if this race is a sell-out."

Thorsten Hendriks