TBK-Light.com

Location: Lake Taupo, North Island

Track length: 3.32 km (2.06 miles)

No. turns: 14

Direction: Anti-Clockwise

Lap record: 1m 14.679s recorded by A1 Team Switzerland (Neel Jani), in January 2007.

The new Taupo Motorsport Park racetrack complex, built by MIT Development Ltd, took over the original site used for the existing Taupo Car Club. The old 1.4km circuit underwent an upgrading and lengthening, to create the new international layout in 2006.

The complex now also includes a motorsport business park and driver and training centre. The track includes three alternative track configurations, with two separate pit areas and start/finish lanes, to allow simultaneous use of two tracks.

The international circuit, used for A1GP, features an 830-metre straight, which also doubles as a drag strip. The circuit was altered slightly for 2008, with a tighter chicane introduced at the end of the back straight. This was instrumental in providing more overtaking opportunities at last season’s events.

If ever there was a patriotic set of fans, it’s those from New Zealand. Thousands have come out in force to support Black Beauty and Jonny Reid in the last two seasons in one of the most beautiful settings for an A1GP race.
Reid scored a brace of third places in the inaugural A1GP Taupo in 2007, but delighted the crowd with victory in the Sprint race a year later. Christian Vietoris became the youngest ever winner in A1GP when he took the following Feature race for Germany.

In the previous season, Germany took a double victory, which started what was an incredible six-race winning streak for Nico Hulkenberg and the team. Loic Duval made an impressive debut for France, recording a couple of second-place finishes.

What were the changes?

Doesn't the A1 website stream work in all countries regardless of broadcasting rights now?

http://www.a1gp.com/About/Promotion.aspx?id=31

Sprint race will be a standing start, in an effort to avoid the obligatory Taupo T1 lols I imagine.