Malaysia will have to improve consistency, says Alex

PETALING JAYA: Inconsistency plagued Malaysia's fortunes in the second season of the A1 Grand Prix Series and driver Alex Yoong will have to overcome this when the new season gets underway in four months' time.

On Sunday, Alex lost the chance to defend his fifth position in the overall standings after a less than perfect pit stop in the feature race of the final round of the season at Brands Hatch Circuit in England.

He completed the 11th round of the championship with a fifth place in the sprint race and ninth position in the feature race. And Malaysia had to settle for sixth place in the 22-nation championships.

Among the highlights for the Malaysian team in the 2006-2007 season included three race wins, three pole positions and two fastest laps.

After a poor opening round in Holland in October, Alex came back strongly to clinch a double victory in the next round in the Czech Republic.

However, the podium finishes eluded him for the next seven rounds until he won the sprint race in Mexico last month.

Alex was in high spirits after receiving the Bruce McLaren Trophy from the British Racing Drivers' Club on Saturday and had certainly looked forward to finishing the season on a good note.

He was named as the recipient for 2006 for his achievements in the first season of the A1GP and is the first Asian driver to win it.

The accolade is awarded each year to the best Commonwealth driver competing in international motor racing.

Although the team slipped one rung from the previous season, Alex felt that it was still a good year for him and showed that Malaysia can compete at the top level of motor sports.

“At the end of the day, we had a very good year with three race wins. When we’ve been quick, we’ve been very good,” he said.