KEY POINTS:
It's been a bumpy start to the fourth season of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and it didn't help matters when the organisers decided to introduce a new Ferrari-powered car during the off-season.
When the scheduled opening round of the 2008-09 series loomed on the horizon, it was decided to scrap Mugello, Italy, as the new cars weren't going to be ready. So Zandvoort became the opening round, albeit with a depleted 17-car field as not all teams had their respective chassis and engines.
At Chengdu, China, this weekend the series is looking to really take off. There should be 20 cars on the grid this time, with only Pakistan and the 2006-07 champions, Germany, still without their cars.
Chris Van der Drift has taken back the reins of New Zealand's Black Beauty for the Chinese race after Earl Bamber replaced him in Zandvoort. Van der Drift was unable to drive the opening round due to a prior commitment to finish the European Master series, which he duly won.
Bamber did a sterling job in finishing on the podium twice, second in the sprint race and third in the feature, leaving New Zealand third in the championship after the first round.
"I'm absolutely so pleased to be able to do my first race in the car and I definitely can't wait until racing starts," said an enthusiastic Van der Drift from China. "I did my first race with pit stops recently in GP2 and I sort of know what to expect and I'm really excited.
"It adds more excitement to the race and you have to be good on your in and out laps and you have to be on top of your game. If there are some problems early in the race, all is not lost as you can make up some time."
While the circuit looks good and will be a challenge for the drivers, it is quite bumpy in places. The balance of the car, in racing trim and at speed, will be upset and the car may become a little skittish and unbalanced through some of the rougher parts of the track.
The long delay between the opening two rounds has enabled teams affected by holdups in receiving their cars to try to get up to speed and they should be able to match the others making for a competitive race over the weekend.
