KEY POINTS:
New Zealand failed to flatter in the latest round of the A1 grand prix series at Chengdu, China, last night.
Driver Chris van der Drift experienced technical difficulties when making an inauspicious race debut in the New Zealand car, finishing 11th in the feature race after coming seventh in the sprint race.
The two points secured in the sprint event left the team fourth in the series standings after two rounds on 20 points, eight behind leaders Malaysia.
Van der Drift had qualified 15th for the feature race and quickly improved to ninth before a compulsory pit stop.
The New Zealand car then suffered a software glitch that shut down the engine, forcing van der Drift to turn the off the engine.
He restarted but had dropped back to 13th.
As the laps counted down to the finish, van der Drift pushed his way back to 11th.
"The setup of the car after the sprint race was still not spot on, so we changed direction for the feature race," van der Drift said.
"We had some good pace, but the engine shutting down cost us in a big way."
- NZPA
