A1GP’s Anglo-Pakistani driver Adam Khan has been preparing for the new season by showing a clean pair of heels to the field in the Euro 3000 series.
Khan, from Bridlington in Yorkshire, suffered a mixed 2007-08 season as A1 Team Pakistan’s driver.
At times – particularly when under the tutelage of driving coach Danny Watts – he produced some impressively racy performances. However, he also made a number of basic mistakes and developed a regrettable tendency to be involved in collisions with the Australian car.
In Euro 3000 however, where he is driving for TP Formula, the English translation of the series website is currently proclaiming breathlessly “it is now clear that Khan is the one to beat in the Euroseries 3000”.
In a test at the Italian Misano circuit in preparation for the September 14 race there, Khan topped the timesheets in both sessions.
He said: “I am very satisfied with the job done today because it allowed me to learn a track which was completely new to me before and to better prepare in view of the next race.
I’m just a little disappointing because of a red flag at the end of the day which not allowed me to show the real potential of the car when I was out with new tyres.”
This performance comes on the back of his results at the last round of the championship, in Mugello, where he took pole for the first race and set the fastest lap on his way to an untroubled victory.
He said afterwards: “Today I had a really good time. I took the advantage at the beginning and kept it, controlling my rivals’ race. This had been been my race plan and I was able to manage it.”
In the second race, run with a reverse grid, he was dumped to the back of the field by confusion ahead of him at the start but still recovered to finish seventh, a few seconds behind the leading group.
Khan’s participation in selected Euro 3000 series tests and races is part of his preparation for the new A1GP season, where he is already confirmed as Team Pakistan’s driver. His debut was at Valencia, where he was fastest in practice and took a third-place finish.
He said: “These tests and races are keeping me in race trim ahead of the new A1GP season. I’m gaining confidence in my racing, I’m improving my qualifying performances and, overall, developing as a race driver.”