AOKI Racing Team were the fastest in qualifying at the UIM E1 World Championship Luanda Grand Prix on Saturday to earn pole position on the final day.
AOKI’s Jamaican pilot Sara Misir Vaz set the fastest time of 1:08.406, ahead of Tara Pacheco from Team Drogba (1:08.942) and Lucas Ordonez from Team Westbrook by Visit Angola (1:09.283).
AOKI earned three championship points for their qualifying win and Team Drogba two, while Team Westbrook by Visit Angola moved one point closer to championship leaders Team Brady.
The latter, who have won the championship in its first two seasons, lead the points table with 119, but Hollywood actor Will Smith’s Team Westbrook by Visit Angola now have 111.
It is the first time this season that AOKI have won qualifying, and it was achieved in perfect racing conditions at the Yacht Club of Luanda.
“It was great. It was very tight out there,” Misir Vaz told SuperSport.com. “Throughout the season it’s getting more and more competitive.
“We didn’t have much time in free practice today, so we went out there not knowing too much, just trying to get as quick as we could and put it all together, which we did in both individual sessions. I’m pretty happy with that.
“I still think we can go faster, like everybody else. We still have a lot to learn about the circuit because we didn’t get much time. We each got four laps today and that was basically qualifying, so there is still time out there that we can find.”
Misir Vaz says she is loving her time in Angola and that it reminds her a little of home.
“I come from Jamaica, so the music is quite similar, and the culture has been amazing to experience. We saw them blessing the boats, we saw the dancing and the food, and everything has been a great experience.”
Teammate Dani Clos says they had to adapt quickly to the limited practice time and familiarise themselves with the course during qualifying.
“As professional drivers, we need to get ready very quickly and adapt to any conditions, any type of track, anywhere in the world as fast as we can. This was the perfect example – you arrive and you have to perform immediately,” he said.
“We just need to keep doing the job well, stay focused and keep the energy high. Tomorrow is going to be a different day. Today we did an amazing job and got the result we wanted, so let’s hope for the same tomorrow.”
He also praised hosts Angola for the way the teams have been welcomed.
“It’s our first time here and we love it, 100 per cent,” he said.
The main fixes were the tense in the championship-points paragraph, adding “of” before the lap time, changing “familiarize” to British English “familiarise”, and smoothing a few sentences.
IMAGE: Sara Misir (JAM) / Dani Clos (ESP), Aoki Racing Team, in action during qualifying for the E1 Series Luanda GP (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images)