It's nice to watch races up close in Sepang, but to actually catch one live overseas (the UK to be exact)must have been pretty amazing! That was exactly what one lucky JobStreet.com contest winner got to do. Ask anyone and they'll tell you that Ang Kai Juan has come a long way from playing our A1 Team Malaysia JobStreet challenge at home, to watching it live in an all-expenses paid trip to the UK! We recently caught up with Kai Juan following his return from the land of crumpets and tea…

Welcome back to sunny Malaysia. It must have been quite a weekend! Did you manage to do anything in the UK before the weekend races!

It was a wonderful weekend. I maximized my time there and visited the city of London along with the four other winners. London is just wonderful and very picturesque. It's also easy to get around in – a day travel pass for example gives me access to all train stations without paying a penny more!

I visited most of the famous spots in London like Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, the London Eye, and even Madame Tussauds. I really enjoyed my time there and as you can see, I took quite a lot of pictures :D

Seeing as to how this leg of the race was hosted in a foreign country, was the atmosphere very different from Malaysia's?

To be honest, the race at Brands Hatch was my very first A1 GP experience. Many fans of Ireland and Holland went all out in support of their teams with the Ireland fans wearing mostly green while the Holland fans were orange all over.

There weren't many Malaysia fans though. Us aside, there were perhaps 20 others who supported the team. Another notable difference was of course the weather there – it was so much cooler in comparison to races in Malaysia where one would expect more rains.

While it was not the most impressive of races for the Malaysian team, what was your most memorable moment during the races?
I would have to say that it would be during the start of the Sprint Race. Aaron Lim, the main driver for A1 GP Malaysia, had some problems then and had to start his race in the pits. It's encouraging that he still managed to finish the race in 16th place though.

We heard that you even got a chance to visit the pits! Could you tell us some of the nifty things you observed "behind the scenes"?
Actually most my time was spent sitting in my seat. But when I did get the chance to go behind the scenes (usually before or after the races), I was amazed at how hard everyone was working to ensure that the car was in the best condition possible.

The atmosphere was tensed as they scrambled to adjust the various settings and prepare for the next race. I think there was even a specific person whose sole job was to monitor the car's tire condition and temperature! Yet another advantage of going back to the pits was getting a chance to see the many A1GP race queens there. I won't go into the details ;D

And having said all that, have you ever thought about joining the pit crew?
I did think about it – it would be interesting to work in a team. The travelling aspect of the job is also admittedly pretty amazing! What's even cooler is if I was given the opportunity to work with the team Malaysia – I'm extremely proud to be a Malaysian. But I guess when push comes to shove, it will depend solely on a person's interest. We should all pursue the ambitions of our childhood.

What about being the man behind the wheel? Have you ever wanted to be a race car driver?
Not really, because to be a racer isn't easy - I feel that you will need to start from a very young age to be successful. I did however get my fair share of the limelight during the Saturday races when a few people mistook me for Aaron! They wanted me to sign their books. Of course, I quickly cleared things up and no, I didn't give them my signature!

That must have been quite an experience! What about the team manager? Do you think the he or she has it any easier?
I am certain that the team manager himself has a larger burden to bear, but it really depends on how he faces and takes up the challenges from each race. The commercial director's task alone is more than impressive! He's basically in charge of sourcing and managing commercial partners.

During the trip I got rather close to team Malaysia's commercial director, Owen Leed, who is a funny guy but means business when it comes to work! Despite his many responsibilities, he still found time to take care all of us. I guess you need to be very independent. I was in awe at the way he handled the arrangements of the press conference at hotel *immediately* after the races!

We will be running the competition once again when the new A1GP season starts – any advice to future participants?
You should just enjoy the game and have fun with it. I for one didn't think I could win and never thought that far to begin with. I put it down to sheer luck! When I got the call I was suspicious and thought it was a scam (I'm glad it isn't)! I must say though – I thought the extra 2 seconds given to JobStreet.com members really helped. I'd like to thank JobStreet.com again for the opportunity! ;)

Envious? Well don't be -- just keep a lookout for this year's JobStreet.com A1GP challenge!

Feeling restless?
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