Renault thrills the South African crowd

The ING Renault F1 Team produced a spectacular display in the streets of Johannesburg, South Africa last weekend. Following on from the opening event of 2007, held in Warsaw, Poland in early June, the ING Renault F1 Team Roadshow was in action again this weekend in South Africa, putting on an exceptional show in the streets of the Sandton district.

Giancarlo Fisichella and Nelson Piquet Jr took turns at the wheel of the world championship-winning R26, entertaining the South African public with tricks including doughnuts, burn-outs and some spectacular demonstrations of the car's performance. On Sunday, a crowd of 100,000 spectators turned out to enjoy this unique show, underlining the passion for Formula 1 in a country that hasn't welcome a Grand Prix since the last F1 race was held at Kyalami in 1993!

The crowds also enjoyed a parade of historic Renault vehicles, as well as seeing the Mégane Trophy and Mégane Renault F1 Team R26 put through their paces on the custom-built street circuit.

As he stepped from the car after his final run, Giancarlo Fisichella commented: "The crowd has been fantastic today, you can tell they have really enjoyed seeing an F1 car in action! This is my first visit to South Africa, and it has been a truly memorable experience."

Nelson Piquet Jr shared his team- warm appreciation of the South African public's warm welcome: "The team's Roadshow programme is a fantastic way to let the public get closer to Formula 1, and this weekend has shown once again how much people appreciate that approach. The welcome here in Johannesburg has been fantastic, and I think the people enjoyed the show. Mission accomplished!"

The ING Renault F1 Team Roadshow team will be back in action in mid-August in Rotterdam, as part of the Bavaria City Racing event to be held on 17,18 and 18 August. Heikki Kovalainen and Nelson Piquet Jr. will be on duty for the team.