Having proved a class apart in the sprint event, Niko Hulkenberg was again barely troubled on the way to victory in the A1 Grand Prix feature race at Taupo, a win that gives Germany an unprecedented lead in the championship standings.
An engrossing, if not especially exciting, race that was made up of meticulous drives down the field, Hulkenberg got the jump at the start and, save for an early tussle with second place Loic Duval, was consistently quicker than any other driver throughout the race.
He led home Duval, the debuting Frenchman holding off home favourite Jonny Reid for the duration of the 50 laps in a thrilling tussle that captivated the sell-out crowd, even if the eventual result would not mirror the spectators hopes.
Indeed, Duval put in a masterful display of defensive driving from lap nine onwards when he managed to hold off Reid in a pit-stop head-to-head, a tense stop that allowed France to get out marginally in front and ultimately keep arguably the faster New Zealand behind on the tight Taupo circuit.
To prove the point, the battle for second place stretched back to sixth too, but there was no opportunity for Switzerland, Netherlands or Great Britain to pass one another, the only move coming during the pit stop window when Sebastien Buemi vaulted Jeroen Bleekemolen, the youngster having stayed out significantly longer than any of his nearest rivals.
Robbie Kerr had looked racy early on, battling with the fast-starting Alan van der Merwe over the first couple of laps to prove overtaking was possible. For van der Merwe though, that fast start proved to be too fast, with stewards deeming it false and giving him a drive-through penalty to end his hopes of points.
Indeed, little more than two seconds separated France, New Zealand, Switzerland, Netherlands and Great Britain for the majority of the race, the occasional feigned move and flirtation with the ‘Powerboost' button the closest any would get to actually executing any sort of pass.
![Nico Hulkenberg (GER) - A1 Team Germany [Pic credit: A1GP Media]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/285107.jpg)
