THE warmest welcome awaits A1 Team Malaysia when they show up for their home race next weekend as championship leaders.

And the main actor in the team's plot, Fairuz Fauzy, arrived home last night knowing just what to expect.

Hordes of fans who formed the sea of yellow in support have packed the main grandstand at the Sepang Circuit in the past, and even when Alex Yoong and Fairuz finished fourth and sixth previously, there was pandemonium.

One thing is clear -- this time around the home crowd will want nothing less than a victory to satiate the hunger brought about by the lack of a podium finish by the home team at Sepang in the three-year old history of the A1GP.

With two podium finishes, including a win, plus the championship lead by five points in A1 Team Malaysia's hands after Round Two in Chengdu, China last weekend, critics will be fast to pinpoint the time has never been so right for the drought on home ground to be finished off in style.
An A1GP victory would eclipse every other glorious moment celebrated in the stands at the Sepang Cricuit in its 11-year history, including those record five F1 wins by Michael Schumacher, those five MotoGP wins Valentino Rossi stormed to and the Formula BMW Asia double by Jazeman Firhan Jaafar last year.

What an expectant crowd could celebrate will be the biggest ever Malaysian victory at Sepang -- something to quench all thirsts, to satiate all hungers, to give hope the country has something more to look forward to in these trying times.

Fairuz this.

"Pressure is something that I've learned to cope with. But this is special. We've never had this before. We're leading the championship into our home race, which was our target before Chengdu," said Fairuz.

"Knowing we're sole leaders after the Chengdu feature race, it is just gave me a feeling of pride. This gives the fans something to look forward to.

" It is always a special feeling to race in front of your home crowd. This time it is extra special.

"On our part, we will just have to keep everything together, keep it going and be right on the pace. The way we've been going so far, I'm feeling pretty confident."