Super Aguri: We can keep eighth and beat Honda.

Super Aguri's sporting director Graham Taylor believes that the Leafield-based operation will be able to keep Scuderia Toro Rosso, Spyker and Honda behind them so that they secure eighth place in the constructors' championship.

Thus far this season, the Super Aguri squad has managed to notch up four points, thanks to Takuma Sato's eighth place finish in Spain - the team's first ever points finish in Formula 1 - and his sixth at the Canadian GP, one month later.

Indeed on a number of occasions the Honda 'B' team has managed to show up its 'sister' outfit and only last weekend, Anthony Davidson managed to qualify 11th, just missing out on making it through to Q3, while Rubens Barrichello and Jenson Button were 14th and 15th - although both subsequently had to start from the back after engine problems.

Such form has left Taylor optimistic that they can hold off Honda, as well as STR and Spyker, both of which have yet to get off the mark.

"Statistically we should be able to [to keep eighth place] and we all hope so," said Taylor in the countdown to next weekend's Italian Grand Prix.

"The current formula necessitates total reliability and, as the number of cars finishing in Turkey showed, all the teams are committed to this.

"Therefore without extra-ordinary influences points for the teams at our performance level are a rare commodity. However, as a young team we are developing all the time and finding speed along the way."

As for what the atmosphere is like now at the Super Aguri team, which is only in its second year in the sport, Taylor added that morale is still very, very good: "As is well known, the atmosphere within our team is fantastic. We are enjoying our successes this year, but we are still learning all the time," he continued.

"The Super Aguri F1 team approaches each event with total concentration and commitment, certainly we are less gun-ho than last year, but we still carry that element of fun.

"Anthony is showing more performance during the race weekends now and his pairing with Taku is excellent in cementing the team and forging its natural development," he summed-up.

Source: [url=http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/31082007/23/super-aguri-keep-eighth-beat-honda.html]Yahoo! Eurosport[/url]