NEWS // AMERICANS LOOKING TO INVEST IN F1?

Our friends at Autoblog are reporting that Parris Mullins, advisor and friend of YouTube founder Chad Hurley, visited last weekends Canadian Grand Prix in order to meet with F1 boss, Bernie Ecclestone. According to Autoblog, Mullins was in Montreal representing a number of American investors, to include Hurley, all of whom are looking to invest in Formula One. And while none of the aforementioned investors are interested in starting their own team, they are looking at possibilities to invest in existing operations // [comment]

NEWS // NO A1GP @ SURFER'S PARADISE

With continuing uncertainty as to whether the A1GP series would participate in the Nikon SuperGP at the Gold Coast in Australia next weekend, series organisers have released a statement indicating the non participation of A1GP at the event which would have been the first race of season five... [read more]

Chairman Tony Teixeira and A1GP.com has issued the following statement:

“I want to personally apologise to the people affected by this regrettable but unavoidable decision," said Teixeira.

"The Queensland Government, Gold Coast Motor Events Co, the management and Chairman of the event have been patient and supportive of us in the past weeks.

"We were proud to be part of what has become one of the world’s most iconic motorsport events, and are devastated at the decision we have had to make. We also know the Australian motorsport fans are very protective of this event and had welcomed us with open arms. To them I also apologise and stress that we wanted to put on a show for them that they would never forget."

In view of what has happened A1GP will refund to Gold Coast Motor Events Co the sanction fee paid, and will donate AUS $50,000 to a charity designated by them. Also contractors engaged directly by A1GP who have already incurred expenses on our behalf will be fully reimbursed.

One effect of the UK operating arm of the series going into liquidation in June was that access to the cars and the ability to pay its suppliers has been impeded. What should have been a summer upgrading the machinery in time for the first race of the 2009/10 season has turned into a frustrating time for achieving this.

Looking to the future Teixeira said: “We have recently announced 19 teams who were ready to race in Australia. I know they are still committed to racing in our unique series that pits nation versus nation.

"A1GP may be down, but I do not accept we are out. We have had four exciting seasons that have proved we are a force in the sport and now we shall consolidate on what we have achieved to date. My efforts will be on finding a way forward with the support of some very loyal people.”

The Nikon SuperGP will still go ahead, with now four 150km races over the weekend for the Aussie V8 Supercar series.

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer

NEWS // A1GP TO THE GOLD COAST?

With time running out before the first scheduled A1GP race of the 2009-2010 season, there is rumour and uncertainty aplenty surrounding the series. The FIA are demanding that the cars, which at present are still in the UK, be updated to 2010 side intrusion safety standards before they are flown to Australia. Counter sources suggest that this work does not have to be completed immediately and an 'end of the year' deadline is more appropriate.

The series, which has been through plenty of off season difficulties, has announced this week a provisional 19 car entry for the Gold Coast street race scheduled for October 22-25th... [read more]

Provisional A1GP Entry List*

Nikon SuperGP, Gold Coast, 22 - 25 October

1. A1 Team Australia
2. A1 Team Brazil
3. A1 Team China
4. A1 Team France
5. A1 Team Germany
6. A1 Team Great Britain
7. A1 Team India
8. A1 Team Indonesia
9. A1 Team Ireland
10. A1 Team Italy
11. A1 Team Mexico
12. A1 Team Monaco
13. A1 Team Netherlands
14. A1 Team New Zealand
15. A1 Team Pakistan
16. A1 Team Portugal
17. A1 Team South Africa
18. A1 Team Switzerland
19. A1 Team USA

*subject to change

With the future of the whole series looking very much in doubt during the summer, CEO Tony Texiera is confident that a new financial package that has been put in place will see the cars return to action for season five.

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer

DESKTOPS // UNITED STATES A1GP ENTRY @ BRANDS HATCH

Check out this great shot of the United States A1GP entry courtesy of our senior European correspondent, Neil Tozer. Taken last season at Brands Hatch in the UK, we thought this would make a great desktop for all of our stateside readers over this holiday weekend.

Click here to download your copy // [comment]

GETTING TECHNICAL // A1GP PITSTOP STRATEGY EXPLAINED

Ever wondered how during F1 races the pitstops seem to run like clockwork, every time without fail, thus meaning there is no chance for a team to really make a ‘difference’ in the pits? Well the answer is that Formula One teams are allowed an unlimited number of pit crew members to carry out repairs and fuel/tyre replenishments!
 
In stark contrast to that, the A1GP series restrict the number of pit crew that are allowed to work on the car during a stop. With this fundamental difference in mind, CTD's Neil Tozer with the help of A1GP.com, has decided to take a closer look at the challenge that is a A1GP pitstop... [read more]

So let's imagine for a while that you the 'punter' had license to influence the regulations with regard to pitstops within a worldwide top line single seater race series.
 
OK! what would you do to perhaps provide the chance of potential place changes in the pits to complement track generated passes for position? Well, the A1GP brass have thought about this with a considerably more innovative way of thinking than most other single seater series.
 
For starters there are, over the course of a race, 3 compulsory stops, one in the Sprint Race along with two in the far longer Feature Race. Then lets think about how we might mix it up a bit when these stops actually happen.
 
Lets limit the number of 'Team Personnel' that are allowed anywhere near the car and also make them stand away from the actual pitlane behind a painted line in front of each teams pit garage. Good! your getting the idea! So lets now make the permitted 8 team members run out to the car carrying all their equipment along with rear tyres that weigh 20KG and fronts only slightly lighter at 18 KG.
 
Sounds good? well yes a pitstop that actually involves some skill! and parameters that can actually influence the total time taken for the pit work to be completed. 
 
This years A1GP Pitstop Challenge winners were Team Australia and with the the help of A1GP.com Team manager Adam Gotch an insight into each member of the pitstop crew's responsibilities is given below.
 
'The Eight Ball' - what each crew member does -

Everyone has a specific role in a pitstop, as Gotch explains (the following assumes the pit lane is on the right hand side of the track, and you are looking at the car from behind):
 
Inside (right) rear tyre changer: 
“This person takes the short step from the pits with the tyre and air-gun and changes the tyre all by themselves.  This is one motion for them – our man has one hand for the wheel and one hand for the gun.”
 
Inside (right) front tyre changer: 
 “Similar to the inside-rear changer. It’s a short walk and they get no help.”

Outside (left) rear tyre changer: 
“They run around the rear of the car and remove the left-rear tyre. By the time they have placed it on the floor, the fifth man has placed a new tyre on the axle, ready for them to tighten with the air gun.”
 
Outside (left) front tyre changer:
“They run around the rear of the car to the front-left tyre. They operate the gun and remove the wheel, and then wait a few moments for the new wheel to be placed on his axle by the fifth man. They then screw the nut in place. The nature of this late arrival means that they are usually the last to finish.”
 
The ‘fifth’ man / tyre runner: 
“His job is to run out around carrying the two tyres to the outside wheels, placing the rear one directly on its axle first, before doing the same for the front one. By the time he gets round to each corner the used tyres have already been removed. The rear wheel is about 20kg and the front is about 18kg. When you are running with that weight, it’s not the easiest job in the world.”
 
Front jack operator: 
“Runs from the pit line to the front of the car and lifts the car up so the tyres can be changed.”
 
Rear jack operator: 
“Runs around the rear of the car. It is essential they get the positioning of the jack correctly, or they could damage the carbon fibre parts on the undertray and it could really ruin the race.”
 
Lollipop operator:
“They control the entry and exit of the car to the pit stop and stand out in the pit lane to make it easier for the driver to determine where his pit box is when coming in. While the stop is going on they hold the lollipop out in front of the driver, which signifies they cannot move yet. When they have seen a hand signal from the operators on all four wheels and checked there is no other car coming down the pit lane in their vicinity they can lift the lollipop and release the car. Even though he is wearing radio equipment at the time, it is not used, unless in an absolute emergency.”
"While technically teams can use their eight men how they like, provided they stick to the one person per tyre rule, many pit stops look very similar, because essentially there is one recognised route to achieve the best stop. However, teams do employ different strategies".

Gotch explains: “Some teams have their outside (left) front tyre changer run around the front of the car to get to his tyre quicker, but if they do this they have to drag their air-gun around the front of the car and that air-line would have to be cleared before the car left the pits. We have that person running around the back. It takes a few moments longer for him to get to his tyre, but then we don’t have to even think about where his air-line ends up. The driver can just drive straight out when the wheel is changed.

Bearing in mind that over the course of a race weekend Adam puts his team through its paces with up to 80 practice stops, this is really different from the 'norm' and we at CTD applaud this as another example of 'Improving the Show' for the very people that keep our beloved sport solvent, the race fans!
 
Be sure and stay tuned for 2009/2010 A1GP coverage right here at ColdTrackDays, as the A1GP visits the 'Gold Coast' for the opening round at Surfers Paradise in Australia on October 25th, 2009 with teams from over 20 nations battling it out over the 4.47km beach side street circuit.

For tickets, click here
 
Editorial: Neil Tozer and A1GP
Photo: A1GP

DESKTOPS // A1GP @ BRANDS HATCH

Just received this great shot from CTD contributor, Neil Tozer. Taken during the A1GP's visit to Brands Hatch, Neil captured the GBR entry of rookie driver Aaron Steele during Friday's 'Rookie' driver session. And while GBR's Dan Clarke struggled to finish 13th at Brands Hatch, Great Britain did managed to finish 10th overall for the 2008-2009 A1GP season.

Click here to download a copy of Neil's A1GP Desktop // [comment]

IRISH MASTER-CLASS // A1GP SEASON FINALE @ BRANDS HATCH

Adam Carroll and Team Ireland claimed the 2008/2009 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Brands Hatch this Sunday, comfortably outclassing their championship rivals with a dominant performance.

The only time this season that a nation has been victorious in both races on the same day, it was the emerald green team that claimed a double win bringing the 2008-2009 season to a close amid emotional scenes of celebration. For Carroll and Mark Gallagher's squad this was a richly deserved and long overdue title, as they were one of the first teams to commit to the series back in 2005 and have toiled relentlessly in pursuit of the crown.

ColdTrackDay's UK correspondent Neil Tozer was trackside this weekend and brings us his raceday report... [read more]

The day had started with the morning sprint race at the Kent venue which saw a healthy crowd basking in the spring sunshine over this, a holiday weekend in the UK.

With all eyes on the start lights along the Brabham straight, it was the Mexican Salvador Duran who made the slightly better getaway, swiftly pulling alongside poleman Carroll who certainly didn't want to risk any contact as they funnelled into Paddock Hill bend, Duran (below) braved it around the outside and emerged over the brow and into Druid's at the front of the field.

The third of the potential title contenders, Portugal, immediately dropped places running wide through Paddock as the Team USA car of J.R. Hildebrand made contact with his right rear. USA managed to gather up the moment though and slotted into third. Neel Jani managed to avoid any potential first lap carnage but remained eighth away from the line. Lap two however saw Jani in the Swiss car make a mistake at Paddock which cost him a place to John Martin for Team Australia.

Lap three, and with the drivers now settling into a rhythm, Carroll set the quickest lap as he began to close in on Mexico who by now had a small advantage.

The window for the one mandatory sprint pit stop was between lap four and nine, and it was Karthekeyan for Team India who elected to stop first from his fifth place at the end of lap four. Duran and Carroll pulled into the pitlane on the next lap and it was a straight battle between the two pit crews. Mexico had the slower stop with time being lost replacing the left front and with that Ireland rejoined ahead of them with Duran falling behind India.

Yet to stop was Team USA with Hildebrand now getting the hammer down and bettering Carroll's fastest lap. Jani elected to stop on lap six, rejoining with no drama. Hildebrand came in a lap later and with good work by the team managed to rejoin ahead of Mexico in third place.

With nine laps gone, the order was Ireland from India, USA, Mexico, Portugal (below), Netherlands, Australia and Switzerland.

Pushing hard, the charging Hildebrand ran wide at Clearways losing momentum which allowed Duran to outdrag him across the start line.

On lap 15 going into Paddock Hill Bend, Team Lebanon's Daniel Morad (below) lost his rear-end at mid corner and the helpless New Zealand car of Earl Bamber had nowhere to go, leaving both of them out on the spot buried in the gravel trap. Bamber's expression told a thousand words as both drivers made it safely behind the armco. Both cars were deemed to be far enough from the edge of the circuit that a safety car was not needed.

Over the remaining few minutes of the race Team USA closed back in on Mexico after their earlier mistake, but then struggled in the turbulent air and without any powerboosts remaining, a late pass was not really an option.

Ireland took the flag by a six second margin from India, with Mexico holding off the hard charging Hildebrand for the final podium spot. Adam Carroll was jubilant but remained cautious with the feature race still to go. Courtesy of his win and fastest lap, and with Jani and Albuquerque finishing behind him in 8th and 5th respectively, the task for the afternoon had become a whole lot easier.

The permutations were now that if Ireland finished sixth or higher in the feature race then the title would be theirs.

Jani was downbeat after coming home just inside the top ten. He had virtually conceded the title and now was more concerned over making sure he was not overtaken for second in the final standings by Portugal.

Sprint Race Result Top Ten:
1. Ireland - Adam Carroll, 16 laps
2. India - Narain Karthikeyan, +7.230s
3. Mexico - Salvador Duran, +12.340s
4. USA - JR Hildebrand, +12.689s
5. Portugal - Filipe Albuquerque, +13.018s
6. Netherlands - Jeroen Bleekemolen, +13.783s
7. Australia - John Martin, +15.208s
8. Switzerland - Neel Jani, +22.220s
9. France - Nicolas Prost, +22.945s
10. Italy - Vitantonio Liuzzi, +27.062s

Brands and A1GP always puts on a good show and before the feature race there is an opening ceremony. At Brands we had skydiving, marching bands, motorcycle display teams, TW Steel grid girls (below) and the drivers paraded around the circuit on an open top London bus. All this you may say is totally secondary to the action on circuit, but for the casual first time race goer it provides at least something on circuit at all times, which with having to adhere to strict TV broadcasting timescales across the globe is increasingly difficult.

Come three o'clock and it was time to start the final race of the 2008-2009 season. It actually became a rather truncated affair as the first start had to be aborted due to the South African car stalling on the grid. After another formation lap, the field of 600bhp Ferrari V8 engined cars were away and thundered their way into Paddock. This time Carroll was quicker off the mark and headed the field from Monaco, Netherlands and Switzerland, but then came the midfield battle who as in previous feature races at Brands, contrived to create carnage. USA gave China a slight tap on the rear for the plunging downhill right hander, China spun and collected the unfortunate Indian car of Karthekeyan who came off worse and was lucky not to roll as he careened through the gravel trap.

USA was able to continue but would need to call at the pits for a new nose-cone. The safety car was deployed while the snatch vehicles pulled both cars to safety and soon the race was underway again.

Carroll immediately set out to build a cushion to the chasing pack and had a five second lead by the end of the fifth lap. New Zealand's wretched weekend continued, as earl Bamber lost the all black car on the brakes approaching Westfield and retired in the gravel trap.

The first round of pitstops saw Ireland first to stop along with Portugal. The only real loser was Monaco who choose to stay out a couple of laps longer, but the tactic failed and they dropped to fifth.

Dan Clarke for Team GBR was having a better run in the feature and the 25 yr old produced a classic late braking maneuver on Australia's John Martin into Paddock on lap 14, moving himself up to 7th place.

Jani in third was trying all he knew to pressure Bleekemolen into a mistake, but was to be thwarted by a broken exhaust meaning he had to nurse the car home.

The midpart of the race saw Netherlands (below) cut Carroll's lead down to five seconds but it was obvious that the Irish driver was pacing himself until his second stop and fresh rubber.

Lap 28 and Carroll was in again, the first of the leading runners to stop. Bleekemolen came in a lap later but with both of their stops pretty much identical, there was to be no change of leader.

The increasingly sick sounding engine of last seasons champion Neel Jani was a precursor to him producing a great defensive display in holding off the cars of Monaco and Portugal. Jani at last felt he had the car handling much better but had to make his car extremely wide to fend off the chasing pair especially under powerboost at the end of the straight.

Carroll (above) coasted home with ten seconds to spare from the Dutch car having never been seriously threatened to take the title. A popular win it was too, with Adam pulling up on the pit straight in front of the gathered Irish fans. The normally quite reserved man from Portadown climbed from the Irish car and saluted his team before being surrounded by media, family and friends. He later admitted that he had been in tears on the last lap and was so relieved that he had repayed the team that had worked tirelessly all season to give him the car to get the job done.

Feature Race Result Top Ten:
1. Ireland - Adam Carroll, 49 laps
2. Netherlands - Jeroen Bleekemolen, +10.156s
3. Switzerland - Neel Jani, +13.564s
4. Monaco - Clivio Piccione, +14.293s
5. Portugal - Filipe Albuquerque, +16.484s
6. Mexico - Salvador Duran, +21.810s
7. Great Britain - Dan Clarke, +23.409s
8. Australia - John Martin, +24.493s
9. Italy - Vitantonio Liuzzi, + l lap
10. France - Nicolas Prost, + 1 lap

Final Championship Standings Top Ten:
1. Ireland 112
2. Switzerland 95
3. Portugal. 92
4. Netherlands 75
5. France 47
6. Malaysia 43
7. New Zealand 36
8. Australia 36
9. Monaco 35
10.Breat Britain 28

The podium was awash with emerald green, as A1GP CEO Tony Texiera presented an ecstatic Carroll and Ireland seat holder, Mark Gallagher, with the trophy for the 2008-2009 season.

For a still very young race series that has had it's fair share of trials and tribulations, this season has been a tremendous success. The change over to the new chassis and Ferrari power doesn't seem to have adversely affected the racing and the main principles of the series are still evident.

Here's hoping the GP track at Brands Hatch will be back on the A1GP calendar for next year! Proper cars, proper circuit, enough said!

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer

A1GP SEASON FINALE // BRANDS HATCH QUALIFYING

In an extremely tense afternoon of qualifying for tomorrow's A1GP finale, the day turned into a head to head battle between Team Ireland's Adam Carroll and Neel Jani of the Swiss squad. As the final seconds of qualifying ticked down, one put in a storming lap to take a double pole while the other sat unceremoniously in the gravel trap of  Druids hairpin... [read more]

This afternoons Qualifying saw the circuit once more swathed in sunshine with just a pleasant light breeze. Pressure on all three of the title contenders was ramped up yet another level as the battle for both the sprint and feature grid spots was the focus of the day.
 
Before the afternoon action, the final free practice session was once more dominated by Jeroen Bleekemolen for the Dutch (below), while most teams were completing fairly longish runs and finalising race set ups for Sunday. Behind Bleekemolen was the Indonesian entry with Satrio Hermanto posting competitive times.

Again mightily impressive in third was John R Hildebrand (below) who once more was relishing the undulations of the GP circuit, setting a string of quick times which he hoped he could replicate in the all important single lap qualifying runs later in the day.

The first two afternoon qualifying segments were to determine the grid for the sprint race and as the clock started there was the usual reluctance to be the first car out, so much so that the circuit was empty until four minutes to go. Traffic was now going to be an issue even though there is plenty of room on the GP circuit for the field to spread out. First to register a competitive time was Team Netherlands with Bleekemolen impressive as ever. Adam Carroll was next up from Team GB's Dan Clarke ahead of the Australian car of John Martin.
 
The second segment of sprint qualifying which followed on after a five minute break saw some teams elect to use their 'Power Boost' which in qualifying is allowed only once but in any session.  With the extra horsepower it was Team Mexico's Salvador Duran (below) who was the first man into the 1 minute 11 second bracket. However the third title hopeful, Felipe Albuquerque of Team Portugal with the aid of the boost button, could only manage fifth place. The top spot was taken sensationally by Adam Carroll, who without the power boost, threw down a marker with a stunning 1:11.6 lap. Bleekemolen was third from Hidebrand who now will start the sprint tomorrow from the second row, Team USA's best starting spot of the season.  Jani in the swiss car ended a disappointing eighth and will need to have his wits about him on Sunday morning as he runs down through Paddock and into the inevitable first lap bottleneck at the hairpin, or his second title could easily be gone in a flash.


Sprint Race Grid Top Ten:
Pos / A1 Team / Time / Gap
1: Ireland 1'11.615  
2: Mexico 1'11.653  - 0.038
3: Netherlands 1'11.992  - 0.377
4: USA 1'11.994  - 0.379
5: Portugal 1'12.040  - 0.425
6: New Zealand 1'12.108  - 0.493
7: India 1'12.109   - 0.494
8: Switzerland 1'12.212  - 0.597
9: Indonesia 1'12.658  - 1.043
10: Australia 1'12.745  - 1.130
 
Feature race qualifying was next up, with the first ten minute segment which saw Switzerland decide to use powerboost. Jani's lap saw him down in the 1:11.00 bracket heading Carroll and Monaco's Clivio Piccione. Earl Bamber of New Zealand (below) began to up his pace and finished fourth ahead of the their ever present rival Team Australia with the likeable John Martin.

The final 10 minute feature race qualifying session was going to be a tense affair as most teams opted for the advantage of new tyres and with Switzerland having already used their powerboost, Jani was not in the strongest of positions. With only a few minutes left, Team Ireland and Carroll put in an absolutely storming lap, dipping below the 1 minute 11 barrier. Jani (below) was powerless to respond but wound himself up for a last ditch attempt only to end up beached in the gravel at Druids. But with the consolation of his first segment time, he at least had a second row berth.

Clivio Piccione wound up the feature sessions in second spot, a great performance with Clivio putting his previous experience of Brands to good effect.  Alongside Jani on the second row will be the ever consistent Bleekemolen which will delight the Team Netherlands travelling 'Army'. On the third row will be Nicolas Prost (below) son of the legendary Alain for Team France, the youngster having looked quick all weekend will be hoping to finish off the season in style.


Feature Race Grid Top Ten:
Pos / A1 Team / Time / Gap
1: Ireland 1'10.902  
2: Monaco1'11.085  - 0.183
3: Netherlands 1'11.146  - 0.244
4: Switzerland 1'11.338  - 0.436
5: France 1'11.543  - 0.641
6: New Zealand 1'11.633  - 0.731
7:Australia 1'11.930  - 1.028
8: China 1'12.180  - 1.278
9: Portugal 1'12.270  - 1.368
10: India 1'12.397  - 1.495
 
So after a qualifying performance from Adam Carroll that ranks up there with his best, can he avoid the kind of costly race misjudgments and bad luck that have cost him dear at Brands before? Certainly Neel Jani will hope not.
 
In addition to the on track action during the weekend, Brands Hatch, with the full support of A1GP, is supporting  the 'Help For Heroes' charity which was formed back in 2007 to assist members of the UK armed forces that have been injured in recent conflicts. Team GBR with Dan Clarke and helpers (top) will be doing their bit during raceday. For more information click here

Stay tuned to CTD for raceday action and more!


Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer

A1GP FINALE // CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE DECIDED AT BRANDS HATCH

Today saw the A1GP Series return to the iconic UK venue, Brands Hatch. For the first time in the history of the series, this weekends final round action will be the championship decider following the cancellation of the Mexico race due to health concerns.
 
Warm Spring weather at the UK's unbelievable GP track at Brands, coupled with serious single seater action is a must see and CTD's Neil Tozer is trackside for us to capture all of the unfolding drama.
 
There is something special about the sight and sound of proper single seater cars around the Brands Hatch GP circuit, whether it be the memories of bygone heroes, the distinctive racing smell that lingers through the woods or even thoughts of a glorious age gone before... It never ever fails to move you and stir the passion that first hooked you to the sport. 
 
The GP circuit is still gloriously challenging and bar a few changes, perhaps one of the most unchanged original tracks in the world. The drivers will tell you the same thing thing, one and all, they love it! In this day of sterile far eastern venues, this place gets you by the throat and shakes you, it has bumps, adverse camber, gradients, all manor of corners and above all its probably the one place in the UK that takes you back to the times when you stood in awe of the drivers bravery... [read more]

Anyway I suppose you may have already guessed that this place holds a special place in my heart and it is great that a series as professional and personable as the A1GP thinks of the GP circuit in the same way.
 
Now on to today sessions...
 
Friday opened up as usual with the two half hour sessions for 'Rookie' drivers. Very quickly getting to grips with the circuit was young Nicolas Prost (below) who topped the times for team France with a lap that was 1.3 seconds under the A1GP lap record held by Robbie Kerr in one of the former Lola Zytek cars from 2007.

Switzerland's 'Rookie' Alexandre Imperatori was next up only 0.149 back.
 
Impressive in third spot was J.R. Hildebrand Jr. for Team USA. Hildebrand is stepping up to the main seat this weekend as Marco Andretti is unavailable.
 
No real dramas out on circuit for the 'Rookies,' just beaming smiles upon their return to pitlane along with admiration for the venue.
 
Obviously teams running a rookie driver in the two half hour morning sessions do get an early assessment of track conditions and this also speeds up, to a certian extent, the choice of set-up for the main drivers later in the afternoon.   
 
The main drivers first free practice session got underway late in the afternoon under sunny skies with an ambient temperature a little hotter than the morning sessions.
 
Setting a tremendous initial pace was Hildebrand (below) for Team USA. The 21 year old Indy Lights winner from Long Beach was straight on the pace and topped the times until the session was red flagged when Salvador Duran in the Mexican car came to grief at Sheene Curve. JR reflected afterwards that he thought there was quite a bit left in the car which he hoped to extract on Saturday. This personable young man from Sausalito, California, has driven the short "Indy" circuit here at Brands but is a newcomer to the full layout, making his performance today all the more special.

When the session resumed, Team Netherlands driver Jeroen Bleekemolen (below) began to chip away at the USA lap time and after a few small changes in the pitlane, Joreon dipped into the 1 minute 12 bracket to end the session comfortably quickest by half a second.

Championship protagonists Team Ireland followed the Dutch with ex-GP2 driver Adam Carroll (below) on the pace once again at Brands. Adam drove a storming race here last year and bar a broken front wing could have won the feature.

Again going well at Brands after his fantastic display here last year, was Narain Karthikeyan for Team India who ended the 1 hour session in third place, just hundredths shy of the Ireland time. Narain won here last year and it could be said that he is a Brands specialist given his many years experience in British race series at the Kent venue. Always one to watch and never short of bravery, Team India hopes to challenge for pole on Saturday afternoon.
 
 The other two championship contenders, Portugal and Switzerland, ended the day in sixth and tenth respectively with Filipe Albuquerque and Neel Jani still to dial the car in for a qualifying setup.
 
Jani (below) endured a difficult session for Switzerland with more changes being made to his chassis than normal, but by the end of the hour he felt that they had moved in the right direction and thought that all will be good come Saturday afternoon.



Top Ten // A1GP Free Practice:
01 Netherlands       Jeroen Bleekemolen    1'12.700
02 Ireland              Adam Carroll               1'13.203
03 India                 Narain Karthikeyan      1'13.284
04 Monaco            Clivio Piccione             1'13.284
05 USA                 J.R. Hildebrand           1'13.403
06 Portugal            Filipe Albuquerque      1'13.568
07 France              Nicolas Prost             1'13.592
08 New Zealand      Earl Bamber              1'13.892
09 Australia           John Martin                1'13.892
10 Switzerland       Neel Jani                    1'13.991
 
With the weather set fair for the rest of the weekend and a bumper crowd expected for raceday, this looks to be a tremendous title deciding weekend!
 
Stay tuned to CTD over the weekend for more reports.

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer

IRELAND PENALIZED AS JANI TRIUMPH'S // A1GP RACE REPORT

Team Switzerland must have feared for their place atop the Championship after their misfortune in Saturday's Qualifying, but following a frenetic and highly entertaining Feature Race in which Jani produced a quality drive at the Algarve Autodrome, he and the Swiss Team still retain their lead.
 
In what is proving to be by far the closest run since the inception of the A1GP, three teams head to Brands Hatch separated by only six points. 
 
Team Ireland perhaps should have capitalized more on Switzerland's misfortune in Sprint Race qualifying, but due to an indiscretion in the Feature, were handed a 25 second penalty thus dropping them to 5th place and therefore the Championship lead... [read more]

Earlier in the day, the Sprint Race was not to see a dream debut for poleman Tonio Liuzzi of Team Italy, as he was passed off the line by Robert Doornbos and ended the race ten seconds down in 4th
 
The Sprint Race went to plan for Team Netherlands and saw them complete an easy win, moving closer to the top three at the head of the Championship. Italy and Liuzzi initially held 2nd place, until teams started to make their compulsory pitstop. Team Italy's stop didn't go well and Liuzzi rejoined the race in 4th with both Adam Carroll and Felipe Albuquerque moving through. Team Switzerland and Neel Jani, who started towards the back of the grid, moved through the tail of the field but suffered a penalty for stopping outside the 'Pit Window,' and came away with a no score which lost them the Series lead by 6 points.
 
Sprint Race Results:
1. Netherlands     Doornbos
2. Ireland             Carroll
3. Portugal          Albuquerque
4. Italy                Liuzzi
5. Monaco          Piccione
6.  India              Karthikeyan
  
The Feature Race started with drama even before the finish of the formation lap, as the pole position car of  Doornbos came to a halt half way round amid a cloud of electrical smoke.
 
Adam Carroll was left on the front row all by himself and duly capitalized away from the line, leading Switzerland and Portugal. The biggest mover however, was Team USA and Marco Andretti who made a storming start to grab 5th. All was not as it seems though, as Carroll was adjudged to have jumped the start and therefore was given a stop go penalty.   
 
After the first round of pitstops, the safety car intervened for a clash between New Zealand and South Africa which put both cars out of the race.This enabled Team Ireland to regain the ground they had lost earlier with their penalty.
 
On Lap 18 the Safety Car pulled in, and in probably one of the best moves this season, Team Portugal's Albuquerque carried off a pass around the outside as both he and Jani dived into the 4th hear 1st corner, sending the home support crazy.
 
Another great battle unfortunately was to end shortly after the restart, as Team USA's Andretti made a small mistake at turn eight and ran wide allowing Liuzzi to pull alongside, albeit not completely. Andretti turned in and both collided along with the totally innocent car of Team Monaco's Clivio Piccione who clipped the errant Italian car. This forced the Safety Car out once more.

On the restart, Jani tried everything to pass the resolute Albuquerque but to no avail. Ireland and Portugal made their second stops, with the now flying Adam Carroll right on the tail of the Portuguese car.
 
Switzerland stayed out one lap longer and after a great job by the Swiss mechanics, Jani was able to make it out in front of Albuquerque as they headed into the first turn.
 
The Portugese car now came under pressure from Team Ireland and after a brave fight, Ireland made their move with Carroll taking the position. For the next few minutes Carroll put in a stunning set of laps which included fastest of the race, for which he gained an all important extra point. He closed the gap even further, eventually brining himself within a half a second, but it was too late, as Jani took the flag to make him the driver with the most wins in A1GP history.

The 'luck of the Irish' didn't apply today, as they once again fell foul to a penalty, this one after the race had finished. Carroll was penalised 25 seconds for overtaking under the Safety Car and demoted to fifth place.
 
So with Jani the winner, Albuquerque was promoted to second ahead of Fairuz Fauzy of Team Malaysia.
 
The series now makes the trip to the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit at the beginning of May with a title fight the like no other before. 
 
Feature Race Results:
1.  Switzerland     Jani
2.  Portugal          Albuquerque
3.  Malaysia         Fauzy
4.  Mexico           Duran
5.  Ireland            Carroll
6.  France            Prost

Stay tuned for additional A1GP coverage right here on ColdTrackDays!

Photo: A1GP
Editorial: Neil Tozer
 

A1GP QUALIFYING AT ALGRAVE // TEAM NETHERLANDS ON POLE

In the four separate qualifying sessions at the new Algarve Autodrome, Team Netherlands set themselves up for a realistic challenge for the A1GP title, as Robert Doornboss managed to qualify second for the Sprint Race and pole for Sunday's Feature Race.
 
Having arrived at the Portugese venue, and with the final round of the series now being held in Mexico City, there are just two weekends left after this Sunday's Feature Races at Algarve.
 
The freshly built circuit was commended by most drivers as being quite challenging due to many elevation changes with blind brows and a good mix of fast and slow turns... [read more]

Sprint Race qualifying started disastrously for Championship leaders, Team Switzerland, as Neel Jani suffered an engine malady and stopped out on circuit without completing a lap. This left them without a car for the second ten minute sprint session, therefore Jani will be at the back of the grid come Sunday's Sprint Race.
 
Most runners chose not to use their extra 60bhp Powerboost in the sprint sessions, with the exception of Team Italy and  F1 Force India reserve driver, Vitantonio Liuzzi, who, making his debut in the series, ended the two sessions on pole for the Sprint Race, just ahead of Doornboss for Team Netherlands and Adam Carroll for Team Ireland.

Feature Qualifying saw an improved performance by Team USA and Marco Andretti who will line up in the 8th spot.

The battle for pole was between Team Netherlands and Team Ireland, and since most runners chose to use their one shot of Powerboost in the feature session, it was a rapidly changing line up as the ten minutes counted down. Team Switzerland quickly located the engine fault and sent Jani out early, and half way through the short session he was atop the pile, ahead of Team South Africa and Team Brazil. With two minutes to go, Team Malaysia put in a quicker lap time, but with just a minute left in the session, Doornboss in the Team Netherlands car staked his claim for top spot with a 1:30.415 lap, four tenths quicker than Liuzzi's Sprint Race pole lap.
 
Team Ireland completed their lap with Adam Carroll taking second ahead of the recovering Jani and Adrian Zaugg in the South African car. Team Portugal failed to make the top five as youngster Phillipe Alberque made a mistake on his hot lap, running wide through one of the tightening right handers behind the pits.

Can Team Netherlands take their chance and make it even tighter at the top of the Championship standings come Sunday? Stay tuned!
 
 
Editiorial: Neil Tozer
Photo: A1GP
 

NEIL TOZER REPORTS // A1GP HEADS INTO FINAL 2 ROUNDS

With only two weeks remaining until the penultimate round of this years A1GP at the brand new Algarve Autodrome in Portugal, CTD's Neil Tozer has been assessing the contenders for the title.
 
With only two races to go at each of the remaining two rounds (Portugal and Great Britain), the fight for the title is statistically now between four teams.  Heading the standings by 3 points is Team Switzerland followed by Ireland, Portugal and the Netherlands.
 
With plenty of points up for grabs, this looks to be the tightest finish to a season in A1GP history. Tensions have already reached boiling point with Team Ireland venting their anger over being punted out of the Feature race at Kyalami last month.
 
Given the fact that the Algarve Autodrome will be new to all the teams, Neil expects Team Switzerland to again take the spoils due to their driver Neel Jani's uncanny nack of learning a ‘new’ circuit. But having said that, Adam Carroll of Team Ireland always goes well at Brands Hatch, so look out for a titanic struggle.
 
The final rounds of A1 always prove to throw up slightly different results due to the fact that some of the drivers resume their ‘Summer’ employment, be it GP2 or F3. With Brands Hatch playing host to the final round once again, it waits to be seen exactly who will be piloting each country's entry at the famous undulating Kent circuit.
 
Rumor around the paddock last week, was that Tony Teixeira, CEO of the A1GP, may well be considering forming his own F1 Team to be based in Portugal. Part of the reason that this may be on the cards, is that the A1GP is in the process of purchasing land within the ‘Motopark’ at the new Algarve Autodrome, which would be where the potential team would be based. "Watch this Space"
 
Keep following ColdTrackDays for more A1GP news and don't miss the final rounds at Brands Hatch, where Neil will be hoping to get his 'zoom' lens out amongst these lovely ladies!

Photo/Editorial: Neil Tozer // [comment]

THE A1GP @ KYALAMI // SWITZERLAND AND NEEL JANI TAKE LEAD

The series arrived at the famous and challenging Kyalami circuit in South Africa with Team Ireland atop the standings. But by the end of Sunday, the Irish were left distraught after Team Ireland driver Adam Carroll was unceremoniously punted out of the feature race on lap 1 by Fairuz Fauzy in the Malaysian car.
 
The South African round saw the return of "Power Boost Qualifying" which once again mixed up the starting grids for both races.
 
The Sprint race was totally dominated by Team Netherlands with Jeroen Bleekemolen taking a superb lights to flag victory. It was the 1st win for the Dutch in the last 45 races.

Controversy reigned at the start of the Feature as Ireland and Malaysia tangled, with Adam Carroll retiring in the gravel. Jani took another win for Team Switzerland with Brazilian Felipe Guimaraes in 2nd place, just a second up the road from Team Monaco's Clivio Piccione. Guimaraes' 2nd place finish sets a new record for the series, as he becomes the youngest driver ever to record a podium spot at just 17yrs and 11 months.

 South Africa was a weekend to forget for Team USA and Marco Andretti after finishing a lowly 17th in the sprint and 8th in the feature. The team really just used the Sprint Race as an extra test session as they had gone the wrong way on set-up for Saturday. It did however prove to be of some value, as Andretti came home inside the top ten in the longer feature Race.

 The Series now moves on to the "Brand New" Algarve International Autodrome in Portugal on April 10th-12th for the penultimate rounds of 2008/2009.

Editorial: Neil Tozer - Photo: A1GP.com