22 Nations Gear Up For Title Decider At Brands Hatch
Apr 25, 2008
A1GP
Brands Hatch, Great Britain - As the remarkable third season of A1GP comes to an end, just two teams - Switzerland and New Zealand - are in contention for the prestigious title honours, as the World Cup of Motorsport heads to the legendary Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent for the final round next weekend (2-4 May).
In fact, for the first time in A1GP history all 22 championship positions are still to be decided, with 32 points up for grabs at the season finale. Current title leader Switzerland, runner up in season one, just needs Neel Jani to finish seventh in one of the races - or secure a combination of results to score four points - to win the championship while New Zealand, runner up in season two and currently trailing the Swiss team by 29 points, needs Jonny Reid to win at least one of the races and hope that Switzerland fails to collect any points.
Behind the leading duo, home nation Great Britain and season one champion France are battling for third, although GBR could still mathematically clinch the second-place spot. Behind them fifth-place South Africa is under threat from Germany, who won the 2006/07 title, and Ireland who are currently level with the Germans on 83 points.
Great Britain’s Robbie Kerr holds the lap record around Brands Hatch and has already made A1GP history, becoming the first driver ever to win a race on home soil when he took victory in the Brands Hatch Sprint race in 2007. Twenty-eight-year-old Kerr is determined to better that performance this year:
‘I cannot wait to return to Brands Hatch and race in front of the home crowd once again. My main focus is to go one better than last year and win both races. Obviously we cannot control our competitors so what happens with the Championship happens, but we’ll certainly make sure our chances are good by going out there and targeting the front row in qualifying and then winning races from there.’
Ireland Offers Ultimate Prize to Fans at Brands Hatch: A1 Team Ireland is challenging its fans to get in the party spirit at Brands Hatch - by offering a special prize for the spectator that gets in the Irish mood the best. The fan who turns up to raceday wearing or showing the best Irish-themed costume or display, will win the chance to walk the grid prior to the Feature race and have a photo taken with driver Adam Carroll in the team’s garage. Ireland will have its spies out in the many spectator areas at Brands Hatch, its home race, looking out for the ‘most creative and vibrant show of support.’ The winner will be notified by midday on raceday.
A1GP Pit Stop Regent Street: Ahead of the final round at Brands Hatch, A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will make a pit stop in London’s West End on Sunday 27 April. Lower Regent Street will be transformed into an A1GP grid with all 22 nations’ single-seater race cars lining up. As part of the festivities, fans will be able to purchase tickets for the main event the following weekend. Oliver Jarvis will be representing GBR at the Regent Street event, having shared this year’s drives equally with Robbie Kerr, who is competing in the Le Mans Series at Monza, Italy, this weekend.
Formula One Legends at Brands Hatch: Four-time Formula One World Champion (1985, 1986, 1989, 1993) Alain Prost will be at the A1GP season finale to watch his son, Nicolas Prost, perform rookie duties for France on Friday during the first practice session. Prost joins three other F1 legends in the A1GP paddock; Emerson Fittipaldi, seat holder of A1 Team Brazil, Alan Jones, A1 Team Australia seat holder, and John Watson, Sky Sports commentator. Olivier Panis, F1 race winner, will also be in attendance as Sporting Director for A1 Team France.
Global Village: A1GP will be unveiling a new off-track concept next weekend - the A1GP Global Village - geared towards delivering extra entertainment for A1GP fans and spectators during a race weekend, all included in the admission ticket price.
