Robbie Kerr (GB) leads Graham Rahal (Lebanon) and Timo Scheider (D) at the wet start of the A1 Grand Prix sprint race. Credit: Laguna Seca
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On March 12th, snow-covered Mount Toro loomed in the background of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, reflecting recent rain, sleet, snow and record low temperatures on California’s central coast. That day, Americans were treated to a new form of racing when the penultimate round of the first A1 Grand Prix series was held. To assure equal competition, the cars are spec Lola chassis with 3.4-litre Zytech V-8s driving through 6-speed sequential gearboxes. Further leveling the field is the lack of driver aids like traction control and electro-hydraulic gearboxes.
The founder of the concept is Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum al Maktoum of the royal family of Dubai. In California, he spent more time answering questions about the Dubai port deal, once reporters found out who he was, than he did about the racing.
Max Papis takes his Team Italy car to 7th on the drying track of the A1 GP feature race. The best he could do in the wet sprint was 19th. How can an Italian team have a blue race car? Credit: Michael T. Lynch
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The format is unusual in that no car numbers are used. Instead teams are identified by their countries’ colors and points are awarded to each nation’s team, with a country rather than a driver winning the championship. This allows the teams to use various drivers on a race-to-race basis, since no driver is sacrificing points by missing events. Even the announcers say things like, “And Great Britain is challenging Germany through the corkscrew.” The series is billed as the World Cup of Motor Racing. It will be interesting to see if emphasis on countries alone will work. Even the World Soccer Cup has publicized its stars, from Pele to Ronaldo, over the years. Also, in an age of globalization, where nationalism is fading, as evidenced by organizations like the European Union, one has to wonder about the marketing strategy.
The A1 format features two races per event. The first is a sprint lasting from 20 to 30 minutes, from a rolling start. The feature race can run from 45 minutes to an hour, and features a standing start. The two were scheduled at Laguna for 20 and 60 laps, respectively. Points are the same for each race, despite the difference in length. The hope is to create international interest, even in countries without a motorsport tradition. As an example, there were entries from Pakistan, Lebanon and China.
The racing was good, dominated by Mexico’s Salvador Duran, who won popular victories in both events. In the sprint race, Nicholas Lapierre clinched the season championship for France with a second place. The sprint race was run in wet conditions, making for lots of unforced errors. Lapierre was leading the feature going away on a drying track, when mechanical problems let Duran by for the win. The drivers were an interesting mix of newcomers like Lapierre and Duran mixed with CART and IRL veterans like Bryan Herta (USA), Patrick Carpentier (CDN), Max Papis (I) and Christian Fittipaldi (BR). Because of track conditions, both races ran up against their time limits of 20 minutes and one hour respectively.
Salvador Duran celebrates his second win of the day for Team Mexico at the Laguna Seca round of the A1 Grand Prix. Credit: Laguna Seca.
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Seventeen-year-old Graham Rahal (Lebanon) put on a great drive in the feature. One of the few to start on slicks, he moved forward as his rivals pitted to change from wets, soon taking the lead. He was passed by France on lap ten, but held second from lap six until lap 26 when Mexico slipped by and Rahal’s deteriorating tires contributed to a spin. Unfortunately, a rookie mistake after he changed to cold slicks ruined his day, but he impressed while he lasted.
Because of numerous spins and safety car laps, the feature ran up against its hour time limit after 40 laps. Still, the cars averaged over 89 mph, certainly faster than the twenty-something spectators averaged on their way back to San Francisco in their slammed Hondas.
The final round will take place in Shanghai, China on April 2nd. Interested North Americans can view A1 GP on the OLN Network. For further information, go to a1gp.com.
