A1 Grand Prix Great Britain
A1 Team Great Britain is the British team of A1 Grand Prix and Team Great Britain is one of the first six seat holders since the series was announced, with Chairman John Surtees hosting the event. The car was unveiled to the public in September 2005, displaying a distinctive blue, red and white livery to reflect the colours of the flag of the United Kingdom.
British financier Tony Clements is the national seat holder, and will run the corporate arm of the team. Former Formula One and 500cc Motorcycle World Champion John Surtees has been appointed as the team principal, working with the organisational structure, technical development, recruitment and race operations for the team. The Arden International racing organisation is responsible for race operations of the A1 Team Great Britain car.
A1 Team Great Britain was the first team in the series to offer a testing role to a woman driver. Katherine Legge (who had previously tested a Formula 1 car for the now-defunct Minardi team), tested at the Dubai Autodrome during the United Arab Emirates race weekend.
For the 2006-07 season the team selected Oliver Jarvis to join the squad alongside Kerr and the now full-time recruit Manning. Jarvis will primarily drive the car during Friday's "Rookie Practice Sessions", with Kerr and Manning competing in the races, though Jarvis will be given chances to race.
The A1 Grand Prix was launched in 2004 by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum of Dubai, with the first season taking place in 2005/2006 after A1 Grand prix received the official FIA backing.
The A1 Grand Prix is pretty unique in many respects. Unlike most racing cups, the A1 Grand Prix is nation-based rather than team-based. Each team drives an identical car provided by the A1GP federation. This puts the emphasis on team efforts and driver skills, avoiding technical advantage between teams.
The cars are powered by a performance-limited Zytek 3.4 litre V8 engine, the Lola designed chassis is made out of 600kg monocoque and Cooper 370/660R13 slick tires keep the beasts on the track.
A ‘secret-weapon’ is the boost-function. The so-called ‘Boost-Button’ on the driving wheel allows the driver to increases the engine output, revs and horsepower for overtaking maneuvers. Identical for each car, the pre-programmed overtake button can only be used a limited number of times in a single race.
Each A1 Grand Prix season contains 12 rounds over 24 races. Each race lasts either 180 kilometers or 70 minutes. The first ever A1 Grand Prix race was won by Angelo Piquet for Team Brazil, while A1 Team France scooped the first cup in 2006, with Switzerland second and Great Britain third.
The second season is currently underway, with the final race on 29 April 2007 at Brands Hatch – don’t miss your chance to get your tickets for the A1 Grand Prix.