A1 Team Ireland is set to join 24 other countries in the inaugural A1 Grand Prix of Nations at Brands Hatch in England this weekend. Fresh from its formal launch in Dublin last Thursday and the demonstration of the A1 Grand Prix car by series founder His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum at Mondello Park at the Failte Ireland International Race Weekend on Sunday, the team is looking forward to a weekend of close competition which will mark the beginning of the battle for The World Cup of Motorsport.

Immediately following Sunday's demonstration in front of thousands of spectators at Mondello Park, A1 Team Ireland moved to Silverstone for a full day of testing on Monday, Michael Devaney completing 102 laps as part of his preparation for his A1GP debut at Brands Hatch. The 20 year old Dubliner had previously tested A1 team Ireland's car over 12 laps at Paul Ricard, France in August so the Silverstone test provided him with the opportunity to work closely with Technical Director Andy Miller and develop the set-up of the car ahead of its first event. With seven other cars participating in the test, Devaney emerged second fastest in both the morning and afternoon sessions, third quickest overall.

The 2.62miles/4.22kms Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit will pose a very different challenge from the Silverstone club circuit used in testing, however, the Kent venue, South East of London, featuring some of the most daunting corners in the world including the infamous Paddock Hill bend. Extensive modifications to the Grand Prix circuit have been carried out in order to host the inaugural A1 Grand Prix of Nations, enhancing safety and updating the design of the circuit in line with its standing as one of Europe's premiere circuits.

"I'm looking forward to taking the A1 car out onto the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit for the first time," admitted Devaney," as I think these cars will great to drive on such a fast but demanding circuit. We should see speeds as high as 180mph/300kph on the quickest part of the track but ultimately the challenge of Brands Hatch is all about the variety of corners you have to deal with. I have never driven on the full Grand Prix circuit at Brands Hatch, only the short Indy circuit when I raced in Formula Ford, but that won't be an issue in my opinion. The A1 car provides quite a lot of grip and downforce so I think it will be a physically demanding, though I have been training extensively and didn't have any problems completing over a hundred laps in testing yesterday. Obviously this is a big weekend for the team as well as for me, but the technical crew are second to none and we will be working hard to find the correct set-up for the track. Weather could also play a role as there are showers forecast, which ought to make things pretty interesting in terms of race conditions and race strategies."

"Michael did a very good job in testing and I think we're going into Brands Hatch confident of doing a sensible job this weekend," said Technical Director Andy Miller. "Obviously it is a little daunting for Michael having to make his race debut at this level on what is also the team's very first race weekend, but we are not going to do anything other than work as well as possible and let him do what he does best, get on and drive the car. Brands is very different from the circuits we have tested on, but I know the track well from my time engineering in Formula 3 so we have a good idea of which way to go on set-up. The other point about this weekend is for us to see how the format works out because, in addition to the three practice sessions and qualifying, we have two races on Sunday - the first being the short Sprint Race which will determine the grid for the long Feature Race. The Sprint Race also features a rolling start, which is something of a novelty for most of the teams and drivers, so it will be interesting to watch."

A1 Team Ireland is hoping to attract good support from the Irish contingent within the large numbers of spectators who are set to witness the start of A1 Grand Prix. The team has already received messages of support from fans some of whom are travelling across from Ireland for the weekend.

"Such is the interest in A1 Grand Prix that many people understand the importance of being at Brands Hatch this weekend," said A1 Team Ireland Chief Executive Mark Kershaw. "This is the beginning of something very new and very exciting, and it will be like having attended the first Formula One race - a truly memorable occasion. I am certain that when the cars take to the track in their national colours it will make an impressive spectacle."

Among the competition faced by Michael Devaney and A1 Team Ireland are rising stars from GP2 including American Scott Speed and Brazil's Nelson Piquet Jr, while Germany's Timo Scheider, Frenchman Alexandre Premat and Dutch former Formula One star Jos Verstappen are also among the favourites.

"A1GP has certainly produced a formidable entry with drivers from GP2 and Formula One making it a fascinating benchmark for talent from all over the world," said Team Principal Mark Gallagher. "If we can be competitive against this opposition it will be an impressive achievement, but we are particularly realistic about the likely outcome this weekend. Given that it is the team's first ever race and also the debut at this level for Michael Devaney we will be looking for a solid qualifying performance followed by finishes in both races and ultimately championship points on A1 Team Ireland's debut weekend."

A1 Team Ireland's principal driver Ralph Firman will meanwhile be driving his Team Honda Racing Autobacs Honda NSX in the 6th round of the Japanese Super GT series in Fuji. Firman will make his race debut for A1 Team Ireland in the second round of the series in Lausitzring, Germany, in two weeks time.