Ralph Firman is back in the driving seat for A1 Team Ireland for this weekend's fifth round of the A1 Grand Prix series - The World Cup of Motorsport™ in Sepang, Malaysia. Michael Devaney will be accompanying Firman this weekend as reserve driver for A1 Team Ireland. Devaney netted seven championship points for Ireland at Eastern Creek resulting in A1 Team Ireland being only nine points adrift of 4th place in the series, and the team are aiming to close that gap in Malaysia and the following round in Dubai.

Ralph Firman secured Ireland's first podium the last time he took the driving seat in Estoril, Portugal, and arrives in Sepang this weekend with a useful advantage over other drivers. Firman has previously raced in Sepang, most notably for Jordan in Formula One back in 2003, and earlier this year for Team Honda Racing in the Japanese SuperGT series when he claimed pole position and finished second in the race.

As a Formula 1 circuit Sepang will provide the teams and drivers with the very best facilities the series has seen so far. The main racetrack is 5.542km (South Track 2.7km and the North Track 2.8km). One of the spectacular features of the circuit is the smooth and the fastest part of the circuit is the start/finish straight between turn 15 and turn 1. With 15 corners and eight straights the incredible track provides many overtaking opportunities for the teams this weekend. Weather conditions with a forecast for thunderstorms will play an important part in A1 Team Ireland strategy this weekend but the team can use Ralph's experience on the circuit to their advantage and set the pace for more championship points.

"It's has been a demanding start to the series to date combining my commitments in Japanese SuperGT racing with the new A1 Grand Prix series, but with my commitments to Honda Racing are finished for the season I can concentrate fully driving for A1 Team Ireland" said Ralph Firman. I'm looking forward to getting back in the driving seat in Sepang as it's a good circuit with quite a few challenging corners. I know the team has been making good progress with the car so we aim to go into this weekend improving on the 3rd and 4th placed finishes the team achieved in the last two A1 Grand Prix events".

Team Principal Mark Gallagher says, "the Sepang circuit is one of the best in the world and for A1 Grand Prix to have secured a race at this venue is terrific. The Malaysian fans will also have the added benefit of seeing their own team race on home soil, so the atmosphere should be very good. From the perspective of A1 Team Ireland we know that we have steadily improved the competitiveness of the car as demonstrated by Ralph's podium in Portugal and Michael's excellent drive to fourth in Australia. With Ralph back in the car at a track he knows, we hope to take our performance up another notch - podiums are where we want to be."

Andy Miller, Technical Director for A1 Team Ireland, is familiar with the track and regards it as a good challenge for driver and team. "The weather could be difficult and won't be entirely ideal. Weather caught us out in Estoril as we did not have a local knowledge of the circuit. However, we need to use Ralph's experience this weekend to our advantage and I have no doubt that will be an important factor. Michael handed the car over after the Sydney race in very good condition so all the factors point towards a successful weekend for A1 Team Ireland."