24/05/2005
NEWS STORY
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On Monday and Tuesday, four hopefuls took part in a shoot-out in an attempt to win the drive with the British entry in the much-anticipated A1 Grand Prix series.
Ralph Firman and Robbie Kerr were in action yesterday (Monday), while Alex Lloyd and James Rossiter were on-track today.
On Monday, conditions were ideal, Ralph drove in the morning and Robbie the afternoon. Both drivers did 60 laps (75 miles) each.
Unfortunately, Tuesday was a different matter entirely, with the notorious British weather causing problems. In order that both drivers had parity, as the track began to dry following a heavy downpour, it was decided to give Alex and James 20 laps each so that they ran in the same conditions.
Then subsequently put Robbie Kerr back in the car for 20 laps so they could
compare his time in the same conditions..
Unfortunately, the weather deteriorated which meant the shoot-out was abandoned at 15:00.
"It is nice to be driving a single seater again," said Ralph Firman, "as I have not driven one since I was in the actual A1 car. It is very different.
"I also haven't driven here at Brands Hatch since 1996," admitted the former F1 driver. "It is one of my favourite circuits in the UK so it is nice to drive round here. I think Paddock is one of the best corners in the world. Driving here in a quick car has been a good experience for me.
"The Team is obviously very good," he continued, referring to Arden International, which provided the championship winning F3000 car that was used for the shoot-out, and who will run the British team. "They have won lots of championships, which is very impressive. The car was obviously going to be good as it is the one they raced in Formula 3000 with.
"I only had 60 laps," he revealed. "It sounds like a lot, but at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit it doesn't take very long. It was a good experience and I enjoyed driving."
"It is an exciting project," he said of A1 Grand Prix, the brainchild of Sheikh Maktoum. "It is exciting to be able to race for your country, which has not been possible at this level before. You see lots of people able to play for their local team. Hopefully I will be able to race in GB colours and hopefully win for my country as well."
"It was a brilliant opportunity and I think the whole A1 idea is a fantastic one to have nation versus nation," added former British F3 Champion, Robbie Kerr.
"You have so many young drivers out there now who are trying to make their way through and it is good to have your nation looking at you, and if you are good enough to have the opportunity to represent your country and hopefully do a fantastic job for them.
"I think it went really well today," he added. "Brands is a brilliant circuit for the championship to have its first race. It is a great setting and the spectators in the Grandstands can see all the Indy circuit, although I am hoping we will race on the full (Grand Prix) circuit. This is just a brilliant circuit, one of the best in the country by far. I last raced here in 2002, so it would be nice to get out there again.
"Last time I won," he laughed, "so I am hoping to do it again."
"It was very enjoyable to drive here at Brands," said James Rossiter, who is currently contesting the Euro F3 series. "The weather wasn't really on our side but nevertheless it was still good fun and it was good to meet the team and John (Surtees).
"John is a legend in his own right," added the youngster, "and it is great to be able to work with someone like him on this project. For some reason I don't think you get as much coverage if you are British doing British motorsport, but everyone seems to be very supportive of this series at the moment which is great. We need to see what happens in the future but it is all very exciting.
"It would be great to represent my country in the series," he admitted. "Euro F3 where I am currently second in the championship is very different as there is a big difference between these cars and this Formula 3000 we were in today. However, I have driven the BAR Formula 1 car so in terms of power I have experienced a lot more… so it is not so bad.
"I raced here at Brands in Formula Renault and Formula 3 and I won here in Formula 3 last year so it would be great to be in the first race here in the A1 series."
"It has been good," said Alex Lloyd, who has also tested an F1 car (BAR) and raced in the European Formula 3000 and Formula Renault Championships. "The weather was not what we hoped so it made life a little bit trickier for the team and everybody else including the driver. However, you just have to get in and do the job having been given a set number of laps. You have to do the best job you can in those number of laps.
"For me it went very well," he continued. "I had no problems and it went very well. I think the lap times were quite good.
"The car was great and the team has a reputation of doing very well in the F3000 championship so the car was perfect straight from the off, which was good. All in all it's been a good day.
"I last raced here in 2003, but I think it is a lovely little track," he added. "It is quite nice to be back as I have not raced in England now since 2003, so it is nice to have done some laps here. It is going to be a great place for the first round.
"I represented England in Karting in the inter-nations, which is England versus Scotland and Wales. I have done that a couple of times.
"In the European championships you are racing for yourself but waving the British flag a bit with the other drivers. But it is not the same as this. This is going to be totally different to anything that has ever happened before, so in that respect it is very exciting and obviously it would be a great achievement to get the drive.
"I think in most sports the greatest honour is to represent your country and here is the first opportunity to do that as a racing driver. It is very exciting and I am sure it is going to be a fantastic year.
It's thought that the announcement as to who will get the drive will be made next week, as the management team behind A1 Team GB reflect not only on lap times, but also on how well the drivers react with their engineers, and also how they deal with the media.
We wish each of them the very best of luck.