21/02/2006
NEWS STORY
Patrick Carpentier assumes driving duties for A1 Team Canada this weekend, 24-26 February, as the A1 Grand Prix of Nations crosses the Atlantic for the first time in its inaugural season and heads to Monterrey, Mexico for Round 9 of the ‘World Cup of Motorsport'.
Carpentier, from Joliette, Québec, debuts behind the wheel of A1 Team Canada's Lola-Zytek as Vancouver's Sean McIntosh hands over to his countryman having led Canada to its maiden A1GP victory last time out in Indonesia. McIntosh's stunning drive, racing from last on the grid to first at the checkered flag in the Feature race in Round 8, cemented the team's tenth place in the Nations Standings and gave Canada the honor of becoming only the fifth nation to win an A1GP race this season.
While Patrick will sample his A1GP ride for the first time in Friday's two hour-long practice sessions, Parque Fundidora, Monterrey holds few surprises for the five-time Champ Car winner and former Toyota Atlantic Champion. With four career starts at the 3.38km circuit in Champ Car, from 2001-2004, the 34-year-old Québec-native knows what to expect from the 12-turn, anti-clockwise Mexican track – located on the site of the first Latin American steel mill. From those four starts Patrick boasts an encouraging record of three top-eight finishes including just missing out on a podium on his last visit in 2004.
Eager to return to Monterrey and equally excited to be representing Canada in the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Patrick commented:
"'m really looking forward to my opportunity to fly the flag for Canada. Sean gave me a nice present to welcome me to the team with his win in Indonesia and I believe as a result of that the whole team will be on an upswing heading into this weekend. I'm excited to be returning to Monterrey as I know the track pretty well, it's a fun circuit and it's just a beautiful place to go racing!
"For sure it's going to be difficult just to jump into the car with no prior testing but I'll just take everything one step at a time. The most important thing is to be comfortable with the car heading into Sunday's races as I've seen that the drivers with a decent race pace can make up position as events on track unfold. I'm aiming for a strong run come Sunday afternoon having built up time in the car on Friday and Saturday. I'm excited to race for A1 Team Canada and I'm looking forward to my first taste of A1 Grand Prix!"