25/08/2006
NEWS STORY
Current UK Formula Renault Championship leader Paddy Hogan has been invited to test for A1 Team Ireland at Silverstone next week during official testing for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport™. The 21 year old from Killiney, Dublin, will drive the A1GP car on Silverstone's 3.619kms International Circuit on Wednesday August 30th.
This year Hogan has been the pace setter in the prestigious UK Formula Renault Championship, winning five races outright in his AKA Lemac Formula Renault car. With A1 Team Ireland preparing for the forthcoming A1GP series, the team is set to join over 20 other national teams in next week's all important two day official test session.
Rathfarnham's Michael Devaney is already scheduled to participate in the test, having driven for A1 Team Ireland in three A1GP events in the inaugural season last winter. A1 Team Ireland bosses Mark Kershaw and Mark Gallagher elected to invite Hogan to join Devaney at the test, sampling the step up from a 192bhp Formula Renault to a 550bhp A1GP car.
"I am delighted to have been offered the chance to test for A1 Team Ireland and am looking forward to it enormously," said Hogan. "I am in the middle of a tough fight for the UK Formula Renault title but it is great to have the opportunity to drive an A1GP car and sample one of the higher formulae at this stage of my career. I visited the team at A1GP's Technical Centre in Silverstone this week and tried out the cockpit for size – it will be good to actually get it out on track."
Speaking on behalf of A1 Team Ireland, Mark Kershaw said: "We have been watching Paddy's excellent results in UK Formula Renault and were keen to invite him to drive the A1GP car at the earliest opportunity. There is a major testing programme to get through over the two days but it's great that Paddy will be helping us."