After months of speculation about whether it would happen, the A1 grand prix circus has rolled into South Africa for the first street-race in the fledgling series.
Sceptics doubted that the streets of Durban could be safely converted into an international-level race track in a mere two months, but the organisers seem to have got things right first time, with the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) giving the Durban street circuit the green light to stage the A1 Grand Prix of Nations just one week before this weekend’s racing spectacle.
A1 GP differs from formula one in a number of ways. The cars are all built to identical specifications, with the teams being allowed to fine-tune them for the individual driver and race circuit only. They all use the same 390kW 3,4-litre Zytek lightweight V8 engine, and they all have a PowerBoost mode that makes an additional 23kW available for carefully rationed equal periods over the two races that make up the weekend’s competition. The drivers’ race, not for personal glory, but for their country, with the teams being able to change drivers throughout the season and still accumulate points.
With the cars being so similar, the results can be hugely affected by the driver’s performance and his team’s ability to fine-tune the chassis for prevailing conditions. Driver input during practice is extremely important here, as is his ability to get the job done in the weekend’s two races — a sprint race and a main event, both on the Sunday.
The South African team’s display has been less than stellar so far, but driver Stephen Simpson seems to have settled in now after a slow start, clinching third place at the sixth and most recent race in the series in Dubai last month. South Africa now lies in 15th place with 14 points, while France is leading the series convincingly with 109 points.
This weekend’s activities begin on Friday with the gates opening at 9am. Practice sessions take place between 1pm and 2pm, and 4pm to 5pm. On Saturday, there will be a one-hour practice session between 11am and noon, followed by four 15-minute qualifying sessions. The results of the qualifying sessions will determine starting positions for the half-hour sprint race on Sunday at lunchtime, with the finishing positions here determining the grid positions for the main race at 3pm.
With Durban’s beachfront providing our team with a home-ground advantage, and the street circuit being brand new to all of the teams, this should be South Africa’s best chance of snatching some points from those damned Frenchmen and the other 13 teams ahead of us. If that goes well, the confidence and experience gained should stand us in good stead over the last three races in the series.