New international series may be a rival, or alternative to Formula One
22/09/2005 1:31:00 PM
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LONDON (AP) - Perhaps Formula One has a rival.


Brazilian soccer star Ronaldo is part owner in on the A1 Grand Prix teams. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
The new A1 Grand Prix auto racing series provides an affordable alternative to F1, offering cheaper ticket prices, famous names and a season-ending race in Shanghai, China - the same place F1 wraps up its season. The new open-wheel series debuts this weekend in England with several twists.

Each of the 25 teams and drivers will represent a country. There will be two races instead of one. And the cost of competing in the 12-event series will be as low as $15 million US, about four per cent of what Ferrari spends in a Formula One season.

A1 Grand Prix is the brainchild of Sheik Maktoum bin Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, a nephew of Dubai's crown prince. He came up with the idea two years ago and approached Tony Teixeira - a Portuguese-born South African businessman.

"It is almost like giving birth to a newborn baby," said Teixeira, executive director of the series, which opens Sunday at the Brands Hatch circuit in southeast England. "I've seen this all before, but only in my mind. And now it's real."

Teixeira describes A1 Grand Prix as a "complement" to Formula One, an affordable series run in the fall and winter when F1 is idle. He expects to discover new drivers, many from non-traditional racing areas.

"The one thing that will stand out this weekend is the talent of drivers you are going to see," Teixeira said. "And that's what F1 will be looking at, and they will be asking where we found the talent."

This year's series features 12 events - opening Sunday in England and ending April 2 in Shanghai. In between, the series goes to Germany (Oct. 9), Portugal (Oct. 23), Australia (Nov. 6), Malaysia (Nov. 20), United Arab Emirates (Dec. 11), Indonesia (Jan. 15), South Africa (Jan. 29), Brazil (Feb. 12), Mexico (Feb. 26), and the United States at Laguna Seca, Calif., on March 19.

The cars will be identical - Lola chassis powered by 550-horsepower Zytek V-8s, all running on Cooper tires. Teams can alter their setup, but not much else. Top speeds should be about 290 kilometres an hour.

The driver lineup is a mix of young and old, many with familiar names. There are also some famous team owners.

The best-known driver is F1 veteran Jos Verstappen, racing for the Dutch team. Ireland also has a former F1 driver in Ralph Firman.

Several teams are owned by former F1 champions: Niki Lauda (Austria), Alan Jones (Australia), John Surtees (Britain) and Emerson Fitipaldi (Brazil).

Real Madrid soccer star Ronaldo owns part of the Brazil team. The Portuguese team is owned by Inter Milan midfielder Luis Figo and Manchester United assistant coach Carlos Queiroz. The German team is owned by Willi Weber, Michael Schumacher's manager.

Among the up-coming drivers are Nelson Piquet Jr. (Brazil) and Scott Speed (U.S.).

A1 Grand Prix is calling itself the World Cup of Motorsport. The cars are painted in national colours, and the season-ending champion will represent a country - not an individual.

Teixeira said the start-up cost of the series, including running the first season, was about $500 million. F1 has 10 teams and it costs several billion dollars each year to run. The Ferrari team alone has an annual budget estimated at $400 million.

A1 franchises are priced based on the population and wealth of the country. The most expensive franchises cost $50 million and the least expensive $15 million.

Although Sheik Maktoum is a billionaire, and Teixeira acknowledged the new series was backed by the "open cheque book" of the Dubai royal family, it is a serious business.

"We would be very, very fortunate if we broke even in year one," Teixeira said. "But by year three we should be making a nice profit."

The racing format will be different.

Saturday's qualifying will consist of four, 15-minute sessions. Each team's best two times will determine the starting grid for Sunday's first race.

Sunday will feature an 80-kilometre sprint race followed by a 160-kilometre feature race. The starting grid for the second race will be established by the finish in the first. Teams receive points for each race: 10 for first, nine for second - down to one point for finishing 10th.

The countries entered include: Australia, Britain, China, South Africa, Lebanon, Portugal, Malaysia, Canada, Netherlands, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, France, Switzerland, Russia, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Italy, Japan, Austria, Ireland, United States, Mexico, Brazil and Germany.