Dubai Saturday, April 16, 2005

A1 Team Great Britain Chairman, John Surtees, has announced details of the team that will run for Great Britain in the inaugural A1 Grand Prix Championship, and the drivers who will take part in a shoot out for the prestigious drive in the first World Cup of Motorsport.

The Arden International Motorsport team, owned by Christian Horner, and based in Banbury, Oxon, will run the Lola chassis car in the A1 Grand Prix championship.

They will also carry out driver evaluation, in conjunction with John Surtees, at Brands Hatch on May 23-24 when four of Great Britain's top international drivers Adam Carroll, Ralph Firman, Robbie Kerr and Alex Lloyd will compete for the chance to represent their country against nations from the four corners of the world.

Explaining the importance of A1 Grand Prix, Surtees said: "The British motorsport industry is worth over 4 billion to this country. A1 is an example of British engineering and technology being at the forefront."

A1 Grand Prix Founder, President and Chairman, Shaikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum, commented: "I'm happy and delighted that the British team is gearing up to take on the challenge of A1 Grand Prix. Both John Surtees and Christian Horner have a history of successes in motorsport and I wish them both the best of luck in the championship."

The first race of the A1 Grand Prix championship will be at Brands Hatch on September 25.

The full calendar is yet to be released, but A1 Grand Prix has already announced China and Australia will host rounds of the championship that is to be run over the northern hemisphere's winter months motor racing's off season.

As many as 16 nations Great Britain, China, South Africa, Pakistan, Portugal, Lebanon, Canada, Malaysia, Australia, Mexico, South Korea, Turkey, Netherlands, India, Brazil and New Zealand have already signed up.

Six months ago, in London, A1 Team Great Britain was the first A1 Grand Prix team to hold its official launch.

As the only man ever to have won world championships on both two and four wheels, Surtees knows what it takes to win in motorsport.

Arden International Motorsport founded in 1997 by racing driver Christian Horner, has won the Drivers' title twice and Teams' title three times in the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, and is running two cars in the new GP2 series.

The four drivers represent the best of British motorsport. Former Grand Prix driver, Ralph Firman, was also the first A1 Grand Prix test driver.

In his racing career he has won the British Formula 3 Championship, the Formula Nippon Championship and the McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year Award.

Another winner of this prestigious Autosport award is Alex Lloyd who, at the age of 20, has already tested a Formula One car and raced in the European Formula 3000 and Formula Renault Championships.

Robbie Kerr, who has also been on testing duty for A1 Grand Prix, won the British Formula 3 Championship in 2002, having won the Scholarship class the year before.

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