toE
30-03-2005, 10:05 PM
A1 racing comes to Australia
March 30, 2005 - 7:34PM
With all the usual glitz and glamour of elite-level motor sport, A1 Team Australia was launched in Sydney.
The brain child of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum of Dubai's ruling family, A1 Grand Prix is a new and unique, FIA-approved racing series featuring 25 teams from 25 different countries.
The sheikh will be tapping into national pride when the 10-event championship pits drivers racing for their country - and not a manufacturer - against rivals in identical vehicles for $US1 million ($A1.3 million) prize money per race.
Sheikh Maktoum has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into A1 Grand Prix - including the unprecedented purchase of 60 cars, to be transported from race to race in three jumbo jets - in a passionate and costly bid to create a new culture in motor sport.
He is determined to have drivers racing on a "level playing field" so that his baby will become the fans' "World Cup of motor sport".
The richest, best-backed teams won't necessarily win. But, in this ideal world, the best driver should.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
"Right now, currently, it's not always the most talented driver who gets the best drive. It's the driver with the most amount of budget," he said.
"And this opportunity for Australia is that all drivers are paid drivers. They're employees of the national seat holder. They don't come with a budget.
"This is a point where money for the driver is no objective. He is not supposed to run around and get sponsorship, he is not supposed to run around and get business.
"He's there to drive. Let the businessmen do the business and the drivers do the driving."
A1 Team Australia's businessman is former Formula One world champion Alan Jones, who will be responsible for luring sponsorship dollars, negotiating a race venue and selecting the drivers.
Jones is excited about the challenge and confident of securing the required corporate dollar.
"What will make the difference is the ability of the driver and the team and that's where Australia is really going to shine," he said.
"I think this is something that the Australian public and hopefully the companies will get behind.
"This is about business, it's about politics and about motor sport. It's about networking and, quite frankly, I couldn't think of a better way for an Australian company who is about to or who is already in international business to have their name on the car."
His son Christian, the 2004 Asian Formula Three champion, will test the car at Sydney's Eastern Creek on Thursday.
But Jones said fellow emerging talents including Karl Reindler, Marcus Marshall, Will Davidson - who all attended tonight's launch - and Will Power were also potential drivers for Team Australia.
The drivers and sponsors of each team must be natives of their respective countries, but team managers and mechanics can be of different nationalities.
And with emerging, non-traditional motor racing nations like China, Pakistan, Turkey and Lebanon competing, the sheikh expects 80 per cent of the world's population to tune in to A1 Grands Prix.
"There's no reason to date why Pakistan or China should watch motor sports, except that they're really passionate, diehard people," he said.
"But when they have a driver, a national team with their national sponsors with Chinese characters on (the car), they will watch it.
"We will have all of China, all of India, all of Pakistan, all of Brazil - (with) 187 million - and Mexico - (with) 102 million - all of Africa represented ... the entire eyes of the world will be watching that series and watching Australian companies in an Australian-owned car with an Australian driver in it.
"And that is the idea behind it."
The first round of the championship is in England in September, with the Australian leg in November and Jones hopeful of securing a NSW venue for the inaugural race.
Source (http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/A1-racing-comes-to-Australia/2005/03/30/1111862458304.html)
March 30, 2005 - 7:34PM
With all the usual glitz and glamour of elite-level motor sport, A1 Team Australia was launched in Sydney.
The brain child of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum of Dubai's ruling family, A1 Grand Prix is a new and unique, FIA-approved racing series featuring 25 teams from 25 different countries.
The sheikh will be tapping into national pride when the 10-event championship pits drivers racing for their country - and not a manufacturer - against rivals in identical vehicles for $US1 million ($A1.3 million) prize money per race.
Sheikh Maktoum has pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into A1 Grand Prix - including the unprecedented purchase of 60 cars, to be transported from race to race in three jumbo jets - in a passionate and costly bid to create a new culture in motor sport.
He is determined to have drivers racing on a "level playing field" so that his baby will become the fans' "World Cup of motor sport".
The richest, best-backed teams won't necessarily win. But, in this ideal world, the best driver should.
AdvertisementAdvertisement
"Right now, currently, it's not always the most talented driver who gets the best drive. It's the driver with the most amount of budget," he said.
"And this opportunity for Australia is that all drivers are paid drivers. They're employees of the national seat holder. They don't come with a budget.
"This is a point where money for the driver is no objective. He is not supposed to run around and get sponsorship, he is not supposed to run around and get business.
"He's there to drive. Let the businessmen do the business and the drivers do the driving."
A1 Team Australia's businessman is former Formula One world champion Alan Jones, who will be responsible for luring sponsorship dollars, negotiating a race venue and selecting the drivers.
Jones is excited about the challenge and confident of securing the required corporate dollar.
"What will make the difference is the ability of the driver and the team and that's where Australia is really going to shine," he said.
"I think this is something that the Australian public and hopefully the companies will get behind.
"This is about business, it's about politics and about motor sport. It's about networking and, quite frankly, I couldn't think of a better way for an Australian company who is about to or who is already in international business to have their name on the car."
His son Christian, the 2004 Asian Formula Three champion, will test the car at Sydney's Eastern Creek on Thursday.
But Jones said fellow emerging talents including Karl Reindler, Marcus Marshall, Will Davidson - who all attended tonight's launch - and Will Power were also potential drivers for Team Australia.
The drivers and sponsors of each team must be natives of their respective countries, but team managers and mechanics can be of different nationalities.
And with emerging, non-traditional motor racing nations like China, Pakistan, Turkey and Lebanon competing, the sheikh expects 80 per cent of the world's population to tune in to A1 Grands Prix.
"There's no reason to date why Pakistan or China should watch motor sports, except that they're really passionate, diehard people," he said.
"But when they have a driver, a national team with their national sponsors with Chinese characters on (the car), they will watch it.
"We will have all of China, all of India, all of Pakistan, all of Brazil - (with) 187 million - and Mexico - (with) 102 million - all of Africa represented ... the entire eyes of the world will be watching that series and watching Australian companies in an Australian-owned car with an Australian driver in it.
"And that is the idea behind it."
The first round of the championship is in England in September, with the Australian leg in November and Jones hopeful of securing a NSW venue for the inaugural race.
Source (http://www.theage.com.au/news/Breaking-News/A1-racing-comes-to-Australia/2005/03/30/1111862458304.html)