The eleventh and final round of the 2006-07 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will be hosted this weekend, 27th - 29th April, at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit in Great Britain with Canada represented on-track by Vancouver's Sean McIntosh and Québec's Kevin Lacroix.
McIntosh will again assume race duties for the Canadian outfit, the 21-year-old aiming to get the team back into the top-ten of the A1GP Nations Standings having scored Canada's first points since January when he took the checkered flag in sixth place in Round 10's Feature event two weeks ago in China. A storming performance from the former A1GP race-winner saw Sean sprint from the back of the Feature grid, having been taken out of the earlier Sprint race, through to sixth at the flag.
Canada heads into the Brands Hatch finale just two points shy of Mexico in tenth place (35-33) and with a maximum score of 17 points on offer from the weekend a strong outing at the 4.22km Grand Prix Circuit in Kent could solidify the Canadian team's standing amongst the top-ten competing nations in A1GP for the second straight season having finished tenth overall in 2005-06.
McIntosh made his third start of the season in China earlier this month adding to the eight straight rounds he contested for Canada in last season's inaugural A1GP series. Back then Brands Hatch had the honour of hosting the very first A1GP meeting in September 2005 and Canada called on McIntosh to lead its charge following some highly impressive performances competing in the Formula Renault UK Championship, where his five victories saw him crowned Vice-Champion behind fellow A1GP competitor, Great Britain's Oliver Jarvis.
The young Canadian seized his opportunity to race for his country, the leap from his 200bhp Formula Renault car to the 550bhp A1GP car proving to be no obstacle despite having had just one day of testing prior to the first round. Showcasing the skills that would ultimately lead to a victory for Canada later in the season in Indonesia, Sean cracked the top-ten in the Brands Hatch Feature race, steering the car to ninth overall and a points paying finish in his series debut.
Looking ahead to his return to Brands Hatch Sean commented, "I'm hoping we can build on our performance in China where we improved with every session. I know Brands Hatch pretty well. I could probably drive the Indy Circuit with my eyes shut having raced there so many times in Formula Renault. I'm looking forward to returning to where my A1GP career began and I know the atmosphere will be amazing as the British fans really love their motor racing. Qualifying will be the biggest challenge followed closely by pit-stops in the Feature, that's where races can be won or lost so it's vital that we get everything right when the pressure's on."
McIntosh will again be joined in Great Britain by Québec stand-out Kevin Lacroix, the 18-year-old taking part in Friday morning's 'Rookie-Only' session before handing over to his team-mate. Lacroix, making his fourth appearance for the team, cracked the top-ten in practice in China and looks set to continue his progress behind the wheel of an A1GP car at the famed British circuit.
"It's my last chance to drive the car this season so I'm keen to make the most of it," said Lacroix. "The circuit looks a little similar to the likes of Mont-Tremblant and Mosport with its sweeping dips and curves. It's probably one of the hardest circuits I'll have faced in A1GP but I'm looking forward to it!"
Sunday's Sprint race starts at 11am GMT (6am Sunday EST) with the Feature race starting at 3pm at Brands Hatch (11am Sunday EST). SPEED will air all the action from Round 11 in Great Britain as a tape-delayed broadcast on Wednesday 2nd May starting at 2pm EST - http://www.speedtv.com/
Top-Ten A1GP Nations Standings after Round 10/11: 1st Germany (113) - CHAMPIONS, 2nd New Zealand (90), 3rd Great Britain (76), 4th France (60), 5th Malaysia (51), 6th Netherlands (50), 7th Switzerland (50), 8th Italy (40), 9th USA (37), 10th Mexico (35), *11th CANADA (33)
ENDS - http://www.a1teamcan.com/
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