Story and Photos by Paul Pedicelli
Montreal, QC – A1GP Team Canada representatives were on hand in Montreal on Jan. 19, 2006 to announce that Quebec-born driver Patrick Carpentier will race for the team in the upcoming North American rounds of the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, billed as the World Cup of Motorsport. Carpentier will represent Canada in Rounds 9 and 10 to be staged at Fundidora Park, Monterrey, Mexico (Feb. 24-26) and at Laguna Seca, CA (Mar. 10-12) respectively.
Present with him to make the announcement were current A1 Team Canada driver Sean McIntosh of Maple Ridge, BC and legendary motorcycle and F1 World Champion John Surtees. Surtees serves as a consultant for A1 Team Canada all the while heading the group leading Great Britain’s charge in the inaugural A1 Grand Prix Series. A1 Team Canada Franchise holder, Wade Cherwayko, was unable to attend but had previously expressed his pleasure in being able to secure the services of an experienced racer such as Carpentier for the series’ two stops on this side of the Atlantic.
Carpentier was a natural choice for the A1 Series’ Canadian entry as he already has previous experience on both of the North American circuits. “I’m really excited to be representing Canada in the A1 Grand Prix Series,” he stated. “I’ve raced at Fundidora Park a couple of times already and won my last race at Laguna Seca in 2004 driving Champ Cars – I love the track.” He also noted that several other former Champ Car drivers will be representing their respective countries at said events, notably Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan and Brian Herta. “It’s going to be a lot of fun!” he added.
It is this previous knowledge of the circuits that will be fundamental in A1 Team Canada’s pursuit of podium finishes. There is no testing prior to any of the events in the Series and minimal track time during race weekends leading to the main events. As such, Carpentier will have the advantage of not having to worry about learning the circuit as he dials in his A1 GP car.
Coupled with this will be McIntosh’s presence and ability to share his experience with the A1 chassis. “I can help Patrick with settings to quickly attain a proper setup for each circuit,” he said. “At the same time, Patrick’s immense racing experience can be helpful in providing feedback to me.”
This last statement is what the A1 Grand Prix Series is all about. As Surtees himself stated, “This Series is about working together as a team, not about the drivers themselves.” It is the team/car that scores points at the finish, not the driver. As such, national pride comes to the fore in a Series where all chassis are equal and the best team effort is rewarded.
A1 Team Canada is currently in 10th place overall after the first six rounds. McIntosh will continue representing Canada in rounds 7 and 8 at South Africa (Jan. 27-29) and Indonesia (Feb. 10-12), after which Carpentier will take over for North America’s two events. McIntosh will subsequently round out the season in the final race at Shanghai, China (Mar. 31-Apr. 2).
Last word goes to Carpentier. What are his expectations going into the two events? “I don’t know. I don’t have real expectations for results as I haven’t even driven the car yet. I’m happy to go back to Laguna Seca,” he continued, “but I hope at the very least to bring a positive experience and result back to the team.”
When prompted on a prediction as to who would end up on top between himself and Herta, he replied, “I don’t know who will win, but I do know it won’t be Herta!” Don’t have to read between the lines on that one… we wish him the best of luck.
For more information on the A1 Grand Prix of Nations or A1 Team Canada, log onto www.a1gp.com or www.a1teamcan.com.
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