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A1 Grand Prix, often shortened to '''A1GP''' or simply '''A1''', also known as the ''' World Cup of Motorsport ''', is an international Motor Racing series, unique in the field of motorsport in that drivers compete for their Country instead of a private team or Constructor . The concept was forwarded by Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum , a member of the Royal Family of Dubai , in 2004 . The series was confirmed and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale De L'Automobile and began operations in 2005 . The First Ever A1 Grand Prix was held at Brands Hatch Circuit, United Kingdom , on September 25 , 2005 . CARS A1 Grand Prix sanctions an identical car for delivery to each competing nation, with many technical restrictions as opposed to constructor-driven series like Formula One . The hope is that this will provide a level playing field for drivers to compete in, resulting in driver skill being the determining factor for success. COMPETING COUNTRIES 23 franchises were sold off to pre-chosen countries or territories from all six inhabited Continent s. In addition, seven unallocated franchises were made available to any other nation wanting to participate. In total, Twenty Five Nations signed up for the inaugural A1GP season. VENUES The first A1 Grand Prix Championship was held over 11 rounds in 11 different nations starting in Europe in September 2005 and moving on to Australia and Asia in November . The series took a break for the winter holidays and started up again in Africa in January 2006 , and then headed to the Americas in February , taking in each continent before returning to Asia for the finale in China . The 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix season will be the second season for the A1 Grand Prix series. It is scheduled to begin on 1 October 2006, at Circuit Park Zandvoort , and the second race wil be held one week later at Brno . The rest of the schedule is yet to be determined. FORMAT Each A1 Grand Prix race meeting takes place over a three-day period. Day one (Friday) involves a practice session with each team familiarising themselves with the track. Day two (Saturday) involves a second practice session and the qualifying sessions. Day three (Sunday) comprises two races, with points awarded for both. Qualifying Qualifying takes place from 14:00 to 16:00 local time, and consists of four 15 minute sessions. During each session, each team is allowed only three laps, an "out" lap to leave the pits and get up to speed, the "hot lap" to set the qualifying time, and an "in" lap to slow down and head back into the pits. Between each session are 10 minute breaks of inactivity, to allow for interviews, recaps, and commercial breaks. After the qualifying session, the team's two best times are aggregated to determine the starting grid for Sunday's Sprint Race. Race day The race day format features two races. The first race of the day is the ''Sprint Race'', held 75 kilometres or 30 minutes (whichever comes first). This race begins with a rolling start, scheduled to start at 13:30 local time. In addition to the points awarded, the grid positions for the Feature Race are determined by their finishing position in the Sprint Race. The second race, known as the ''Feature Race'' or ''Main Race'' begins at 15:00 local time, and is held over 160 kilometres or 60 minutes (again, whichever comes first). Scoring The same scoring system is employed for both races. The top 10 placed teams in each race are awarded points, on a decreasing scale, with the winner receiving 10 points, second place 9 points, and so on down to tenth place, who receives 1 point. In addition, one extra point is to the team which sets the fastest lap of race day - it can be achieved in either of the two races. These points are awarded to the nation, not the driver. As a result, teams are free to change their driver from race to race, while the points they earn for their nation accumulate regardless of which driver earned them. 2005-2006 SEASON See main article: 2005-06 A1 Grand Prix Season 2006-2007 SEASON See main article: 2006-07 A1 Grand Prix Season Circuit Park Zandvoort , The Netherlands will host the first race in the 2006-2007 season from 29 September to 1 October 2006 , and the second race will be at Brno one week later. The rest of the schedule is yet to be announced. On , an A1GP USA race in Baghdad , a race in Middle Earth 'The Ring', a street race in Venice , a Tibetan Hill Climb and a race in Los Angeles ' famous South Central area in which, the site joked, "drive-by penalties would be enforced." MANAGEMENT TEAM See also EXTERNAL LINKS
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