From the Newsroom*
São Paulo – The Brazilian driver Nelsinho Piquet won the first phase of the new world car racing championship, the A1 Grand Prix, which took place yesterday (25), in Brands Hatch, in England. Nelsinho was the pole position and finished the race in 55min1s910. In second place came the Australian Will Power, with 55min13s240 and in third place was the Mexican Salvador Duran, with 55min25s035.
Each phase of the championship is made up by two races, worth ten points each, where the first one sets out the starting grid. The first driver is awarded 10 points and the tenth, one point. The team that runs the fastest lap within the two races gets an extra point. As well as winning the two races, Nelsinho also won the extra point for running the fastest lap in the second race, adding up to a total of 21 points for Brazil.
The prize for the winner was of US$ 300,000. In all, US$ 1 million were shared amongst the ten top positions.
The A1 Grand Prix, called the "World Cup" in car racing, was created by the Dubai sheikh, Maktoum Hasher Al-Maktoum, and the aim is to hold a competition between 25 countries. The next phase will be held on the 9th of October, in Lausitz, Germany.
The 25 countries participating in the A1 are: South Africa, Germany, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, the United States, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, India, Indonesia, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Russia and Switzerland.
*Translated by Silvia Lindsey
