The 2005–06 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, United States of America was a A1 Grand Prix

A1 Grand Prix

A1 Grand Prix was a 'single make' open-wheel auto racing series. It was unique in its field in that competitors solely represented their nation as opposed to themselves or a team, the usual format in most formula racing series. As such, it was often promoted as the "World Cup of Motorsport"...

 race, held on the weekend of March 12, 2006 at Laguna Seca

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA....

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Report

The first American stop for the A1GP (and so far only) was doomed to fail from the start. The race was announced before Laguna Seca announced it. There was little to no advertisement for the event, and very few fans of European open wheel racing in America even knew about the event. Due to constant rain, the A1GP weekend was canceled by the track a week before the race. Fortunately, the rain did stop; however, the ground was still soaked to the point that most of the parking lots were closed in fear of vehicles getting stuck in the mud. Laguna Seca is located just a few miles from the Monterey Bay, and is at an elevation of about 750 feet. The weather chased away more fans as snow fell on Friday night.

Even with snow, a cloud burst, cold temperatures and missing cars, the A1GP was a great weekend for motorsport fans. Unfortunately, fewer than 2000 people (estimate) attended the race.

Qualifying

Qualifying was held in "ideal" conditions compared to the rest of the weekend and the lap times were quick

Sprint race

With rain nearby, officials changed the start times for both races. Temperatures were in the 40's, and the diehard fans were in for quite a show. Less than five minutes before the start, a torrent rain storm hit the track hard. Teams quickly switched to rain tires and put on a great show. By the half way point of the 30 minute sprint race, the rain stopped, yet there was enough water that a dry line could not be found.

Main race

By the start of the main race, the track was mostly dry, however there were enough wet spots on the track to make it dangerous for slicks. Many cars spun hitting the wet curbs. There were also some questionable calls by the officials causing Jos Verstappen to storm out of his car in the middle of the race.

Qualifying Results

Qualifying took place on Saturday, March 11, 2006.

1. Mexico Salvador Duran 2min 30.744secs
2. France Nicolas Lapierre 2min 30.895secs
3. New Zealand Matt Halliday 2min 31.596secs
4. Malaysia Alex Yoong 2min 31.810secs
5. Australia Ryan Briscoe 2min 31.964secs
6. Great Britain Robbie Kerr 2min 31.970secs
7. Portugal Alvaro Parente 2min 32.042secs
8. Ireland Ralph Firman 2min 32.098secs
9. Germany Timo Scheider 2min 32.307secs
10. South Africa Stephen Simpson 2min 32.535secs
11. Lebanon Graham Rahal 2min 32.560secs
12. Netherlands Jos Verstappen 2min 32.571secs
13. Italy Max Papis 2min 32.745secs
14. Czech Republic Tomáš Enge 2min 32.838secs
15. Indonesia Ananda Mikola 2min 33.249secs
16. Switzerland Giorgio Mondini 2min 33.299secs
17. USA Bryan Herta 2min 33.602secs
18. Canada Patrick Carpentier 2min 33.641secs
19. Brazil Christian Fittipaldi 2min 33.686secs
20. Austria Mathias Lauda 2min 34.338secs
21. Pakistan Adam Khan 2min 36.325secs
22. China Tengyi Jiang 2min 37.715secs

Sprint Race Results

The Sprint Race took place on Sunday, March 12, 2006.

Pos	Team	Driver	Laps	Time	Points
1	Mexico A1 Team Mexico A1 Team Mexico is the Mexican team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Memek sico owners are Juan Cortina and Julio Jáuregui....	Salvador Durán Salvador Durán Salvador Durán Sánchez is a Mexican race car driver currently racing in the NACAR Corona Series and formerly Formula Renault 3.5 Series championship with the Interwetten.com team....	16	31:07.422	20
2	France A1 Team France A1 Team France is the French team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the inaugural season, 2005-06.- Management :A1 Team France's owner is Jean-Paul Driot...	Nicolas Lapierre Nicolas Lapierre Nicolas Lapierre is a French race car driver born in Thonon-les-Bains, France. He raced in the first three seasons of the GP2 Series.-Early career:...	16	+1.771	10
3	Portugal A1 Team Portugal A1 Team Portugal is the Portuguese team for A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :The A1 Team Portugal team owners were the well known football player, Luís Figo, and coach Carlos Queiroz...	Alvaro Parente Álvaro Parente Álvaro Parente is a Portuguese racecar driver. Parente's father was also a race driver.-Early career:After winning the Karting European Junior Championship in 1998, Parente made his debut in auto racing in 2001 at the age of 16, driving in the Spanish F3 Championship...	16	+8.040	18
4	Great Britain A1 Team Great Britain A1 Team Great Britain is the British team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Great Britain was one of the first six seat holders in the series announced, with chairman John Surtees hosting the event...	Robbie Kerr Robbie Kerr Robert "Robbie" Kerr is a British race car driver from England.-Early career:In 2002 he became the British Formula Three Champion for Alan Docking Racing with 306 points ahead of Australian racing driver James Courtney.Following an abortive attempt at International Formula 3000 in 2003, Kerr did...	16	+12.791	15
5	Ireland A1 Team Ireland A1 Team Ireland is the Irish team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the fourth season, 2008-09.- The Team :...	Ralph Firman Ralph Firman Ralph David Firman Jr. is an English-born racing driver who races under Irish citizenship and an Irish-issued racing licence. Earlier in his career he raced under a British licence...	16	+24.390	11
6	Canada A1 Team Canada A1 Team Canada is the Canadian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Canada's previous seat holder was Jay Laski...	Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier is a retired Canadian race car driver. He is best known for his career in the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series. In 2009, Patrick shared the #36 of Tommy Baldwin Racing with Mike Skinner and ran Michael Waltrip's #55 Toyota Camry in the road course races in the...	16	+26.027	11
7	Germany A1 Team Germany A1 Team Germany was the German team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the second season, 2006-07. They were run by the English Super Nova Racing team until the end of 2007-08...	Timo Scheider Timo Scheider Timo Scheider is a German racing driver who competes in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Audi. He won the title in 2008 and 2009.-Karting:...	16	+26.416	13
8	New Zealand A1 Team New Zealand A1 Team New Zealand is the New Zealand team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :The team was formed by and is owned by prominent Auckland businessman Colin Giltrap, well known for this car dealerships. The team is managed by Kiwi Bob McMurray who retired last year after...	Matt Halliday Matt Halliday Matthew Halliday is a motor racing driver from New Zealand.-Formula Racing:His formula racing career has involved various single seater series in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the United States...	16	+30.474	3
9	United States A1 Team USA A1 Team USA is the American team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :Owner Rick Weidinger became interested in A1 Team USA and the A1 Grand Prix series when national franchises were being bid for the new series. Along with minority partners and friends Rusty Lewis and...	Bryan Herta Bryan Herta Bryan John Herta is an American race car driver. He currently runs his own team, Bryan Herta Autosport in the Firestone Indy Lights Series...	16	+31.034	2
10	Australia A1 Team Australia A1 Team Australia is the Australian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :The team chairman is former-Formula One world champion Alan Jones, backed by general manager and former NASCAR driver Peter Nolan...	Ryan Briscoe Ryan Briscoe Ryan Briscoe is an Australian auto racing driver who has raced open wheel and sports cars in Europe and America.In addition to his native English, Briscoe speaks Italian and French...	16	+34.647	4
11	South Africa A1 Team South Africa A1 Team South Africa is the South African team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team South Africa owner is Tokyo Sexwale. The Chief Executive Officer of the team is Dana Cooper and the technical and sporting manager is Mike Carroll...	Stephen Simpson Stephen Simpson Stephen Simpson is an A1 Grand Prix and Champ Car Atlantic Championship race car driver. Stephen is a resident of Cape Town in South Africa hence his connection to A1 Team South Africa.-Biography:...	16	+35.971
12	Austria A1 Team Austria The A1 Team Austria is the Austrian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. It was involved only in the first A1 Grand Prix season.- Owners :A1 Team Austria seat holder is Lauda Motorsport Management.- Drivers :...	Mathias Lauda Mathias Lauda Mathias Lauda is an Austrian race car driver. He is the son of three-time Formula One world champion Niki Lauda and Marlene, and also has a brother, Lukas, who is currently his manager.-Career:...	16	+51.760
13	Brazil A1 Team Brazil A1 Team Brazil is the Brazilian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :The seat holder for A1 Team Brazil is the former Formula One World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Since 2005, Brazilian footballer Ronaldo has been the co-owner of A1 Team Brazil. The team principal is...	Christian Fittipaldi Christian Fittipaldi Christian Fittipaldi is a Brazilian racing driver who has competed in various forms of motorsport including Formula One, Champ Car and NASCAR...	16	+54.200
14	Netherlands A1 Team The Netherlands A1 Team Netherlands is the Dutch team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Netherlands' owner is former Formula One driver and Le Mans winner Jan Lammers...	Jos Verstappen Jos Verstappen Johannes Franciscus "Jos" Verstappen nicknamed "Jos the Boss" is a Dutch racing driver. He is the most successful Dutch Formula One driver, and has also won races in A1 Grand Prix and Le Mans Series LMP2 races...	16	+55.266
15	Pakistan A1 Team Pakistan A1 Team Pakistan is the Pakistani team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :In 2008/2009 season, the team is being run by Team Craft, bringing a high level of knowledge and expertise to A1 Team Pakistan....	Adam Khan Adam Langley-Khan Adam Khan , is a British sportsman and racing driver of Pakistani descent from Bridlington, Yorkshire.He is fluent in six languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Urdu and Mandarin Chinese.-Career:...	16	+57.676
16	Switzerland A1 Team Switzerland A1 Team Switzerland is the Swiss team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the third season, 2007-08.-History:...	Giorgio Mondini Giorgio Mondini Giorgio Mondini is an Automobile racing driver from Geneva, Switzerland.-Career:Mondini began his competitive racing career at the age of 21, when he came 26th in the Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup series. In 2002 he made his way up to 17th place, before moving on to Formula Renault V6 Eurocup...	16	+1'00.478
17	China A1 Team China A1 Team China is the Chinese team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.-Management:The seat holder A1 Team China is Liu Yu...	Tengyi Jiang Tengyi Jiang Jiang Tengyi is a Chinese racing driver who drives for A1 Team China.In 1998 he took part in the Chinese KART Cup and raced to third place. In 2000, he repeated his performance in the KART Title Match . He bettered his performance in 2001 with second place. He also won the Macao Jinmei Challenge...	16	+1'13.008
18	Czech Republic A1 Team Czech Republic A1 Team Czech Republic is the defunct Czech team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. Although no official announcement was made, the team's flag icon was removed from the A1GP website, and they do not appear in the 2008-09 season results page....	Tomáš Enge Tomáš Enge Tomáš Enge is a motor racing driver from the Czech Republic, who has competed in many classes of motorsport, including three races in Formula One.-Career:...	15	+1 Lap
19	Italy A1 Team Italy A1 Team Italy is the Italian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- 2008-09 season :Drivers: Edoardo Piscopo, Fabio Onidi...	Max Papis Max Papis Massimiliano "Max" Papis is a racing driver who has competed in several top-level motorsports events such as Le Mans 24 Hours, Formula One and Champ Car. He has three Champ Car victories. He is the son-in-law of Emerson Fittipaldi. His son's godfather is fellow Italian Alex Zanardi...	15	+1 Lap
20	Indonesia A1 Team Indonesia A1 Team Indonesia is the Indonesian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Indonesia has been operating since January 2008 by Performance Racing, which provide technical and race services. Its team now is managed by Bobby Issazadhe and helped by their new race...	Ananda Mikola Ananda Mikola Ananda Mikola is an Indonesian racecar driver.Mikola competed in the Italian and International Formula 3000 series from 1999 through 2001 and was champion of Asian F3 in the 2005 season. He was out of racing for a couple of seasons before driving for A1 Team Indonesia in A1GP. As of the April 2...	12	+4 Laps
21	Lebanon A1 Team Lebanon A1 Team Lebanon is the Lebanese team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Lebanon's owner is Tameem Auchi.- History :Daniel Morad became the race driver for A1 Team Lebanon for the 2008-09 season...	Graham Rahal Graham Rahal Graham Rahal is an American race car driver. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.-Early racing:...	9	+7 Laps
22	Malaysia A1 Team Malaysia A1 Team Malaysia is the Malaysian team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series.- Management :A1 Team Malaysia is operated by A1 Team Sdn. Bhd...	Alex Yoong Alex Yoong Alexander Charles Yoong Loong , is a Malaysian race car driver of European and Asian parentage. His mother, Joanna Bean, is from England. His father, Hanifah Yoong Yin Fah , a Malaysian Chinese, is a former racer and manager of the Shah Alam circuit between 1988 and 1998...	7	+9 Laps

Main Race Results

The Main Race took place on Sunday, March 12, 2006.

1. Mexico Salvador Duran 1hr 00min 52.974secs 40 laps
2. Germany Timo Scheider +2.042secs
3. Great Britain Robbie Kerr +3.117secs
4. Portugal Alvaro Parente +10.420secs
5. Canada Patrick Carpentier +14.183secs
6. Ireland Ralph Firman +20.805secs
7. Italy Max Papis +23.199secs
8. Australia Ryan Briscoe +24.236secs
9. Austria Mathias Lauda +29.229secs
10. Malaysia Alex Yoong +30.072secs
11. Pakistan Adam Khan +31.391secs
12. New Zealand Matt Halliday +31.977secs
13. Switzerland Giorgio Mondini +2 laps
14. France Nicolas Lapierre +3 laps
15. USA Bryan Herta +3 laps
16. Czech Republic Tomáš Enge +6 laps
17. China Tengyi Jiang +7 laps
18. Brazil Christian Fittipaldi +11 laps
19. Indonesia Ananda Mikola +12 laps
20. Lebanon Graham Rahal +13 laps
21. Netherlands Jos Verstappen +23 laps
22. South Africa Stephen Simpson +37 laps