Narian Karthikeyan clinches the 2007-08 season-ending A1GP feature race
05 May 2008
Narian Karthikeyan of Team India has won the season-ending A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) feature race at Brands Hatch, UK on 4 May 2008. The Indian racing ace and the country's first Formula One driver claimed his second victory of the season, finishing ahead of Robbie Kerr of Team Great Britain.
Team Switzerland secured the championship trophy for the 2007-08 A1GP season.
Kerr who started the race in second position, behind Karthikeyan went ahead of the Indian driver initially. However, Karthikeyan snatched the lead from Kerr, thanks to a shorter halt in the decisive second mandatory pit-stop and went on to claim victory in 1hr and 7 minutes.
Kerr won the Sprint race earlier in the day to the delight of the home crowd.
The A1GP, which completes its third season in 2007-08 is a unique concept in auto racing where competitors represent their country and not a team or constructor, which in the practice in Formula1and most formula races.
One A1 GP race take place over a three-day period, from Friday to Sunday, known as the GP weekend. After the practice and qualifying sessions, the main event on Sunday comprises two races - the Sprint race and the Feature race.
The Sprint race begins with a rolling start, which lasts for a maximum of 19 minutes (plus one lap) with points awarded to the top ten finishers according to the fastest timing. The Feature race begins with a standing start, with the drivers positioned according to the qualifiers on the previous day. The feature race runs for a maximum of 180 kilometres or 69 minutes, whichever is shorter with two mandatory pit stops. Points are awarded to the top ten finishers.
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