A1 Team Ireland will start sixth for both the Sprint and Feature races at round five of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport after an incident packed end to qualifying in Kyalami today. Adam Carroll was lying in third place after the first segment of Feature Race qualifying and out on track getting set to pitch for top spot when the team Brazil car crashed bringing out the red flags.

That meant that Ireland missed out on a chance to record a lap in the all important second segment of Feature Race qualifying with the use of one lap of power boost which Ireland, like most teams, had saved right until the end of the session.

Monaco, Malaysia and New Zealand set their laps before the red flags brought a premature halt to the action and leapfrogged above Ireland who, nonetheless, are right with their closest championship rivals Portugal and Switzerland on the Feature Race grid. Earlier Carroll had set sixth fastest time in Sprint Race qualifying, but was disappointed that his hopes of a front row slot for the Feature Race were dashed.

Adam Carroll: “That’s the way it goes sometimes, I suppose. I don’t think we’ve ever been so disappointed with two sixth places in qualifying because we could have had a crack at pole at the end. I was happy with the third segment of qualifying and I knew we’d have been right there in the final segment but for the red flag. The circuit is extremely aggressive on tyres so it will be important to be fast and consistent and make sure the rubber lasts.”

Team Technical Director Gerry Hughes: “Today was frustrating in terms of the ultimate outcome but incidents happen and sometimes they work for you, sometimes against. Clearly our focus is on securing as good a points finish tomorrow as possible and I expect the Feature Race to see a high rate of attrition as the track is hard on the cars and the drivers.”