With two events now confirmed for Season Five of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, the teams and drivers are still keeping busy both on-and-off the track during the summer break.

A1GP stars Clivio Piccione and Filipe Albuquerque have been selected to represent their nations as the first regional heat gets underway this weekend ahead of the Race of Champions World Final which will take place inside the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing this November.

Race of Champions South Europe will see teams from Portugal, Spain, Monaco and Italy compete this weekend (6-7 June) for a coveted spot in this year’s final.

With an increasing number of teams wanting to enter the event, Race of Champions organisers have introduced a qualifying round for the first time this season which will take place at the Estádio do Dragão, Portugal.

An asphalt course will be built inside the FC Porto soccer team’s stadium with the weekend kicking off tomorrow with ROC Portugal. Seven Portuguese racers, including Filipe Albuquerque, rally ace Bruno Magalhaes and off-road champion Carlos Sousa, will take part in a knock out competition that will decide which three drivers will compete alongside production World Rally Championship leader Armindo Araújo, when Portugal takes on Spain in Sunday’s ROC Iberia. The Spanish squad will be made up of double World Rally Champion Carlos Sainz, Citroën WRC star Dani Sordo, 2008 British Formula Three champion Jaime Alguersuari and Spanish rally star Sergio Vallejo – in Sunday’s ROC Iberia.

The fastest unseeded driver from both Portugal and Spain will then compete alongside predesignated team captains Sainz and Araújo, as the Iberian teams battle Italy and Monaco in the Race of Champions South Europe on Sunday.

“I am looking forward to racing in this,” said Albuquerque. “It will be nice for the spectators but it will be great for us too, especially as its taking place in my home country. It would be good to go win and go through to the final but the most important thing is for us to have some fun.”

Clivio Piccione has been invited to represent the Principality of Monaco alongside five-time Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro and will battle it out against the Iberian teams and Italy, represented by double WRC champion Miki Biasion and WRC star Gigi Galli, for a chance to compete in China at the end of the year.

Last year, five times World Rally (WRC) champion Sebastien Loeb won the event with Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel joining forces to retain The Race of Champions Nations Cup for Team Germany.

A1GP drivers are also continuing to make their mark in other Formulae over the summer months with former A1 Team Canada race-winner Robert Wickens dominating the opening round of the FIA Formula Two Championship in Valenica, Spain last weekend. The 20-year-old Canadian had a perfect weekend claiming two pole positions and putting in two faultless drives to convert both poles into victories.

“It’s pretty much the perfect weekend,” said Wickens. “From start to finish it has been good; we struggled a little in free practice but we didn’t lose our cool and everything fell into place nicely – it’s basically been a fairytale weekend. I can’t believe the weekend and the year have started so well.”

On the other side of the Atlantic, A1 Team USA rookie J.R Hildebrand was continuing his good fortune in the Firestone Indy Lights series. The 21-year-old finished second to Mario Romancini in the Husar’s House of Fine Diamonds 100 race at Milwaukee Mile to retain his championship lead.

“(Romancini) had a really good car and he was doing a really good job with it,” said Hildebrand. “Having to run behind him the whole race, I started picking up understeer and wearing out the front tires and I just didn’t have anything for him at the end. With the lapped car on that restart, I didn’t really have a chance to try to jump him. But it was a great finish for the team. I have to thank the AFS/Andretti Green Racing boys, they’ve done a great job all weekend. I’m looking forward to the race in Iowa (20 June).”

A1GP’s world feed pit lane reporter and former A1 Team Canada racer James Hinchcliffe, came home in seventh while A1 Team USA rookie Charlie Kimball finished in tenth.