WoMr Pt 7 World Cup of Motor Sport [add on]

You will need to own WoMR Pt 1 The Grand Prix Scene to use this add on module.

September 24th 2005 saw the inaugural Round of the A1 World Cup of Motor Sport at Brands Hatch. The brainchild of Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum and Tony Teixeira the whole concept is to bring close racing back to the sport, bucking that trend that has all but ruined F1 for spectators where mega-bucks rule and technology is king, and drivers are little more than (extremely well paid) accessories.

Twenty-five nations signed up for the series - the winner will be a country not an individual driver - and with one of the requirements being that the driver must be a national of the country he drives for there is a wide range of driving talent and experience. In A1 all cars are identical (except for being painted in national colours), with a lightweight 3.4 litre Zytek engine and Cooper slick A1 tyres, so driver skill and team management (including pit work) will be a decisive factor.

The format of a race weekend is simple, Friday is the official practice day, on Saturday there are four 15-minute Qualifying sessions with each team being allowed just one fast lap in each session (ten minutes between each session) but having to contend with other drivers on the track when on their fast lap. The two fastest laps by each team are added together to get the total Qualifying time on which grid positions for Sunday's Sprint Race are based. The Sprint Race is approximately 25 minutes, and has a rolling start. Approximately an hour after the finish of the Sprint Race the Feature Race gets under way, a standing start this time with grid positions determined by finishing positions in the Sprint Race. In the Feature Race there is a compulsory pit stop to change all four wheels, with only one mechanic allowed to work on each wheel. Finally, and uniquely, each car is fitted with a boost button which can be operated four times in the Sprint Race and eight times in the Feature Race. This provides a short burst of an additional 30 bhp, and ensures that there will be opportunities to overtake whatever the circuit.

Championship points are awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis to the top ten finishers in both the Sprint and Feature Races, with an additional point for the fastest lap set in either race. Twelve Rounds make up the Championship season, running from September 2005 to the final race in Shanghai, China in April 2006.

We wish this new venture every success and hope that thousands of motor sport ans around the world will have their enthusiasm re-kindled by this new formula.