A showdown for the A1GP championship seemed an unlikely prospect, even if it was mathematically plausible. As the teams arrived at Brands Hatch 29 points separated the Swiss from the New Zealanders, the advantage very much with Neel Jani after an impressively consistent season.

As events unfolded at this wonderful racing circuit, looking at its absolute best in the Spring, it quickly became clear that Kiwi Johnny Reid was not going to get on terms with the championship leader. The black car never looked quite right all weekend and Jani did just what he had to do, taking the title with a steady drive to fourth place in the opening Sprint race. The excitement was all ahead of him, with Robbie Kerr (above) keeping his head and leading all the way from Jonathan Summerton and Adam Carroll, the Irishman having muscled his way past a cautious Jani at Paddock Hill bend on the opening lap.

What A1GP does really well is to put on a show for the people who have paid to come in. Add to that the attention to detail by Jonathan Palmer, the man behind the renaissance of Brands, and you have a great days’ motor racing. Just like it used to be. Alright, the A1 cars are not the most thrilling machines on the planet, but the new Ferrari-based formula should be that bit more exciting next season. After three years this series really has grown up, and developed into a thoroughly entertaining show.

The days of Mansell Mania came to mind as the cars formed up for the big race of the day. Not quite as manic, I’m pleased to say, but a similar swell in the grandstands. Union jacks everywhere, flying in the early summer breeze and draped over the fences, while all around the circuit the crowd cheered and waved as Robbie Kerr lined up alongside poleman Narain Karthikeyan. Team India, run by Mike Earle’s Arena Motorsport, had done a superb job with the car and their driver was having one of his good weekends, very neat and quick everywhere. We were in for a great race to finish the A1 season. This was Brands at its best, Alain Prost strolling down the pitlane as if he’d never been away.

To cut a long story short, Karthikeyan (above and below) on good form was too much for Kerr and even the safety car (a Ferrari of course) could not help Team GBR in front of their home crowd. At the pit stop Team India did a fractionally better job and just squeezed their man out ahead of Kerr by the snap of an air hammer. The crowd was jumping up and down – and you don’t see much of that these days at a motor racing event. There were groans when Adam Carroll threw what could have been a superb race away – dicing with Karthikeyan he broke his front wing and then, strangely, decided not to pit. The wing collapsed and he went flying off the road, lucky to recover and finish way down the field.

So it’s over for another year then and what a great finale. Congratulations to Brands and to A1GP – this was a fine example of how to entertain the fans. Lots of doughnuts in front of the grandstands sent them home happy, a wild one from winner Karthikeyan sending him into the barrier… ah well, they don’t need the car or the engine any more, do they? Next season A1GP rolls out the Ferraris and the opening race of the new season will be at Mugello, the beautiful circuit in Tuscany. Now that is something to look forward to, I reckon.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

It’s a small world, this motor racing.

Walking through the A1GP paddock in Durban last weekend was like going back in time, being transported back to Grand Prix racing as it was in the 1970s and ’80s.

The drivers are young, yes, some of them familiar from other formulas, but the supporting cast is from another era. And nearly all of them from Britain, still the undisputed motor racing capital of the world. They call this the World Cup of Motor Sport, not to be confused with the FIFA World Cup which comes to South Africa in two years time. The casual observer, strolling through the streets of this city by the Indian Ocean, might be puzzled by hoardings promoting the excitement of two World Cups. One, an electronic scoreboard, is counting down the days until the footballers arrive in Durban to strut their stuff in a brand new stadium. The other proclaims that South Africa is taking on the world on the streets of the city this very weekend, and features a huge picture of Adrian Zaugg in his Team South Africa racing car. World Cup fever in the heat and dust of South Africa.

But back to the paddock where, it appears, the teams are crewed by Grand Prix has-beens, should-have-beens and wannabes. Well, that’s how Peter Bellringer of Team Great Britain describes it, he the former chief mechanic at BAR Honda and now in charge at Team Great Britain. And Gary Anderson agrees, adding that engineering an A1GP car is just another challenge, another racing car to be finely tuned. “It’s not F1, of course it isn’t,” he says, “but engineering counts for a lot in a one-make formula like this.” Then along comes Rory Byrne, here to assess the A1GP set-up on behalf of Ferrari, the Italians having done a deal to supply the engines for the 2009 series. Rory will have a hand in designing the new car, a project already underway under the wing of John Travis back home in Bognor Regis.

Talking of the south coast, here’s Mike Earle, bringing his vast experience as operations chief for Team India. Everywhere a familiar face, a slap on the back from a mechanic you haven’t seen since before the days of traction control and automatic gearboxes. Over there is Martin Dixon, chief mechanic for Team Canada, back from Indycar in America and once a mechanic for David Purley’s team. Up in the commentary box is John Watson, holding forth on the skills required for a street racer. And he should know. There’s Ann Bradshaw, stalwart press officer for Williams and latterly BMW-Sauber, bustling around getting things done for journalists. And so it goes on. Small world.

New faces there are, of course, and possibly the odd star of the future. Canadian teenager Robert Wickens may well be in this category. Just 18 years old, Wickens won the sprint race around the narrow streets of Durban and was running a strong second to Neel Jani in the big race on Sunday until he touched the wall. He was trying to outfox the experienced Swiss who leads the championship. New Zealander Jonny Reid looks good too in the car the Kiwis call the Black Beauty. Then there’s Filipe Albuquerque, a late nomination by Team Portugal, and said by many to be a star in the making. Among the more established racers, Brits Oliver Jarvis and Robbie Kerr are right on the pace, challenging the series leaders Jani and the Frenchman Loïc Duval who is using A1GP to boost his career. But more of this when we write at length about the Durban event in Motor Sport next month.

The series is better than you may think, more exciting than the critics have led us to believe. Grand Prix racing it is not, and was never meant to be, the cars are too slow and the driving skills required well below the pinnacle of the sport. But when the new Ferraris arrive on the scene, with their 4.3-litre V8 engines, greater skills will be called for. “At the moment,” says Earle, “the limits of the cars are well within the drivers’ capabilities, but the Ferrari package will be more of a pure racing car, a more sophisticated chassis, and then we’ll see who the top drivers really are.”

So, my first taste of A1GP, and it’s surprisingly refreshing, relaxed and – dare I say – fun. And that’s how it should be. Full report coming soon.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine