A1 Team Ireland

A1 Team Ireland
Founded	2005
Seat holder(s)	Mark Gallagher Teddy Yip Jr. John P. Hynes
Team principal	Mark Gallagher
Race driver(s)	Adam Carroll Niall Quinn
Car nickname	Celtic Tiger
First race	2005-06 Great Britain
Rounds entered	39 (78 starts)
Championships	1
Sprint race victories	3
Feature race victories	3
Pole positions	6
Fastest laps	9
Total points	282
2008-09 position	1st (112 pts)

A1 Team Ireland is the Irish team of A1 Grand Prix, an international racing series. The team were the A1 Grand Prix champions for the fourth season, 2008-09.

The team

Founded by Mark Kershaw and Mark Gallagher in 2005, the team was owned and run by Status Grand Prix. In 2008, Mark Kershaw sold his interest in the team. The new the seat holders were Mark Gallagher, Teddy Yip Jr., John P. Hynes and David Kennedy.^[1]

History

The inaugural team's 2005-06 car was presented to the public on 15 September 2005.^[2] For that debut season, Ralph Firman was the team's principal driver, scoring the team its first podium in Portugal to finish 8th overall in the championship. The series organisers awarded the team for being the best presented team,^[3] the first of three consecutive wins for A1 Team Ireland.

In its second season, the team did not perform quite as well. The best result achieved that season was fifth place in the Feature race at Shanghai, and the team finished in a disappointing 19th place.

For the 2007-08 season, Ralph Firman secured some points at the season opener in Zandvoort before Adam Carroll took over as the A1 Team Ireland principal driver. He went on to get four podium finishes in his debut season and record the team's first Feature Race victory in Mexico City. After winning Ireland's Dunlop Racing Driver of the Year, Niall Quinn joined the team as the Rookie Driver. A1 Team Ireland ended Season Three in 6th position, helping them to win the 'Most Improved Team' award at the 2007/08 Gala Awards. A1 Team Ireland have won the A1GP award for best presented team in all three seasons alongside winning the 'Most Appealing Livery' trophy for their stunning green car in Season Two.^[4]

In the 2008-09 season, Adam Carroll returned as lead driver, as the team set its sights on a full championship assault. As rookie driver, Niall Quinn provided the engineers with important feedback, and getting each race weekend off to a flying start. A1 Team Ireland were championship contenders most of the season, and won the championship at the last event of the season at Brands Hatch, with a dominant performance.

Drivers

Name	Seasons	Rounds (Starts)	Titles	Wins	Sprint wins	Feature wins	2nd	3rd	Poles	Fastest Laps	Points
Adam Carroll	2007-08, 2008-09	16 (32 starts)	1	6	3	3	3	3	6	6	198
Michael Devaney	2005-06, 2006-07	7 (14 starts)									16
Ralph Firman	2005-06, 2007-08	9 (18 starts)						1		3	61
Richard Lyons	2006-07	7 (14 starts)									7

Complete A1 Grand Prix results

(key), "spr" indicates the Sprint Race, "fea" indicates the Feature Race.

Year	Racing team	Chassis, Engine, Tyres	Drivers	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	Points	Rank
2005–06	Status Grand Prix	Lola, Zytek, Cooper Avon		GBR		GER		POR		AUS		MYS		UAE		RSA		INA		MEX		USA		CHN		68	8th
				spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea
			Michael Devaney	10	Ret					4	14													4	Ret
			Ralph Firman			9	6	19	3			7	9	4	Ret	4	Ret	6	Ret	Ret	Ret	5	6
2006–07	Status Grand Prix	Lola Zytek Cooper Avon		NED		CZE		BEI		MYS		INA		NZL		AUS		RSA		MEX		SHA		GBR		8	19th
				spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea
			Michael Devaney	15	14	13	13	20	Ret	14	10
			Richard Lyons									17	12	Ret	19	10	Ret	6	Ret	Ret	16	12	5	8	DSQ
2007–08	Status Grand Prix	Lola Zytek Cooper Avon		NED		CZE		MYS		ZHU		NZL		AUS		RSA		MEX		SHA		GBR				94	6th
				spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea
			Ralph Firman	8	6
			Adam Carroll			3	6	7	7	4	16	6	5	15	13	15	Ret	4	1	11	3	3	13
2008–09	Status Grand Prix	Ferrari, Ferrari, Michelin		NED		CHN		MYS		NZL		RSA		POR		GBR										112	1st
				spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea	spr	fea
			Adam Carroll	Ret	Ret	1	2	5	1	1	2	4	Ret	2	5	1	1

Notes

1. A1GP Media Guide 08-09
2. Team Ireland reveals driver Archived October 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine. formula3.cc (16 September 2005)
3. A1 Team Ireland at Eden Rock Sports Archived September 24, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. edenrocksports.com
4. A1GP Media Guide 2008/09 http://www.a1gppress.com/downloads/A1GP-Media-Guide-08-09.pdf[]

External links

• a1teamireland.com Official A1 Team Ireland website
• Twitter Official Twitter page for A1 Team Ireland
• Facebook Official Facebook fan page for A1 Team Ireland
• Bebo Official Bebo Profile for A1 Team Ireland
• YouTube Official YouTube page for A1 Team Ireland
• edenrocksports.com Eden Rock Sports official website
• a1gp.com Official A1 Grand Prix Web Site