A1GP World Cup of Motorsport will be starting Season Five in just over a month with the Nikon SuperGP on 22 to 25 October and a financial restructuring has been put in place to secure its long term future.

A1GP Chairman, Tony Teixeira, has outlined his plans for the series having secured the full financial package necessary to see it grow over the next three to four years. "I wanted to announce this re-financing a long time ago, but the reason it has taken longer than I planned was the size of the package. I could see no reason to look for a one year deal, it had to be for at least three to four years until such a time as the series is independent. This way we can make sure everyone involved in the series

Ireland and Switzerland have both achieved considerable success in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport with the Swiss taking the 2007/08 championship with Neel Jani at the wheel and Ireland's Adam Carroll finally getting the job done in the 2008/09 season. Their two charismatic seat holders, Max Welti and Mark Gallagher, have never been ones to keep their feelings to themselves, here they reflect back on two seasons of highs and lows.

Q: So let's start easy. What makes your team so successful?
MARK GALLAGHER: "Well, I guess it's understanding all of the millions of things that have to come together to make it work. But most of all, it's getting the people to work together. One of the great points about

One of the key elements of any race strategy is the pit stop and with three of these high pressure mandatory stops across two races in A1GP, a slick pit crew can make all the difference. Getting it right is a pain-staking process, which 2008/09 ‘Pit Stop Kings,' A1 Team Australia, explain is down to continued hard work that gives them the ability to perform under pressure, whatever the challenge.

While a team of engineers and mechanics will do all they can during practice and qualifying to set-up the car to the driver's liking, when the lights go out, it is then up to the person behind the wheel to do the best possible job with the machinery. However, this changes when it comes to the pit stop when the driver is just a p

The annual A1GP end-of-season awards are a chance to reward the outstanding performances of the season, and not just those who finished at the top of the points' tables. While we already knew that A1 Teams Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal were the gold, silver and bronze medal winners for the season, these other gongs rewarded the other outstanding performances of the season.

A1 Team Malaysia has scooped the award for Most Improved Team in the 2008/09 season in a closely contested vote. Despite tough opposition from teams including Lebanon and Australia, Malaysia's was judged to be most deserving of being rewarded for their season of hard work. After a dismal 2007/08 season, finishing 16th, they vaulted the highest number