Second row slots for Jarvis

Switzerland on pole for feature race, Canada claim sprint race pole

Last updated: 25th February 2008

oliver jarvis a1 team gb zandvoort win 30/09/2007

Jarvis: Pole disappointment

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Team Great Britain claimed second-row slots on the grid for both the sprint and feature races at Sunday's A1GP in Durban, but Oliver Jarvis afterwards expressed disappointment that he did not claim pole.

Joint championship leaders Switzerland secured the feature race pole with Neel Jani at the wheel, while Robert Wickens came with a late charge to clinch Canada pole in the sprint race.

Jarvis had to be satisfied with fourth place for each race, but had looked more than capable of finishing with better results in both.

However, the Team GB driver refused to be too disappointed and insisted he had every opportunity of challenging for victory on Sunday.

"It was a little frustrating," Jarvis stated. "When we went out in the second session there was a spinner and I had to back off on that lap and lost about three tenths (of a second), which would have been good for pole.

"But I think we've got two solid starting positions - not quite where we want to be but it was certainly a difficult qualifying session. It could have been a lot worse.

"We could certainly challenge for a podium from fourth, and in the second [feature] race, with the two pits stops, it's possible to make up places.

"We'll be playing for the wins but we'll settle for two podiums I think."

Jani put in a consummate performance to take his seventh career pole for the Swiss, posting a time of 1'17.688 to edge out Canada.

Jonny Reid of New Zealand pinched third ahead of Jarvis, who had held second heading into the dying seconds of the session.

Sprint race qualifying effectively came down to just one session after Reid lost control and spun at turn four to signal the emergence of the red flag in segment one with only six cars having set a time.

Canada claimed the pole with a time of 1min 18.150secs, less than a tenth of a second quicker than Team Brazil driver Bruno Junqueria.

Reid recovered from his earlier mistake to secure a second-row berth with third ahead of Jarvis.

Switzerland had to settle for fifth place, while Germany's Michael Ammermuller was sixth after impressing in yesterday's rookie session.

Adam Carroll endured a miserable day for Team Ireland, with a fuel pump problem in sprint qualifying leaving him at the back of the grid.

His team managed to resolve the problem in time for feature race qualifying, but Carroll then contrived to spin, producing another red flag, leaving himself down in 13th for Sunday's race.