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Reid: Pole position

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Current A1GP championship leaders New Zealand grabbed pole for the feature race in Sydney on Sunday, while title rivals France will start at the head of the preceding sprint race.

France driver Loic Duval clocked the fastest lap of the opening 15-minute qualifying session at Eastern Creek to ensure he will lead off the spring race at the Australian A1GP.

Switzerland's Neel Jani, who is second in the championship table, has been struggling for grip during the weekend, but managed to get enough out of his car for second spot in the sprint race.

South Africa's Adrian Zaugg qualified third while championship leaders New Zealand will start from fourth with driver Jonny Reid.

China's Congfu Cheng sits in fifth with American Jonathan Summerton next to him on the third row of the grid in sixth, while Germany and Great Britain are in seventh and eighth respectively.

"The top step of the podium is our target," said Duval. "This is maybe my last weekend in A1GP so I would like to leave the series with a win.

"We are in the best position for the Sprint race which makes it easier for the start."

Feature race

Sunshine broke out for the feature race qualifying, and it obviously spurred on New Zealand driver Reid, who just about snatched pole position from Switzerland's Jani by only 12 thousandths of a second.

Reid's time, set early on in qualifying, claimed his first feature race pole position in A1GP, and his fourth overall.

"We struggled to get a gap in qualifying one for the Sprint race and after that we changed our game plan and made sure we got clean, clear runs," Reid said.

"The car's great and I'm extremely satisfied we've taken pole position. I was only able to qualify second here last year but this year we're on pole and I'm really pleased."

"Qualifying is one thing and racing is another but the car feels good and I'm confident with the team and I'm sure we can put in a strong performance tomorrow."

Jani's performance means he and Switzerland will start in second place for both races - showing good consistency with a double front-row weekend.

Great Britain's Robbie Kerr failed to set a time in his first attempt as he was held up when the Lebanese car span off, but he recovered to qualify in third place on the second row for the feature race.

China have had a good qualifying overall and followed up their fifth place in the sprint race with fourth-placed spot in the feature.

Sprint pole-sitters France could only qualify in fifth, while South Africa sit in sixth place, USA in seventh and Canada eighth.