Eastern Creek: Team USA Friday notes

A1 TEAM USA's Summerton 9th in practice at Eastern Creek

SYDNEY, Australia--A1 TEAM USA's Jonathan Summerton was ninth fastest Friday in practice for the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at Eastern Creek International Raceway in Sydney, Australia.

Summerton, of Kissimmee, Fla., ran 1:19.914 on the 2.44-mile circuit. He completed 25 laps in the one-hour session.

"We couldn't find enough grip to make the 'We the People' car handle the way we wanted it," Summerton said. "We also weren't able to put the power down effectively. We made many changes and will make some more tomorrow. We'll definitely be more competitive Saturday.

"All things considered, I am pleased to be ninth."

A1 TEAM USA owner Rick Weidinger believes the team's hard work will pay off with a stronger performance in qualifying Saturday.

"Jonathan kept us in the game by pushing hard and was one of the fastest cars on the track at the end of the session," Weidinger said. "We kept searching for a better setup on the 'We the People' car and we should be able to find it in time for a good run in qualifying. We've made gains in qualifying in recent rounds and we should be able to put that knowledge to work."

Qualifying is Saturday. A one-hour practice precedes the four 15-minute qualifying sessions, two each for the Sprint and Feature races. The 20-minute Sprint and 70-minute Feature are Sunday. Live streaming of the Sprint and Feature races are available at A1GP.com.

-credit: team usa