Think Formula 1 and it’s not long before a short man with a terrible haircut and an unfeasibly tall wife comes to mind. But while Bernie Ecclestone is very much the face of the world’s premier motor-racing series, it’s a different story with A1 Grand Prix. This weekend the upstart rival to Formula 1 will be staging demonstration races in Manchester to promote the alternative high-octane racing series it holds in the Formula 1 off-season, the northern hemisphere winter.
A1 has a short but intriguing history. It was inaugurated last year by one of the younger members of Dubai’s ruling family and a controversial South African entrepreneur who made a small fortune from a transport company in the post-apartheid era. The royal backer is Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum, a nephew of Sheikh Mohamed, crown prince of Dubai, and his partner is Tony Teixeira, president of a large energy and precious stones company called Energem.
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