A1GP on right track

By David Croft BBC Radio Five Live at Brands Hatch

There was incident, excitement, old-fashioned racing and even the odd comedy moment as the A1 Grand Prix of Nations made its debut at Brands Hatch.

Brazil start A1GP series with win

An estimated 80,000 came to the old circuit last weekend to enjoy this new concept - and they clearly enjoyed themselves.

A1 Grand Prix is a very watchable concept and fans will have noticed some contrasts with Formula One.

It is affordable - the £29 ticket is a third of the cheapest for the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July.

It is accessible, with the public having a chance to get into the paddock and see the teams' preparations close-up.

And with all 25 drivers using the same Lola cars and V8 Zytek engines, the race came down to a contest of driving rather than technology.

The bigger back wheels meant less down force and more sliding around as the cars came out of bends, adding to the spectacle.

The cars looked good and they sounded good but perhaps they could have gone a little bit faster than the current top speed of around 190 mph.

Nelson Piquet Jr won both the 18-lap sprint race and the longer feature event, showing himself to be a formidable talent who will take some beating in this 12-race series.

I don't think this will rival Formula One and I don't think it is trying to

There were plenty of motorsport fans in attendance but the novelty factor drew lots of other interested members of the general public.

The World Cup concept clearly went down well, too, with plenty of Brazilian, Dutch and British flags.

And there were lots of British Asians out to cheer Adam Khan, born and raised in Bridlington and racing for Pakistan.

Nice to see the cars sliding around... brought back memories of the golden age of F1 From Blade Have your say on Five Live

The battle between Australia's Will Power and Robbie Kerr of Great Britain picked up where the Ashes left off.

It was a real shame that Kerr suffered gearbox trouble, which forced him out just three laps after he had passed Power, who went on to finish second.

Some of the better drivers could easily end up in Formula One in the future. After all, Jos Verstappen, a nine-year F1 veteran, did not find everything going his way.

Drivers like Alex Premat of France and Kiwi Matt Halliday will use this as a chance to display their ability on the world stage.

Lebanon's Khalil Beschir provided the thrills and spills

There were others who perhaps lacked some of the necessary racing nous.

Lebanon's Khalil Beschir managed to finish upside down after an avoidable crash with the Italian car.

Founder Sheikh Maktoum has piled £250m into this venture and the organisers claim they will be breaking even in two years and making money in three.

We can't predict whether they will do that on the strength of one race.

The ingredients are there for a fascinating winter series, with the next Grand Prix in Lausitz, Germany, on 9 October and the final in Shanghai on 2 April.

The tasting will come in 12 months' time, when the event returns to Great Britain.

Then we will find out if people have stayed in touch.

I don't think A1GP will rival Formula One - and I don't think it is trying to.

F1 will always be bigger and faster, and if these were the best drivers in the world they would be driving in F1.

If F1 is club class, this is economy, but that is not necessarily a bad thing if it opens up motor racing to a wider audience.

A1 Grand Prix is worth keeping an eye on over the next six months, but it is also worth keeping a level head.