The Czech Republic will become the first country in Central or Eastern Europe to host an A1 Grand Prix (A1GP) event — an auto race that pits country against country.

"It's a prestigious event that can be compared to Formula One or Moto GP," said Antonín Charouz, the promoter for the Brno race, who also works as the head of the BPA marketing company.

After the inaugural season last year, the A1GP this year will take place in 12 countries on six continents between late September and late April.

The Brno race will be the second event in this year's series and one of only three European sites for the A1GP.The series kicked off in the Netherlands in late September; the United Kingdom is scheduled to hold a race next spring.

Charouz has brought Formula One races to the country in the past, and he negotiated a place for Tomáš Enge on a team, making Enge the first Czech to race on the circuit.

Charouz admitted that his history of hosting motorpost events helped him gain the license.

"The budget of an A1GP event amounts to tens of millions of crowns, but we did not have to pay any deposit in return for receiving the license," Charouz said. He added that the meeting between former Prime Minister Jiří Paroubek and A1GP founder Sheikh Maktoum Hasher Maktoum Al Maktoum last fall boosted the country's credibility and helped bring the race to Brno.

According to the contract, Brno should host an A1GP race in each of the next three years. Still, this assumes that there is a Czech team among the competing nations, and that there is adequate public interest.

Charouz said he hopes that the first A1GP event in this country will generate big interest.

"Although people tend to buy tickets for motorsport events at the last minute, our advanced sales volumes are higher than at other events," Charouz said.

Equal conditions

In Brno, the three-member Czech team of Tomáš Enge, Jaroslav Janiš and Jan Charouz would like to continue its impressive racing from the late stages of last year's A1GP series.

Although the Czechs finished 12th among 24 competing nations in the overall standings, Enge managed to win the last race in China in early April.

"Our team was hit with some bad luck in the first half of the season, but the win in China saved the season for us," Charouz said.

Enge, also the first Czech to compete in the U.S. Indy Racing League and American Le Mans, said that winning the race for the country gave him a special feeling.

"It's a completely different feeling when you drive a car that is painted in the national colors," Enge said. "And when you step up to the podium, you feel even prouder than usual."

Although the A1GP was launched as a possible competitor to Formula One, Enge said that the A1GP is incomparable to Formula One.

"Technically, A1GP cars are not as powerful as those in Formula One, so you can pass through the curves more creatively — unlike in Formula One, where you need to follow one line in order to avoid serious problems," he said.

In contrast to Formula One — in which cars belong to particular teams and can be equipped with different frames, engines and tires — A1GP cars belong to the race organizers and are all the same. Their settings before particular races can only be done during three-day training and competition sessions.

A1GP events also run two separate races in one day.