KEY POINTS:
New Zealand will start from second place in the season opening round of the A1GP at Zandvoort in the Netherlands after an outstanding debut qualifying effort from driver Earl Bamber.
The host nation won pole position.
Bamber set New Zealand's time of 1.24.529 mid way through the one hour qualifying session, but in the closing moments it appeared his time might be challenged.
However a late charge from Team Ireland was not enough, and he managed to hold on to his front row place by just three one-hundreds of a second.
"The result's a bit of a surprise, but I'm absolutely stoked," Bamber said.
"I ran old tyres for a long time in qualifying to look after tyres, then we bolted on two new sets later to do the time."
Bamber said the A1GP was a big step up from what he'd been racing in the past.
Steering Black Beauty in his first race weekend for A1 Team New Zealand, Bamber will line up for tomorrow's races against some considerably more experienced drivers.
Qualifying was run in dry conditions after a wet start to the weekend in the first of the two practise sessions.
The Wanganui teen survived a minor "half spin" at the start of the morning's second practise session.
A total of fifteen cars took to the track for qualifying, however an additional two cars are in the final stages of being built and are expected to line up on the grid for Monday's (NZT) race.
Qualifying times in the new Ferrari-powered cars were three seconds faster around the Zandvoort course than the previous A1GP car.
Heavy rain is expected for the races tomorrow.
- NZPA
