Marco Andretti to make A1GP debut

Marco Andretti will make the step up to an A1GP car in China

Andretti Green announced today that third-generation driver Marco Andretti will drive the A1GP World Cup of Motorsports U.S. entry at Chengdu, China, on Nov. 9.

Andretti will be making his first start in the A1GP car in the second race for Andretti Green's A1GP World Cup of Motorsports effort. This will be the third different race car that Andretti has piloted during the 2008 calendar year. In addition to his 18 starts and seventh-place finish in the IndyCar Series championship, Andretti made three starts in the American Le Mans Series at Sebring, Lime Rock Park and Road Atlanta.

Andretti's third season in the IndyCar Series concluded with six top-five and eight top-10 finishes. He led 330 laps in 18 races, more laps led than in his previous two seasons combined. He also reached another career milestone on May 31 by recording his first open-wheel racing pole position at The Milwaukee Mile. The pole position was the 118th pole in Andretti family open-wheel history.

Andretti continued to make a name for himself at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing" by finishing third at the 2008 Indianapolis 500. In three career starts at the famed track, Andretti has a second-place result (2006) and a third-place finish (2008).

In the opening race of the season, Andretti Green A1 driver Charlie Kimball finished 10th in the feature race and eighth in the sprint race. The A1GP event in China is the second of 10 races on the Season Four schedule.

Marco Andretti, Andretti Green, Team USA:
"Getting to race in China is something I'm really looking forward to. Although the A1GP program is new to Andretti Green, I thought that the crew did a great job with the first race. They had to put in a lot of effort just to get on track and they were able to get the car up to speed rather quickly. I know there is a possibility that the weather could add another element to the race and that should only make the race more challenging for the drivers and more entertaining for the fans."

Michael Andretti, co-owner, Andretti Green:
"I was very impressed with the efforts of the A1GP organizers and am sure the event at China will be more of the same. We're pleased that Marco is getting the chance to drive a different car than what he is used to. The team has worked hard to make this a successful venture from the very start and I expect Marco to be quick and learn a lot driving the A1GP car."