BRANDS HATCH, ENGLAND — Daniel Morad hopes his experience in A1GP is only the start of a globetrotting career in motor racing.
The Toronto teen joined Team Canada in February as rookie test driver for the street race in Durban, South Africa, and stayed with the outfit until the season finale last weekend at the Brands Hatch circuit in England.
"So far my experience has been amazing and I love A1GP," said Morad, who won the 2007 Formula BMW USA championship. "It's definitely a lot different than the Formula BMW I was driving last year and the Champ Car Atlantic car I'm driving this year. It's all been new for me, but great all around."
"I don't know what's happening next year, but the race seat is still open. We have to see in testing what's going to happen. But I hope I will be doing some races next season."
Rookie drivers run the two 25-minute Friday sessions reserved for racers with fewer than six A1GP starts under their belt. Morad took over the rookie role from his racing friend Robert Wickens, who surpassed his quota of six races at A1GP's January stop in Sydney, Australia.
Before joining Team Canada, Morad's driving experience had been limited to open-wheel cars with much less horsepower than the 550 produced by the Zytec engine in the A1GP car's Lola chassis.
With little downforce and tires that don't offer huge amounts of grip, getting accustomed to the new ride took some time.
"My driving style is more smooth and not so ragged, I guess, so it's been a bit to get used to. I am trying not to change my driving style too much and I'm trying to adjust the car around me," he said. "And it's really good right now and everything is going quite well."
In the two rookie sessions at Brands Hatch last Friday, Morad put up the ninth-fastest time over all of 18 drivers.
Running in A1GP also helps get Morad's name noticed by teams in some hotly contested European development series, such as the F3 Euroseries and the World Series by Renault. Many of the teams running A1GP outfits also have entries in those series.
"I was looking to go to Europe before I had my Atlantic deal and next year I am hoping to drive World Series or maybe [Formula One feeder] GP2," he said.
"It is good to be in A1GP because the teams get to see you and your capabilities. When you are not from Europe and you don't know the teams, it's hard to get proper attention. So, it's good to build a good reputation in A1GP."
Until then, he will continue racing in the Champ Car Atlantic Series, where he finished sixth in the season opener at Long Beach, Calif., last month.
He qualified ninth after gearbox problems robbed him of valuable track time on the tight California street circuit. He performed well in the race, but could not crack the top-5.
"It was a terrible weekend right from the start. Qualifying was really our first session on track and we only had a baseline setup for the car, so it wasn't the best," he said.
"It was impossible to overtake in the race, and I only passed three cars and they were all on the first lap. From there, it was follow the leader."
The next race for Morad in Atlantic is at Laguna Seca in Monterrey, Calif., on May 18. The Atlantic season has 10 events, with two rounds in Edmonton in July and one in Trois-Rivières in August.
And with success in Atlantics hinging on a good effort in qualifying, Morad hopes his A1GP experience will help him perform better in time trials, which will make a title bid easier.
"You always want to aim for the championship and that's what I am doing I. I am not going to stop pushing," he said.
"Now, I wasn't superhappy in Long Beach, but if you look back at it, it wasn't that bad a weekend. It just leaves room for improvement."
