Still without a win in the A1GP series, Loic Duval was in determined form as the latest round got underway in Australia, topping the timesheets in the second of the day's two free practice sessions at Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway.
The 25-year old Frenchman only landed in Sydney and arrived at the track an one hour before the afternoon session began, but managed to sign-on and complete all the necessary technical briefings required to take part in the weekend. Clearly unflustered by his rushed entrance to the proceedings, Duval recorded the best time of the day on his first flying lap around the 3.93km circuit, posting a blisteringly quick 1min 18.675secs that not only slashed Team Germany's lap record by half a second, but also put the session out of reach of everyone else.
Increasingly impressive Canadian rookie Robert Wickens clocked the second fastest time of the day, and was closely followed by Great Britain's Robbie Kerr and current championship leader Jonny Reid, the Kiwi taking fourth.
Although the top four went to drivers whose only previous experience of the track cam in A1GP, local knowledge had a big say in the results, with Lebanon's Australian-domiciled Chris Alajajian on especially superb form, setting the fifth quickest lap overall, having been second fastest time in the morning hour for rookies and developing nations.
Alajajian may have recorded Lebanon's best-ever placing in the wet morning session - heading another driver, James Winslow, familiar with Eastern Creek from F3 - but was beaten to top spot by home favourite John Martin, who set the pace for Australia as the track began to dry. The 23-year-old put in a series of competitive laps in the opening hour and then went on to finish the day seventh overall - behind the Netherlands' Jeroen Bleekemolen - in front of his home crowd.
![Chris Alajajian - Team Lebanon [pic credit: A1GP]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/405067.jpg)
