The new A1 Grand Prix series kicked off in chaotic fashion at Brands Hatch today when both practice sessions were ruined by red flags.
The new championship, which is billed as a World Cup of motorsport, pits nation against nation on the track, with a key feature being the arrival of countries so far unused to the sport.
But that backfired in practice in Kent today when rookie mistakes littered the two sessions, causing the first to be stopped three times and the second five.
In the first session, India's Karun Chandhok caused the most spectacular accident when he turned in on ex-Formula One driver Jos Verstappen at Druids hairpin. The two cars made contact, pitching Chandhok into the air and badly damaging his car.
China's drivers have struggled to match their more experienced rivals in testing and again were caught out in practice.
Their nominated driver Qinghua Ma spun at the fast Paddock Hill bend and brought out the red flags once again.
Collisions are usually rare in practice, with drivers concentrating on finding the perfect set-up for their cars, but today's A1 GP debut bucked that trend.
Russian Alexey Vasilev caused yet another stoppage when he crashed with Ireland's Michael Devaney.
Scott Speed set the pace for the United States, setting a fastest lap of one minute 16.875seconds in the first session before rain hurt speeds in the second.
Speed's GP rival Nelson Piquet Jr was a quarter of a second behind for Brazil while Frenchman Nicolas Lapierre took third.
Britain's Robbie Kerr acquitted himself well to claim fourth place. Ireland's Devaney finished seventh.
