The final countdown has begun to South Africa's first international street race for formula cars, the A1 Grand Prix of Nations, Durban, KwaZulu Natal on January 29, 2006.

Road works have commenced in the vicinity of the Blue Waters Hotel on the Durban beach front and grandstands are being erected in front of Natal Command.

South Africa is one of only 12 nations to host a round of the inaugural A1GP series, which started with the A1 Grand Prix of Nations Great Britain in September, and the coastal city of Durban in the province of KwaZulu Natal will be the venue for the only street race in this unique series that pits teams from 25 nations against each other.

Dana Cooper, CEO of Team South Africa, today announced that ticket sales will commence at Computicket nationwide from today (November 29). Prices range from R85 (for general admission to the circuit) to R515 (main grandstand).

"We have set the prices at affordable levels to allow a wide cross section of South Africans to enjoy Durban's first ever major international motor race. Not since the last international three-hour race at Pietermaritzburg's Roy Hesketh circuit in the early 1980s has the province of KwaZulu Natal hosted a truly major international motor race.

"We are delighted that Durban and KwaZulu Natal will host the A1 Grand Prix of Nations South Africa on January 29 next year. The motor racing public of KZN have waited long enough.

"We have watched the A1 Grand Prix of Nations series grow over the past five rounds into an exciting sporting spectacle, with closer racing, more overtaking and new drivers finishing in the top 10.

"The sense of national pride was particularly evident in Malaysia (round five on November 20), where team seat holder and principal driver Alex Yoong is as much a hero to his countryman as Jos Verstappen is to the Dutch fans (many of whom travel to every race to support 'Jos the Boss').

"With the South African round of the series just two months away, I am excited at the prospect of South Africans turning out in their thousands in Durban for the series' only street race.

"We're going to put on a typically South African show, representative of all of our varied communities, colourful, vibrant and as good as the best we've seen in the five countries we've visited so far. We want the A1GP family to remember South Africa with pleasure and to come back again to visit our beautiful and unique city, province and country," Cooper said.