Black Beauty takes Sydney pole 

New Zealand will be on pole for Sunday's Feature Race in Round 6 of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Sydney.

After a weekend of five consecutive 4th placings, across two practice sessions and the first three qualifying segments, Jonny Reid went out early to set a time that claimed the first Feature Race pole of his A1GP career and his 4th pole overall.

Hot contest

But New Zealand's championship lead will be hotly contested at Eastern Creek after quality qualifying efforts by nearest rivals France and Switzerland, both just two points behind the Kiwi team on the ladder.

France will start from pole for the Sprint Race alongside Switzerland, with South Africa on the second row alongside New Zealand.

The Swiss will then be beside Black Beauty on the front row of the Feature Race grid, with France starting from 5th.

The Sprint Race qualifying was notable for a smash that destroyed Lebanon's car for the day and Mexico, Great Britain and Portugal being unable to set a time in the first segment after failing to make the start line in time because of heavy traffic.

Clever tactics

The key to the Feature Race qualifying was New Zealand's tactical decision to be one of the first on a track that changed in make-up after baking in the sun.

"We got held up in the first qualifying segment for the Sprint Race so we wanted to get out and get clear air," Reid said.

"It feels fantastic. We weren't sure if the time was going to stick, but the conditions changed a lot with the sun coming out and it got a bit warmer.

"The car feels great so I'm confident for tomorrow. We'll see how we go."

In Saturday morning's final practice session, run in overcast and humid conditions, Reid repeated his 4th fastest placing from Friday's session as France once again set the pace.

Several teams struggled to find grip around the 'slippery' 3.93 km circuit which is particularly hard on tyres, with the Czech Republic, Netherlands and Portugal all spinning off during the session.

New Zealand heads the series with 82 points, just two points ahead of Switzerland and France, with Germany another 15 points back.