Adam Carroll delivered a knock-out "one-two" for Team Ireland in the Chinese leg of the A1GP series.

The 25-year-old Portadown driver won the sprint race and came within half-a-second of making it an Irish double at Chengdu with a close-up second place in the longer feature race which followed.

It was pay-back time for Carroll after the disasters of the opening round in Holland last month when he spun out in both races as a rainstorm washed over the coastal Zandvoort circuit.

But in China he was wheel perfect to lift Team Ireland to joint second in the A1GP standings.

"That's the start we really wanted at Zandvoort," he reflected yesterday.

"But it just made me more determined to come here and have the best weekend we possibly could. It turned out pretty good!

"It's just great for the team and everybody involved. It's the confidence boost we all needed after Zandvoort and I really think we can challenge the rest of the season for the championship."

Carroll qualified on pole position for the sprint race at the new Chengdu circuit and held off the early challenge of Team Netherlands former Minardi F1 driver Robert Doornbos to build a two-second lead which he held to the chequered flag. Danny Watts finished third for Team GB.

Watts was on pole for the feature race with Carroll alongside him but Portugal's Filipe Albuquerque outdragged the Irish car off the line to slot into second place. And he took the lead at the first round of pitstops with Watts and Carroll in pursuit.

Carroll leapfrogged Watts, thanks to swift work by the Irish crew at the second round of stops and he quickly closed on Albuquerque only for his charge to be thwarted with a safety car period after France's Nicolas Prost — son of three-time World champion Alain — spun out.

The race went green again with just six laps left and, despite hounding Albuquerque every step of the way, Carroll couldn't find a way through and had to settle for second as Portugal took its first victory of the series. Watts finished in third place again for Team GB.

Carroll's strong weekend netted Team Ireland 23 points and they now share second place in the series with France, five points behind leaders Malaysia. The next round is at the Sepang grand prix circuit in Malaysia in a fortnight's time.