Pitstop: Ambrose to drive in US

Defending Aussie V8 Supercar champion Marcos Ambrose has signed a deal with a leading Nascar truck team with a view to working his way into a drive in the main Nascar championship in the United States.

The agreement with Wood Brothers will see Ambrose driving a Ford in the Nascar Craftsman Truck series next season with the prospect of graduating to the second-level Busch series and ultimately the Nextel Cup.

Ambrose, champion in Supercars for the past two years, trails his team-mate, Russell Ingall, and Craig Lowndes in this year's championship with one race to go.

Karting for charity

Kiwi driver Wade Cunningham, fresh from winning the Infiniti Pro motor-racing series in the United States, will return to his roots in the sport for his next challenge.

This weekend the 2003 world karting champion and 10 other drivers from the Indy Racing League will compete in the ninth annual Granja Viana 500-mile kart race at a track near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Seventy-four teams of up to 10 drivers will compete in identical Honda-engined Pro Karts in the charity event.

King has titles in reach

Former world 500cc champion Shayne King leads two of the classes to be decided at the final round of the national motocross championships at Rotorua this weekend.

Riding for the Castrol Honda Red Riders, King leads the 250cc class by 11 points from Luke Burkhart (Suzuki) and the 500cc by 19 points from team-mate Corrie Sargent.

Another of the Red Riders, Cody Cooper from Opotiki, leads the 125cc class by 40 points from Scott Columb (Suzuki).

Nascar shootout

Tony Stewart will take a 52-point lead over Jimmie Johnson into the final round of the Chase for the Nascar Championship at Homestead, Miami, this weekend.

Should Johnson win the race and lead the most laps, Stewart will have to finish eighth or better to take the crown. He could afford to drop a place if he can lead one lap as well.

Stewart's road to the title will become much easier if he qualifies in the top 10.

US drag stars in Taupo

Top American drag-racing stars Tommy Johnson jnr and Melanie Troxel will attend the official opening ceremony at Taupo's new Lakeside International Dragway on January 2.

It will also be close to the first wedding anniversary for the NHRA Drag Racing Series couple - they were married in Indianapolis on New Year's eve, 2004.

Lakeside is part of the $13 million re-development of Taupo's Centennial Park.

Kiwi in World rally win

New Zealand rally co-driver Tony Sircombe and Japanese rally star Toshi Arai won the Production World Rally Championship after dominating their class in Rally Australia.

The Subaru pair needed to finish sixth or better for the title.

Geelong results mixed

Motueka's Josh Coppins took the open class and Kawasaki pair Brad Groombridge (Taupo) and Katherine Prumm (Pukekohe) the juniors and women's classes respectively at the Oceania motocross event near Geelong at the weekend.

But Australia took the team title by 327 points to 309.

The right formula

Veteran Ken Smith added the Formula Libre Grand Prix trophy to his collection after winning the feature race at the Manfeild classic meeting.

He drove the 1.6 litre Swift DB4 Formula Atlantic he first raced in the 1980s.