Pitstop: Bowe hopes for happier drive to bring up 200 milestone

John Bowe joins illustrious company with 200 starts. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Aussie V8 veteran John Bowe should be able to dispel some unhappy memories of Auckland in style when he competes in the Supercar round at Pukekohe next weekend.

Last year the Tasmanian had his helmet and driving gear stolen from his hotel on the eve of the races.

But this time he will be achieving a significant milestone in his long career at the PlaceMakers round.

As well as celebrating his 21st year in the Australian touring car championship, the 1995 series champion will celebrate his 200th race start, joining one of the most illustrious lists in Australian motorsport. There are just three other men, Peter Brock (212), Dick Johnson (202) and Glenn Seton (201), who have achieved the same milestone.

To celebrate, the No 12 on his Team BOC Ford Falcon will disappear from the NZ event entry list, replaced by the commemorative No 200.


Kenyan rally star will be missed

The death of Shekhar Mehta is a huge loss to rallying. The Kenyan was a fierce competitor who became a leading international administrator.

He won the Safari Rally a record five times between 1973 and 1980, mostly in a Datsun. He also competed in other world championship events including Rally New Zealand. After retiring he was president of the World Rally Commission before stepping down in 2004. He had resumed that role shortly before his death, aged 60.


Looking for Greg's biggest fan

It would be hard to find a spectator at Pukekohe next weekend who doesn't support Greg Murphy. Even the Ford fans make an exception for our local Holden hero. Now his team, Supercheap Auto Racing, are trying to find the most enthusiastic fan.

All you have to do is get to Pukekohe next weekend and show that you're Murph's maddest fan. Dress up, paint your face - just make sure you stand out from the crowd.

The winner will receive an expenses paid trip for two to Australia and attend a sponsor ride day where they will get to ride alongside their hero.


Tapper driving in New Caledonia

Aucklander Mark Tapper will get his first taste of international rallying on foreign soil when he starts this weekend's round of the Asia Pacific championship in New Caledonia.

The 25-year-old will be partnered by Christchurch-based co-driver Jeff Judd and will contest the event in the left-hand-drive Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 which he took to victory in the recent Possum Bourne Memorial Rally based around Pukekohe.

The other Kiwi competing in the Asia Pacific championship is Palmerston North driver Dermott Malley in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8 run by Reece Jones Motorsport.

The next round will be at Rotorua on May 26-28. 

 
Monte Carlo can but NZ can't

Rally New Zealand must be spitting tacks after bowing to international pressure to have just one service area in Hamilton this year only to learn that former World Rally Commission president Jacques Regis has cleared the way for the Monte Carlo Rally to revert to multiple service parks in 2007.

NZ was forced to abandon its very successful division of activity between Kaipara and Raglan because the Europeans didn't like it.

Now the world body has accepted Monte Carlo's plans to spread their event by abandoning the single service point!


Testing for new rally class

Auckland businessman Peter Johnston has imported a Ford Fiesta to evaluate a new one-make rally class, with the hope to have a full series running in 2007.

The Ford Fiesta trophy class series is already running in England and in Europe and is proving very popular.

Johnston's car is being prepared by Neil Allport Motorsport and is expected to make its debut in Rotorua in May.