Pitstop: Murphy gets sneaky peek in China

New Zealand driver Greg Murphy is fifth in the Supercar standings with 506 points. Picture / Richard Robinson

New Zealand driver Greg Murphy wasted no time familiarising himself with the V8 Supercar roadshow's newest circuit - and Chinese officialdom - in Shanghai this week.

Within hours of clearing customs, Murphy embarked on a "spying mission" at the US$600 million ($850.21 million) Shanghai International Circuit, venue of the fifth Supercar round this weekend.

The 32 drivers have a two-hour practice session tomorrow but that was too long to wait for Murphy and his Super Cheap Auto team-mate Paul Weel.

Murphy managed to borrow a car and zip partway around the circuit until he was black-flagged by officials. He and Weel then walked the remainder of the circuit, which has hosted a Formula One grand prix and round of the Moto grand prix since opening last year.

"It's a mind-boggling place and there are some interesting corners where drivers could have some trouble, " said Murphy.

Murphy is fifth in the Supercar standings with 506 points. Australian Marcus Ambrose (Stone Brothers Racing) leads on 708 with nine rounds to go.

Still kart-smart

Kart-turned-car stars Mathew Hamilton and Andy Knight made an impressive return to their karting roots at the two-day/two-venue Central New Zealand Sunbelt Sprint Kart meeting in Nelson and Marlborough.

Former class champion Mathew Hamilton was back on top in the Rotax Max Light class, leading home arch-rival Simon Hunter and Christchurch's other kart-turned-car star Andy Knight.

Hamilton and Knight both won races in the new Toyota Racing Series for 1.8-litre, Toyota-powered, single-seater racing cars over the summer but the pair proved they have lost none of their karting smarts in the transition, fighting out a pitched battle with top South Island karters Hunter, Jeremy Burgees and Glenn Hartley.

Young gun Hunter got his revenge in Senior 100cc Yamaha Heavy, claiming top honours over fellow Cantabrian Mark Coulbeck and Dunedin's Paul Booth.

Senior 100cc Yamaha Light, meanwhile, went the way of 2003 South Island Junior championScott Downes (Greymouth) from Nelson's Aaron Adcock and CodyMcMaster.

Former South Island champion Murray Press was back on top in Rotax Max Heavy, while Nelson driver Neil Reynolds led home a veritable galaxy of South Island kart stars in Open. Second was Mark Elder, third, recently crowned New Zealand Open champion Regan Carter (both from Invercargill) and fourth, Vicki Saunders from Dunedin.

In the Junior classes New Zealand Schools' JICA class champion Joshua Burgees won 100cc Junior Yamaha from South Island JICA champion Corrie Fitzsimon (Greymouth) and Christchurch's Gareth Bindon, Nelson's Kane Adcock beat Christchurch's Chris Cox to the No 1 spot in Junior 100cc Yamaha Restricted and Darryl Hannah (Nelson) won Cadets from Grayson Napier (also Nelson) and Michael Collins.

Fuel stops win

Kevin Charles of Nelson came tantalisingly close to winning the 25th annual Woodhill 100 offroad endurance race but ran out of fuel halfway around his final lap. Charles, driving a new American-built V6 Jimco race car, took pole position, just ahead of defending champion Tony McCall of Manukau.

Off the start line, Charles and wife Jill opted to slot in behind McCall's SFL Cougar Porsche, planning to let the two-times winner set the pace for the first lap.

It was the big Jimco's first race in the North Island, and the first on sandy tracks, which can significantly affect speed and sap power, resulting in increased fuel consumption.

When the McCall car developed a misfire on the second lap, the Nelson pair surged into the lead and quickly established a six-minute margin over McCall.

Behind them, a group of 1.6-litre class three cars were fighting over third place. At the front of the field though, the Charles husband-wife pairing were driving the race of their lives, the big Jimco impervious to the rough sandy tracks and high-speed road sections.

But halfway around the final lap, the big American car ran out of fuel.

McCall stopped and shook the Nelson driver's hand when he saw the car stopped, then drove on to take victory.

Second overall, having carved his way through a huge field of faster but more fragile cars, was local driver Rene Sciarone in his VW 1.6-litre Challenger car, with Colin Paice a further two minutes adrift in third.

- additional reporting NZPA