Pitstop: Rally driver taps dream chance

Aucklander Mark Tapper, pictured, has headed overseas this week on the rally driver's dream OE. As part of an exchange programme between Hamilton-based rally school Rally Drive NZ and English rally school and preparation company Prospeed, the 24-year-old will drive in national and international events in Britain.

Tapper's programme includes working at Prospeed's rally school as a driving tutor, and extensive testing sessions with the team, at the wheel of cars including a Super 1600 Ford Festiva, a Group N Subaru Impreza and a Skoda Octavia World Rally Car. He will also get to test his skills in competition with entry in three national and two international events in Britain.

The first part of the exchange was completed earlier this year, with British women's champion Lorna Smith spending two months at Rally Drive NZ's rally school and also competing in Rally New Zealand.

Coulthard in front

Young Aucklander Fabian Coulthard has taken a commanding lead in the Australian Porsche Carrera Cup championship with one round to go.

The 23-year-old won all three races at Surfers Paradise last weekend to extend his lead over fellow Kiwi Jim Richards to 162 points with only the Phillip Island round next month to come.

Richards dropped off the pace in the first race and withdrew from the next two with engine problems.

Ambrose successor

The Stone Brothers V8 Supercar team will reveal their replacement for defending series champion Marcos Ambrose on Monday.

Ambrose, who trails his team-mate, Russell Ingall, in this season's contest, has won the past two titles. He heads for the US to try to break into Nascar next season.

Kiwi Jason Richards, who finished second for the Tasman Motorsport team at Bathurst, is among the contenders for the plum Ford drive.

McRae downunder

Former champion Colin McRae will continue his world rally comeback after agreeing to drive for Skoda in the Rally of Australia next month.

Skoda initially tempted the 1995 world champion out of exile for the Wales Rally GB, where he finished seventh, prompting the Scot to seek a full-time return to rallying in 2006.

Manfeild to see utes

Australian V8 utes will be racing at Manfeild on February 4 and 5 with at least one New Zealander in the popular class, which mimics the V8 Supercars in its Ford-Holden rivalry.

It will be a welcome home-coming for Palmerston North's former single-seater star Chris Pither. The 18-year-old had a podium finish in the latest ute racing round at Surfers.

A1 car on show

The car that has propelled New Zealand to fourth on the A1 Grand Prix championship table is heading home.

A1 Team New Zealand chief executive Bob McMurray says the team is keen for the public to have a look at the car, dubbed Black Beauty, following the fourth round of the series at Eastern Creek in Sydney next weekend.

The Lola single-seater will be on display at Giltrap Prestige, 100 Great North Rd in Grey Lynn between midday and 2pm on Saturday, November 12.

Family affair

The Greenslades dominated the first round of the North Island Osca Super Saloon series at Taupo last weekend.

Current national champion Andy Greenslade of Tauranga took the round win in his V8 Camaro, setting a new lap record in the process. Second overall was brother Derin in a V8 Mustang with Rob Mitchell third in his rotary-powered Escort.

Comeback set back

Ford's official return to rallying in this part of the world has been delayed by technical problems.

TeamRS Australia has pulled its newly developed car out of the Bathurst round of the Australian championship because of component performance problems in recent testing.

Rising star

Palmerston North driver Ryan Bailey was the big mover at the second Star Car summer series round at Taupo last weekend.

The 18-year-old karter won two of the three races to be third equal with Auckland's Barrie Bould.

Van Der Drift thrives

Former Hamilton karter Chris van der Drift finished his second European Formula BMW season with sixth and fourth placings at Hockenheim in Germany and fourth in the championship.