KEY POINTS:
Pukekohe will host Fanga and Eric's Big Day Out tomorrow as the venerable New Zealand Grand Prix finally gets the drift. For the first time in more than 40 years of racing at the venue, most of it under the control of Eric Mallard, traditional motor-racing will share top billing with drifting and its national champion, Fanga Dan Woolhouse. There will be races in the Porsche, Formula First, SS2000, Super Sedan and Star classes, and 16 of the country's top drifters, including Fanga Dan and Gaz Whiter, will take part in an all-star shootout. Mallard and fellow organiser Gary Lathrope see the meeting as a great opportunity for both forms of motorsport to mingle their fan and competitor base.
Rally pair head for the snow
Aucklanders Andrew Grant and Glenn Goldring have had their entry to the World Rally event in Norway next month accepted. They will contest the snow rally, which is on the world circuit for the first time, in a leased Mitsubishi Lancer EVO8.
Daytona 24-hour line-up
Scott Dixon will be joined by fellow IRL driver Dan Wheldon and Mexican Memo Rojas as he tries to retain the Daytona 24-hour title in Team Ganassi's Riley Daytona Prototype car at the end of the month. Ganassi's other car will be driven by Scott Pruett, Salvador Duran and former Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya.
Surfers winner drives at Taupo
Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won the 2003 champion car race at Surfers Paradise, will drive for the United States in the A1GP at Taupo next week. Karl Reindler has been confirmed as the Australian driver.
Clee's misfortune Bugden's gain
The misfortune of Aucklander Ray Clee (right) was Aussie Robbie Bugden's good luck at the first round of the national road racing championships at Teretonga last weekend. Clee was unable to ride the Suzuki GSXR1000 he had prepared for himself because of injury and Bugden took over the bike and won the Superbike round.
Breaking the pattern
Hamish Dobbyn, the 14-year-old Warkworth rider who won the first round of the national supercross championship in the 14-16 age group at Motueka last weekend, could have been expected to take on a different kind of power. His mother, Carolyn, is a former North Harbour golf representative who now teaches the game.
Smith gives veteran road racers a jolt
Sam Smith's success in the 600cc sport class at the first round of the national road racing championships was a jolt for some of the more experienced riders. But the 18-year-old Yamaha rider from Pukekohe does not consider himself favourite for the second round this weekend on the Levels circuit at Timaru.
From karts to cars
Twenty-year-old Aucklander Mitch Cunningham, who has been racing karts for a factory team in Europe, will switch to cars in the US Pacific Formula 2000 series this year. His brother, former world kart champion Wade, made a similar switch before winning the IndyPro title in the US in 2005.
