Pitstop: Otago welcomes rally

The opening round of the Vantage Aluminium New Zealand Rally championship hits Otago this weekend. Two-time New Zealand champion Richard Mason will be debuting his new ex-UK Prodrive Subaru. Andrew Hawkeswood returns to national rallying and Emma Gilmour completes the top three seedings.

Paddon in Turkey trek

Pirelli Star Driver Asia Pacific region scholarship recipient Hayden Paddon takes to the Turkish roads this weekend for the first round of the production World Championship. Paddon and the four other scholarship drivers start Rally of Turkey among the production (Group N) competitors in their identical Ralliart Italy-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer EVO Xs.

Testing time for Evans

Young Kiwi driver Mitch Evans will miss round two of the Australian Formula Three championships this weekend at Symmons Plains, Tasmania. Evans, winner of round one at Wakefield Park, is heading to Europe during the school break to test with an open wheel team.

Dixon looking for lift

Kiwi Indycar driver Scott Dixon will be desperate to get his season back on track after finishing 18th at St Petersburg, dropping back to 11th on the table. This weekend is the first time the IRL has raced at Birmingham, Alabama.

UNDER THE HOOD:

Keeping drivers in the car

Safety belts were first introduced into motor racing but not as a safety device. Team owners, and drivers to a certain extent, were becoming concerned that more and more drivers were being flung out of the car in an accident or while flying over bumps. So a belt was introduced to keep the driver in the car. Swedish inventor Nils Bohlin invented the modern three-point seatbelt that was introduced by Volvo in 1959.