KEY POINTS:
Tomorrow's Woodhill 100, the longest-running and toughest off-road race, could be the fastest yet after many of the tracks were graded smooth. The race - 27 years old - has attracted a strong field including four-time winner and defending champion Tony McCall. Ian Foster - a six-time Woodhill winner - makes a return to active competition in a Ryna Suzuki single seater. The race at Woodhill Forest runs north from Muriwai and starts at 10am.
PEDDER TO RACE IN RALLY NEW ZEALAND
Leading Australian rally driver Scott Pedder is to cross the Tasman to compete in Rally New Zealand in September. The event, the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championships, takes place in and around Hamilton and north Waikato.
ROSSI ON A MISSION AT ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi is hoping to close the gap on Australian Casey Stoner at the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello on Monday (NZ time). The seven-time world champion, and five-time winner at Mugello, lies in second, 21 points behind Stoner. Rossi will be trying to stop a gradual slide down the finishing order since his second place behind Stoner at the Chinese Grand Prix last month. Stoner will be hard to beat as the Ducati's speed will be well suited to the fast 1.2km straight.
McLAREN IN CLEAR OVER ILLEGAL TEAM ORDERS
Formula 1 team McLaren have not been punished by the FIA over the use of illegal team orders. The governing body have studied radio conversations between McLaren, Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton. It came to the conclusion that it is standard procedure for teams to tell drivers to slow down when they have a big lead. British media had suggested Hamilton had been robbed of a race win because of team orders.
GILMOUR RETURNS AFTER BIG SMASH
Just 20 days after a spectacular crash during the Whangarei Rally, Emma Gilmour has been cleared to compete in this weekend's third round of the national championships in the Wairarapa. Gilmour's co-driver spent most of the past three weeks, with members of the team, working hard to prepare a new car as the other one was a write-off.
MONEY TROUBLES HIT TEAM KIWI RACING
Team Kiwi Racing is not competing on a race-to-race basis in the V8 Supercars championship due to financial constraints, says team boss David John. The team have had it hard after Paul Radisich's big off at Bathurst last year. But race performances have been improving with each round. Radisich is 16th in the championship, despite not being fully fit yet after breaking his ankle and sternum.
