Pitstop: Toyota on board

The profile of the country's biggest annual kart meeting, the National Sprint Championships, continues to grow with the announcement of a joint promotion between KartSport New Zealand and Toyota New Zealand. The seven senior class winners and three wild cards from the event, held over Easter, will win a test drive in a Toyota Racing Series Lites single-seater racing car at Manfeild in May. The Toyota Fast Track Award winner will be the best driver assessed at the test day and will receive a drive in a TRS Lites single-seater at a round of the 2009-10 TRS series.

F1 season starts

The 2009 Formula One season roars into action this weekend at the opening round in Melbourne. The latest generation of the premier wings and slicks cars will be joined over the three-day event by their somewhat earlier incarnations, the F5000 cars from the 1970s. As will everyone else in the 33-strong field, Kiwi veteran racer of 51 years, Ken Smith in his Lola T430, is a clear favourite in the 33-car field as he's been the man to beat in previous F5000 Tasman Cup Revival series races both here and in Australia. Points-wise, Smith hardly needs to win either race, as he has a 140-point buffer over Lola T332 driver Tony Richards.

Young drivers at track

The opening gambit of the F1 series will also see some of our youngest stars get a taste of the big time. Leading the way is 17-year-old newly crowned MTA New Zealand Formula Ford champion, Tauranga's Richie Stanaway, who took out the title on his debut series season. Three others are to join the fray - Martin Short, Andrew Waite and 14-year-old Mitch Evans. All eyes will be on Evans as he's the youngest Formula Ford race winner worldwide and will be the youngest driver to start a championship event in Australia.

Malley off to Brit rally

Last year's Group N two-wheel drive and Fiesta Sporting Trophy rally winner, Patrick Malley, has headed off to Britain. He'll contest the 2009 British Rally championship and the Kick Energy Fiesta Sporting Trophy. The 25-year-old has raced in various APRC rounds and was a participant in the Fiesta Sporting Trophy international shoot out in Britain where he finished sixth in appalling weather.

Mansell back in UK

This year's World Series by Renault sees the 21-year-old son of 1992 Formula One champ Nigel Mansell back on his home turf. Greg Mansell spent last year racing in the Formula Atlantic series in the United States. He last raced single seaters at home two years ago when he competed in the British Formula Three championship finishing on the podium three times.