KEY POINTS:
The build-up to this weekend's A1GP World Cup of Motorsport got off to a roaring start when A1 Team NZL pitched Jonny Reid and Black Beauty against an Air New Zealand Boeing 777 at Auckland International Airport.
Given a head start, the Boeing kept Black Beauty at bay after Reid couldn't get initial traction on the damp runway last Tuesday.
But in the second race Reid got the car hooked up perfectly and gradually overhauled the 777, passing the aircraft before it left the ground. So at the end of the day, it was honours even.
If that wasn't enough to raise interest in this weekend's event at Taupo, Reid and Black Beauty put on a display at the New Zealand Grand Prix at Manfeild, near Feilding, last weekend.
On Saturday and Sunday, Reid treated fans to a sample of Black Beauty's powers by roaring around the track several times.
On old tyres and in a car not set up for the circuit, Reid still managed to circulate in under 60 seconds, setting an unofficial lap record. Looking forward to the weekend's racing, Reid is confident he can improve on last year's third-place finishes in the sprint and feature races.
Twenty-two internationals team will descend on Taupo for the fifth round of the championships.
New Zealand is 20 points behind leaders Switzerland but just one point behind France.
The previous fast left-right-left sequence of corners at Taupo has been changed into a tight left-hander, followed by an even tighter right-hander.
Reid believes this will make racing more exciting, especially for the spectators in the stands lining the approach to the new lay-out. "You can see the strategy immediately.
"Cars will now be subjected to heavier braking, which opens up more opportunities to pass. If drivers are prepared to push hard, and they're good enough, they should be rewarded.
"It's wicked that we'll be hitting that sort of corner more often than usual given the Taupo track is 3 1/2km long, compared with the 5km monsters you can get in Asia."
The 2007 Formula Renault Euro Cup champion, Brendon Hartley, will drive in the two 25-minute sessions before regular driver Reid takes over for the rest of the event.
Hartley partnered Reid in pre-season testing at Silverstone in August, but the team have not called him up until now.
Friday has two practice sessions, with a third on Saturday morning.
The four qualifying sessions on Saturday afternoon will determine grid positions for the sprint and feature race.
The 20-minute sprint race is on Sunday morning and the 70-minute feature race in the afternoon. The weekend's event also includes races for all the premier New Zealand championships.
Fresh from last weekend's Toyota Racing Series races, many of the TRS drivers will want to put on a good show for all the visiting A1GP teams as many of the principals are also involved in other classes in Europe and the United States.
