KEY POINTS:
A revisit to the excitement of grassroots racing has inspired New Zealand driver Jonny Reid ahead of this weekend's ninth round A1 Grand Prix in Shanghai.
The New Zealand team head to the penultimate round of the 22-nation championship in second place overall, 15 points behind Switzerland.
Reid said his spirits have been lifted by watching a soapbox derby and a schools karting championship since his mixed return at the last round in Mexico four weeks ago.
"It's been fantastic freshening up at home and going to the type of events you competed in as a kid," Reid said.
"Everyone's trying so hard, but there's a sense of enjoyment that is infectious. I've arrived in Shanghai feeling grounded and focused."
Reid appreciated the three-week break ahead of the Chinese leg.
"We haven't had such a strong run of late, so to spend time in one place and be mentally prepared has been gratifying," he said.
"We'll be approaching the weekend in a relaxed manner with high energy levels and I'm excited about what we can achieve."
Reid, whose four race wins this season is more than any other driver, returns to Shanghai as defending champion. He won last season's feature Race despite the gear box being held together by a piece of wire.
"It was a stressful start to the race last year, but I have fond memories of the place and really enjoy the circuit. It's a fantastic facility and the track is wide and flowing with plenty of room to position the car," he said.
"Being on pole won't guarantee you win because there's a lot of passing opportunities."
While overturning Switzerland's 15-point lead was a desired outcome this weekend, Reid said the focus was solely on preparing his car well and driving hard.
"We don't look on it as the Swiss having to fold for us to zip through," Reid said.
"We can still win the championship without anything untoward happening to them. We just have to concentrate on what we're doing so the wheels don't fall off our campaign.
"It's an exciting position to be in. With two rounds to go the championship is still in sight and we still control our own destiny."
Qualifying takes place on Saturday night and the sprint race and feature race will both be on Sunday.
- NZPA
