Pitstop: Halliday in demand

Matt Halliday has returned home to more good news after piloting the New Zealand A1 GP car to another strong performance in Malaysia.

The 26-year-old Aucklander will have an official one-day test for the 2006 Formula GP2 Series in Europe on December 2 at the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France. He will then rejoin the New Zealand A1 GP team for the Dubai round.

Formula GP2 is the last step to Formula One as the series forms the main support races to its European rounds.

Halliday will test for a drive next year with the French-based DAMS team, which runs the very successful French A1GP Team. DAMS finished ninth in the inaugural GP2 series.

This weekend Halliday will drive a Porsche GT-3 in the national championship round at Ruapuna. He takes over the car in which Fabian Coulthard won all three races in the first round at Pukekohe.

Coulthard will be at Phillip Island near Melbourne, where he should clinch the Australian Carrera Cup Porsche championship.

The runner-up at Pukekohe, Craig Baird, will also be at Phillip Island in a V8 Supercar and his Porsche will be driven by Kevin Bell at Ruapuna.


Rubber will matter at Ruapuna

Tyres could be a vital factor in the second round of the New Zealand V8 championship at Ruapuna this weekend. Defending champion Andy Booth leads the championship in a Holden by 10 points from Ford's John McIntyre with Kayne Scott's Holden four points further back. But the next five places are filled by Ford drivers.

At Pukekohe Ford team-mates Paul Pedersen and Angus Fogg were very quick but suffered tyre problems. With a restricted tyre allocation for each round, the problem can persist if a driver has to use new rubber for practice and qualifying.

Daniel Gaunt leads the Toyota single-seater class and fellow Aucklander Shane Van Gisbergen has a break on the big Formula Ford field.


Even more super for Kiwis

Team Kiwi's campaign in the Aussie V8 Supercar championship has received a big boost with the signing of major sponsors Makita NZ Ltd and 3M New Zealand for the next two years.

A major factor was the extension of the series to China, where Team Kiwi had a podium finish, and the Middle East, where the big V8s will compete at Bahrain for the first time next year.

The technology and development sharing partnership with Paul Morris Motorsport will continue and Paul Radisich has been confirmed as driver.


Aussie keeps place

Subaru World Rally Team has re-signed Australian Chris Atkinson for next season. The 25 year-old will partner Petter Solberg in the championship, contesting all 16 rounds of the series with current co-driver Glenn Macneall.


Rally drivers' lure

Organisers of the Japanese, Australian and New Zealand rounds of the world rally championship have formed a new alliance aimed at attracting competitors registered in the production world championship.

Competitors need enter only six of the eight eligible events to qualify. The new alliance of the Pacific Rim organisers plans to reward those who choose their events.


Nobody beats Prumm

Pukekohe's Katherine Prumm was the only individual to complete the national motocross series unbeaten.

The 17-year-old Kawasaki rider won the women's series ahead of Tauranga rider Mary Perkins.

The Honda Red Riders motocross team took a clean sweep of the open classes at the final round in Rotorua.

Opotiki's Cody Cooper finished 56 points clear of Scott Columb (Suzuki) to take the 125cc title. The 1996 world 500cc champion, Shayne King, won the 250cc class and the 500cc class.