Pitstop: Halliday for Bathurst

Kiwi Porsche Supercup driver Matt Halliday will again grace the Bathurst and Phillip Island tracks for the endurance rounds of the Australian V8 Supercar championships. He'll join Jason Bright at the Trading Post Racing Team. The L&H 500 at Phillip Island is September 10-12 with the Supercheap Bathurst 1000 four weeks later, October 8-10.

Timaru duel

Two Timaru drivers will fight out the 2009/2010 Kumho Sport Saloon Series title at their home circuit today. Grant McKissock led after the first round but at the next round another local, Chris Small, took over the series points lead. Yet another Timaru driver, however, now tops the table. Defending champion Neville Stowell has clawed his way back after missing the opening round, taking the lead at the penultimate round last month.

Rally hits Domain

Auckland Domain will be centre stage when the city hosts Rally New Zealand, the local round of the FIA World Rally Championship, on May 6-9. For the first time since 1990, a super special stage will be run in the Domain. The 1.5km route will take competitors around a selection of sealed roads early Friday evening. The same route is also being used for the shakedown on Thursday, May 6.

Legends battle again

A host of former motor racing stars are donning their racing gear again for the opening round of the Volkswagen Scirocco Cup at Hockenheim this weekend. Martin Brundle, Jacques Lafitte, Derek Bell, Carlos Sainz and Frank Biela will all take part. The new series is a support race for the DTM German Touring Car Championships. Between them they have 343 Grand Prix starts, two WRC titles, a Dakar Rally win, 11 Le Mans 24 Hours wins, three World Sportscar titles, and DTM and BTCC crowns.

Pirelli may return to F1

Tyre manufacturer Pirelli is looking at re-joining Formula One. Teams are looking at who will be the preferred supplier with Michelin and Avon Copper already keen to get involved. Pirelli have been prompted to throw their hat into the ring as F1 is switching to 18-inch rims with the introducing of more commercial terms. Pirelli last took part in F1 1989-91. Wheels of historyWe know when the four stroke and two stroke engines were invented.

We know when turbos and superchargers were first fitted to engines; we know when fuel injection made its presence felt and a host of other firsts. What we don't know is when the most important part of a race car, or any car for that matter, was invented - the wheel.

Without the wheel a vehicle would never be able to move, let alone change direction. We can only guess, but boffins have suggested that someone in Asia had an epiphany around 8000BC.

The oldest actual wheel ever found was in Mesopotamia and dates back to 3500BC.