Motorsport: Home's great but no real advantage for Reid

Jonny Reid salutes the Taupo crowd last year. Photo / Paul Estcourt

There is little for New Zealand driver Jonny Reid to take in terms of home advantage heading into this week's Taupo round of the A1GP season.

In many ways, home advantage is almost a hindrance rather than a help. Not that Reid wants to treat it as such.

Like all drivers, Reid has not been allowed on the Taupo track - in or on any motor-powered vehicle - since the start of the season. And, like the other drivers from the other 21 teams, he will get his first chance to put Black Beauty to the test on Friday.

"There is no real advantage other than knowing the crowd is right behind you," said A1 GP Team New Zealand spokesman Bob McMurray from the track yesterday. "There are other demands when you are at home but we at A1 GP Team New Zealand all want to put ourselves out to let the people who support us see what is their car. Jonny certainly does not see that as anything but a positive."

McMurray welcomes the slight change made to the Taupo track and sees other advantages in returning for a second time after last season's debut meeting.

"The place has greened up. The grass is a bit lusher and that will help in keeping the dust - which is really pumice - off the track. If there was one complaint last year it was that the pumice turned to marbles and made the surface a bit tricky.

"The drivers will see that as an advantage as they felt the marbles made the track a bit one lane and passing difficult," said McMurray. "The change they have made to that corner should improve overtaking which will now come right in front of the spectators."

But before Reid can even get to test the track, he will watch his car being stripped down to the last nut and bolt and then re-assembled with major input from himself and the team engineer Chris Gorne who arrives in the Lakeland Capital tomorrow.

The car arrived at the track yesterday after promotional visits to Auckland International Airport and the weekend's New Zealand Grand Prix meeting at Manfeild and following the previous round in Zhuhai, China almost a month ago.

And, when it is all back together and ready to race, it will be Brendon Hartley who gets the first drive.

Hartley will be behind the wheel for two 20-minute rookie sessions on Friday before handing over to Reid who will have Friday practice ahead of Saturday's qualifying and Sunday's sprint and feature races.

Asked whether Hartley would "be next cab off the rank" should Reid be forced to miss a round, McMurray said that it was not necessarily the case.

"He is off to Europe for the Formula 3 season so we might need to look elsewhere," he said. "We also have Earl Bamber and Daniel Gaunt in our team so there are plenty of options. But, if he is fit and ready, Jonny Reid will be our driver for the rest of the season."

New Zealand go into the fifth round, of 10, in third place trailing second-placed France by seven points with Switzerland a further eight points ahead at the top of the 22-team ladder.

With the popular and highly-competitive Toyota Racing Series making their next stop in Taupo, McMurray sees the weekend's racing as New Zealand's biggest festival of motorsport and one certain to attract a huge crowd.