By Bob Pearce
Pitstop
The countdown to the first round of the 2000 PPG-Dayton Indy Lights championship has begun for young Auckland driver Scott Dixon.
The 19-year-old has already completed one two-day test for his new team, PacWest, and is due to complete at least one more before he heads to California to prepare for next month's first championship round.
The late start to the 2000 championship - the first round is not scheduled to be held until April 16, the second is June 4 - is because the final round, on a new road course on the island of Aruba in the Caribbean, will not be held until December 3.
Dixon was widely regarded as the best newcomer to the Indy Lights series last year, winning the Chicago round and leading the Rookie of the Year points standings until the final round.
He impressed PacWest, which signed him to partner young American driver Tony Renna.
Though some of the teams have yet to officially announce their driver line-ups for the 2000 season, the consensus in the United States is that Dixon will be one of the frontrunners.
Other drivers expected to be fighting for a position on the front row of the grid in the first round are Renna, Irishman Jonny Kane and former Bathurst winner Jason Bright.
The young Australian driver has turned his back on the domestic V8 Supercar scene to have one more crack at single-seaters, this time with the Mears-Dorricott team.
The schedule is: Long Beach, April 16; Milwaukee, June 4; Detroit, June 18; Portland, June 25; Michigan, July 22; Chicago, July 30; Mid-Ohio, August 13; Vancouver, September 3; Laguna Seca, September 10; Gateway, September 17; California, October 29; Aruba, December 3.
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A sure sign that Paul Radisich is making an impression in the world of V8 Supercars is that the Aussies are whingeing.
After the Kiwi had finished third, second and second in the three support races at the Melbourne Grand Prix, boy wonder Craig Lowndes complained that Radisich's Ford was a moving chicane for the pursuing Holdens.
"It might be all right in Europe," reported the sycophantic local press, "but we don't do that sort of thing in Australia."
And Larry Perkins is running a charm school at Toorak.
Last weekend the Holdens had some revenge when they dominated the Perth round, with Lowndes scoring a hat-trick of wins.
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The organisers of the annual Dunlop Targa will run a one-day event in Taumarunui on Sunday as an introduction to this classic form of motorsport.
Termed a Targa Bambina, it will include 11 stages over 156km of closed roads with 142km of touring.
About 50 entries have been received, ranging from a Ford Thunderbird to some Subaru WRXs.
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Historic rally cars will again have their own rally-within-a-rally during the world championship Rally of New Zealand in July.
Cars eligible will be pre-1982 and not four-wheel-drive. They will cover a special stage distance of 210km, running after the main rally on the first two legs.
Last year the Ford Escorts, in particular, provided a reminder of how spectacular the sport can be when sideways was often the quickest way round the corners.
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Rain ruining the race meetings? What about running them indoors where conditions are guaranteed.
In July, American entrepreneur Brant Motorsports intends to start work on just such a structure near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The $300 million privately funded track will have seating for 120,000 and high-tech noise absorption and ventilation systems.
Nascar races, which rely on dry tracks, will be a possibility and there is already talk of one of the established venues at Bristol erecting a roof.
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How do you get to talk to the drivers and stroll around the pits on both the Formula One and Champ Car circuits?
Tell them you are going to make a feature film about them.
Sylvester Stallone spent months strutting his stuff around the world with the Formula One circus, supposedly preparing such a film.
Everybody was helpful, but nobody came up with the money for the project.
Now the Rocky star is flexing his pecs around the American tracks with a similar project in view.
Given the tight squeeze even the superfit drivers must endure, muscle cars may be a better option.
Motorsport: Teenager ready to see his name in Lights again
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