By BOB PEARCE
An earlier date for the Australian Formula One Grand Prix is likely to mean yet another change to the schedule for the Australian V8 Supercar meeting at Pukekohe.
The big V8s originally settled for a date in March, but that was brought forward to February 25 to suit shipping schedules for getting them back across the Tasman for the Grand Prix meeting.
Now it seems likely that February 18 will be the Pukekohe date, to fit in with the new Grand Prix fixture on March 4.
The latest V8 round at Winton was one of Paul Radisich's most successful, with a second, sixth and seventh in the three races. This gave him overall second place behind Jason Bargwanna for the round.
Greg Murphy was fourth, fifth and 14th, and Craig Baird finished fifth, 13th and 16th. Mark Skaife leads the championship, with Radisich fifth and Murphy sixth.
Ford drivers such as Radisich and Baird are likely to receive a boost if the controlling body goes ahead with its avowed intention to stipulate a common undertray for Fords and Holdens to equalise the performance.
Team Kiwi fans would have been dismayed when Larry Perkins crashed the Holden they had apparently bought early in the first race at Winton. There is now some doubt whether that is the New Zealand-bound car.
Team credibility depends on a V8 Supercar running on a New Zealand track as soon as possible.
***
Rally New Zealand is again looking at a later date for its world championship next year.
Despite the generally dry weather for this year's rally, September has been suggested as a more settled weather prospect.
But there are snags. That time may be less acceptable to the farmers who have been so supportive, and the Manukau Superspecial may have been gobbled up for roading by then.
Rally organisers were delighted by the public interest this year, with crowds 20 per cent up on 1999. the And the foreign teams were particularly impressed by the lighting spectacular at the formal start in Aotea Square.
***
Swedish driver Kenneth Eriksson left New Zealand with mixed feelings about his latest rally experience.
On the plus side, he earned some rare world championship points by finishing fifth in his Hyundai.
On the downside he copped a $US500 fine for speeding in a service area.
World champion Tommi Makinen, whose sunny nature turned stormy as his Mitsubishi slipped out of contention, had a bad day made worse when he was fined for overtaking on a double yellow in Northland.
Unhappiest of all was Aussie Cody Crocker, whose Subaru was excluded from eighth place for a technical infringement.
***
Bruce Hibbert-Warburton finished 36th in Rally New Zealand, more than 50 minutes behind the winner, Marcus Gronholm.
But for the St Heliers service station proprietor it was a very satisfying mission accomplished.
His father, Guy Warburton, won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1952 with Sidney Allard in an Allard sports car. Warburton was the co-driver at a time when co-drivers shared the driving.
His son continued the motorsport tradition, campaigning an offroader with success.
Last season he moved into "real" rallying with a Subaru Impreza, but failed to finish the international, and damaged the car badly in a plunge into a river during the Gisborne Rally.
Back this year with a Group N Subaru, he said before the start that he needed a finish to live up to the family tradition.
***
Aucklanders Simon Wills and Matthew Halliday were on the podium in both races of the Formula Holden round at Winton on Sunday.
Australian Tim Leahey won twice, with Wills second and Halliday third on both occasions.
Wills has regained the lead in the championship from West Australian Christian Murchison.
***
Co-drivers may be mad but they're not bad. David Senior, who sits alongside Alister McRae in the Hyundai world rally car, became a target of Belgian officialdom when he visited Europe for the European soccer championship.
He was grilled for an hour by a passport officer before it was established that he was not David Senior, notorious soccer hooligan.
***
The Spanish team Seat will debut a new version of their Cordoba in the Finnish Rally next month. Which is perhaps as well considering how little is intact of the two cars they brought to New Zealand.
One wag suggested they could save on shipping costs because one container would do for the remains from the spectacular crashes by Toni Gardemeister and Didier Auriol.
Auriol has had a trying year after moving on from Toyota. But his co-driver, Denis Giraudet, retains his sense of humour.
At the shakedown, discussing ways to save weight in what was clearly an underpowered car, Giraudet offered to cut off his legs - because he didn't need them to read pace notes.
Motorsport: Supercars switch date to fit with Grand plan
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.