California sprint car racer Jonathan Allard is keeping the promise he made immediately after winning the New Zealand title at Baypark Speedway back in January this year.
Fans who worried that an American racing off with the NZ title would deny them the chance of seeing the national champion in action on a regular basis needn't have feared.
Allard said he'd be back for the new season carrying the 1NZ number on his car and preparing to defend his title at Christchurch in early February.
True to his word he kicked off his New Zealand campaign last month and has a schedule of more than 20 race meetings.
He has already raced three times at Auckland's Western Springs and once at Palmerston North - notching up a feature race win and two second placings so far.
He makes his first Baypark appearance of the year - the track at which he is also the lap record holder - tomorrow night.
"I love Baypark. It's a great track with a great atmosphere and I've always done well there," Allard said.
"We get a lot of support at Baypark and I'd like to see things continue to develop there so it can become the main New Zealand sprint car venue."
Allard raced in both the mid-west US and in California in 2011 finishing fourth in the King of the West series. He also won his third Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Washington which paid a US$40,000 ($53,000) winner's purse and ran a small number of World of Outlaws races posting four top-10 finishes.
But that's not enough racing for Allard so three months a year living and racing in New Zealand when things are quiet at home have become his habit in the last three summers.
"I believe I'm as close as you can get to a New Zealander. I love it here, my partner is a New Zealander and my heart and passion is in seeing the racing grow down here.
"One of my aims this summer is to work with the team and our sponsors so by the time I head home again everything will be in place for next summer."
Allard heads the strongest sprint car line-up of the season with a field of 20 cars expected tomorrow night.
Opening night feature race winner Jamie McDonald along with Carl Wilson, Dean Brindle, Greg Pickerill and teenager Daniel Rogers all make their second Baypark appearances for the season and Auckland-based US racer Ricky Logan also joins the fray along with the Salter Motorsport duo of Ryan O'Connor and Ron Salter.
The in-form O'Connor edged out Allard last weekend in a 25-lap international event at Palmerston North.
The super saloon car field for the pre-Christmas meeting will be boosted by the entries of national champ Shane McIntyre (Tauranga) plus Auckland racers Ben Harding and Steve Williams while former national champ Phil Towgood (Whitianga) joins the saloon car grid in his Corvette.