KEY POINTS:
Targa Rally starts
The annual week-long Targa Rally starts in Manukau City this weekend and the event will head through the North Island. It covers about 1500km of touring and 750km of closed special stages. Among the 50-plus competitors are several overseas drivers back for another tilt.
There's every sort of car from a 1964 Fiat Abarth to a 2008 Nissan Skyline GTR.
Bamber racing in Japan
New Zealand driver Earl Bamber is back racing this weekend in Japan where he will resume his battle for the 2008 Formula V6 Asia title. The 18-year-old has had a busy few weeks; winning in the European Formula Master Series in Italy, claiming a podium finish for A1GP Team NZL in The Netherlands and a second place in the feature race in the GP2 Asia series' first round in Shanghai, China.
DeCoster heads to Taupo
One of the greatest motocross riders of all time, Roger DeCoster, is coming to Taupo for the International MX event next weekend. From 1972 to 1981 he won five 500cc world championships, gained 36 Grand Prix victories, was a member of six winning Belgium Motocross des Nation teams, earned four Trans-AMA Motocross championships and was a gold medallist in the International Six-Day Trial (Enduro).
Champs at Mystery Creek
The Hamilton Kart Club is hosting the North Island championship at its track near Mystery Creek this weekend. More than 160 entries in 10 different classes are turning up for the meeting, which started yesterday with qualifying and has racing today and tomorrow. Josh Hart, who finished third overall in the 2008 Rotax Euro Challenge in Europe, has returned to defend his title.
Five-way fight offroad
The offroad racing national champs draw to a close this weekend with two days of racing at Manukau, and any one of five drivers have a clear shot at the outright title. Dennis Andreassend scored a clean sweep at the South Island's final round and leads the championship from Daniel Powell and Ryan Densem.
Raikkonen's form too late
Formula One driver Kimi Raikkonen is enjoying a recent return to form, having had two podium finishes in two weekends, but says it's unlikely either he or his teammate Felipe Massa could have beaten Lewis Hamilton in China.
Canada hopes for F1 return
Montreal mayor Gerald Tremblay says he is hopeful the axed Canadian Formula One Grand Prix could be reinstated next year after meeting F1 commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone. The race at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve was dropped from a revised calendar this month, leaving North America without a Grand Prix for the first time in 50 years.