Pitstop: Radisich makes the BIG V8 jump

Paul Radisich believes Team Kiwi will have a car with top-10 potential when the Australian V8 supercar championship roars into action again next month.

The hugely experienced New Zealand driver has moved from the Triple Eight Ford team to pilot the black Holden run by David John's outfit.

"I've never driven a Holden before," Radisich said. "The nearest I came to a General Motors product was when Vauxhall approached me about a drive in the British touring car championship."

Radisich said Holdens had in recent times been more responsive than Fords at the front end, but the differences were minimal when a field of 32 cars could be covered by one second difference in qualifying.

"I'm very excited about Team Kiwi's programme this year. "The package we've got should produce a top-10 runner. The whole team is important - it's no good having the fastest car if you're going to have 25s pitstops."

The V8s race in non-championship events at the Melbourne Grand Prix on March 4 to 6 before the first round on the streets of Adelaide on March 17 to 20.

Beck's flying start

Southlander John Beck may not be the best-known rider competing in the national road race championships at Manfeild this weekend, but he will be one of the few with a national speed record.

Last Saturday he set a new flying start record for a 250cc machine, completing two runs over a back country road at an average of 257.36 km/h on his Honda. The previous record, set 10 years ago by Paul Williams, was 245.56km/h.

Date, but no venue

With the fate of the 2006 round of the Aussie supercars still undecided, Motorsport New Zealand has set a date but not a venue for the final round of next season's New Zealand V8 championship. Wellington will decide soon whether it wants a Supercar street race and, even if it says yes, it may be that a final fling at Pukekohe is needed to give the city enough time to prepare. Whatever New Zealand decides, the Aussies will have the final say.

The tentative New Zealand championship for this year and next is: Pukekohe, November 5-6; Ruapuna, November 26-27; Teretonga, January 14-15; Timaru, January 21-22; Manfeild, February 18-19; Taupo, March 18-19; the Grand Finale, somewhere, April 14-16.

Kiwi's new team-mate

Expatriate Kiwi Jim Richards, who has won seven times at Bathurst, will team with young Aussie James Courtney in this season's V8 endurance classic. Last season Richards drove with son Steve in a Perkins Holden and was in a podium position when they were put out of the race by a collision with a kangaroo.

This October Richards will rejoin the Holden Racing Team with which he won his last Bathurst 1000 in 2002 with Mark Skaife.

Courtney has had extensive single-seater experience in Europe and Japan but will be making his debut in a V8 at Bathurst.

Brice's late entry

A former world junior rally champion has made a late entry into the production world rally championship, and will make his first appearance in the series at Rally New Zealand in April.

Frenchman Brice Tirabassi will drive a Subaru Impreza prepared by the Italian Top Run team, which has been a frequent visitor to New Zealand.

Tirabassi won the 1600cc junior title in 2003, but could not secure a regular drive last season. He will join Briton Mark Higgins in the Top Run team.