Pitstop: Last year's winning Porsche lines up for day-night race

Last year's winning car in the six-hour race at Pukekohe will be lining up again today but with a different team of drivers.

Grant Baker and Jody Vincent steered the Porsche 911 turbo to victory last time but this year it has been in the hands of Glen Cotterill from Tauranga and Kevin Bell from Christchurch.

The Pukekohe race is the final round of the three-round North Island endurance series, which Bell and Cotterill lead by 16 points from Ian Booth and Reece Harvey in a Toyota Altezza V8.

The last round at Taupo was won by Vincent and Harry Dodson in a Nissan Skyline turbo after Mack Storey and Ray Williams, who crossed the finish line first, were disqualified for a caution flag infringement. The decision was upheld on appeal.

A total of 42 cars, ranging from V8s to Toyotas and Hondas under 1600cc, have entered the Pukekohe race. Despite an earlier start this year (1pm), the drivers face around two hours under lights.

Four Kiwis ready to take on the ring

Half a world away from Pukekohe, a team of four New Zealand drivers are preparing to take on the daunting Nurburgring 24-hour race in Germany this weekend.

Team members Greg Taylor, Mike Eady, John McIntyre and Tim Martin, have been familiarising themselves with the daunting 25.4km circuit in the Eifel Mountains.

Using a Honda Civic Type-R, prepared in New Zealand, the team's first goal is to finish the event, with a good placing in the Group N production category.

A total of 240 cars have been entered. Only 210 will qualify for the 3pm start but the Kiwis are confident of making the cut.

Blomqvist coming for 7-day rally

Former world rally champion Stig Blomqvist has confirmed he will be taking part in the Silver Fern Rally in the South Island in October.

The 60-year-old Swede, along with his regular co-driver, Ana Goi from Venezuela, will compete in the seven-day marathon event in the classic Ford Escort RS1800 that Goi owns.

The pairing have been running the car at various British events over the last two years, finishing the 2004 and 2005 RAC classic events 1st and 2nd respectively. The car is prepared by David Sutton Cars.

Blomqvist earned his world title in 1984 in an Audi Quattro, winning the New Zealand round on the way.

Bamber sidelined in China qualifying

New Zealand's two teenage competitors in the Formula BMW Asia championship have emerged from three Chinese rounds with mixed results.

Wanganui's Earl Bamber, who arrived as championship leader, was sidelined by an electronic fault in qualifying, fought his way up to seventh in the first race, was runner-up in the second but failed to finish the third. He has slipped to second in the championship.

Aucklander Dominic Storey qualified second and finished second in the first race. He was not able to repeat that form but lies fifth in the points.

Perfect weekend in formula Renault

Hamilton-born Chris van der Drift had a perfect weekend for the seventh and eighth rounds of the Formula Renault Northern European Championship at the Dutch circuit of Zandvoort, taking pole position for both races and then winning them both, with the result that he now leads the championship.

Reid focusing on win at Okayama circuit

With the All-Japan Formula Three Championship nearing its half-way point, Aucklander Jonny Reid is looking for his first win of the year at the fourth round at the Okayama International Circuit near Osaka this weekend.

Reid finished second in the first race but failed to finish the second.