Pitstop: Radisich puts unhappy Pukekohe series behind him

By BOB PEARCE

Paul Radisich returns to Pukekohe this week for the V8 Supercar races much happier than last year, but not over-confident of success.

The 41-year-old Kiwi has effectively had two team changes since his dismal 2002 in an under-performing Ford Falcon from the Dick Johnson Racing team.

Pukekohe was one of the low points in that relationship with Radisich and team-mate Steve Johnson colliding soon after the start of the first race.

Radisich moved to the Betta Electrical Ford team, which was taken over a couple of months ago by the British Triple Eight team. He lies 10th in the championship, with a best placing of fourth at Adelaide.

"We went into the season hoping for top 10 and in some ways we have exceeded expectations," he said.

"The team is still very young, but if everything went right we might fluke a podium at Pukekohe.

"It surely can't be any worse than last time. Realistically we can run in the top 10 and we could finish fifth or sixth with home-town support."

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Greg Murphy was celebrating more than his impressive win in the Bathurst 1000 last month.

He became a father for the second time with the birth of his second son, Cormac.

Russell Ingall, from the rival Ford camp, is also bringing family memories to Pukekohe.

"We are sure this is where my daughter Sasha was conceived," he says. "That does not mean she is a Kiwi!"

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Australian Holden Commodore driver Paul Morris supports moves for New Zealand to host a second round on the V8 Supercar Championship calendar in the future.

The 35-year-old Sirromet Wines Racing team owner from the Gold Coast has raced extensively in New Zealand and will be driving his Commodore and a Porsche at Pukekohe.

Morris believes there is sufficient support in New Zealand to hold two rounds of the series for V8 Holdens and Fords, particularly with the presence in the championship of top Kiwi drivers Greg Murphy, the Bathurst 1000 champion, plus Paul Radisich, Jason Richards and Craig Baird with Team Kiwi.

"More than 160,000 fans turned up at Pukekohe the last two years and those numbers prove the Kiwis will come out and support their drivers, and V8s," said Morris. "Greg Murphy has won there the last couple of years and the fans treat him like a rock star.

"They sell Commodores and Falcons in New Zealand so there's a lot to gain for the manufacturers if they got another round."

Morris, who won the Tranzam title in New Zealand in 1996-97, and also had victories in the Nissan-Mobil 500 races at Wellington and Pukekohe, said his preferred venue for a second championship round among existing permanent circuits was Ruapuna, on the outskirts of Christchurch.

"I've heard about a possible street race in Auckland and that could be good, but you can't really say much right now until we see more details."

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Palmerston North rally driver Geof Argyle goes into the final round of the Asia Pacific championship in India with a two-point lead over German Armin Kremer.

The Team Enzed leader finished third in the Rally of Thailand at the weekend behind former champion Karamjit Singh and Kremer.

Kremer finished just three seconds ahead and Singh was 55s ahead of Kremer. Argyle's team-mate Brian Green fought back after earlier punctures and an incident with another competitor running into the rear of his car to finish 18th overall.

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It will be crunch time at Wakefield Park in New South Wales this weekend as young Auckland driver James Cressey tries to win the 2003 Australian Formula 3 title.

Cressey, 19, won both races at the penultimate round of the series at Winton in September to close to within 10 points of championship co-leaders Michael Caruso and Barton Mawer.

With 20 points for a race win and bonus points for pole position and the fastest race lap, Cressey has an outside chance of taking the title.

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Former world champion Colin McRae has decided not to contest the world rally championship next year as a privateer. The Scot was dropped by Citroen when new regulations limited works teams to two cars. He will have his final drive for the team in the Rally of Wales this weekend, where his team-mates, Carlos Sainz and Sebastien Loeb will battle with Subaru's Petter Solberg for the drivers' title.

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The Champ Car season ended prematurely when organisers cancelled the last round at Fontana because of the forest fires in California.

Canadian Paul Tracy had already won the title in the previous round at Surfers Paradise.

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Warren Laugesen of Auckland retained the Oceania motorcycle trials championship in almost perfect conditions near Palmerston North.

The New Zealand team of Laugesen, Jason Baker (Picton) and Karl Clark (Nelson) beat the Australians 30-10 over two days.