Pitstop: Reid masters tough conditions to win at Donington Park

By BOB PEARCE

Young Aucklander Jonny Reid has won his first race of the European Formula 3000 season in difficult conditions at Donington Park in England.

The 21-year-old former national Formula Ford champion qualified second but effectively started on pole when his team-mate, Alex Lloyd, was forced to start from pitlane after suffering a driveshaft failure.

Reid was leading comfortably when the race was stopped after 20 laps because of a downpour which flooded the track.

When the shortened 43-lap race was restarted, Reid was passed by Austrian Norbert Seidler but held on to win by 10s on aggregate of the two halves of the race.

Third was Brazilian Christiano Rocha. Reid is now fifth in the championship with four races to go.

The European Formula 3000 championship runs separately from the international Formula 3000, which was originally designed as a stepping-stone to Formula One.

Both are contested on some of Europe's best-known circuits.

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Fundraiser for young star

While Reid has been enjoying success in Europe, fellow Kiwi Nick Gaunt, who beat Reid to take the Australian Formula 4000 title last year, has been working in Europe trying to make contacts and raise funds to secure a drive.

Most recently he has been working for Jonathan Palmer as a racecar instructor at Bedford.

On September 23 there will be a fundraiser for the 20-year-old at the Viaduct Basin, including an auction of some hot laps with the young star in an Aerial Atom car. Contact is email: kiwidream@hotmail.com

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V8 standoff continues

The standoff over the date of next year's V8 Supercar round at Pukekohe continues. The World Rally Commission has settled on April 7-10 for Rally New Zealand, the same weekend the V8 owners, Avesco, had pencilled in.

Avesco said they could live with the following weekend but Motorsport New Zealand insists a two-week gap is needed because of the pressure on amateur officials involved in both events, the impact on sponsors and the dilution of spectator numbers.

Even with a two-week gap, both events were adversely affected this year when Avesco moved to April to accommodate a China round that never happened.

The New Zealand controlling body says the rally date is likely to be confirmed for three years and an international series must take precedence over an Australian championship.

Tony Cochrane, boss of Avesco, has said the V8s won't come if they can't have the date they want. Talks ended acrimoniously. For the good of the thousands who support both events, here's hoping egos and posturing don't get in the way of a sensible settlement.

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Life's work recognised

Eric Mallard, who has been Pukekohe's man in charge of motor-racing for longer than anyone can remember, has been made a life member of the New Zealand International Grand Prix.

Mallard was first associated with the NZIGP in 1955, when he acted as a crowd marshal at Ardmore, and since then has assumed almost every role with the organisation.

He joined the paid staff in 1969 on a trial basis and is still in charge at the Ellerslie headquarters from where he handles the administration of racing at Pukekohe.

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Subaru hopes high

Subaru driver Chris West must be a sponsor's dream. He clinched the national Group N rally championship when he finished third in the Nelson round at the weekend.

But he also narrowly failed to clinch the overall national title, which will now be decided at the final round in the Waikato on September 18 - an event sponsored by Subaru Finance.

West has only to finish in the top 13 there to secure the national crown.

The only drivers with a mathematical chance of beating him are Andrew Hawkeswood (Mitsubishi), who won in Nelson, Sam Murray (Subaru), who was second, and former champion Neil Allport (Mitsubishi).

Murray clinched the rookie title with his second placing and Dean Sumner of Rotorua won the junior crown, despite finishing 24th.

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Crocker's lead trimmed

A fourth placing at the second heat of the Premier State Rally has seen Cody Crocker's lead in the Australian rally championship reduced to just six points with only one round, the Rally of Melbourne, remaining.

Chris Atkinson, also driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, took the maximum points on offer at the New South Wales round of the championship, a total of 41, by winning both heats and collecting the bonus point for most stage wins as well.

Crocker heads the points table with 132 points, Atkinson is sitting on 126 points and Juha Kangas (Mitsubishi) has 126.

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Halliday wins drives

Matt Halliday had his first drive in a V8 Supercar for three years when he tested with the Orrcon team in Queensland last week.

The Aucklander, who has been campaigning a Porsche, will share a Ford with team owner Mark Larkham in the endurance races at Sandown and Bathurst.