KEY POINTS:
The big V8s are at their spiritual home of Pukekohe this weekend for the second round of the BNT V8 championships and the series has already produced some controversy and a driver change.
Paul Radisich, the joint series leader with Kayne Scott after the opening round at Taupo
in October, was injured in a practice crash at Mount Panorama during the Bathurst 1000. Realising he wasn't going to recover in time, Radisich has given Steve Owen, 33, the nod to drive his Ford at Pukekohe.
Owen has been in dominant form in the Australian Fujitsu V8 Supercar Development series, which he leads by 225 points with one round to go. He's no mug, so the front-runners after Taupo will have to be on their toes.
With Radisich sidelined, Scott will begin testing today as the series leader by default, and despite not being overly chuffed with how he inherited the lead, knows he's got to make the most of the opportunity.
Scott said: "I've always liked to race against Paul as he's always set the benchmark for touring cars and been the one to beat. It's always good to go to Pukekohe, I've done a lot of miles around that place. We had brand new cars last year and we showed how fast we could be by consistently qualifying at the front of the field and setting the fastest laps, but it was the DNFs that undid us.
"This year we've made sure we've crossed the t's and dotted the i's and the car feels really good after a couple of tests at Pukekohe."
Angus Fogg arrived at Taupo with a new Ford and new sponsors hoping to show his rivals he'll be a force to reckon with this season. It didn't quite go according to plan in the first two races but when he won the reverse grid third race, his weekend looked as if it would end on a high note. Not so.
A particularly eager technical inspector suspected Fogg's rims weren't the correct size and reported his suspicions. Fogg was subsequently disqualified and his points struck off his weekend tally.
"It was a bit strange really, I've always thought I got on well with the technical people," said Fogg.
The hearing is due to be held this afternoon that should resolve the situation one-way, or the other. "We've got all our evidence together for the hearing and I can't see how we can lose the appeal," Fogg said.
If Fogg successfully appeals and his points are reinstated, Radisich would lead Scott, Andy Booth and John McIntyre with Fogg in fifth.
"I'm looking forward to really testing the car against the front-runners at Pukekohe this weekend as with one thing and another we really didn't the chance at Taupo. We've had a bit of a test at Pukekohe and I'm really happy with the car," says Fogg.
The two-time defending champion John McIntyre is looking to put, by his standards, a less than pleasing Taupo round behind him.
"The meeting at Taupo should have been ours. We were on pole by quite a margin and got shunted off on the second corner and that made it a bit of a struggle for the rest of the weekend.
Not all bad though. To have a bad run like that and still come away from the meeting third equal in points is pretty good. We're still smiling and looking to get into our work this weekend."
It's the first new car McIntyre and his team have built and it would appear the Ford is working rather well. No mean feat considering last year's car was no slouch. But nobody really knows how things will stack up in the power stakes until they hit the back straight at Pukekohe and give the car its head.
"We've just smoothed out a few things and the car's showing a lot of potential, so this weekend will be exciting. We're not sure what the top end is like in the new car but we were quick last year and this engine is a bit stronger than the old one," he said.
Chief among the Holden drivers is Andy Booth with his own new car. After a few teething problems with the front end, he's sure Pukekohe will be a happy hunting ground for him.
Booth said: "We're pretty pleased with Taupo considering the dramas we had with the new car and we've sorted a few problems out.
"There was an issue with front shocks and the spec they were built to, but we've rectified that and found a few other small issues with the car that have been present over a few seasons and fixed those. So we've made a couple of leaps forward with the car that should make it competitive over the weekend."
Craig Baird will relish having a bit more time in the big taxis and will no doubt be at the front of the field by the end of the weekend.
Newcomer to the series, Toyota Racing Series champion Andy Knight, showed flashes of speed and qualified well at Taupo. He'll need to be more consistent to be a threat to rest of the fast guys.
Let's just all hope it doesn't rain over the weekend, because Pukekohe is definitely not the place to be racing when it's wet.