By COLIN SMITH
A line of young autograph hunters traditionally greets visiting American racers at Western Springs Speedway.
Last Saturday night the queue of young fans descended on a driver who might easily have been their big sister.
Eighteen-year-old Oklahoma racer Christi Passmore says she enjoyed the warm welcome to the "Springs" and
is back for more tomorrow night when she pilots her 700-horsepower Gambler sprint car in a USA-New Zealand challenge series.
She impressed in her first race, matching moves with former Kiwi champion Allan Wakeling and beating him to the line, although was disappointed to finish ninth in the South Pacific feature race.
Afterwards she commented the only place she had ever signed more autographs was at America's premier sprint car race, the Knoxville Nationals in Iowa.
Passmore accepted the Western Springs invitation because she believes that racing at as many different tracks as possible is the fastest way to gain experience and reach her career ambition driving the Indy Racing League or NASCAR series.
She started racing at 11 in 125cc Mini-sprints and first raced a V8 sprint car at 15 under the watchful eye of her father, Glen. In 1999 she finished runner-up to her father at the Thunderhill Raceway championship in Kansas.
After graduating from high school in last year she wasted no time becoming a professional racer.
"The day after I graduated we got up at 5 am and drove to Pennsylvania and raced the next night," she recalled.
She drove with the touring World of Outlaws series last year and raced in Australia and Florida this year.
"I did 92 races last year. I've got about the same number planned this year but with going to Australia and New Zealand it might get close to 100.
"My best moments have been passing my dad for the first time and winning my first sprint car feature when I was 16.
"My worst one was getting in a wreck with my father and my uncle."
Passmore's team mates for the test series are United States Auto Club sprint car champion Tony Elliott of Indiana and 21-year-old Californian Bud Kaeding, who turned in some strong New Zealand performances last summer.
Kaeding claimed the USAC rookie of the year honours last year while Elliott was racing to the overall title.
The Kiwi opposition comprises recently crowned national champion Kerry Jones, Wakeling and Ossie Sokol. All three have Kiwi-built Harris chassis cars.
