Pitstop: Kart club honour for Cunningham

Eight-year-old Wade Cunningham used to scamper away from his father's business in Mt Wellington to watch enviously through the fence as the karters raced on the local track.

Today the 21-year-old, who won the world karting championship two years ago and this year took the Infiniti Pro motor-racing title in the United States, will return to the headquarters of the Mt Wellington Kart Club to be honoured with life membership.

Cunningham and his two brothers persuaded their father that karting should be the family sport, and Wade reached the top of the sport before switching to cars - Formula Fords in the US, Toyota single-seaters in New Zealand and then the Infiniti Pro series, a feeder to the Indy Racing League.

He plans to race in the US again next season, but has yet to confirm whether it will be the Infiniti Pro series or the IRL.

The kart club, in an industrial area on the outskirts of Panmure, already has a representative in the IRL. Scott Dixon learned his trade at Mt Wellington before graduating to cars.


Roberts switching to Ford falcon

Taupo driver Pete Roberts will switch from a Holden Commodore to drive the second Ford Falcon run by the Hydraulink Racing Team in the New Zealand V8 championship.

He will drive the car that has been kept in reserve for the first two rounds in case it was needed by lead driver John McIntyre.

Roberts is in his second season of V8 racing and has been coached by McIntyre. The next round is at Teretonga on January 13-15.


Crighton scores top points

Auckland Toyota single-seater driver Ben Crighton has filled the gap before the next round by driving a Formula 4000 in Australia.

Driving for the Ralt Australia team, he finished second and third in races at Eastern Creek to be the top points-scorer for the round.


Encouraging for kiwi drivers

Kiwis trying to break into Formula One should be encouraged by the latest additions to the premier motor-racing series.

Red Bull has confirmed Christian Klien to continue as David Coulthard's teammate while the Red Bull second-string team, Scuderia Toro Rosso, has named Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi and American Scott Speed as its drivers.

All three are products of the Red Bull junior team, which Palmerston North teenager Brendon Hartley has just joined to try to progress to Formula One.

Speed, who raced this year in GP2, will be the first American to race in Formula One for 13 years. He has been driving for the American team in the A1GP series against Kiwis Matt Halliday and Jonny Reid.

Halliday had a test drive with a GP2 team last Friday, and the Aucklander is hopeful that it will lead to a seat in that championship next season.


Teammates under evaluation

New Zealand Supercar driver Jason Richards should know next week who will be his teammate in the Tasman Motorsport team next season.

At Winton Raceway on Monday the team will evaluate Luke Youlden, who has been competing in the New Zealand V8 championship, Nathan Pretty, Andrew Jones and John Martin, who won the Tasman Motorsport Search for a V8 Superstar Formula Ford competition.


Coppins to compete at Awakaponga

Top motocross rider Josh Coppins will again compete in the Christmas Spectacular staged by the Bay of Plenty Motorcycle Club on their home track at Awakaponga on December 27 and 28.

Last year Coppins and fellow world championship star Ben Townley competed on the track, but Townley is spending Christmas in the United States, where he will compete next year.

Because of the way the holidays fall this year, the schedule has been altered to run the senior events on December 27 and the rest on the following day.


Gillon and Gilbert show class

Bernie Gillon from Tauranga and Craig Gilbert from Timaru spearheaded the Tranzam resurgence at Pukekohe last weekend.

The pair were the class of a good field, with Gillon (Ford Mustang) setting the pace in qualifying, then winning, the first two races, but Gilbert's Chevy getting a better start to win the red flag-interrupted third.