Pitstop: Van der Drift joins M2 action

Chris van der Drift. File photo / APN

Kiwi open-wheel racer Chris van der Drift is heading back to New Zealand and will be part of the M2 competition team in next year's Toyota Racing Series. Van der Drift will not be racing, rather a driver-coach for the team.

Karters to battle for honours

Rotorua International KartSport Raceway will see the top karters fight it out for overall honours this weekend. Auckland's Daniel Kinsman will be hoping to nab the Rotax Max Light class while Aarron Cunningham will be looking to build on his 15-point lead in the Rotax Max Heavy class.

Endurance Series kicks off

Teretonga Park, Invercargill hosts the opening round of the South Island Endurance Series this weekend with a three-hour and one-hour race today followed by the opening round of the Noel McIntyre Drainage Clubmans Series plus Pro 7 Saloons and more tomorrow.

Formula One hits Singapore

The Formula One circus leaves Europe for Singapore this weekend for round 14 of the 19-race series. Championship leader Sebastian Vettel could clinch the title if he wins.

Under the hood

Airflow is probably, after engines and tyres, the most important thing in Formula One racing. All the surfaces on an F1 car influence how it cleaves through the air and the amount of downforce produced - how it sticks to the track. Modern F1 cars produce around 1200kg of downforce at speed, and considering the cars on average must weigh around 600-odd kg including the driver, it's entirely possible to drive them upside down - if you're doing more than 250km/h.