Smart move to V8 Supercars

A former mechanic for Honda world motorcycle champions Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi has joined the staff of Team Kiwi Racing.

New Zealander Richard "Dickie" Smart is the new pit crew chief, charged with making sure things run smoothly for the 2006 V8 Supercar series.

"I am delighted to be involved with the V8 Supercar championship and in particular with a Kiwi team," he said.

"I have a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm to bring to the team and I am looking forward to a top 2006 season."

Smart, originally from Timaru, has been involved with world championship motorcycle racing for 17 years, much of it as a mechanic and operations manager for Honda Racing.

He was an integral part of the team that ran five times 500cc world champion Doohan before he retired. Smart then won a further three world championship titles with Rossi.

TKR driver Paul Radisich climbed from 27th on the grid to 12th in Sunday's Clipsal 500 round of the V8 Supercars in Adelaide.

Radisich and his Holden Commodore were forced out of the opening race on Saturday at the first bend of the 250km race.

Australian driver Jamie Whincup won Sunday's race after finishing third on Saturday, behind winner and Ford team-mate Craig Lowndes.

It was Whincup's first race win in any category since his Australian Formula Ford title in 2002.

The result in Adelaide has now stamped the 23-year-old as one of the young stars in V8 Supercars.

The only drama of the day for Whincup was a poor start, when he dropped from third on the grid to eighth.

Team Betta Electrical elected to bring him in on lap six for his compulsory tyre stop. This allowed him to set his own pace out of the traffic.

The important part of the race came on lap 22 when a safety car allowed Whincup to make his fuel stop, while his rivals were making their first stops for tyres.

This vaulted him into the leading pack of cars.

The race was punctuated by a multi-car accident that included Lowndes, James Courtney (Jeld-Wen Motorsport), Brad Jones (Team BOC), Jose Fernandez (Fujitsu Racing) and Cameron McConville.

Whincup headed the restart from Todd Kelly, before another safety car was called on the track for an accident involving Mark Skaife and Greg Murphy.

From the final re-start Whincup showed plenty of class to not only hold off Todd Kelly, but also pull away to take victory by two seconds.

The win has Whincup in first place in the championship chase, five points ahead of Rick Kelly and 20 points ahead of Todd Kelly.

Said Whincup: "To not only win, but also lead the championship has far exceeded my aim before this weekend.

"Now I need to make sure I can remain consistent for the next championship race in New Zealand."