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NEW ZEALANDERS SHINE ON INTERNATIONAL MOTORSPORT STAGE
(New Zealand Press Association Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Wellington, Jan 3, NZPA - Although there was no world title to celebrate last year, the breadth and depth of action involving New Zealanders in 2005 provided much to enjoy on the international motorsport stage.
Two of the top three spots in the world MX1 motocross championship were filled by New Zealanders as Belgian legend Stefan Everts once again stamped his class on the field to win his ninth world title.
Motueka rider Josh Coppins, riding a Honda, finished second to Everts with 2004 MX2 world champion, Ben Townley, from Taupo, finishing third on his KTM in his MX1 debut.
Aucklander Wade Cunningham, following in the footsteps of 2003 Indy Racing League champion Scott Dixon, won the Menards Infiniti Pro title which is the class below the IRL.
And in an exciting move for the future, Palmerston North 15-year-old, Brendon Hartley, was selected for the Red Bull junior racing team to contest the Formula Renault European series this year. Hartley was the youngest of four junior drivers selected by Red Bull after they invited 22 promising drivers from around the world to two days of testing at the Estoril track in Portugal. The other drivers selected were Australian Nathan Autunes, Niall Quinn, of Ireland, and Jamie Alguersuari, of Spain.
Winning a coveted place on the Red Bull junior roster is a direct pathway into Formula One.
Red Bull, owned by Austrian energy drink baron, Dietrich Mateschitz, will field two teams in F1 this year -- Red Bull Racing after buying the Jaguar team from Ford, and Squadra Toro Rosso ( Team Red Bull in Italian) after acquiring Minardi from Australian owner, Paul Stodart.
Squadra Toro Rosso is aimed at grooming rookie drivers.
Hartley's commercial manager Peter Johnstone -- an influential figure behind the emergence of Dixon -- said the deal was worth 400,000 euro ($NZ700,000) in financial support to Hartley this year alone.
Red Bull launched the junior team six years ago to promote talent to the Formula One ranks.
So far five have made it -- Austrians Christian Klien and Patrick Friesacher, Vitantonio Liuzzi, of Italy, Enrique Bernoldi, of Brazil, and India's Narain Karthikeyan.
``... it is the biggest deal done for a New Zealand kid in Europe. It gives him a main line into Formula One,'' Johnstone said.
``If he is any good he will go straight into Formula One within three years.
``There's every possibility he could become the youngest Formula One driver we've had from New Zealand.''
New Zealand's last Formula One driver was Chris Amon in 1976.
In the motorsport story of the year, canny Auckland businessman and motor racing enthusiast Colin Giltrap, formed a New Zealand team to contest the A1 World Cup of motorsport series.
Giltrap appointed Bob McMurray, a former senior executive with the McLaren F1 team, to helm the New Zealand A1 effort and by year's end, what might have been a high-risk gamble had become the focus of attention for motor racing fans in New Zealand.
Drivers Matt Halliday and Jonny Reid put New Zealand in fifth place overall after six rounds and the team, who sat as high as third after the season opener at Brands Hatch, England, will be looking for improvement when the series resumes next month in Indonesia.
Cunningham sealed his first United States motor racing title by winning the season ending race in California, his first of the series.
It was his second big international crown, after his world karting title that he won in Italy in 2003.
The 21-year-old Aucklander said driving in the IRL alongside Dixon was the next goal.
``It's too early to say for certain right now, but what I can tell you is that my goal is to drive in the IRL and I will do whatever is best in pursuit of that goal.''
Consistent Cunningham, finished runner-up five times and was only once outside the top-five in the 14-round season.
Cunningham said his championship win for the Canadian-based Brian Stewart Racing team, vindicated his decision, made in 2003, to leave Europe and seek to further his driving career in the US.
Townley and Coppins ended their 2005 MX1 campaigns with a flourish, finishing second and third respectively in the Irish grand prix behind Everts.
For Townley, it was a bitter-sweet, emotional moment on the podium.
It was his last grand prix in Europe where he has been campaigning for the last five seasons, culminating with his MX2 world title in 2004.
This year, the KTM works rider will be fulfilling a childhood dream of racing in the US motocross and supercross series.
``I have built up some great friendships while I have been here in Europe and I'm sure going to miss everyone.
``I'm really sad to leave and it has only started to hit me today that I'm going and my life's going to change again,'' Townley said.
Coppins played a big role in bringing a 16-year-old Townley to Europe in 2001, then mentoring him through the next few years.
`I wanted to be on the podium with Ben at his last race (in Europe),'' Coppins said.
``Two riders on the podium from one country, especially a country as small as New Zealand is pretty special.''
It was the third time the duo shared a podium last year after they went 1-2 in France (Townley, Coppins) and Sweden (Coppins Townley).
Coppins, who rides for the British CAS Honda team, also won the South African grand prix and Townley the Spanish, Italian and British grands prix.
The New Zealanders could have pushed Everts harder but for early season frustrations -- Townley with an unreliable bike and Coppins with injury and illness.
Townley, who has signed for a Florida-based Kawasaki team, begins his American campaign this month.
Everts has signalled he wanted to win another world title this year and this will be Coppins' biggest challenge -- to take on and beat a legend at the top of his game.
``This year my goal was to finish second. Next year my goal is to win and go straight for the wins from the start,'' said Coppins last year, as he retained his British MX1 title for a second straight year.
``Everts is saying 2006 will be his last year, so I would like to try and beat him before he stops.''
NZPA WGT pm kn
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