Well this won't take very long...New Zealanders in motorsport...I can really only think of three.
Less than half a lap is what seperated Scott Dixon from winning his second IRL title. He was running in first with Dario Franchitti in second (the only two drivers on the lead lap) when the yellow flag was put away for the final time. Both were driving on fumes but I imagine that since Dario was getting the slipstream, that meant he eeked out a tiny bit more fuel than Scott and was able to blast past him when Scott's engine spluttered coming into turn three. However, 2008 sees no Franchitti and no Sam Hornish Jr so Dixon should be favourite...so why Tony Kanaan is being talked up to win it is beyond me. I'm backing Scott and nothing short of having the #1 on his car next year will be a success. As for the Indy 500....well he has a good shot but I think one of the Andretti Green cars will win the thing.
Scott once again leads the 'Kiwis on display' for motorsport in 2008.
Wade Cunningham...a name that will probably have many of you scratching your heads wondering who he is. His career shot into the spotlight when he won the 2003 World Karting Championship. After a year in the States in the Formula Ford Zetecs, he jumped up to the Infiniti Pro Series for 2005. Despite only winning one race, he won that title in his rookie year. 2006 saw him finish third, not too bad if you take into account the fat that he missed two races due to illness while last year he wound up third again. But at the end of the year he was rewared with his first test drive of an IRL car at Sebring, driving the car that Danica Patrick usually has. So could we see two Kiwis in the IRL in 2009? Highly probable I reckon. I wouldn't mind if someone put him in the Craftsman Truck series though...he knows how to drive on ovals and he's only 23 years old.
Wade on his way to winning at Watkins Glen.
And now we come to the last person I know; Josh Coppins. After a gazillion years of the MX1 series being dominated by Stefan Everts (who retired at the end of 2006), Josh looked to have the 2007 title wrapped up until an injury forced him to miss the last handful of races. He came back for the final round but the pain from his arm was too much and he couldn't do anything except watch the title slip away. If he stays fit this year, he should be able to win the championship...but that's a big if in the MX classes.
Josh on his trusty Yamaha MX1 bike.
That's pretty much it really...I'm writing this since it's Waitangi Day which means I have the day off work. I could get used to a holiday in the middle of the week *laugh*
Tez is a rare creature; an Australian who was living in New Zealand before moving to Canada. He's also a Civil Engineer who is hoping to spend his Monday to Friday sitting in front of a computer surfing the inter...uh, working hard for an Engineering Consultant or Contractor when he finds a job. His heart is torn between his two loves; F1 and NASCAR.
Due to his high interest in those, his blogs will likely focus on them with the occasional foray into sports that don't get much (if any) mention on this website. All blogs and/or comments will more than likely have his usual dollop of sarcasm and general Aussie spin on them.
Amazingly, he also managed to score 2 MiB nominations on consecutive days (August 5 & 6, 2007) after announcing he had been keeping track of them...he's considering hiding under his bed as a result.
