Asian Motor Sports

New Zealand driver Jonny Reid is mentally preparing himself for yet another wet weekend as the 2006 All-Japan Formula 3 Championship returns to Suzuka on Friday.

“Yes, it looks like we’re in for rain again,” he said, as the weather forecasters in Japan talked about a possible typhoon warning.

This weekend’s round is the fifth of the 2006 championship and each has been affected by rain. Not only that, it has been wet for one race and dry for the other, making set-up of the cars infinitely harder.

“It’s certainly made it challenging,” Reid said. “Though, in fairness, it is the same for everybody.”

Reid, 23, currently lies eighth in the driver’s points standings after a season start which has had its highs and its lows.

A second place at the first round at the Fuji International Speedway was a good start for the 2005 All-Japan F3 Championship race winner, as was another second at the third round at Motegi in May.

Reid also set the second fastest qualifying time for the second race at the most recent round of the series at the Okayama International Circuit circuit only to be an early casualty in the race.

In between the engineers on his INGING team have been working hard to learn how to optimise the chassis and aero set-up of their new-for-2006 Dallara F306 car, with the changeable weather and therefore track conditions not helping.

However Reid, the former New Zealand Kart champion who won the New Zealand Formula Ford championship before embarking on a glittering international career, is ever hopeful, and says that there is only one way to claw back series points - win races!

“Which is what I will be focusing on this weekend,” he said.