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Chris van der Drift drives Black Beauty - Source: Photosport -
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Black Beauty driver Chris van der Drift will need something special to finish on the podium in Taupo on Sunday.
Qualifying sixth for the Sprint Race and 10th for the Feature puts New Zealand in an unlikely spot to take maximum points on home soil.
The main hurdle thus far has been the lack of home advantage for the Kiwis - in fact there really hasn't been one at all.
This weekend is van der Drift's first time ever racing at the Taupo circuit, while many of the drivers he's going up against experienced what Taupo has on offer last season.
Truck load of talent
While it's unquestioned van der Drift possesses a truck load of talent, he really has been thrown in the deep end.
The 22-year-old is more familiar with the European tracks, where he won the Formula Master Championship just a few months ago.
Based in Rotterdam, van der Drift has actually done very little racing in New Zealand during his career.
While that might not seem a major issue, it has made a difference to where Team New Zealand finished in qualifying.
Van der Drift got the hang of the Taupo circuit eventually, but unfortunately it was too late to get the better of classy drivers the likes of Ireland's Adam Carroll and Robert Doornbos of the Netherlands.
Difficult prospect
With passing a difficult prospect on the narrow track, the spot teams start from on the grid is usually a good indication as to where they will finish.
Last year New Zealand won the Sprint Race from pole position before a fourth place in the Feature Race.
One big difference though - Jonny Reid.
Reid, as well as a gifted driver, is a student of the sport and knows Taupo Motorsport Park like the back of his hand.
This time around A1 Team NZ officials opted to take van der Drift ahead of Reid and youngster Earl Bamber.
Usually Reid would be an automatic starter, except he has fallen out of the picture this season as he pursues other opportunities abroad.
Van der Drift was brought in due to his "big race" abilities but it may have been a safer option to take a driver who knows every turn inside out.
Earl Bamber also has countless hours of experience in Taupo, where he raced during the Toyota Racing Series in 2008.
Testing in Taupo
Take away the driver and Black Beauty itself has had a lot of testing in Taupo, and has a huge advantage on a wet track.
The bad news though is that the sun is forecast to blaze all day long on Sunday.
It will be a case of sit back and see what van der Drift can come up from a tough spot against some of the world's top drivers.
The Sprint Race gets underway at 11am while the Feature Race begins at 3pm.
