24-1-90 Late start driver shows way This season's Peter Jackson international motor racing series nas been notable for the number of New Zealand drivers contesting the series for the first time. All of these have acquitted themselves well in the demanding formula, but the most impressive has been an Aucklander, Barrie Thomlinson, aged 30. Although Thomlinson actually made a start in motor sport rallying when aged i7, the intervening years have included a spell working as a mechanic for Ralt America and two years racing Formula Fords. Thomlinson attributes his relatively late start in big time motor racing to the need to finance his own racing, although he now has the backing of Uniden, whose black and fluorescent green colour scheme adorns his Ralt RT4. Thomlinson's most impressive drive in the series to date was at the New Zealand Grand Prix where, after a long tussle with the more expertenced Richard Lester, he eventually settled for fourth position. He says that while the switch from Formula Fords to the more powerful and complex Pacific class has not presented too many problems from a driving aspect, there is a need to drive the Pacific car more precisely. Although he gained a third placing in his first race with the car, at the Nissan Mobil Wellingtor street race meeting, Thomlinson says that he found the bigher speed circuits such as Pukekohe more demanding, especially the need to get the most out of the wide, slick tyres used in the Formula Pacific class. They afford considerably more grip than those he used previously in Formula Fords. Thomlinson's car, which he will use to contest the Lady Wigram Trophy Race at Ruapuna this Sunday, is a 1986 Ralt RT4, originally owned by Alan McCall and raced last season by Bob Donaldson. While the car has served him sell during his learning process, he is already anticipating the possibility of moving into … a more competitive Swift or Reynard next season. GOOD-VEAD uniden OOD, YEAR BARRIE THOMLINSON