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Jonny Reid is looking for local fans to back A1 Team New Zealand to the hilt this weekend at Taupo in the hope that they can close the gap to current A1GP championship leaders Switzerland.

The 2007/08 season reaches its halfway stage with New Zealand lying third in the standings, 20 points behind Switzerland but only one point behind second-placed France.

And 24-year-old Reid is hoping that, in the picturesque surroundings of the 3.5-km Taupo circuit - not to mention in front of the team's supporters - New Zealand can make the most of their home advantage.

"We've all been looking forward to it for a long time and it is going to be an exciting weekend's racing. I just hope I can pay everyone back with some strong results this weekend," he told www.a1gp.com.

"Switzerland is leading the championship, and we've got to hone down on Neel Jani and the rest this weekend. It is not panic stations yet because we're only halfway through the championship, but we've got to chip away at it and try for those race wins where possible.

"The key to this weekend is qualifying well and I'll certainly be treating it just like any other race and going for the top spots."

Excited

Reid added that, rather than feel any additional pressure, he was excited about the prospect of seeing the crowds turn out to support him on the country's North Island.

"Seeing all the black shirts lifts me on the day," he said. "Last year it was just fantastic and if there had been a way to get past France's Loic Duval last year I would have done it.

"But there have been rule changes in the series and the circuit has changed so we do have the opportunity to pass. And if I'm not on pole or I'm not leading the race then I still know that everyone is behind me to get through the field."

The circuit modification Reid mentions comes at Turn 12 and has been made in an effort to open up more overtaking opportunities.

Although A1GP's inaugural meeting in Taupo last season was widely seen as a huge success, some drivers said they found it difficult to overtake around the tight 13-turn layout.

In response, Turn 12, which was a smooth, flowing, fourth gear corner taken at roughly 190km/h, has been turned into a sharp 90 degree left-hander, which will be taken much more slowly.

According to Reid: "From a driving point of view it is going to create a much more open passing opportunity, which is fantastic."

Changes

Taupo also brings driver changes, with Robbie Kerr back for A1 Team Great Britain for the first time since Brno in October, the team also having a new rookie in the cockpit in the shape of James Winslow.

Winslow, 26, is the reigning Formula Renault V6 Champion and has also raced in Australian Formula Three. Besides Taupo, he will also undertake rookie duties for round six of the series at Sydney's Eastern Creek - a track at which he has prior experience.

Meanwhile, and despite the ease with which Michael Ammermuller took to A1GP - including victory in the Sprint Race last time out at Zhuhai - Team Germany have elected to recall Christian Vietoris for Taupo.

According to seat holder Willi Weber, the decision to recall Vietoris is because of his previous experience of the track - the teenager having had his debut their 12 months ago.

The last big driver change comes at Team Australia, with seat holder Alan Jones electing to replace Ian Dyk with rookie John Martin for the balance of the season.

Taupo also brings the debut of A1GP's new biofuel, a 30 per cent mix called E30 which is sourced from sugar beet and is part of a series of initiatives, known as 'THINK Greener Racing', to help reduce the World Cup of Motorsport's environmental footprint.

And, ahead of next season's switch to a chassis/engine combination developed by Ferrari, from this weekend on, entrants will bear the Italian marque's logo on their cars.

A1GP Round Five (Taupo):

Track length: 3.5 km (2.17 miles)

Lap record: one minute 14.742 seconds recorded by Nico Hulkenberg, A1 Team Germany, in January 2007.

Points standings after round four:

1 SWITZERLAND 79 points
2 FRANCE 60
3 NEW ZEALAND 59
4 GREAT BRITAIN 48
5 SOUTH AFRICA 47
6 NETHERLANDS 41
7 IRELAND 39
8 GERMANY 37
9 CHINA 28
10 INDIA 27
11 BRAZIL 22
12 MEXICO 17
13 CANADA 10
14 CZECH REPUBLIC 10
15 ITALY 4
16 AUSTRALIA 2
17 USA 2
18 MALAYSIA 2