Hunter-Reay set for Taupo races

By Dave Ungrady / WCSN.com

Ryan Hunter-Reay will race in New Zealand the weekend of Jan. 20 before flying back to the United States to race in Daytona, Fla., a week later.(Getty Images) print this page

Team USA announced Wednesday that it has selected a new top driver for the next A1GP World Cup of Motorsports stop later this month. Ryan Hunter-Reay, a Champ Car racing winner, will make his Team USA and A1GP debut Jan. 20 in Taupo, New Zealand, when the season resumes after a six-week break.

Hunter-Reay replaces Phil Giebler, Team USA's top race driver since midway through the 2005-06 season. Giebler is scheduled to return as the top driver for the Team USA car in Sydney on Feb. 3.

Team USA owner Rick Weidinger met Hunter-Reay in March 2006 at an A1GP race in Laguna Seca, Calif. "We can't wait to get Ryan in the Team USA car," Weidinger told A1GP.com. "Some of his biggest successes have taken place in that part of the world, so we are excited to give him this opportunity in New Zealand."

Hunter-Reay, 26, began racing karts in Florida at age 12. When he won the Surfers Paradise Race in Australia in 2003, Hunter-Reay became the first American rookie in more than 20 years to win a Champ Car race. He is the second-youngest driver to win a street race and is the youngest American to win an oval race on the Champ Car circuit.

Earlier this week, Hunter-Reay helped the Riley-Matthews Motorsport team prepare for the Rolex Daytona 24-Hour Race set for Jan. 27-28 in Florida. He'll return to the United States for the event, which is part of the Grand American Sports Car Series. He has also been test-driving for the Nascar Busch Series.

Hunter-Reay was Team USA's rookie driver at the A1GP race in Beijing in November but did not get on the track after the rookie practice was canceled.

"I've been looking forward to driving for A1 Team USA for some time now," he told A1GP.com. "I love the fact that this is a new circuit. That levels the playing field even more, which is perfect for my first race with Team USA."

Giebler has driven to three top-10 finishes in four races for Team USA, including a second-place result at the season-opening race in the Netherlands.

Team USA has made no commitment to its driver beyond the next two races. Weidinger has race-to-race agreements with his drivers.

"The idea of the series is to have a broad representation of the talent from the countries," Hunter-Reay said. "It's a common practice to rotate drivers in and out. A lot of teams do it."