A weekly wrap of motorsport from around the world.

A weekly wrap of motorsport from around the world.

WORLD champion Jenson Button is now officially a member of the McLaren- Mercedes team. He clocked off at Brawn GP on December 31 and made his first public appearance in TeamVodafone colours on January 1, although he is currently holidaying in Hawaii before his first McLaren test drive in February.

THE stillborn Honda NSX supercar will be used as a race base in this year's Super GT series in Japan. Honda killed the car before putting it into production but the born-again NSX survives - at least as a body shape - in Japan's domestic touring car series.

AUSTRALIAN drivers Damien Harris and Ricky Steffens hold the advantage over American raider Jack Wyatt after the first leg of the Australia- versus-USA nitro funny car challenge at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland. Harris was the standout with a quickest quarter-mile run in 4.968 seconds, also clocking the first 300-miles-an-hour run at the track, but Wyatt plans to turn the tables in the deciding races on January 16 as he tunes his car to the local track and weather conditions.

DANIEL Erickson is pressing ahead with plans to race the Star Mazda series in the USA despite losing his CAMS Rising Star backing for 2010. He has also formed a supporters club - details at www.danielerickson.com.au - to try and raise funding for the 13-race series.

KIWI veteran Craig Baird picked up a prize in this year's New Year's honours list in New Zealand. The 39-year-old was honoured for services to motorsport after claiming his 21st championship in 2009, and has already re-signed with the Holden Racing Team for the V8 Supercar endurance events later this year.

ALFA Romeo will be the featured carmaker at the 21st running of the Phillip Island Classic on March 19-21. The Italian brand celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010 and many classic cars will be at the event, as well as Aussie Alfa racers Alan Jones, Colin Bond, Tim Schenken, Bryan Thomson, Jim McKeon and Frank Porter. Kevin Bartlett, who won two Australian drivers championships in Alfa-powered open- wheelers in 1968 and 1969, will be the patron of the Phillip Island event.