Matt Halliday (right) will be in the driver's seat for New Zealand in the next round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport in Durban, South Africa on Sunday-week.

A1 Team.NZL had originally penciled in Jonny Reid to continue behind the wheel, but the team's brains trust wants to give Halliday an opportunity on the tight street circuit.

A1 Team.NZL chairman Colin Giltrap says Reid has done a fantastic job in the last three meetings, but Halliday is excited about reacquainting himself with the waterfront course in Durban. "Matt drove in South Africa last season, scoring an impressive fourth place in the feature race, and he's had more experience than Jonny in the unique demands of street circuit racing," Giltrap said.

"Matt hasn't been in the car since the last street race in Beijing back in Round Three, but he's been superb in supporting Jonny and the team and deserves this opportunity."

Last year's inaugural Durban street race was a sell-out success and was voted the best round of the 11-race 2005/06 A1GP World Cup of Motorsport by the competing nations' team principals.

"We're expecting another bumper crowd and we've made every effort to ensure that the fans are catered for even better than they were last year," said Ms Dana Cooper, CEO of A1 Team South Africa.

"We have more grandstands, more giant TV screens, and tightened up security and access systems to ensure that ticket holders get what they paid for."