By Matthew Agius

Reports from the New Zealand press are d🃏epicting Team Kiwi Racing's immediate future as unstable, and potentially fatal for the operation's 2008 plans.

TKR has, fo🍎r some time, been dogged by rumours of increasing financial trouble - beginning froไm when Ford Performance Racing terminated its technical assistance package for the team, noting unmet payments from the then satellite operation.

Team Kiwi was hit by a double blow when driver Paul Radis🦄ich famously left the team amidst the FPR debacle, claiming that his contract had also been breached.

Whilst Radisich w𒉰ent on to partake in a successful endurance racing campaign with the Toll HSV Dealer Team, and then partake in the new V8 Touring Car Series in New Zealand, TKR was left in the V8 wilderness.

However, the team was thrown a lifeline by Stone Brothers Racing midway through the 2007 series, by running the All Black car from the SBR garages, with Kiwi youngster, Shane Van Gisbergen, b🉐ehind the wheel.

Van Gisbergen 🔯has prov♏ed a solid steerer in his debut half-championship, claiming points at every round in which he participated.

Despite t♏he upturn in TKR's fortunes wiꦕth the SBR deal, the team was continually put under the microscope.

After FPR's highly-publicised battle with the V8 minnows, which saw the series' media co🧸ntingent question the integrity of the All Black squad, TKR was again hit by controversy when clothing supplier, Appare🐼l by Design, took legal action against the team in October.

Once again, claims of unpaid services were levelled against the Team Kiwi Racing, and whilst team owner, David John, attempted to avoid legal proceedings, Apparel by Design൩ has taken the team to court.

The case will be held in February next year.

Recently, speculation ha𝕴s risen that TKR has again been unable to keep up 🌄to date with its financial commitments - this time to SBR.

Despite several reports in the New Zealand media to enforce this, David John hit out at his critics, telling Sunday Ne♏ws that negative media repo⭕rts concerning Team Kiwi Racing's future are aimed at undermining the team's development.

John went furthe꧑r in bringing Van Gisbergen's loyalties 🃏into question.

"Shane needs to make a decision whether his future is with Team Kiwi Rac🌞ing or whether he is just using th🌱e team as a stepping stone for something else."

That step♏ping stone could be a seat at Stone Brothers Racing in 2008, after the #9 car was vacated by Russell Ingall at the end of this year's championship.

"I🧸 see the potentialౠ for TKR and Shane as a combination to be a very strong competitor in the V8 Supercars championship - a consistent top-10 runner even."

"It is a very bright future but only very bright if these vindictive parties stop🐻 making accusations in the marketplace that they know are damn-well false."

Stone Brothꦏers Racing has been quick to ensure the services of Van Gisbergen long-term, with the young Kiwi contracted to the team until 2010, and merely sub-contracted to TKR.

John also told the Sunday News that his team has the ability to🏅 provide Van Gisbergen with equal equipment to SBR.

"We'💮ve got the opওportunity to provide Shane with exactly the same equipment or gear at this point in time as the Stone Brothers guys."

"If he wants to go to SBR, he's not going forward 𝔍because we can provꦛide exactly the same equipment, car, engine programme the whole lot."

However with the team's main success only coming through forming technical partnerships with Paul Morris Motorsports, Ford Performance Racin𒉰g and now Stone Brothers Racing, his claims seem baseless if SBR decide to terminate their services for the team in 2008.

There is no question that Van Gisbergen would be 'going forward🧔' should he be offered the second seat at SBR ahead of other candidates - Steve Owen and David Besnard.

SBR has been one of the most successful teams of the V8 Supercar formula - with three Drivers' Championships, one Bathurst victory and a vast number of pole posit🀅ions and victories to its 🎃name.

Both parties will meet tomorrow to decide whether tꩲhey will be partn𝄹ers in 2008.

However the likelihood of the partnership c𒉰ontinuing, with the Apparel by Desi💧gn case to be held just before the start of the 2008 series, remains to be seen.