DAVIES CRAIG TASTES SUCCESS ON THE SALT

The company has played a critical part in the Speed Week efforts of two competitors

South Australian Mike Drewer and Victorian Norm Hardinge recently headed to the salt flats of Lake Gairdner to take part in the annual Dry Lake Racers Australia (DLRA) Speed Week event.

Norm first ventured to the ‘salt’ in 1999 in his shop FJ Ute and has not missed a year of Speed Week since, with the exception of the years affected by COVID-19.

In recent years Norm has campaigned his 1934 Ford Roadster, having gone over 200mph (212.65) in 2018.

Norm is the proprietor of Aussie Desert Coolers, a specialist radiator manufacturer and repairer for the performance and restoration markets which supplies Aussie built Davies Craig Thermatic Electric Fans to suit.

“We wouldn’t have achieved such speed without the assistance of the Davies Craig EWP150 Electric Water Pump and Thermatic Electric Fans cooling our Ford 429 Big Block engine,” Norm said.

Mike Drewer’s salt flats journey commenced after his retirement from a 50-year career in motorsport, both on and off the track. This year was Mike’s second trip to the salt, with his 1964 Volkswagen Beetle piloted by his son Tom.

The VW is fitted with a Subaru WRX engine and as such always needs good air and coolant flow. While Mike reports that some fine tuning is needed to reach their goals, they did manage runs of more than 250km/h in the one-way time trials.

The VW has been substantially modified. Apart from the estimated 350 horsepower engine, there’s a Davies Craig electric booster pump for getting fluid to the engine’s intercooler. Also on board are Davies Craig Thermatic Electric Fans, mounted on the car’s radiator.

“Temperatures at Lake Gairdner can be extreme, so it was very important we keep the engine