Fastlane Magazine - Issue 2

EDITION 2/2012

ANDRA’S StratEGIc INtENt 16

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING Carrying the expectations of a brand that expects performance and presentation has been a good fit for SHaNE tUcKEr.

ROAD

TRIPPER

6

8

Gary PHILLIPS racks up the km’s with ANDRA Drag Racing

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TRIPLE TREAT

with KEVIN GUMMoW

NOVEMBER2012 CONTENTS

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tracK

LAUNCHES

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12

STRATEGIC INtENt

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G MAKIN DRAG G RACIN SocIaL

22 BIGGO

IMAGE IS EVErytHING

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aDELaIDE

FactS & FIGURES

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TRIPLE trEat

6

SPOTLIGHT

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H T R E P N I S WIN

E V I F T S R I F S N R“U

T O HF THE

S S E PR

OF

STAGING LaNES

Y A R B

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FASTLANE I 3

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constitutional cHaNGE

The recent constitutional change put to members has been voted through with 97% of members supporting the chance.

The change means in the event of a casual vacancy the Board can be filled from a broader range, ensuring an added level of expertise in areas required to move the sport forward. This change only relates to when a casual vacancy exists in order to ensure the board is able to maintain and develop expertise across a broad area with adequate representation. The ANDRA Board has two longer term vacancies from an area which is unable to provide candidates.

NEW record setters A number of new records were set at the Australian Nationals at Sydney Dragway last month.

PC Group team driver Jason Grima went 6.982 and 195.79mph in Pro Stock to set new standards for the factory hot rods.

In Competition Greg Clayton went 6.131 and 224.55mph in BB/A while Craig Geddes went 7.517 and 174.53mph in E/AA, both earning bonus points for setting records under the new points structure for the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

Jason Simpson took both ends of G/GA with 8.263/162.08mph performances.

Super Compact was also the site of prominent record setting with Rod Harvey taking AA/SC to 6.418 and 224.58, one of three drivers to go under and over the AA/SC records. Michael Baghdadi reset CC/SM with a 7.416 and 187.52, but didn’t back up an epic 6.943 in the first round of eliminations. Meanwhile AA/SM and CC/SC had their speed minimums reset to 194.66mph and 187.99mph respectively. ANDRA reminds racers in Group Two in particular to cross the scales at the scrutineering shed for any run that could be claimed as part of a record.

Two Modified Bike records were also set with Michael Beaton taking the C/MB speed mark to 141.43mph, while Rex Baker put D/MB into the nines at 9.996 and also took the speed at 135.99mph.

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Photography crEDItS 4 I WWW.andra.Com.au

First 60 Foot rISING Star aWarD handed out Congratulations to the winner of the first 60 Foot Rising Star Award, Josh McClennan.

The award goes to the Junior Dragster driver with the best reaction time and dial in package of eliminations.

At the Australian Nationals, McClennan had a .040 total package.

Josh won a 60 Foot clothing prize pack for his efforts. The next prize pack will be available at Fuchs South Coast Raceway in Portland for the second round of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

JUNIor DraGStEr exhaust requirements

It has been observed by ANDRA officials that some competitors are not meeting the requirements for silencers as per page 83 of the 2013 ANDRA Rulebook.

Junior Dragster competitors are advised that they must have a tip incorporating a 45 degree bend welded to the end of exhaust pipes or mufflers, to redirect sound pressure waves in a downward direction away from officials as illustrated in the diagram on page two of this bulletin.

There have been reports that some competitors have simply cut a 45 degree angle on the end of their existing exhaust pipe in order to meet the rule changes, this is not acceptable and does not meet the requirements of the rule.

The guys at YBI Creative love to put together a well presented document. And nothing makes it easier than working with the talented photographers who suport ANDRA. Here are the photographers that have helped edition two come together: • Dave Reid • Grant Stephens • Joe Maday • Lee Davis • Luke Nieuwhof • Bob Taylor

stag

aMNESty for fire systems, crowerglides ending

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anes

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All competitors are to be advised that the amnesty period until 1 January 2013 for fire suppression systems and Crowerglide clutches is coming up shortly.

The amnesty was to assist racers and reduce complications that may be experienced by allowing time to source and fit components necessary to meet any new requirements of incoming rules.

Only the following items were granted an amnesty period up to 1 January 2013: Clutch: Where a Crowerglide clutch is used it must have an over centre neutral position that is foot operated, no other option is acceptable.

Onboard Fire Suppression Systems: Any enclosed vehicle faster than 8.00 seconds (1/4 mile) or equivalent must have a serviceable fire suppression system of a minimum 5lb capacity (10lb recommended) installed unless specified otherwise by class regulations.

cHrIStMaS break The ANDRA Head Office will be closed over the Christmas break.

The last day of business will be Friday 21 December, 2011 and the office will re-open at 8.30am (Adelaide time) Wednesday 2 January, 2012.

If you have any requirements around that period then get your paperwork in early so ANDRA can return it by the closing date.

For any urgent enquiries during the break please contact your Division Director.

On behalf of the ANDRA staff – Malcolm Bulley, Brenton Myers, Steve Power, Luke Nieuwhof, Jackie Mills, Leanne Wright, Kylie Hazelhurst and Donna Jantke – have a Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.

CLASSIFIEDS The ANDRA classifieds section is now open for business. If you need to sell your race car or bike or perhaps some spare parts you have around, this is the place to do it, reaching all of ANDRA’s 4000 members. Classifieds cost just $50 for a photo and 50 words. Send the details for your ad to info@andra.com.au.

cHEVroLEt MoNtE carLo The only 1984 Chevrolet Monte Carlo factory S/S drag car in Australia. Complete history, only 1500km on street before becoming a race car. 496 BBC, Brodix alloy heads, Dart intake, Holley 1050 Dominator, PWR alloy radiator, Lemons coated custom 2 1/4” step headers, Isky cam, all best US parts. Dynoed 875 hp, has run 9.20. Complete AMS Engines rebuild before importing, Kondolay custom turbo 400, reverse shifter, 8” converter, line lock, MSD two step, delay box. Art Morrison super chassis, 4:56, 9” diff housing with bracing, fully adjustable ladder bar suspension with QA1 coil-overs, strange axles, 11” disc rear brakes, new Goodyear D-6 slicks, Optima battery, chassis certified NHRA and ANDRA 2014. New full VFN fiberglass removable front end, doors, and trunk lid. Tubular front a-arms, with QA1 adjustable coil overs. $32,500.00. Contact Dennis at dharsh@westernstar.com.au or dndino@skymesh.com.au or (07) 3271 9379.

HoLDEN caMIra FULL tUBE cHaSSIS MILD StEEL Rebuilt two seasons ago. Fibreglass front clip one piece.

565 Reher Morrison BBC 1050 Hp. Two speed Powerglide (Transmission Specialties), very consistent car. Came #1 & #2 in Super Sedan championship in Perth the last two seasons.

Rollling chassis $23,000, motor $23,000 or ready to run.

Call Sam to do a deal. 0400 219 549.

FASTLANE I 5

FEATURE

S

ince signing Monster to the Rob Tucker Racing team and also adding Milwaukee Tools this season with sister Kirsten’s car, Tucker has been showing how it should be done when it comes to presenting a drag racing team.

The 27 year old Queenslander has been managing a lot in life, growing his Auzmet business while also managing a very professional outfit at drag racing venues around the country.

But it’s still easy to underestimate the amount of time and effort that has gone not only into securing a premium brand such as Monster but in maintaining the relationship.

“You really have to work with the sponsor, we all want to go out there and we would all love to put our hand out and get the golden figure of what to go racing with,” he said.

“The fact of the matter is that it’s a business in itself so you

E G A G M N IISEVERYTHI

need to work hard at making it work.

“A lot of teams give a figure they want and if you can’t come up with it then forget it. But you need to work with sponsors as they can also open other opportunities with businesses they work with.”

Tucker spent time in the USA during his early twenties, learning the ins and outs of Pro Stock drag racing with the Cagnazzi Racing outfit. While it was never able to produce a funded ride for Tucker, it did serve as a form of “drag racing university”, where he was able to refine skills not just in racing but in the marketing of a team.

“I think when you go over there (the USA) you are very passionate about what you do and your main focus is

he a t g n f yi o r r s a n C atio xpects t c e exp that e nd d a bran rmance as perfo ntation h for t e pres a good fi . been e tucker Shan

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wanting to get on the race track,” he said.

“You need to learn that the stuff you do on the race track is a very small part of giving back value to a sponsor. It goes from point of sale stuff to displays, store appearances, representing the sponsor in the correct way and giving value back.

“When a sponsor comes to you, the value might be one million and they want four million in return, so you really need to get out there.”

Tucker’s philosophy with a sponsor is to under-commit and over-deliver. Going the extra mile is critically important to demonstrate the value.

The presentation of the Tucker family bit area is arguably second to none, rivalling the best set ups of the NHRA. “We try to pride ourselves in presenting ourselves well,” he said. “When guests and clients and people associated with the company see it they will think these guys (our team) are second to none when it comes to appearance.

“On track results are still fairly important too. Monster are a premium beverage company and Milwaukee is a premium power tool company so they want to back winners.”

Tucker said that social media has been another area where the team has been able to make some big inroads.

“Social media is big, that’s where all the value is coming from these days,” he said. “Online it is so easy and so handy for everyone to get on there and check what is going on with the team and get photos, updates and results. It’s huge value.”

We asked Shane to provide some thoughts on what teams should do to position themselves as an attractive

prospect for sponsors.

“Presenting yourself well is the first thing that catches someone’s eye, so making sure you are well presented is everything, from the way the guys dress to how the car is presented to how the pit area looks,” he said.

“You really need to think outside the box with sponsors, as hard as it is, in a lot of these deals right now you need to try and leverage one thing into another to try and turn it into revenue for the team.”

Racing wise Tucker had a mixed Australian Nationals. He did make it to the semi finals before a lapse of concentration on the start line when he let the clutch out before the tree.

“Hands down it was my fault, Pro Stock is one of those classes that’s so tough and your concentration needs to be flawless in any of this sort of stuff,” he said.

“Whether it was something that threw me off or myself being a little too eager, the concentration fell away for that split second and that was the end of it.”

On the positive side, the team did crack 195mph for the first time which Tucker credits to a largely untested motor.

“We put a new engine in and we hadn’t even run it before. It had done three pulls on the dyno and we had no more time left,” he said. “It turns out this thing is extremely promising.”

Pro Stock next heads to Calder Park Raceway for the third round of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series.

“Melbourne is huge, Milwaukee and Monster are based there so the Melbourne race is probably going to be our biggest one of the season,” he said.

FASTLANE I 7

FEATURE

GARY PHILLIPS ON

ROADTRIPPING C

M

Y

travelling thousands of kilometres is part of the adventure for the many teams of the aNDra Drag racing Series who follow championships around the country.

Gary Phillips and his Lucas Oils team has been doing it longer than most.

Even more so lately with the addition of Slamfest engagements to his already strenuous schedule in the ANDRA Top Doorslammer and Top Alcohol Championships.

“There really hasn’t been an off season,” he said. “We’ve been to Townsville, Gladstone, Darwin, down here (Sydney), it’s like 12000 kilometres plus. You try not to think about that, you only think about where you have to go not where you’ve been, but hey, it’s been fun.”

The added focus on regional racing has meant so-called road trips where a road is a luxury.

“The road trips, it depends, some of the roads aren’t really roads,” Phillips laughed. “We did Townsville to Gladstone in our truck and then the car went by road train from Gladstone to Darwin.

“The driver said he had to stop not

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far from where we left because they were bouncing off the back; I just about carked it! We hadn’t seen the cars at that stage so we didn’t know what they were like but they were bouncing six inches off the pins because the roads were so rough.

“Needless to say it got the cushioned ride on the way back. But hey we won the race so it couldn’t have been too bad; maybe it shook it up just right.”

Part of the Phillips operation is the family involvement of wife Debbie and son Cheyne. It’s a lot of time spent together but fortunately they enjoy the company.

“You’ve got to get along with this deal because every minute of every hour of every day it is just work and more work on the race car and everything else that is involved with running the car and keeping Lucas Oils happy,” he said. “When you work with someone 24 hours a day you are bound to have your ups and downs but it is all

part of the game.”

We did press Phillips on what stories he had from the road, but are sorry to say he wouldn’t let us print some of the goss he had on some rather well known racing figures.

“Over all the years going back to trips to Adelaide and trips everywhere with the Ampol New Year Series I’m probably better off taking the fifth amendment and reserving my right not to say anything because there is a few people who know I have the evidence in the old six by fours,” he said.

With sixteen championships under the belt, Phillips doesn’t have anything left to prove in drag racing. But there remains a challenge for him.

“Every day is a challenge, it’s the mechanical achievements of it that I love doing,” he said. “When you stop wanting to achieve something it is time to go fishing I guess.

“You need the whole crew, the driver and the tuner to all be part of the equation and that is the challenge to me.”

You can see the interview with Gary at www.youtube.com/andradragracing.

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FASTLANE I 9

FEATURE three championships straight in any category of aNDra drag racing is tough, let alone in the aeroflow Sportsman Drag racing championship’s Group two where typically an index only remains soft for so long before you need to go back to the shed and have more of a think.

TRIPLE TREAT WITH KEVIN GUMMoW

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For Kevin Gummow some clever thinking in the build of the bike allowing it to be flexible and enter a few classes meant he was able to ride the index advantage for longer, first inflicting some record setting pain on CC/CB before moving into BB/CB. Now several years down the track, Gummow is thinking about what his next move will be – and it could be into the crucible of Top Bike.

“We will run it for the rest of this season as is,” he said. “Then I’m going to take a few seasons off, firstly to help my wife Dale as she has purchased a Modified dragster, and secondly I am tossing around the idea of one day running in Top Bike, but we will have to do a lot of research into which road we will take as far as the running gear goes.

“I have a few ideas of what I might do, but that could change. We built the bike so that we could run it in Top Bike but it’s a whole new ball game - and a fatter wallet.”

Gummow was an avid motorcycle racer who watched the Top Doorslammer and Top Alcohol go down the track with supercharged methanol motors and wondered why it wouldn’t work on two wheels. It suited his need to be different from the others already working with nitrous or turbos.

At the time there was only one other

racer in the world claiming to own a “blown funny bike”, so Gummow set to work on making his own happen.

The former record holding CC/MD of Western Australia’s Donis brothers used a blown Kawasaki engine and when it came up for sale Gummow seized the opportunity.

The motorcycle was then built locally in Perth by Forbes and Mills Engineering around the 1428cc Kawasaki, equipped with a Sprintex supercharger and Mallory Supermag.

A Bill Robinson three speed gearbox was added along with an MTC Slider clutch and Farrer Fuel Injection system. Gummow designed the bodywork himself with Stock to Shock and Creative Works doing the airbrushing.

“The colour scheme was Dale’s idea, I would have just painted it black,” Gummow said.

The MJ Samcore-sponsored Kawasaki was a winner right from the start, taking a best engineered award at the Westernationals. It was then a case of producing those three championships, success that Gummow had not imagined coming so soon.

“The first (championship) was a bit of a shock,” he said. “We hadn’t really gambled on the bike going so well so soon. Right

from the beginning we never really had any major issues with R&D on the bike.

“The second championship was again a hard battle as there are so many competitive Comp Bikes in Australia.

We’ve always said that if we do well at the Westernationals that we will travel.

“It was a last minute decision to travel last season. The bike lacked consistency but we managed to get a few things sorted and after the dramas we had qualifying for the Nitro Champs in Sydney, to come out with a win was fantastic. We went to the Fuchs Winternationals sitting fifth in the points and not really focusing on the championship, we just wanted to run well.

The bike ran like a dream all weekend with a top qualifying position, resetting both ends of the BB record and the bike running its quickest ET and mph. We needed to win the event to take out the championship and we did just that.”

With national plans perhaps taking a back seat for a time, Gummow is keen to take out a track championship at Perth Motorplex and maybe just improve on times a little more.

“Comp Bike in WA is very strong and there are a few racers to watch out for,” he said. “We’d like to be able to run 7.20s in its current configuration. We didn’t really have any idea how quick it would go.”

NEW!

Lord of the rings

We’ve ditched the lead in champher in preference for “step down” ring construction, so you can locate your nuts in even tighter spots.

LESS TALK MORE TORQUE

Ever wanted more torque at your Ring End? Contact is concentrated on the ats of the fastener, not the corners, giving you more torque where you need it.

Shanks a lot!

Ever been told to”Get a Grip”? Now you can with the new I-Beam Shank that increases strength and torque as the tensioning load is spread over a larger surface area.

Knuckle buster?

There will be far less blood on the workshop oor with 440’s patented Antislip design, featuring a locking groove at the open end of the spanner.

THE RANGE

The Sidchrome 440 Pro Series Combination Spanners are available in 4 different sets and also as individuals.

There are 22 metric sizes ranging from 6mm to 32mm and 19 A/F sizes ranging from ¼” to 1-¼”. www.sidchrome.com.au

youtube.com/SidchromeTV

facebook.com/Sidchrome

FASTLANE I 11

COMING

SOON U P C O M I N G

SOUTH COAST RACEWAY 5 - 6 JANUARY FEATURING AEROFLOW SPORTSMAN

PERTH MOTORPLEX 1 - 2 FEBRUARY FEATURING TOP FUEL

CALDER PARK RACEWAY

16 - 17 FEBRUARY FEATURING TOP DOORSLAMMER • PRO STOCK PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY 23-24 FEBRUARY FEATURING TOP ALCOHOL • TOP BIKE PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE

CHAMPIONSHIP

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D r a G

r a c I N G

E V E N T S

THE

ANDRA

FACTS&

FIGURES at aNDra we often get people asking for more information about just how many people are exposed to drag racing events and what kind of demographic we have.

It’s a question we have delved a little into lately with some surveying and one we will continue to investigate. Here is some of the information we have discovered. Feel free to use this in your sponsorship props and help spread the good news about drag racing in australia.

aNDra Drag racing Series Event attendance ANDRA Drag Racing Series events enjoy the highest attendance of any drag racing events in the country and among the highest of any motorsport. The biggest event each season is the Fuchs Winternationals, held at Brisbane’s Willowbank Raceway, attracting over 30,000 spectators. Sydney Dragway’s Nitro Champs is the second most popular, bringing in approximately 15,000 spectators to the Western Sydney-based venue. Perth Motorplex regularly turns on events with attendance of 10,000 people while Adelaide International Raceway’s inaugural pro event attracted 10,000 spectators. The return to Calder Park in Melbourne this season is expected to net up to 20,000 people.

tV airings and ratings ANDRA’s professional categories were fully televised during the 2011/12 season on SBS and Speed Channel. Twenty eight shows were aired on SBS and 145 shows were aired on Speed Channel, providing an exposure of some 173 hours over the season and giving hundreds of teams air time.

Episodes on SBS have an average audience of 100,000 people watching, giving a conservative annual audience of three million people. Speed Channel shows had a total annual audience of 725,000 people. Total annual Australian audience is approximately 3.7 million.

Shows are also available online at any time with no subscription needed, providing another boost to audience numbers. Each episode averages 1500 views online.

The coming season will see 30 shows on SBS Speedweek plus continuation of the Speed Channel coverage.

Media Exposure Drag racing events attract a wide variety of media exposure. Drag racing features regularly in Street Machine (circulation 44,000) as well as Motorsport News (20,000) and Dragster Australia magazines.

ANDRA’s own Fastlane reaches almost 4000 members of the organisation plus hundreds more are distributed at tracks around the country.

Online coverage is also enhanced through websites such as Speedcafe and Drag News. A unique avenue making drag racing popular online is through YouTube, where user-added videos generate hundreds of thousands of views for Australian drag racing each year.

Mainstream media interest at events is high with local teams and drag racing has been able to generate many stories based on normal people doing extraordinary things.

The recent Fuchs Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway generated 120 mainstream media stories around the country while the season launch in Adelaide saw a double page spread in the Adelaide Advertiser.

Spectator Demographics Spectators at drag racing are very evenly spread across all ages, representing the strong family aspect drag racing has. The average age of a drag racing spectator is 37 years and intriguingly the segments of 2130, 31-40 and 41-50 are almost even at 25%, 23% and 26% respectively (data from 2012 Fuchs Winternationals).

Males dominate spectator attendances with 77%, but creative strategies are being adopted such as ladies free days to attract more female spectators. The success of females in drag racing has been well documented and provides an added boost to female attendances.

Employment is typically blue collar with 57% of people attending drag racing involved in trades and semi-skilled or unskilled manual work.

online The ANDRA website is the hub for drag racing news and technical information in Australia. It attracts approximately 30,000 visits a month. ANDRA has developed a positive presence on Facebook where 9000 people were fans in November 2012.

This is an important avenue for people to spread spectacular photos and news about the sport. Venues are also popular to support with Sydney Dragway (13,000 likes), Willowbank Raceway (17,000 likes) and Perth Motorplex (22,000 likes) having many fans. ANDRA is also developing more YouTube content with some videos attracting over 5000 views recently.

Information current as at 20/9/2012 This information may be used by ANDRA members in sponsorship proposals and marketing documents.

Figures provided by AVE Sydney, Speed Channel, ACP Magazines, Chevron Media.

For more information please contact ANDRA on (08) 8271 5355 or info@andra.com.au.

FASTLANE I 13

SEE ALL TH

HE ACTION

FEATURE

R GOLDEN B 2012GOLDENSTATES

VICTOR BRAY

A RFIVE5.96 @232MPH

FEATURE

STRATEGIC aUStr aL I aN N at I o N aL D r aG r ac I NG ’ S

With the season underway and 2013 fast approaching, andra has been feverishly working behind the scenes to develop and refine our strategy for the next three years.

In a hardly profound statement, there is no silver bullet or radical change to take our sport from a niche sport within the motorsports industry to a mainstream and well recognised sporting code.

The fundamentals require little change, quite opposed to what changes are required to bring the sport to the level it deserves as the Most Powerful Motorsport on the Planet. For years we have known the potential and capability of our sport to change people’s impressions of not only what drag racing represents but to alter their sensory perceptions of power, ingenuity and innovation.

Acknowledging our challenges and change requirements is a significant step in itself, implementing them will truly test our ability to work together in a unified and cohesive manner. A key requirement is to identify and articulate a beneficiary model which reflects all stakeholders’ involvement and how they receive a direct or indirect benefit to a strategy or plan before implementation. Initially it represents stakeholders independently, however it doesn’t take long before cross dependencies and synergies begin to show themselves in a somewhat unique way.

StaKEHoLDEr

DESIrED BENEFItS

Spectators

Great spectacle, value for money, series links, championship following and simplicity

tracks

Guaranteed product, flexibility in format, various options for support categories, financial sustainability, spectator support and diversity.

aNDRA

Mainstream motorsport, exposure and growth. Member growth and value to membership. Sport viability.

racers

Recognition and reward, championship status, value for money, greater number of venues and opportunities. Rules and regulation consistency.

Sponsors

Professional organisation, formal engagement and activation opportunities, measurable ROI, shared KPIs, corporate hospitality.

The beneficiary model or ‘StarS’ represents the immediate or

we need to achieve directly (STARS) and indirectly (downstream

direct benefits at the highest level for each stakeholder. Obviously

cross dependencies). It’s simply a matter of connecting the

this is not an exhaustive description and certainly doesn’t cover

actions and deliverables required to achieve these results. There

every aspect of every individual, however when applying a general

is a large amount of detailed analysis and financial modelling to

strategy or plan we can identify areas of deficiency and where the

ensure the deliverables are correct and deliver the required ROI

initiative requires a change to ensure broad spectrum application.

to take us to the desired position. Suffice to say this rests within

When articulating the core requirements and aspirations of our

the following issue groups:

sport and applying the beneficiary model, it identifies the results

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IMAGES: dragphotos.com.au

INTENT ENVIroNMENtaL rEVIEW

To maximise effectiveness in the current market we need to reflect the current market dynamics. There’s no use in throwing a premium product into a tight or restrained market as consumers and business will more than likely be passive participants. ANDRA Drag Racing is not a commodity product which people and business cannot cut back on. We are participants in the motorsports industry funded by racers, spectators, businesses and government. Each has a different propensity to spend under different circumstances utilising common drivers, economic status, individual circumstance and value proposition they are presented with. Different groups of metrics identify these circumstances and application at different times, business growth, consumer confidence etc.

Having established these parameters to influence spending and investment under current and future forecasts we can establish

“

the level of growth and activation relevant to our product.

patterns and alignment to correctly target business partners.

Whether we fully recognise it or not our sport is made up of families. Immediate families are involved in the vast majority of our teams (Brays, Reads, Lamattinas, Fowlers, Tuckers etc). Generations of drag racing diehards whose profiles differ yet share a common interest. This is immediately transferrable into ‘category’ families, although not biological it certainly aligns to consumer spending profiles.

When it all comes together at events, we have many thousands of consumers being racers, crew members, track officials, sponsors and spectators. Add on TV audiences and it transfers into many hundreds of thousands of consumers with a strong propensity to engage in similar core products and services. History and research show us products and services change with market movements and new products as per our dynamic market, this is where the opportunities are.

BraND IDENtIFIcatIoN aND PoSItIoNING There is no doubt we all recognise that ANDRA Drag Racing is the Most Powerful Motorsport on the Planet, we know it, our crews know it, our families know it and our fans know it.

However it tapers off fast, some core sponsors and businesses have tried to leverage off it with different levels of success. The obvious question is why and what can we learn off it to push our sport to the forefront of our inherent industry.

The primary answer was the lack of a common push or a unified and cohesive approach to the market.

There is also the concept of a correct market positioning for our sport and what percentages make up our primary and secondary audiences.

What consumer profiles they have and their

The fundamentals require little change, quite opposed to what changes are required to bring the sport to the level it deserves as

the most powerful motorsport on the planet

”

FASTLANE I 19

STRATEGIC a UStra LI a N N atI oN a L DraG r acIN G ’ S

FEATURE ProDUct IDENtIFIcatIoN aND DEVELoPMENt to MEEt DESIrED oUtcoMES

It’s essential the product, ANDRA Drag Racing, remains relevant to our current and future markets. We’ve all recognised the market is a dynamic environment which changes depending on many factors as the economy and product influences change.

Accordingly our product needs to remain relevant to the changing environment as we move into the future.

Change is a difficult process at the best of times however when we discuss changing our ‘product’ it can become a very emotive and difficult process. The easiest and most acceptable changes to make stick are those of minimal impact or the introduction of new initiatives over and above the core product.

By applying minimal changes and wrapping it a new approach the result is a low risk but high return strategy. How we wrap that product or strategy involves a proactive marketing mix across the sport and series.

This mix is a very specific combination of PR, networking, displays, business partnerships, venue options and community benefits.

aNDra FUNctIoN, PrESENcE aND SUPPort Since ANDRA’s inception 39 years ago, administration, rules and regulations have been our core functions. Although these have been sufficient for the running of ANDRA Drag Racing in Australia, the current processes and procedures will not stand up to the rigors of increased growth and functionality. A review process is underway and once complete will be transferred to a new database.

Constant improvement methodologies are crucial to our ongoing sustainability

20 I WWW.andra.Com.au

and development; all functional areas have ownership and accountability for constant improvement metrics.

Some other areas of core functionality are: Sanctioning > Event safety rules and regulations > Class regulations > Stewardship > Compliance > National consistency > Rules and Regulations regulatory > Judicial Procedures > Conflict resolution > National consistency While the required elements of ANDRA Drag Racing have been a cornerstone of getting the sport to its current level we continuously struggle to take the additional step into professional mainstream motorsport of note. Most have articulated at various times common goals and aspirations which have continually failed to come to fruition.

The current situation is clear and measurable, it’s what we deal with on a day to day basis, and talking to people who have been in and around the sport for over 40 years the themes are consistently similar.

A concise gap analysis as to where we are and where we need to be assists us in identifying our path between the two ‘states’. These gaps are where we begin to see answers to long held questions not of only what they are but how we implement change to reach our desired position.

Themes have been identified and individual elements assigned, the majority of these are currently behind the scenes however crucial elements which have been constant and address many of our immediate issues is that of improved ANDRA Member Services and ANDRA’s presence.

To achieve our goals and aspirations in this area, some of the more physical changes will be seen in our ‘at event presence’ which will increase markedly. Additionally a ‘fit

INTENT

for purpose’ home base will be established whereby our focal points will be both on and more importantly in the business to ensure benefits for all stakeholders. Our presence and plans will ensure benefits in member services and corporate engagement, with a centralised meeting room and training environment to be available at specific events.

Another element is that of robust category management. This doesn’t mean we get involved in the running or operations of individual teams, it does mean we will provide a mechanism for categories to develop, promote and communicate with a central body without vested or competitive interests. When applying the STARS beneficiary model it rates highly for all parties.

Essential elements of category management include: > Unification and representation > Agreed benefits and obligations > Individual category plans and framework (not individual teams) > Communication based on category requirements and needs > National championship status and recognition > Category promotional responsibilities and development > Corporate engagement to support teams and categories While this summary only represents an outline of the work we are doing, it does identify some of the essential elements crucial to our future and the framework for success. Anything but a complimentary and unified approach will fall short of the desired outcomes and will ultimately be problematic. Strong engagement principles and leadership will be essential components of making our vision a reality.

MAKING draG raCinG

SOCIAL

Social media has been the buzz term for a number of years now and is regarded as a must have for most organisations.

Social media basically comprises areas of the Internet where people are able to interact especially across the big three of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ANDRA has a presence on all three (www.facebook.com/ANDRA. LTD, twitter.com/ANDRA_NEWS and youtube.com/andradragracing).

Facebook in particular has proven effective with over 9000 people now fans of ANDRA online. More recently we have also been using Twitter to provide live updates from race events and uploading exclusive content to YouTube to help build excitement ahead of events.

For your race team social media can be just as valuable. Setting up a page on Facebook is relatively simple compared to setting up a normal website and has the advantage of putting new information out to all the people who are fans of your page. You an even get a .com address to point to your Facebook page if you really want to keep things simple. Many race teams post updates during events, photos from the workshop or general news about the team.

Another handy feature of Facebook is that it offers plenty of metrics to measure how many people see your posts and how many people are visiting your page. If you have a sponsor or are looking for one then it is highly recommended to have a presence on Facebook.

Twitter can be even simpler, just sign up for an account and start “tweeting”. Tweets consist of 140 character posts that can then be shared to all the people who follow your team. By adding in names of other users, eg @ANDRA_NEWS, you can also show up on their feeds. Hashtags are also useful such as #dragracing, to link people to a common theme in your posts. It would be great if more racers could start using Twitter especially during events so we can retweet your posts to other people watching on. Twitter tends to be more of a closed in community, however we use a real time “widget” that displays on the ANDRA website to show Tweets to everyone during events now.

That brings us to YouTube. At ANDRA we’ve started using it a bit more lately and it has proven quite successful with many of our videos getting thousands of views. YouTube is all about showing people something different. Perhaps an onboard shot you got from your GoPro or a time lapse in the pits. Show your fans something they wouldn’t ordinarily see.

Visit us at...

With thanks to YBI Creative.

twitter.com/ANDRA_NEWS

> BaSIc GUIDELINES For aLL SocIaL MEDIa > BE ProFESSIoNaL. Be respectful, professional and employ good judgement. Be mindful that the brand of drag racing is in your hands in all your actions on social media, including Facebook, Twitter and forums.

> SocIaL MEDIa IS a coNVErSatIoN.

Speak to your audience like you would real people in a professional environment. Refrain from using over complicated sentence structure and ensure language is kept clear and simple.

Remember that this is a social context therefore don’t hesitate to allow your own personality to flow through your posts.

> aDDING VaLUE. Is the post relevant and necessary?

The aim is to have the community engaging in positive conversation about the sport of drag racing. Avoid getting involved in controversial topics on a personal level.

If it makes you pause, do so. If you are about to post something that makes you hesitate, stop and do so - step back and think about the likely effect and response from the fans.

> ENtErtaIN: Facebook is essentially a social media playground. People join the page because they want to hear what you say - as long as it entertains or engages them.

> BEWarE coNtroVErSIaL MatErIaL. Avoid posting links and comments relating to controversial content that is likely to upset and offend readers. Promote the good news stories about the sport.

> Do Not rEtaLIatE. If a negative post or comment appears on the page regarding your team or drag racing, do not return fire with a negative comment. Aim to respectfully and positively amend the situation. If you think there is an opportunity for ANDRA to become involved, let us know.

> BE traNSParENt. Be honest with your followers.

Ensure that posts are fact checked to ensure that only truthful information and content is being published. Ensure that you have permission to post copyrighted items. Do not alter previous posts without indicating you have done so.

facebook.com/ANDRA.LTD

youtube.com/andradragracing FASTLANE I 21

the lamattinaS brought out two cars in a massive effort to make the round happen

ANDRA Adelaide International Raceway hosted round one of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series featuring Top Fuel and Pro Stock.

A quality race track held a new Top Fuel track record (Phil Lamattina 4.33) and a 7.13 Pro Stock pass from Shane Tucker, despite the track being damaged by vandals in the lead up to the

ADELAIDEL darren morGan got down the track three times under power and was rewarded with a win

event.

Pro Stock racers chose to run as an exhibition because of this however Top Fuel got their championship underway.

A massive crowd turned out to experience all the action of ANDRA Drag Racing.

Shane tuCker set a new Pro Stock track record at 7.13@192mph

rESULtS TOP FUEL: Darren Morgan 4.46 def Phil Lamattina 4.45 (red light).

LAUNCHES kirSten tuCker launched new sponsor Milwaukee Tools

dave neWComBe’S Mustang made just the one pass

the raCinG onn put two all nighters in to repair vandalised track. They deserve the praise!

FASTLANE I 23

peter kapiriS came back from a savage clutch explosion to win Top Doorslammer

AUSTRALIA’S

ANDRA

BIGGO A BIG ONE

darren morGan won his second event in a row in Top Fuel, again over Phil Lamattina

The 48th annual Australian Nationals was filled with much drama over the course of the three day event at Sydney Dragway as racers from around the country gave it their all in the “big go”.

Though Saturday was rain affected, race day on Sunday dawned with bright blue skies and conditions across the weekend allowed for plenty of records to be set, 14 in total.

JaSon Grim standards for and 195mph

Enjoy the photographic work of Fred Dwyer and Peter Colburn in ANDRA Fastlane’s wrap of the event.

rESULtS TOP FUEL: Darren Morgan 4.78 def Phil Lamattina 5.00 TOP ALCOHOL: Steve reed 5.66 def Jon Sting 5.79 TOP DOORSLAMMER: Peter Kapiris 5.98 def Gary Phillips 6.01 PRO STOCK: Wayne Daley 7.12 def Jason Grima 7.02 (red light) TOP BIKE: chris Matheson 6.23 def Chris Porter 6.83 PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: Luke crowley 7.33 def Lachlan Ireland 7.48 COMPETITION: Greg clayton 6.13 (6.46) def Wayne Cartledge 7.30 (7.50) SUPER STOCK: Jason Simpson 8.32 (8.52) def Clint George 7.49 (7.74, red light)

luke CroWley sorted out some early clutch issues to win over Locky Ireland

SUPER COMPACT: Joe Signorelli 7.24 (6.72) def Michael Baghdadi 9.14 (7.45) COMPETITION BIKE: corey Scholes 8.73 (8.90) def Glenn Northridge 8.93 (8.98) SUPERCHARGED OUTLAWS: Michael Watkins 7.10 (7.10) def Andrew Hodgson 6.55 (6.54) MODIFIED: craig Baker 8.75 (8.71) def Tony Littlewood 8.66 (8.66) SUPER SEDAN: Neil constantinou 9.98 (9.92) def Joe Valenzisi 9.20 (9.09) MODIFIED BIKE: Gavin Dohnt 9.86 (9.85) def Paul Geerlings 9.78 (9.70) SUPER STREET: carl taylor 11.23 (11.20) def John Kerr 11.09 (11.14) JUNIOR DRAGSTER: David roberts 8.04 (8.05) def Toby Austin 8.43 (8.46, red light) SUPER GAS: roy romeo 9.91 (9.90) def Simon Isherwood 9.88 (9.90)

CraiG Baker used a .000 reaction time to win the Modified final

Chris Matheson ran 6.09 and 224mph on his way to a win against Chris Porter

Jon Sting made it to his first final in Top Alcohol

Grant O’Rourke was back in Top Doorslammer

ma set new r Pro Stock at 6.98

Wayne Daley took advantage of three red lights against him to take the Mopar to a Nationals win

National champion Jason Simpson took out Super Stock

Martin Stamatis made a welcome return to Top Fuel with the Billview dragster

Simon Bradbury is a popular runner in Super Sedan

Neil Constantinou (far) scored a win in Super Sedan Steve Reed took his second event on the trot in Top Alcohol

Glenn Northridge couldn’t quite match it with Corey Scholes in the Competition Bike final

FASTLANE I 25

Stuart BiShop popped a supercharger in his first qualifying pass.

ANDRA

GOLDEN

WEST The 41st annual Goldenstates at Perth Motorplex saw round two of the ANDRA championship for both Top Doorslammer and Top Alcohol run.

The event was highlighted by the first five second run and first win in six years for Victor Bray, while Rob Pilkington doubled up with his second Goldenstates victory in as many years in the Alutech Top Alcohol Funny Car.

CraiG GlaSSBy reached the final at his first ever Top Alcohol event

Also noteable was the debut of seven new pro drivers – Shane Catalano, Pat Carbone, Mark Chapman, Simon Travaglini, John Napier, Craig Glassby and Brian Robinson.

Here’s Fastlane’s photo review of the meet.

rESULtS TOP DOORSLAMMER: Victor Bray 5.95 def John Zappia 7.65 TOP ALCOHOL: rob Pilkington 5.61 def Craig Glassby NTR

John Zappia top qualified but a dewy track caught the team out in the final

marty dack ran his first ever 5 second pass

ROB PILKINGTON was a winner again in top alcohol.

PAT CARBONE qualified and advanced to the semi finals in his first Top Doorslammer event.

A memorable event for Victor Bray, running his first 5 and taking out the Westernationals.

FASTLANE I 27

2012/2013

CHAMPIONS

CHAMPIONSHIPLEADERBOARD

TOP FUEL

TOP5

1 Darren Morgan

217

2 Phil Lamattina

180

3 Steve Read

149

4 Luke Shepherd

87

5 Martin Stamatis

63

TOP ALCOHOL 1 Steve reed

TOP5

106

2 Jon Sting

85

3 Steve Ham

67

4 Wayne Price

61

5 Gary Phillips

58

TOP DOORSLAMMER

TOP5

1 Peter Kapiris

113

2 Gary Phillips

91

3 Ben Bray

64

4 John Cannuli

62

5 Brett Gillespie

43

TOP BIKE

TOP5

1 chris Matheson

118

2 Chris Porter

87

3 Graeme Morell

65

4 Gavin Spann

46

5 Phil Parker

44

PRO STOCK

TOP5

1 Jason Grima

138

2 Aaron Tremayne

106

3 Shane Tucker

104

4 Wayne Daley

103

5 Michael Ali

84

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE TOP5 1 Luke crowley

118

2 Lachlan Ireland

82

3 Chris Manera

65

4 Peter Cochrane

63

5 Maurice Allen

47

28 I WWW.andra.Com.au

LEAD AS AT 4/11/2012

SHIP

DERS

SUPERCHARGED OUTLAWS TOP5 1 Michael Watkins

100

2 Andrew Hodgson

80

3 Les Rodgie

60

4 Darryl Walford 5 John Brunner

60

MODIFIED 1 craig Baker

1 Greg clayton

TOP5

120

100 80

3 Alan White

60

4 Scott Bettes

40

5 Mark Allan

40

1 Neil constantinou

COMPETITION

TOP5

2 Tony Littlewood

SUPER SEDAN

CHAMPIONSHIP

40

TOP5

100

2 Joe Valenzisi

80

3 Brett McNiff

60

4 Jim Denaro

60

5 Gary Halpin

40

MODIFIED BIKE 1 Gavin Dohnt

TOP5

100

2 Wayne Cartledge

80

2 Paul Geerlings

80

3 Craig Geddes

70

3 Michael Dwinger

60

4 Jason Maggs

40

4 Matthew Hunt

40

5 Lyle Gilmore

40

5 Rex Baker

40

SUPER STOCK

TOP5

SUPER STREET

TOP5

105

1 carl taylor

100

2 Clint George

80

2 John Kerr

80

3 Daniel Camilleri

70

3 Ian Brown

60

4 Les Heintz 5 Fred Nicastri

60

4 Craig Warren

60

40

5 Tabatha Saunders

40

1 Jason Simpson

COMPETITION BIKE 1 corey Scholes

TOP5

100

JUNIOR DRAGSTER 1 David roberts

TOP5

100

2 Glenn Northridge

80

2 Toby Austin

80

3 Paul Harrison

60

3 Hayley Mackay

60

4 Corey Buttigieg 5 David Shaw

50

4 Dakota Ward

60

40

5 Jake Cartledge

40

SUPER COMPACT 1 Joe Signorelli

TOP5

100

SUPER GAS 1 roy romeo

TOP5

100

2 Michael Baghdadi

90

2 Simon Isherwood

80

3 Scott Porter

70

3 Darryl Stephen

60

4 Rod Harvey 5 Po Tung

50

4 Bruno Romeo

60

40

5 Michael Stivala

40

FASTLANE I 29

FEATURE

TRACK

SPOTLIGHT

PORTLAND, VIC Fuchs South Coast Raceway has been one of the success stories of regional drag racing in Australia.

In 1999 a group of passionate racers started to hire out the Portland Airport, but when it became obvious it was not a long term solution, investigations began into developing a permanent facility.

Around 2000 the South Coast Drag Racing Association was offered some rural land for lease in the Portland area and applied to the local council for a permit to build the track and also started applying to the local council and Victorian government for funding.

Despite no major funding coming forth, the support of local business and club members allowed excavation work to begin. A loan was taken out to allow the club to complete the work needed to get started and in February 2006 the track began operation.

Next month Fuchs South Coast Raceway will host the first ever eighth mile round of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

Future plans include a new hot mix sealed braking area, upgraded staging lanes and an extension of the concrete racing surface.

Scott Cleary from the raceway wished to make special mention to Fuchs Lubricants Australia for their great support for drag racing around Australia and was proud to announce that they will be back again this year as naming right sponsor for the 2012/2013 drag racing season.

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SOUTHERN SUCCESS caLENDar oF EVENtS 2013

> JANUARY 4 – OFF STREET MEETING > JANUARY 5-6 – AEROFLOW SPORTSMAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP > FEBRUARY 1-2 – SLAMFEST > MARCH 1 – OFF STREET MEETING > MARCH 2 – VICTORIAN SPORTSMAN SHOOTOUT > APRIL 5 – OFF STREET MEETING > APRIL 6 – 1/8TH MILE OUTLAWS For more information about the venue, go to www.southcoastraceway.com

FREE CALL 1800 650 077 www.piranhainsurance.com.au

FASTLANE I 9