Fastlane Magazine - Issue 8

edItIon 8/2014

18

2014 CALENDAR InsIde!

BraY round

REPORTS 22

10

victor & Ben talk torque converters

BoYs

46

20

Years oF WINTERNATIONALS

go shopping at

500kmh!

Purchase from the full range of ANDRA merchandise 24-7 at www.andrashop.com.au From stubby holders and bar mats to t-shirts and hoodies, it’s all here and it’s all ANDRA!

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FROM THE

MaY 2014

ceo’sdesk Dear members,

Welcome to the eighth edition of ANDRA’s Fastlane magazine. There’s certainly been a hive of activity since the beginning of the season.

When embarking on activity on any level there needs to be a clear objective and return for our members, stakeholders and the organisation.

In regards to our marketing and awareness activities, we invested in a high visibility trailer which has a number of purposes (activation and awareness pre events, member services etc) it has been very well received across the country from potential and current sponsors to racers and importantly people who were totally unaware of our sport. A massive effort and time has gone into transforming a $60k purchase into a (recently valued) $400k asset for our sport. ANDRA staff have done the vast majority of the work out of hours and I can’t thank them for their hard work and dedication. Awareness and our brand profile are crucial to building a strong foundation for the future and this is just a small part of the end game. It won’t happen overnight but the impact to date 4 months after launch has been fantastic.

While on the subject of assets, two of the biggest assets we have are obviously our members and the other, as touched, on is our brand. ANDRA Championship Drag Racing has a very strong recognition and recall amongst racers, crew, families and motoring enthusiasts. That said it’s not enough, as competition for outdoor sports and entertainment and the consumer dollars hots up, we need to continue to differentiate the unique attributes of our sport and create a far greater level of awareness in the market. These two elements are precious and fragile; they need nurturing and care to ensure growth.

Member satisfaction is subject to what we are actually doing, how members perceive the organisation and how the sport is travelling.

We are in the process of finalising the member satisfaction survey to actually measure this on an ongoing basis. It’s been nearly four years since a survey was done and this aspect needs to be measured annually.

Our Brand is how people perceive the whole sport once exposed to it. This can be affected by great events, record performances and how we deliver ourselves in the market place. In addition to the brand of the organisation we all have our own personal brand; everyone has personal brand whether it is the good the bad or the ugly.

Social media is a great example of how everyone now has a voice which is very much a double edged sword. It’s cheap and easy to communicate with our audience however it also makes our brand subject to personal opinion and disrepute. When opinions are cast on social media they are not necessarily fact, they are personal opinions put across as fact and we need to be very aware of comments made, our sponsors and target markets are. Now is not the time for complacency, a small and shrinking number of people are still damaging the sport without fact or basis.

Everyone has a right to an opinion, but when it causes damage there are consequences.

As a sub set of a sub set there are two types of people: problem finders and problem solvers. An opinion on a problem without direction, knowledge or a solution is meaningless and causes damage.

Finding problems, or ‘challenges’ in this case with the knowledge and direction to propose a solution becomes input and can be stress tested and workshopped. No member should be subject to problem finders without solutions, they are worse than people who know nothing about the sport damaging consumer and business confidence and, everyone suffers.

99% of our members are sick of hearing about how we need to pull together and then be subject to rumour mongering and gossip on social media. (end of rant) As you are reading this we will be gearing up for the FUCHS Winternationals, arguably the biggest event on the calendar.

Please keep the input and suggestions coming, you may not see everything you want enacted however there are very willing ears and discussions on all input of value.

Malcolm Bulley, CEO

Fastlane is produced by the Australian National Drag Racing Association LTD. Editor: Tim Baker (tim.baker@andra.com.au) Design: YBI Creative (www.ybicreative.com.au) Photography: Darren Bingham, dragphotos.com.au, Fred Dwyer, High Octane Photos, Joe Maday, Bob Taylor, Steve Thomas, Jon Van Daal ANDRA Staff CEO: Malcolm Bulley Accounts: Donna Jantke Business Manager: Jackie Mills Business Development Manager: Jennifer Harrison Competition Manager: Brett Stevens Licensing and Membership: Leanne Wright Media & PR Officer: Tim Baker Reception: Kylie Hazelhurst Technical Officer: Colin Brassington Contact Details Phone: 08 8271 5355 Fax: 08 8721 6988 Email: info@andra.com.au Street: 11 McInnes St, Ridleyton SA 5008

CONTENTS

stagIng 6

8

LANES CHAMPIONSHIP

PoInts BRAYBoYs 10

14 track

SPOTLIGHT

WaYne‘Patto’ 16 PATTERSON

18 event

CALENDAR

46Years 20

WINTERNATIONALS

tsth r o p e R Roundhowdown - Pererth

S P 22 - Proternationals - laide e s 24 - WeAeroflow - Ad - Calder 26 - rn Nationals ank lowb uthe 27 - So Super 3 - Wil Sydney 28 - Champs 30 - X

32 andra&

DRAG RACING THE OFFICIAL OIL FOR ANDRA DRAG RACING FASTLANE I 3

staging stagingla

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andra divisional council elections completed

Media Brief

Following completion of the ANDRA Divisional Nominations for 2014, the make-up of the six Divisional Councils is confirmed in the table below.

Thank you to our members who have made use of our Media Brief on the ANDRA website.

soutH Queensland shayne Homes (dd)

nortHern australIa ash Hamblin dd)

vIctorIa/tasManIa Phil Parker (dd)

Wayne Downes

Ross Bryant

Peter Kapiris

Tony Gooderham

Nathan Peirano

Darren Parker

Lawrie Moore

Peter Peirano

Bill Caris

Ron Newton

Aaron Stibbs

Peter Pisalidis

Alex Buxton

Rod Scanlon

Paul Rogers

Simon Isherwood

Ross Lemberg

Rob Cassar

Alan Flanagan

Douglas Anderson

soutH australIa

Western australIa

neW soutH Wales

Howard Browne (dd)

terry Jongen (dd)

lyle gilmore (dd)

Simon Miller

Geoff Chaisty

Mal Gower

Peter Brown

Andrew Frost

Jim Rowley

Andrew Favotti

Nick Gardiner

John Ward

Frank Intini

Ian Jenkins

Karen Mizzi

Timothy Reidy

Alan Hudson

Frank Cannistra

Johnny Kapiris

Peter Glover

Darryl Stephen

Harry Harris

Mike Naylor

Sharon Ward

Murray O’Connor

Paul Stephen

Tyron Begg

Nominations were invited during February and at the close, no election was required in any Division (DC or DD). No nominations above the number required were received.

Shayne Homes (SQ) was reappointed unopposed. Howard Browne and Lyle Gilmore officially took on the roles of SA and NSW Division Director respectively after serving as Alt Division Directors.

The Board welcomes all of the new additions and expresses their gratitude to those who continue to serve on the Divisional Councils around Australia.

ANDRA would like to thank outgoing Divisional Directors Michael Harvey and Rick Gauci for their contribution as well as Divisional Council members that will not be continuing in 2014.

For further information contact info@andra.com.au

Kevin Prendergast is the current General Manager of Perth Motorplex and has been involved in Drag Racing as an official, organiser and promoter for over 40 years. He has served on the CAMS Motor Racing Commission board and in addition to Drag Racing has a wealth of motorsport experience from Moto GP, Superbikes and Speedway.

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Hall of Fame nominations close June 30, 2014 Nominations are still open for the 2014 inductions to the ANDRA Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

The ANDRA Drag Racing Hall of Fame has been established to acknowledge those persons who have made significant contributions to all aspects of Drag Racing, including those who have excelled in Drag Racing competition, business, history or engineering.

Recipients of this award will be announced at the Annual General Meeting and will be invited to attend the ANDRA Drag Racing Awards Dinner to be formally inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Nominations forms and selection criteria are available on the ANDRA website under competitor > andra Forms

andra Board In recent months both Kevin Prendergast and Shayne Homes were voted onto the ANDRA Board.

If you are competing at an upcoming ANDRA national event please visit competitor > Media Brief on the ANDRA website.By filling in this form we are able to collect up to date and accurate information about you and your team for potential usage in news stories, press releases, Fastlane, TV and track commentary.

Shayne Homes is the South Queensland Divisional Director of ANDRA and a Building Designer in Brisbane. Shayne has served on the Divisional Council for six years and has been involved in Drag Racing for over 10 years.

Shayne is also an avid competitor in Modified and Competition Bike classes when the opportunity arises.

Rick Gauci recently stepped down from his role.

ANDRA would like to thank Rick for his efforts and ongoing commitment to drag racing.

anes go shopping at 500kph!

Check out the latest items on the ANDRA Shop including sublimated shirts and jackets!

Stay tuned for more awesome merch to come soon!

stag FASTLANE I 7

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display register As part of our efforts to promote the sport of Drag Racing using the ANDRA Transporter, we have set up a digital registration form on our website for those teams interested in displaying their vehicle at Pre-Event Activations across the country.

Since these activities have begun, we have met many fans new and old on the road and spent time with some of our great members in not only promoting the upcoming event, but the sport as a whole.

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ANDRA would like to thank those members who have participated so far and invite you to join us in taking Drag Racing to the general public. Please visit competitor > vehicle displays on the ANDRA website to register your interest.

We want your onboard footage!

ANDRA is currently seeking interesting onboard footage captured by teams for use on YouTube and social media.

While we can’t guarantee every piece of footage will be used, we are inviting contributions from teams featuring quick runs (ie new records or personal bests), incidents or those times when something just doesn’t quite go to plan.

If you give ANDRA permission to use your footage and would like to share it with us, please send high-resolution vision to media@andra.com.au via www.wetransfer.com. *WeTransfer allows users to send files up to 2GB for free by simply uploading the file and sending to the provided email address.

Please include the following information: Date Location/Event

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Name Bracket ET/Speed Description

FASTLANE I 7

TOP FUEL

>

cHaMPIonsHIP

leaders

FROM 9 MAY 2014

TOP5

398

1 Mark drew

171

2 Phil Lamattina

358

2 Gordon Crawford

152

3 Damien Harris

279

3 Chris Porter

149

4 Mark Sheehan

168

4 Mark Ashelford

117

5 John Lamattina

165

5 Leonard Azzopardi

107

TOP5

PRO STOCK

TOP5

TOP ALCOHOL 1 John cannuli

260

1 aaron tremayne

179

2 Gary Phillips

246

2 Emilio Spinozzi

125

3 Steven Reed

212

3 Rick Chilton

124

4 Steve Ham

207

4 Lee Bektash

110

5 Debbie O’Rourke

126

5 Jason Grima

110

TOP5

PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE TOP5

1 John Zappia

351

1 luke crowley

196

2 Stuart Bishop

321

2 Phil Howard

153

3 Peter Kapiris

218

3 Maurice Allen

133

4 Grant O’Rourke

217

4 Scott White

90

5 Martyn Dack

207

5 Alberto Marques

46

>

allan doBson

SUPER 3 EXTREME WINNER

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TOP FUEL MOTORCYCLE

1 allan dobson

TOP DOORSLAMMER

toP Fuel

TOP5

SUPER COMPACT 1 domenic rigoli

CHAMPIONSHIP

COMPETITION

TOP5

TOP5

110

2 George Rehayem

90

3 Rod Harvey

20

4 Chris Fakinos

20

5 Michael Baghdadi

20

SUPER SEDAN

TOP5

1 alistair Mcclure 2 Rob Pilkington

215

1 lorenzo gullotto

160

150

2 Leigh Fallon

120

3 Craig Geddes 4 Kyle Putland

145

3 John Kapiris

120

135

4 Ethan Hort

100

5 David Dequen

120

5 Steven Fowler

100

SUPER STOCK

TOP5

MODIFIED BIKE

TOP5

1 Jake chaisty 2 Darren Parker

215

1 luke nieuwhof

140

170

2 David Carroll

140

3 Les Heintz 4 Daniel Camilleri

165

3 Edgell Mallis

120

150

4 Joe Khoury

120

145

5 Justin Townson

100

5 Errol Quartermaine

COMPETITION BIKE

TOP5

SUPER STREET

TOP5

1 ross smith 2 Stan Lisle

290

1 Joe Jurkovic

180

100

2 Craig Caton

160

3 Ross Green 4 Blair Pennington

100

3 Darran Bakranich

120

100

4 Scott Jeffreys

100

5 Daryn Schuster

85

5 Rodney Kerr

100

SUPERCHARGED OUTLAWS TOP5

JUNIOR DRAGSTER

TOP5

1 Frank taylor

120

1 david roberts

140

2 Craig Gerdes

120

2 Josh Baker

140

3 Mark Kuhn

120

3 Kyle Higgins

120

4 Gregory James

100

4 Toby Austin

120

5 Ian Foster

100

5 Makenah Begg

100

MODIFIED

TOP5

SUPER GAS

TOP5

1 shane Wynd

240

1 Matt Forbes

240

2 Jess Turner

140

2 Graeme Spencer

160

3 Cory Dyson

120

3 Colin Griffin

160

4 Leanne Braggs

120

4 Danny Buccella

120

5 Ken Stewart

120

5 Darryl Stephen

100

FASTLANE I 9

FEATURE

BoYs

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this season has been a work in progress for team Bray racing as both victor and son Ben come to terms with new torque-converter setups.

For Ben it was understanding what the car wanted and just getting the tune up right.

Ben drives several cars with line locks and the change was only minimal for him.

Victor however was a different story. On top of finding the right tune, the sixtime Top Doorslammer champion had to completely change his driving method from the past 25 plus years.

“At first it was difficult getting everything just right every time but with a couple of test days under the belt I seem to be coming to terms with the new setup in the drivers compartment,” said Victor.

“It’s not just the burnout and start line procedure that is entirely different, the braking area regime also takes quite a bit of getting used to. You know what they say about old dogs and new tricks.”

While there are resources available to the team about converter tunes for ADRL Pro Extreme cars and some on NHRA legal cars, both of these set ups have notable differences from ANDRA rules so the information is only of limited help when trying to tune an Australian legal Doorslammer.

It is for that reason TBR chose to attempt to work it out for themselves while taking on board the differences between the categories.

“We have purchased different brand converter drives and are running them in each car to give us the opportunity to see the pros and cons of each unit and we are surprised at the differences between them.”

“Converters have revolutionised some categories in the USA and hopefully we can get them up to speed within our rules here as Stuart Bishop and others already have.”

“Going to the two Perth rounds without any real testing on the converter setups wasn’t our preferred start to the season but we were pushed into that situation by circumstances.”

It was there that Victor Bray, known as the burnout king, could not even perform a burnout when he came to the water patch.

His usual procedure is to roll through the water and drop the clutch. Thanks to the cushioning effect of the converter the car gripped the racetrack instead.

Since those early season lessons, TBR has tested regularly at Willowbank Raceway while both Victor and Ben have been encouraged by strong displays during the Southern Nationals presented by Fiat Professional & Essendon Chrysler Jeep Dodge in early April. Ben went all the way to the semi finals while Grant O’Rourke eliminated Victor on a holeshot in round one.

torqueing Converters The technology has been around for decades but in recent years the idea of running a torque converter in place of a clutch has been gaining momentum in fast Doorslammer racing all over the world.

Traditionally, a torque converter is a fluid coupling transferring drive between the engine and the driven wheels. The converter acts as a centrifugal clutch, allowing the engine to be disconnected from the driven wheels at low RPM. However traditional converters, due to their nature as a fluid coupling, retain some level of slippage at all times.

Enter the Lock-Up converter. The Lock-Up converter eliminates slippage, giving a 1:1 mating between the engine output and the gearbox input. In theory, the advantage is that you get the torque multiplication advantage of a torque converter over the first part of the track, and the efficiency of a clutch at the top end.

FASTLANE I 11

FEATURE

Victor then reached the semi finals of the X-Champs in Sydney despite a major transmission failure in qualifying and experiencing a “turn right” issue around the 60 foot mark in both of his eliminations.

Ben however was a victim of circumstances. After sustaining damage during his first qualifier, the three-time champion missed the second outing and as a result of a rain delay, scheduling and cooling temperatures, the third Group One session did not take place leaving Ben on the wrong side of the bump spot.

“It was certainly a hectic weekend at Sydney Dragway for Team Bray Racing, but as we continue to work on the new converter set-up any track time is good news for us so we will focus on the upsides, including dad’s jump up in the championship standings,” said Ben. “We have been making some really good progress with the new set-up thanks to some extra runs at our local Willowbank Raceway events.”

“As a result, both cars are now running consistent ‘6.0s’, but we are well aware

WHAT THEY

SAY

that in today’s competitive arena sixes just aren’t going to win races most of the time.

“As such we still have some work ahead of us to make the cars really ‘go fast’, but all in all it is short term pain for long term gain so we are pretty happy with

vIctor BraY

Six-time Top Doorslamer champion “It is believed the world over that on a good day a clutch car that is on the money will always be quicker than a converter car due to fundamental changes required to facilitate the use of a convertor.

“However the converter car has some advantages in between round maintenance and supposedly once the tune up is sorted and understood, only minimal changes are required to adapt to changing conditions.”

the progress so far.”

With nine championships between them, it’s safe to say both the Bray boys have some experience and it would seem only a matter of time before they completely

transmission ratios to use for certain track conditions. We have four complete converters and numerous stators sitting in the trailer ready to make a change if need be.

Clutches still have the benchmark, in supercharged, quarter mile, heavy, Doorslammer racing. Converters are catching, but whether they can improve enough is yet to be seen.”

JoHn ZaPPIa

Crew Chief for Stuart Bishop “In my opinion, the autos (technically converter driven instead of clutch, nothing about it is automatic) aren’t any faster.

The advantages are consistency and maintenance/turn around time.

Current and six-time Top Doorslammer champion.

“I sell the B&J Quick Drives and that is what Stuart Bishop and Victor Bray are running. Down the track I will be going that way myself to possibly try in my other car and work out if they are better than the clutch.

After a couple of years of developing our combination, we are starting to figure out which converter components and

At the moment we’ve got a pretty good handle of the clutch so we will stay with that a bit longer. But at the same time

danIel reed

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we need to start moving forward and see whether that is the way we want to go.”

Peter kaPIrIs

Former Top Doorslammer champion “So far those converters are the only way to go on the eight mile. I still don’t think they’ve got them down pat on the quarter mile but as soon as they do we’ll be onto it. And on a track that is not so good they seem to work a lot better.

They are working on a Lock-Up converter that is in its early stages and once they have tested and proven that, I think converters are the way to go.

We’ve been talking about it for the last 12 months but it’s a big investment and what you’ve known the last 20 years you’re going to throw away. We’ve just put a new clutch in our car but once they work out the Lock-Up converters I think that is the way to go.”

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3/03/14

11:28 AM

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FASTLANE I 13

WIl R

A

lloWBank C

E

Willowbank raceway is Queensland’s premier drag racing facility, and as ‘drag racing’s finest’ is universally recognised as one of the very best drag racing facilities in australia and the world.

W

A

Y

Located just a short drive west of Brisbane, Willowbank Raceway continues to showcase the very best and fastest drag racing through a year-round adrenalin-charged calendar of events some 29 years after it was established in 1985.

The facility hosts more than 130,000 spectators and 10,000 racers across more than 100 events each year, including the largest championship drag racing event held outside of North America – the FUCHS Winternationals.

Fondly known as ‘the greatest spectacle in drag racing’, the FUCHS Winternationals is the ‘jewel in the crown’ for the Raceway and the sport of drag racing in Australia. The event has been hosted at Willowbank Raceway for the past 26 outings of its 46 year history, and during the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend of June since 1993.

Spectators have a range of viewing options available to them, from finding a grassy spot on ‘the hill’ to general admission and reserved grandstand seating; while corporate guests have a range of options available from the permanent fixtures of the instantly recognisable Willowbank Raceway corporate centre and the Bendigo Bank Corporate Club to the purpose-built Sky Marquee of the FUCHS Winternationals.

LOCATION: 38 CHAMPIONS WAY, WILLOWBANK QLD ALTITUDE: 52 METRES TIMING SYSTEM: COMPULINK RACING SURFACE: QUARTER-MILE DISTANCE (402M), CONCRETE TO HALF-TRACK, BITUMEN FROM THERE TO END OF BRAKING AREA BRAKING AREA: BITUMEN BRAKING AREA FOR 681M FOLLOWED BY GRAVEL TRAP OF 70M TRACK RECORD: • 4.503 SEC – LARRY DIXON • 326.71MPH/523.65KMH – PHIL LAMATTINA MOST RECENT TRACK RECORD: 5.438 SEC – GARY PHILLIPS (TOP ALCOHOL ET RECORD AT 2014 SANTO’S SUPER 3 EXTREME DRAG RACE)

TRACK

SPOTLIGHT

FASTLANE I 15

FEATURE

WAYNE‘P Best engIneered at the 43rd Westernationals earlier this year, Wayne ‘Patto’ Patterson and his team were the recipients of the Best engineered award thanks to a custom made air operated clutch system fitted to their 2005 ducati 7499.

Watching the development and implementation of the air-operated clutch by his son Todd Patterson was a proud moment for ‘Patto’ who has been racing on two or four wheels since he was 10 years old. At 61 he is still going strong.

“I did Motocross from about 1964 to 1975, Speedway in 1971 to 1973 and Road Racing in 1977 to 1980 but at one stage I was doing the lot and observed section trials.”

In 1978, Patto bought a brand new TZ350 Yamaha, put the bike on a trailer and drove his ’78 HR Holden to Bathurst.

At the time Todd was born five weeks premature but off he went all the way over to NSW across the Nullarbor leaving his wife and new son in St John of Gods Hospital.

“When ya gotta go, ya gotta go,” he says jokingly.

“I did have the privilege in that year of riding against Wayne Gardiner. He was only in B grade like me then and also Mike Hailwood was racing there that year so I got to ride in the same practice as him.”

“It was quite funny, I had some old super 8 video footage that I got developed and put onto disc and it shows me pulling into the pits on the main straight and as I did Mike The Bike came in behind me on the TZ750 Yamaha.”

“I then was just pulling out and we did a bit of an overlap so my claim to fame is that I passed Mike Hailwood on the main straight of Bathurst.”

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It wasn’t until the 90s that Patterson began Drag Racing road bikes at Ravenswood before switching to four wheels.

done a brilliant job and he received that patent the same week as the ANDRA Westernationals award for the Best Engineered Vehicle so we’re really proud of both those achievements.”

“Todd had a yellow 440 charger that he raced for a few years – he’s still got all the running gear in the street charger he got on his 17th birthday.

And then I started racing my HZ Ute with a 454 at Ravo.”

ANDRA Competition Manager Brett Stevens was suitably impressed with the level of engineering involved.

“Some of these new bikes coming through the EFI competition bike classes at the moment are showing levels of innovation, and individual flair that is quite astounding,” he said.

Patto says his favourite sport to compete in was always the one he was doing at the time but Drag Racing is great because now that he is older, he wants to avoid breaking a bone falling off a Road Racing bike.

“The Todd Patterson built air clutch is an engineering masterpiece.”

“Although you’re going fast it’s (Drag Racing) a safer sport I reckon.”

aIr clutcH

Drag Racing also affords Patto the opportunity to work (and play) with his son who helped build and tune the bike. As Crew Chief, Todd developed the pneumatic clutch system after growing tired of adjusting the clutch steel plates following every single pass.

“When Todd first mentioned the new clutch system he had pulled the clutch apart to adjust the shims that add pressure under the springs and/or take some out should the track pull the engine down too much. And this changes all the time,” explains Patterson senior.

“As the plates wear you had to have a calculated guess and hoped you got it as good as possible.

While shimming the hot clutch I remember him saying; ‘I’m over doing this all the time, I’m going to invent a better way to make the clutch more reliable,’ - and he did.”

From stalling and changing the plates after every pass, the Ducati now launches almost identical every time whilst the plates haven’t needed adjusting for two years.

“The clutch in any drag racing vehicle is one of the most important things and we don’t have to worry about it, we just make very minor adjustments for track conditions.”

“Basically by doing the clutch the way we did our 60 foot time came down and it now runs a very consistent 60 foot every run.”

The development led to a patent that was received the same week as the Best Engineered Award at the Westernationals.

“We were really glad to win this award. Todd has

‘‘

todd Patterson explains the idea behind the pneumatic clutch system: I suppose the idea (of a pneumatic clutch) came about when our bike was stalling all the time on the startline. The small turbo twin cylinder engine with little flywheel mass and a dry clutch pack system made it quite frustrating to get this bike off the startline and down the track. It was like we had a 50/50 chance of getting it to leave the line or stall.

After a few seasons of removing the entire clutch after each pass and replacing the steel plates for fresh ones that we had prepared, something had to be done. I needed to be able to have major adjustment and flexibility with the clutch tuning to suit our application. A system like this, which uses electronics over mechanical non-precise adjustments, seemed like the only way to go.

After we saw the awesome changes it made to our bike, I thought we should patent it. You never know, one day it could be the concept that all the drag bikes running a traditional style motorcycle clutch system use to make their bikes get off the startline.

Patto’PATTERSON It was a bit of a mission to try and get a patent happening when you haven’t done that kind of thing before. When they sent the proof back even I didn’t understand how the clutch worked. I modified it into more motorcycle related lingo, and made it easier to understand.

It has been in the patent system for two years and finally its finished. The clutch took less time to develop and get the bugs sorted out!

It is a very simple idea that replaces the five or six springs and throw out arms.

Then air (Co2) is sent to a piston that presses on the clutch pressure plate.

This PSI is controlled precisely by the bikes ECU, and is adjustable every 0.10 of a second for 2 seconds.

It’s just like electronic fuel injection precision, but for your clutch instead of the hit and misses with other styles.

But without the electronic control system built by my mate Glen (Baker) from Auto Sport Electronics, it would not have been such smooth sailing. Without his elec-trickery it would just be a paperweight.

‘‘

elec -trIckerY eXPlaIned

glenn Baker of auto sport electronics describes his role in creating the vital “ elec-trickery” behind the innovative system:

‘‘

nothing had changed with the clutch setup. We retrieved the data and analysed it and found the clutch had behaved in the way we had programmed it.

Since then we have modified the system to make it more user friendly, but the electronics and programming are still on Version 1.0 as we built it.

‘‘

The system works by the MoTeC Engine Management System controlling the proportional valve to control the pressure to the clutch and therefore control the amount of slip the clutch has.

A run timer in the MoTeC is used to control the valve throughout the run and give the team the ability to control the clutch down to one hundredth of a second intervals.

The MoTeC contains a Data Acquisition system, which measures all the engine parameters and those associated with the clutch system.

Once the run is completed the data is downloaded and emailed to me. I analyse it and report back to Todd. We discuss the changes and I make changes to the programming and email the new programming back to him to be fitted to the bike.

When Todd approached me with the concept of his clutch I was interested but sceptical. Todd provided all the information on the way the clutch had to work and the hardware he was using. Once I had digested all the information I realised there was not an off the shelf solution, so I designed a system from scratch.

Once I had assembled all the parts, Todd sent me the valve and I bench tested the system and calibrated it to known values. I fitted all the electronics up to the bike itself.

Todd then provided the clutch parameters as he had measured them on his previous setup, which I then converted into the electronic version and programmed into the Engine Management System. We tested the system on the bench and on the dyno and were confident we had a setup to run.

With a lot of nerves the bike staged for its first run, took off and completed a pass like

FASTLANE I 17

JanuarY 10-11

Nitro Max, Perth Motorplex Top Fuel Round 1 & 2, Top Fuel Motorcycle Round 1 & 2

JanuarY 31-FeBurarY 1

Pro Showdown, Perth Motorplex Top Doorslammer Round 1, Top Alcohol Round 1

FeBruarY 28-MarcH 2

Westernationals, Perth Motorplex Top Fuel Round 3 & 4, Top Doorslammer Round 2 & 3

aPrIl 4-5

Southern Nationals, Calder Park Top Doorslammer Round 4, Pro Stock Round 1, Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 1

aPrIl 18-19

Super 3, Willowbank Raceway Top Fuel Round 5 and 6, Top Alcohol Round 2 and 3,

MaY 2-4

X Champs, Sydney Dragway Top Fuel Round 7, Top Doorslammer Round 5, Top Alcohol Round 4, Pro Stock Round 2, Top Fuel Motorcycle Round 3, Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 2

June 5-8

Winternationals, Willowbank Raceway Top Fuel Round 8, Top Doorslammer Round 6, Top Alcohol Round 5, Pro Stock Round 3, Top Fuel Motorcycle Round 4, Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 3

JanuarY 4-5

Fuchs South Coast Raceway

JanuarY 10-11 Perth Motorplex

FeB 28 – MarcH 2 Perth Motorplex

CHAMPIONSHIP

MarcH 14-15

Adelaide International Raceway

JulY 11-12

Hidden Valley Drag Strip Top Doorslammer Round 7, Top Alcohol Round 6, Top Fuel Motorcycle Round 5

octoBer 4-5

Springnationals, Adelaide International Raceway Top Fuel Round 9, Top Doorslammer Round 8, Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 4

octoBer 4-5 Benaraby Raceway Pro Stock Round 4

oct 31 - nov 2

Australian Nationals, Sydney Dragway Top Fuel Round 10, Top Doorslammer Round 9, Top Alcohol Round 7, Pro Stock Round 5, Top Fuel Motorcycle Round 6 and Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 5

deceMBer 5-7

Grand Finals, Calder Park Top Fuel Round 11, Top Doorslammer Round 10, Top Alcohol Round 8, Pro Stock Round 6, Top Fuel Motorcycle Round 9 and Pro Stock Motorcycle Round 6

aPrIl 4-5

JulY 19-20

Alice Springs Inland Dragway

Benaraby Raceway

MaY 2-4

sePteMBer 13-14

oct 31 - nov 2

octoBer 4-5

deceMBer 5-7

Calder Park

Sydney Dragway

June 5-8

Willowbank Raceway

Mildura Sunset Strip

Adelaide International Raceway

octoBer 4-5

Sydney Dragway

Calder Park

FEATURE

46 T H E F u c H s W I N T E R N AT I O N A L S

46

years of glory

the FucHs Winternationals is the jewel in the crown of Willowbank raceway and the sport of drag racing in australia.

Fondly known as ‘the greatest spectacle in drag racing’, the FUCHS Winternationals is the second oldest event in Australian drag racing (behind the Australian Nationals), and has been hosted at Willowbank Raceway for the past 26 outings of its 46-year history.

This year, the FUCHS Winternationals program has been shifted back to a Thursday start, with finals scheduled for the Sunday.

In 2014, it is the 47th running of this ‘Winter Wonder’, signaling a long and illustrious journey since its beginnings at Surfers Paradise International Raceway in the sixties.

The Gold Coast quarter-mile played host to the event from 1968 until 1987, when it shifted to Ipswich’s newly established Willowbank Raceway.

Until the early nineties the event was held on a variety of winter dates between June and August, but from 1993 – when it was elevated by the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) to national event status – the FUCHS Winternationals has enjoyed a Queen’s Birthday long weekend berth to the delight of racers and spectators alike.

Since its move from a regional event to a national championship race in 1993, the event has achieved a number of major milestones and seen its race entries double as the event earned itself the title of Australia’s best drag race.

First, it became Australia’s largest drag racing event when it outstripped the competitor number of Australia’s oldest championship event, the Australian Nationals.

It then became the largest championship drag race outside of Europe and North America, before growing further to today boast numbers which see it officially

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larger than any drag race other than those held in the United States.

Playing a big part in the event’s record-breaking prowess is its timing – with the winter scheduling providing horsepower-friendly atmospheric conditions, which combined with exceptional track preparation, allow for outstanding performances from all classes.

With warm days and cool nights the norm, the recent increases in horsepower for Top Fuel and other brackets has seen a necessary shift in race day schedules to focus on afternoon racing, with the high-powered vehicles increasingly struggling to grip the race surface in the cold evening conditions no matter how good the track preparation.

One result of this shift has been the preservation of spectacular performances for not only racers but spectators as well, with the qualifying sessions of the six ANDRA Drag Racing Series Group One brackets set to run on Friday and Saturday afternoons, while Sunday hosts a full day of elimination racing from morning to night. The schedule groups the quickest and most popular vehicles in qualifying blocks for the fans enjoyment.

The programming change sees spectators presented with the opportunity to view the sport’s showcase brackets on track when they can perform at their peak, in conditions ideal for both teams and those in the grandstand.

Proof of the new formula came quickly, when in 2008 the event delivered an avalanche of performance treats including Australia’s first all-four-second Top Fuel field, no less than 19 four-second passes – more than any other event in Australia’s history – and seven world records in the Top Doorslammer bracket. Dozens of other standards were reset with a total of 71 national and track records established at the event, making it the ‘best race’ in the event’s history.

And the achievements haven’t stopped there, with a wide range of records and accolades achieved over the years.

The greatest spectacle in drag racing 1968 – 1987

The Winternationals are held at Surfers Paradise International Raceway

1988

The event shifts to Willowbank Raceway, newly established in Ipswich, west of Brisbane

1993

ANDRA grants the Winternationals ‘national event’ status. Allan Dobson runs a 5.904 second pass to record the first sub-six-second result for a Top Alcohol Funny Car outside of North America.

1995

The event’s Top Bike field establishes itself as the quickest in history (at the time) with a 7.56 second bump spot, while its Pro Stock entrants produce Australia’s first ‘all-seven second’ field for the class, with the eighth car qualifying with a 7.98 second performance. This would be improved at later Winternationals events with an Australianbest ‘bump spot’ of 7.96s in 1996, 7.86s in 1998, 7.801s in 2001, 7.692s in 2002, 7.664s in 2005, 7.402s in 2006, 7.310s in 2007, 7.294s in 2008, 7.152s in 2009 and 7.099s in 2010, when the eight car bracket expanded to a 16 car race field.

1996

Victor Bray secures the Top Doorslammer ET World Record with a 6.291 second result - the first time the Americans had lost a record.

1997

ANDRA installs the event as the ‘season decider’ for all Australian drag racing championships.

Willowbank Raceway becomes the quickest quarter mile outside of North America after Graeme Cowin’s Top Fuel car runs 4.81 seconds across the quarter-mile. Cowin retains this accolade until his son Andrew Cowin eclipses his record at the Winternationals in 2002 with a 4.750 second result – the quickest and fastest pass outside of North America as the first piston-engined car to hit 500km/h outside North America.

2000

Peter Ridgeway clocks the fastest speed in the world for a 6.5lb-per-cube car at 179.93mph (289.56km/h) and Grant O’Rourke’s AA/Gasser runs 6.574 seconds to claim the quickest time in the world for a small block-equipped sedan.

In Top Doorslammer, Robin Judd and Andrew Searle deliver the quickest side-by-side sedan pairing in the world at 6.179s and 6.250s, with Judd’s time equaling the world’s quickest ET for a methanol-fuelled sedan and Searle’s Ford logging the best 60ft time in the world for a Top Doorslammer at 0.976 seconds. f North outside o 9 7. arter milen 4.81sec in 19 ars. qu st ke ye ic ra e the qu Fuel dragster e books for five ay beca m th Top nk Racew raeme Cowin’s rd remained on ba ow ill G W when That reco America

2001

Peter Ridgeway (Pro Stock) grabs the world ET record for 6.5lb-per-cube cars with a time of 7.534 seconds.

2002

Andrew Cowin’s 4.750 second record-breaking pass is set alongside Jim Read, who runs a 4.909 second pass to make it the first side-by-side foursecond pass in Australia and the quickest outside of North America.

2003

Mark Sheehan’s car runs 5.992 to become the quickest small block-powered Altered in the world.

2004

The Pro Stock Motorcycle field becomes the first ‘all-seven-second’ ladder for the category with a 7.717 second bump spot (which remained until 2007 when it dropped to 7.542 where it currently remains).

2005

Archie Kajewski’s turbo Beretta runs 6.996 seconds at 201.52mph (324.24km/h) to record the first 200mph pass in the world by a rotarypowered vehicle. It was also the first ‘six-second’ pass by a rotary in Australia. Mark Sheehan runs a 5.690 second pass to confirm his car as the quickest methanol-powered Altered in the world, and the Top Doorslammer category produces the world’s first side-by-side 240mph pass when Victor Bray travels the quarter-mile at 242.07mph (389.57km/h) alongside Steve Stanic’s 242.98mph (391.03km/h) effort.

2006

A record number of entries is achieved with 606 competitors signing up for the event. Ben Bray drives his Top Alcohol Funny Car to a time of 5.529 seconds, making it the quickest methanolfuelled Funny Car outside of North America and the third quickest in the world.

2008

The event schedule shifts to a morning/afternoon racing focus. A long list of performance records are set including Australia’s first all-four-second Top Fuel field, 19 four-second passes, 71 national and track records and 7 world records in the Top Doorslammer bracket alone – including a battle for the world speed records when Gary Phillips clocked 402.11km/h (249.86mph) to be the world’s first sedan to crack the 400km/h barrier, before Brett Stevens broke that with a 252.66mph blast, making it the first sedan to hit 250mph. The world’s fastest pairing of sedans then occurred when Gary Phillips (249.86mph) and Aaron Lynch (243.77mph) hurtled down the Willowbank quarter-mile together.

2009

The Top Doorslammer bracket produces a thenAustralian record 14 five-second passes.

2010

The second-highest total of records for a Winternationals event is achieved with 31 national records and 42 track records – the highest number of national certificates handed out in the history of the Winternationals. A fourth qualifying session for Group One is introduced, with the 16 car field of Pro Stock running its first round in place of its fourth qualifying session.

Robin Judd (249.21mph) and Mark Belleri (249.07mph) run the fastest side-by-side pass in the world for Top Doorslammer.

2011

The Supercharged Outlaws bracket sets the standard for the Eliminator’s quickest field with the 32nd car running 7.519 seconds.

2012

Following the death of well-known drag racing identity Mick Atholwood, the Mick Atholwood Trophy is introduced for the Top Fuel bracket with driver Allan Dobson in the Santo Rapisarda entry becoming its first recipient. John Zappia’s Top Doorslammer runs the quickest time for the eliminator of 5.750sec.

2013

The Top Doorslammer bracket sees a new national ET record by John Zappia, the fastest speed in Pro Stock Motorcycle for a new national record by Aussie-born US resident Rhett Lougheed, a world’s best performance for a rotary vehicle in Factory Xtreme (George Rehayem) and the quickest fields ever seen in Australia at that time for Top Doorslammer and Pro Stock brackets.

FASTLANE I 21

ROUND REPORT

HIstorIcWIN FORBIsHoP

Big names fell and locals made a name for themselves during qualifying at the Pro showdown.

The Perth Motorplex track proved tricky with numerous teams in both brackets experiencing tyre shake and pedalling out in the first stanza before settling down and finding their groove.

Well… most of them.

Heavy hitter Steven Reed failed to make the show in Top Alcohol while the Brays, Andrew Sutton and Peter Kapiris bowed out in Top Doorslammer in what was one of the tightest fields ever split by one tenth of a second.

Murray O’Connor in ‘the little Falcon that could” had a big night finishing as number one qualifier in Top Doorslammer posting 6.072, 5.908 and 5.989 in his three runs.

Eliminations got off to a hairy start with Martyn Dack and Maurice Fabietti opening proceedings.

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Fabietti put two wheels in the air turning sharply to the right and over the centerline while Dack posted a 6.442 blowing heavy smoke in the process. He would make it back for the semis though his night ended in an oil down allowing Pino Priolo to advance on a 6.039.

Grant O’Rourke upset six times Top Doorslammer champion John Zappia on a 5.992 from Zap’s 6.141 but it was Stuart Bishop who would take the win defeating Mark Belleri, O’Rourke in a pedal fest and then Pino Priolo with a 5.972 from a 6.028 for his first ANDRA Drag Racing Series victory in 15 years of trying.

After being handed the trophy Bishop said he was in disbelief as the usual suspects were eliminated early allowing the Wallace Bishop Jewellers team to take advantage.

“It’s special, he said. “I’ve usually been out in the first round the last couple of years and Doorslammer feels like I’m always up against

Zappia who went out first round. Unfortunately I’m used to that.”

“I don’t get to race every race so Daniel Reed (crew chief) gets to tinker with the car, play with different things and do different things. We came out here to use a race meeting as a test run and we came away with the win.”

Referring to the ANDRA Silver Christmas tree Bishop said, “I’m a jeweller by trade and this is the most expensive piece of metal I’ve ever held!”

In Top Alcohol, the other fairy tale involving Shane Weston came to an end in the semi-finals as Weston blazed the tyres on a 5.726 while Craig Glassby took full advantage going first across the line with a 5.768.

PRO SHOWDOWN 31 MARCH – 1 FEBRUARY, 2014 PERTH MOTORPLEX PHOTO CREDIT: HIGH OCTANE PHOTOS

His opponent in the final would be John Cannuli who had his Dudu Funny Car on a rail all night with a 6.667 to defeat a pedalling Steve Ham (8.425) and then taking out 16 times Top Alcohol champion Gary Phillips (5.724) on a pass of 5.650.

In the final Cannuli went across the stripe on a 5.609 leaving Glassby frustrated as his Chevy Monte Carlo funny car came out of the holeshot untidy for a 9.270 handing Cannuli his fourth ANDRA Drag Racing Series win.

was consistent all weekend; it ran 5.60s and we brought the win home.”

“To beat those guys is really great; to beat the likes of Steve Ham and Gary Phillips is really good.”

“I love the trophy. Any win is good but these Christmas trees are really special.”

results

Cannuli did not qualify in Top Doorslammer but his priority was always the Top Alcohol championship saying it was a great feeling to beat Gary Phillips and Steve Ham along the way.

top doorslammer

“That’s why we came here to get this funny car in the final and that’s what we did,” he said “It

John Cannuli 5.609 def Craig Glassby 9.270

Stuart Bishop 5.972 def Pino Priolo 6.028 top alcohol

FASTLANE I 23

ROUND REPORT

Won HOW THE West WAS

43RD WESTERNATIONALS 28 FEBRUARY – 2 MARCH, 2014 PERTH MOTORPLEX PHOTO CREDIT: HIGH OCTANE PHOTOS

It came down to defending Australian Top Fuel champion Darren Morgan on his season debut versus then points leader Phil Lamattina and it was LTFR who came out on top to take Round 3 of the Top Fuel ANDRA Drag Racing Series at the 43rd Westernationals.

It was candles all the way in the Top Fuel A Final with side by side fours as Lamattina recorded a winning ET of 4.613 at 327.27 mph (526.68 kmh) from Morgan’s 4.860 at 301.00 mph (484.40 kmh) to win for the fourth time in a row at Perth Motorplex.

LTFR owned the Kwinana venue all night recording 4.673 to top qualifying before doing it again in eliminations with 4.670 despite popping a blower belt toward the end of the run to defeat Martin Stamatis (5.582).

“The car was coming around, the track was coming around and in the final we had Darren (Morgan) and we thought if we ran another low .60 we’d be all good and what did we do? We ran a 4.61 at 327 mph,” he said.

“Tomorrow is another day. Just after six o’clock we’ll see what we can do and see if we can get the car running consistent, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t. We’ll build from there and hopefully put the Fuchs Top Fuel Dragster in the winner’s circle again.”

Grant O’Rourke set the pace early in Top Doorslammer with a 5.978 to top the field in

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qualifying. Andrew Sutton joined him in the fives with 5.996 while John Zappia found himself in 19th and facing a thrash after tagging the wall.

DMR were quicker with each pass running 4.758 in qualifying, 4.712 during eliminations and 4.695 in the A Final from Allan Dosbon’s 4.717.

Zap recovered to put down a 5.957 in eliminations before the parochial West Aussie crowd rose to their feet to applaud his pulsating 5.797 from Grant O’Rourke’s 7.533 in the B Final.

Morgan said the car has new clutch disconnects, blowers and injector but the team is very happy with the set up.

Peter Kapiris qualified in eighth spot but put the hammer down in eliminations recording an ET of 5.852 and finding himself in the Top Doorslammer A Final against Mark Belleri who qualified seventh and defeated an out of shape Gary Phillips on a 5.952 from 9.705.

Belleri had the quicker RT in the A Final but the New South Welshman popped the blower sending flames skyward leaving Kapiris to win a pedal fest and mosey across the line on a 7.933 pass.

“We had a good semi-final,” he said. “The final wasn’t real good, that was partly my fault. Mark pre-staged and staged in one hit and that threw me.

The RPM was all over the place which is why I went up in smoke.”

“Hopefully I’m there again tomorrow. The car is doing everything it’s supposed to no matter what we’re throwing at it, it’s responding.”

After Darren Morgan made his debut on Saturday as a runner up to Lamattina, he finished his weekend as a winner on Sunday to shake up the ANDRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel standings.

“We’re really happy with the changes (to the car), it’s perfect,” he said.

“Everything is just mint, it goes faster and faster every time we tell it to.”

“The next time we have a good track we’ll run low 60s or high 50s.”

Lamattina went quickest again in qualifying on a spectacular 4.693 pass from Damien Harris’ 4.803 while Allan Dobson went side by side with Morgan posting a 4.748. Martin Stamatis also went into the fours despite a pop and haze at 1000ft on a 4.868 against Mark Sheehan stepping out just shy of 1000ft.

A red light for the first time since 2012 ended Lamattina’s dream run out west meaning Dobson would go quickest and reach the A Final against DMR on a 4.687 from Stamatis’ 5.091.

Daniel Gregorini posted consecutive PBs in Top Doorslammer surging first to a 5.921 in eliminations as Victor Bray shut down early, while Gary Phillips posted the second quickest winning ET of the round to make the A Final on a 5.928.

results top Fuel round 3 Phil Lamattina 4.613 def Darren Morgan 4.860 top Fuel round 4 Darren Morgan 4.664 def Allan Dobson 4.717

Unfortunately Phillips would not make the start due to a damaged main rear bearing on the previous pass leaving Gregorini to take a solo 5.914 in his first final and lift his first ever ANDRA Christmas tree of any colour, never mind gold.

Surprisingly Zappia’s night would end in the elimination round on a holeshot as Peter Kapiris got the win on a 6.139 thanks to an RT of .084 from Zap’s 6.036 and .196.

would feel a little jumpy but one man with ice running through his veins is Ross Smith who secured his third straight Westernationals crown on the Suzuki Hayabusa.

“I did a short shifting pass on the 6.08 but then did 5.92 and 5.91 to back it up. That last pass I had to short shift again as it got a bit skatey out there.”

Ben Bray overcame his recent teething problems with a new torque converter to reach the B Final on a 6.045 pass against Bishop (6.337). Pino Priolo’s 6.069 defeated the engine popping Andrew Sutton to join him.

Smith qualified second and took out Stan Lisle, Ross Green, Ryan Learmonth and finally Kevin Gummow to lift the ANDRA Gold Christmas tree yet again.

“I’ve got posters from when Zap first started when I was seven years old and I’ve been following him since.

That was the dream and I finally got here and did it, it’s awesome.”

Ben Bray’s difficulties resurfaced however laying fluid and shutting down after the burnout leaving Priolo to take the B Final solo in a pedalling 6.459.

Earlier Gregorini’s childhood hero John Zappia was back in a big way qualifying first with a 5.863. Andrew Sutton slotted into second running 5.868 from Gary Phillips in third with 5.923. From there it was a string of sixes led by Marty Dack (6.004) and Pat Carbone (6.008) in fourth and fifth.

Red lights were a theme throughout eliminations including the finals to decide a string of Westernationals titles in Round 3 of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

The Westerns are a huge event so its understandable competitors

Smith, who set new records for mph and ET along the way, said the humidity arriving around semi-final time didn’t affect his speeds despite ETs suffering.

“The semi-final with Ryan (Learmonth), it was both of us just on the tank and the same again in the final with Kevin (Gummow), I was just on the tank and he didn’t come past.”

“It was a top weekend! A huge thanks goes out to Barry.”

top doorslammer round 2 Peter Kapiris 7.933 def Mark Belleri N.T.R top doorslammer round 3 Daniel Gregorini 5.914 (solo) competition Alistair McClure 6.450 (6.75) def Damien Dequen 7.43 (7.70, red light) super stock Errol Quartermaine 7.85 (8.13) def Jake Chaisty 10.639 (9.72, red light) competition Bike Ross Smith 8.432 (8.68) def Kevin Gummow 7.538 (7.72) supercharged outlaws Frank Taylor 6.820 (8.82) def Ian Foster 7.105 (7.04, red light) Modified Jamie Nelmes 8.678 (8.24) def Paul Ryan (N.T.R) super sedan Ethan Hort 9.797 (9.78) def Lorenzo Gullotto 8.098 (8.09) Modified Bike Lindsay Wood 9.392 (9.15) def Brian Hotker 10.638 (9.93) super street Darran Bakranich 11.123 (11.15) def Scott Jeffreys 11.287 (11.29, red light) Junior dragster Kyle Higgins 8.166 (8.20) def Rebecca Ewing 9.589 (9.50, red light)

ROUND REPORT

RAIN, RAIN go

aWaY AEROFLOW SPORTSMAN DRAG RACING CHAMPIONSHIP 14-15 MARCH 2014 ADELAIDE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY PHOTO CREDIT: BOB TAYLOR

The weather, not racing, would decide the points in Round 4 of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship at Adelaide International Raceway.

An initial rain delay in the early morning gave way to blustery conditions allowing final qualifiers to be locked down with Darryl Walford and Daniel Camilleri both holding onto their number one positions in Supercharged Outlaws and Super Comp respectively.

Of the remaining brackets all but one of the competitors who found themselves in top spot coming into Saturday held onto their positions with only Jason Arbery snatching away first place in Super Sedan with a 6.527 from Larry Piscioneri’s 7.956.

Eliminations were shaping up to be a shootout across the board as Camilleri, Craig Geddes, Darren Parker and Mario Barbon were flying all day to reach the Super Comp semis. Geddes had earlier reset the E/AA ET record over 1000 feet during Q3 by four ten thousandths of a second to 6.240 but the conditions robbed the crowd of a Geddes v Camilleri match up.

Surprisingly Walford didn’t catch the light he was hoping for in round one of Supercharged Outlaws bowing out early

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at the hands of Larry Basile but it was a different story for Ryan Van Dyk who was good on the holeshot and stormed into the semi-finals by downing Justin Russell and Donald Friend to join Basile, the hard charging Diona Day and South Aussie Steven Walker.

Modified top qualifier Leanne Braggs was quick all weekend but Shane Wynd accounted for the Victorian to reach the semis to set up a meeting with local charger Alex Van Leuven. On the other side of the elimination bracket, David Thornton reached the semi-finals and would have met Corey Dyson who accounted for Aussie number one Craig Baker in round one running 8.597 (8.54) to Dyson’s 7.507 (7.50).

Super Gas champ Matt Forbes looked odds on after defeating top qualifier Johnny Ienco in round two setting the stage for a great match up with Danny Bucella in the semi-finals but Graeme Spencer must be cursing the clouds as he faced a solo run to the final.

Super Sedan, Modified Bike, Super Street and Junior Dragster all reached the second round but unfortunately that’s where it would end as the heavens opened at approximately 6:30pm. The meeting was called a short time later as it became clear any efforts to dry the track would be in vain.

ROUND REPORT

COLD WEATHER

Blues the andra drag racing series and aeroflow sportsman drag racing championship got off to an early start on day two as the sun began to shine and the track came around but as with the previous day, the full race program was unable to be completed.

Similar to Friday night, safety concerns were raised as a result of rapidly dropping track temperatures.

Top Doorslammer found their groove earlier in the day over the 1000 foot distance as Stuart Bishop and John Zappia put down the pass of the day in the final qualifying session. Bishop top qualified on a 5.136 with Zappia close behind on a 5.270.

As it turned out they were due to face each other in the final after blitzing their elimination opponents.

Bishop said his form was down to the tune of the car as the torque converter allows the team more room to dial back the set up for the shorter distance.

SOUTHERN NATIONALS PRESENTED BY FIAT PROFESSIONAL & ESSENDON CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE 4-5 APRIL 2014 CALDER PARK RACEWAY PHOTO CREDIT: DARREN BINGHAM

“We got the maximum amount of points under the situation so we earned 97 points and Stuart earned 88 points and we feel we got the moral win,” said Zappia. “We came here to play a game and we won the most points.”

In other Group 1 action, Pro Stock completed the first round of eliminations with Lee Bektash making headlines for knocking out 2013 champ Jason Grima on a 7.115 from a 7.296.

Top qualifier Bill Kostias also went out in the first round with an NTR as Tyronne Tremayne crossed on a 7.279. The fourth and final matchup saw Rick Chilton post a 7.157 to defeat Nino Cavallo running 7.584.

Pro Stock Motorcycle completed one round of eliminations but did not stage a semi final though the action came thick and fast.

Australian number one Luke Crowley had low ET of the round on a 7.324 to defeat Lachlan Ireland on 7.694 and Phil Howard ran an 8.179 to defeat Scott White on a troubled 10.750.

“We’re all so hyped up to run 5.80s that you get to a track like this and the track just can’t cope with that type of horsepower,” he said. “You can dial it right back and that’s where I think they come into their own.”

But the drama came when Maurice Allen (NTR) defeated Tony Hinkley (NTR), after Hinkley took a tumble off the bike taking out the finish line cones. Safety crews reacted while Maurice Allen immediately pulled up his bike and ran to the aid of Hinkley who was okay and walked away.

“I think it’s been great (at Calder Park). I’d like to see them spend some money and do the track up. I think the venue could be absolutely fabulous again with its proximity to Melbourne and the fan-base here.”

As the night progressed and Top Doorslammer completed the semi finals, Group 1 would not get to see another green light once track and ANDRA officials deemed the surface to be unsafe due to the cold conditions.

Unfortunately we would not get to see a Bishop v Zappia final but Zap had some fun with what might have been.

Several elimination rounds were also completed in Round 5 of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship. For full results, visit the Results section on the ANDRA website.

FASTLANE I 27

ROUND REPORT SANTO’S SUPER 3 EXTREME DRAG RACE PRESENTED BY UPLIFT CRANES & TITAN CRANES 18-19 APRIL, 2014 WILLOWBANK RACEWAY PHOTO CREDIT: FRED DWYER, DRAGPHOTOS.COM.AU

In memory of louIe rapisarda autosport International secured an emotional first ever louie rapisarda top Fuel trophy at the second running of the santo’s super 3 extreme drag race presented by uplift cranes and titan cranes over easter.

RAI dominated the opening night as Allan Dobson had his car on a rail running 4.704 at 290.51 mph to top qualify. Everyone’s favourite firefighter then accounted for John Lamattina during eliminations on a 4.659 at 309.49 mph from a tyre smoking 6.874.

Steve ‘Pommie’ Read joined Dobson in the A Final thanks to a pair of 4.8s however Team Rapisarda turned Good Friday into a Great Friday winning the A Final on a 4.677 from Read’s 5.35 simultaneously taking night one of the Santo’s Super 3 and Round 5 of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series.

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Dobson said his three runs were picture perfect and congratulated the team for their efforts.

“I’m very proud for the maturity shown

by Santino (Rapisarda) and the race team to be able to display their talent and put three runs together with no fires and no rods coming out of it.”

“We had one broken oil line fitting, that was the only mishap we had all night.

Otherwise it was just a beautiful thing.”

The B Final belonged to Damien Harris who posted a 9.661 on a troubled solo pass alongside an exhibitioning Phil Lamattina. That gave Rapisarda first and third on the night and a commanding position in the overall points for the Louie Rapisarda Top Fuel Trophy.

Deb O’Rourke set Top Alcohol alight early securing pole for the second time in her career. That earned the IT consultant a solo pass in the uneven field running a 5.750 at 233.58 mph before tagging the wall once the parachutes deployed.

The team thrashed to get the car out for the A Final against Gary Phillips who did not register a time in qualifying, taking out the timing blocks when a

shake and a pedal lifted the front end.

He recovered during eliminations in an early shut off despite not plugging in the shift light in what he described as a “seat of the pants run” to beat John Cannuli on a 5.606 at 245.76 mph from 5.654 at 252.66 mph.

In the A Final O’Rourke went up in smoke allowing Phillips, who took his time staging, to take the win on a 5.619 at 239.91 mph.

“We were a little bit worried about the dew (coming into the final) because the visor and the screen began to fog,” said Phillips.

“It was a touchy thing, we never had time to put a clutch in it so it was one of those things where we just run and see what happens.”

“The car is there. We’ve got some new stuff we’re going to try real soon and it’s doing the job, it’s not hurting anything and that’s why Lucas Oil are paying me the money.”

The B Final resulted in a win for Steven Ham with a 5.52 at 263.31 mph from Steven Reed’s 7.565.

Easter Saturday was a similar story as Dobson reached his second A Final

in as many nights to secure the Louie Rapisarda Top Fuel Trophy for RAI while Gary Phillips set a new national record for Top Alcohol on his way to another ANDRA Drag Racing Series win.

“(It’s) unbelievable,” said Dobson. “I don’t want to say it’s better than sex, that’s probably overdoing it but it’s just a beautiful thing to be able to do it for Santo.”

left scraping the wall just after passing the finish line. But that wasn’t enough to stop the seventeen-time national champion from claiming a second consecutive Silver Christmas Tree.

It was an emotional victory for Crew Chief Santino Rapisarda who said he was just happy to get the win for his father Santo.

“I’ve never concentrated so much continuously for so many hours. I just had my game face on. I was massaging as much as I could in the cockpit, raising my seat, pushing my shoulders forward and trimming head clearance.

I was just absolutely into the race zone.”

“The track is really dark and if you look there is a couple of lights out. If you look at the replay you can see dark spots and when you’re hauling there is a bump down there.”

“It’s feels great,” he said. “Two of two Christmas Trees and we’ve never won the Louie Rapisarda Top Fuel Trophy so that is a milestone in itself for Rapisarda Racing.”

“It’s great for the family, great for morale, great for the crew and great for Dad with the amount of money he invests in this sport with two cars and the amount of effort that goes in to all the crew working full time.”

“I think my father is very deserving of a win like this.”

Allan Dobson was the only driver to make a clean pass during qualifying on a 4.713 at 282.60 mph with everyone else destroying inventory in a costly night.

Dobson himself would blow an engine crossing the line during eliminations on a 4.717 at 287.35 mph to defeat Phil Lamattina who summed up his troublesome weekend with an early shutdown.

That set the stage for a fifth Rapisarda v Lamattina Top Fuel Racing duel of the night as Phil brother’s John Lamattina reached the A Final with a 5.629 at 172.63 mph from Damien Harris who shut down to a 9.951.

With the Louie Rapisarda Top Fuel Trophy awarded to the driver with the most aggregate points over both nights already secure, Dobson then set about taking maximum championship points with a 4.789 at 238.75 mph to defeat Lamattina as his engine shut of at half track on a 5.422 at 173.32 mph.

“Santino, I was looking at his face in the pits while we were warming up. His eyes, he just had his race face on. He was just so damn serious and earlier on something happened in the lifter or the valve train (in the elimination pass) and we had to pull a motor in 25 minutes to tow.”

“The motor was changed, blower on, started it, warmed it up, changed the oil, buttoned it, tagged it and just sent it.

It was like off you go mate, it was just an awesome, awesome weekend.”

Gary Phillips turned it on in his Top Alcohol qualifier going within a whisker of the national record of 5.467 on a 5.47 to top the field. On his solo elimination pass he sliced and diced that mark to set a new record of 5.438 despite touching the wall across the line with his qualifying run enough to back up the record.

John Cannuli had the task of taking on Phillips on the back of a pair of 5.59s to reach the A Final but it would end in an anticlimax as Cannuli failed to fire while Phillips spun the tyres to win.

“Number one qualifier, national record, low ET, top speed and took the points,” said a beaming Phillips. “Two in a row over two nights it was bitchin’, really good.”

“We’re back to square one where we should be.”

“I hit the bump and when I went through the lights I missed the chute on the first hit and then it went over and touched the headers in the braking area. We bashed the headers out, left them on there and came out in the final.”

Steve Reed took the win on a solo in the B Final with a 5.596 at 252.28 mph after Darren Fry could not start due to damage to the blower sustained in his elimination win.

The Top Fuel B Final was a nonstarter as Phil Read was unable to take the light due to damage sustained in his previous two passes.

results top Fuel round 5 Allan Dobson 4.677 def Steve Read 6.358 top Fuel round 6 Allan Dobson 4.789 def John Lamattina 5.422 top alcohol round 2 Gary Phillips 5.619 def Debbie O’Rourke 16.98 top alcohol round 3 Gary Phillips 21.45 (solo)

On his record setting run Phillips pulled to the center before correcting to the

FASTLANE I 29

ROUND REPORT

XcIteMent X CHAMPS MAY 2-4, 2014 SYDNEY DRAGWAY

PHOTOS: FRED DWYER, DRAGPHOTOS.COM.AU, STEVE THOMAS, JOE MADAY, JON VAN DAAL

lIved Here!

the X-champs lived up to the billing and provided total non-stop action all weekend culminating in a pulsating final day of eliminations.

Just when it looked as though Rapisarda Autosport International’s recent run would come to an end when top qualifier Damien Harris went out in the first round, up stepped Allan Dobson to secure his third successive ANDRA Drag Racing Series win.

Not only did “Dobbo” take home the ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree, but he wrested the Top Fuel championship points lead away from Phil Lamattina.

“It was so hard to win that one,” said Dobson. “After qualifying yesterday I was starting to doubt our chances of getting through. We just had to get one good pass to get a baseline and we did that today.”

“It (the engine) was eating itself up so we had to swap a few engines.

There was a lot of pressure on that last race there, the car wouldn’t start and we had trouble with the electronic sensors. We broke the input shaft in the semi finals and it destroyed the engine, there was not a clutch left.”

Gordon Crawford on his way to lifting the trophy.

“It feels unreal,” said Azzopardi.

“The only plan we came here with was to either run a personal best or win. We weren’t looking to run a crazy pass or anything like that, we were just here to have a run.”

“It was excellent to get through to the finals, to do it for Santo and take over the championship lead. Now I’m going for the championship like a fighter, I’ve never felt so pumped up and aggressive.”

“We weren’t prepared to go and try crazy things and then have to come back to start pulling the motor apart.

This bike has still got the same pistons and rods in it from when I bought it, for a nitro vehicle that’s nearly impossible.”

Leonard Azzopardi upset the apple cart in Top Fuel Motorcycle by taking home his first Group One ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree by defeating Neville Smith, Mark Drew and

Pro Stock number one qualifier Aaron Tremayne solidified his points lead in the championship eliminating Anthony Selva and

defending champion Jason Grima before defeating Emilio Spinozzi making his first ever final appearance.

“It was a pretty good weekend,” said Tremayne. “I’m a little bummed we hurt a couple of motors but what do you do?”

“There’s a bit of an issue there with some fuel, us and some other guys had that issue but that doesn’t matter, we’ll get them fixed up and have our good motors back for the Winternationals.”

“It (the X-Champs) was a good race meeting, it was a pity we had rain yesterday that probably hurt the crowd a little bit but the track was a lot better, especially today. There was some good data I collected and hopefully we can go to the Winters, run a couple of sixes and set some big mph.”

results top Fuel Allan Dobson 4.928 def John Lamattina 6.122 top alcohol Steven Reed 5.569 def Steve Ham 6.254 top doorslammer John Zappia 5.799 def Peter Kapiris 5.982 top Fuel Motorcycle Leonard Azzopardi 6.594 def Gordon Crawford 9.223 Pro stock Aaron Tremayne 7.011 def Emilio Spinozzi 7.203 Pro stock Motorcycle Luke Crowley 7.294 def Phil Howard 7.459 competition Peter Pisalidis 11.051 (7.05, solo) super stock Les Heintz 8.469 (8.69) def Clint George 8.197 (7.63, red light) John Zappia moved to the top of the point standings powering into the Top Doorslammer final with a 5.84 to defeat Martyn Dack and a semi final winning 5.82 to eliminate an out of shape Victor Bray.

Kapiris had run 5.9s in his previous runs to eliminate Andrew Sutton and Stuart Bishop and so it proved again in the final but his 5.98 was not enough to beat John Zappia running a 5.79 to take the lead in the standings from Stuart Bishop.

Steven Reed added another Gold Christmas Tree to the forest in his trophy cabinet running a 5.95 to defeat Wayne Price early in eliminations, a 5.53 to defeat Wayne Newby and complete the hat trick in the final with a 5.56 to beat Steven Ham who spun the tyres.

Rounding out the Group One action, Luke Crowley wrapped up another Pro Stock Motorcycle round win

progressing through the first round on a solo 7.27 before defeating Maurice Allen in a tight race with a 7.21 from a 7.29. That set up a final run against Phil Howard with his 7.29 good enough to edge the win from Howard’s 7.45.

after George Rehayem shut down prior to staging. In the process Rigoli reset the CC/SC ET and mph records to 6.851 and 198.03 mph.

The X-Champs also provided the stage for a record setting Round 6 of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

Les Heintz reset the B/MP ET record to 8.398 while Darren Parker broke his own B/APA record to establish a new mark of 7.342. Rob Nunn claimed both records for B/ AP pushing the ET to 7.213 and the mph to 188.81.

Although Alistair McClure could not front for the Competition final he did manage to reset the BB/AA record along the way smashing the previous mark of 6.450 with a 6.383.

Darren Schuster would break the D/AB mph record in Competition Bike with 157.43 but he bowed out on a red light to Blair Pennington in the final thanks to a 9.36 on a 9.37.

Also in Competition, Kyle Putland reset the A/A record to 6.702 but a red light ended his run in the semi finals after looking very strong all weekend.

The final records to fall were the ET and mph marks for AA/MA as Andrew Musgrave put down a 6.375 and 219.22 mph but it was his round two opponent Peter Brown who would go on to claim the X-Champs title on a solo 8.29 on a 7.62.

Domenic Rigoli took home the honours in Super Compact with a final win of 6.85 on a 7.29 index

competition Bike Blair Pennington 9.36 (9.37) def Daryn Schuster 9.067 (8.82, red light) super compact Domenic Rigoli 6.851 (7.29, solo) supercharged outlaws Les Rodgie 6.807 (6.75) def Rodney Hansen 6.767 (6.83, break out) Modified Peter Brown 8.294 (7.62, solo) super sedan Steve Fowler 6.927 (6.90) def John Kapiris 9.863 (9.89, red light) Modified Bike Kevin Cleeve 8.627 (8.72) def Joe Khoury 9.509 (9.50, red light) super street Stan Nikitaras 11.137 (11.12) def Joe Jurkovic 11.057 (11.12, break out) Junior dragster Dale Duffy 8.113 (8.05, holeshot win) def Toby Austin 8.076 (8.04) super gas Matt Forbes 9.919 (9.90) def David Gauldie 9.89 (9.90, break out)

FASTLANE I 31

WHATIS

drag racIng ANDRA Drag Racing features the quickest accelerating vehicles in the world, using exotic fuels like methane and superchargers that force air into the engine in the quest for ever quicker times and higher speeds. The safety standards are among the highest in motorsports and most vehicles even use parachutes to slow down after a pass.

A drag race is simply a contest between two vehicles racing side by side in a straight line for a predetermined distance. In most drag racing categories, the first vehicle to the finish line wins. An event is made up of qualifying followed by a series of individual two-vehicle

WHOIS

andra The Australian National Drag Racing Association Ltd (ANDRA) is the drag racing controlling body in Australia. The organisation was created in 1973 from a drag racing-oriented faction of the Australian Hot Rod Federation.

ANDRA sanctions events throughout Australia at all levels, from Test and Tunes through to National Championships. Events take place at regional temporary tracks to international standard facilities in capital cities.

ANDRA Drag Racing has been recognised as the best in the world outside of the United States. Our mission is to continue to raise the profile of the sport by working closely with members, officials and promoters for the benefit of all. ANDRA and its members promote drag racing as a family friendly, safe sport.

races called eliminations. Winners of each race advance until only one winner remains.

Events enjoy a carnival atmosphere with spectators able to watch their heroes out on the track and then head to the pits to meet the drivers and watch the teams vigorously work on their machines between passes.

ANDRA Drag Racing is one of the most popular motorsports in Australia with an accessibility and excitement that can’t be matched.

> BENEFITS OF MeMBersHIP Membership starts at just $44 a year and is open to any person at three levels: associate, crew and full membership. Included with an associate membership is the ANDRA rulebook, quarterly Fastlane magazine, two ANDRA stickers and an ANDRA membership card.

You will also receive a free divisional drag racing licence for vehicles 12.00 seconds and slower (11.00 seconds if safety criteria are met) along with Category 2 ANDRA Personal Accident Cover at off-street meetings. Full membership, at $88 per year, ensures you’ll receive all the benefits of associate membership plus access to Category One ANDRA Personal Accident Cover, voting rights at divisional level and the opportunity to nominate for the ANDRA Divisional Council in your division.

> BENEFITS OF creW MeMBersHIP The crew membership, also $44 per year, offers all the same aspects of an associate membership, plus a special credential displaying acceptance of an annual Acknowledgement of Risk Statement to streamline the event sign on process.

BECOMINGInvolved AS A sPectator

Experience the ultimate in sensory overload by heading trackside!

Visit andra.com.au or download the ANDRA Drag Racing app to check out when the next ANDRA sanctioned event hits your town.

Relive all the action on SBS Speedweek and Speed on Foxtel or catch it live online during selected events. Be sure to join us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

STAY IN

toucH

AS A drIver

AS AN oFFIcIal

Whether you are looking to test the limits of your road vehicle or blow your mind in Top Fuel, ANDRA caters for everyone.

Off-street meetings are run

by ANDRA Member Tracks, giving newcomers a chance to test their skills with their own street car or bike. It’s not a big step from there to competition and our team at ANDRA will be there to guide you along the way.

AS A sPonsor

Anyone can apply to become an ANDRA official by contacting their local Divisional Director and submitting an application. Once approved, applicants sit an open book test using the ANDRA rulebook to become a trainee. After receiving on the job training, trainees are free to sit the level two test to become a fully-fledged official. To volunteer as an official at your local track only, please contact the venue directly.

As a valued ANDRA business partner you will receive maximum exposure through the ANDRA Drag Racing brand and its Events. With a broader focus on stakeholder engagement, promotion and activation we will not only be working strongly with our business partners but ensuring an equitable ROI and your KPI’s are maximised.

To receive your personalised package email info@andra.com.au.

Find out everything you need to know about ANDRA through our up to date website, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages. From live event updates through to finding out what you need to do to become involved! Scan the QR code to find your nearest track.

B//andradragracing

D /andra.ltd

E /andra_news

FASTLANE I 33

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Australia’s highest circulating drag racing publication would like to offer advertising opportunities for the very industry which it represents.

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