1
EDITION 29
D E C E M B E R
fastlane
2 0 1 9
THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL DRAG RACING ASSOCIATION
SMILES SUNSHINE STATE
The third annual Summit Racing Queensland Championship came to a roaring close recently
EDITION HIGHLIGHTS
GOLDENSTATES TECH STAGING LANES TORQUE VICTORY SUMMIT RACING
RACING TO NEW
HEIGHTS
RACER
PROFILES
FACES
AT THE RACES
SUMMITRACING.COM
fastlane
2
contents
3
fastlane
TECH
TORQUE STAGING LANES
SUNSHINE STATE SMILES
JESEL’S SPORTSMAN SHAFT ROCKER TECHNOLOGY
WAYNE KEYS - RACER PROFILE
VILIMOVSKY RACING TO NEW HEIGHTS
JUNIORS BACK ON TRACK
IAN BROWN - DIVISION DIRECTOR PROFILE
ANDRA DRAG RACING RULEBOOK UPDATES
FACES AT THE RACES
RACE REPORTS
Fastlane is produced by the Australian National Drag Racing Association LTD.
Editor: Amanda Salmon (media@andra.com.au) Design: YBI Creative (www.ybicreative.com.au) Photography: High Octane Photos, Bright Design Images, Rogue Snapper Photography, Mike Sprylan, Automotive Event Images, SPEED Photography, Outlaw Images, DragsSA.com.
SUNSET STRIP NATS
ANDRA Staff
GOLDENSTATES
General Manager: Brett Stevens Business Manager: Jackie Mills Business Development Manager: Jennifer Lingo (Harrison) Licensing and Membership: Kylie Hazelhurst Media & PR Officer: Amanda Salmon Technical Officer: Scott Halfyard
Contact Details
Phone: 08 8271 5355 Fax: 08 8721 6988 Email: info@andra.com.au Street: 11 McInnes St, Ridleyton SA 5008
ROWE MEMORIAL
ANDRA Board
Murray O’Connor (WA) Nathan Peirano (QLD) - Chairman Grant Wilson (SA) Peter Kapiris (VIC) Wayne Downes(QLD) Grant Hamon (NT)
fastlane 44 fastlane
staginglanes ANDRA OFFICE CHRISTMAS CLOSURE DATES
The ANDRA office will close for the Christmas Break on Friday the 20th of December 2019 and re-open on Monday the 6th of January 2020. All at ANDRA wish you a happy and safe holiday season. If you need anything during this period please contact your local Division Director. For their contact details, please go to www.andra.com.au/divisional-councils
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
ANDRA HOMOLOGATED FUELS LIST CHANGES Since the publishing of the last edition of FASTLANE Magazine, four new Unleaded Race Fuels have been added to the ANDRA Homologated Fuel List. These fuels are as follows: • VP Racing Fuels QM23
•
VP Racing Fuels QM25 PLUS
•
ETS – XPRODRAG 3
• ETS – XPD 105 To view the current ANDRA Homologated Fuels List, please visit www.andra.com.au/technical/technicaldocumentation If you require any further information then please contact VP Racing Fuels via www.vpracing.com.au, ETS Racing Fuels via www.racefuel.com.au or ANDRA Technical on technical@andra.com.au or (08) 8271 5355.
5
CHANGES FOR ANDRA JUNIOR DRAG RACING From the 18th of October 2019 a range of changes were implemented for all ANDRA Junior Competitors and for all ANDRA venues at which Junior racing is conducted. These changes included new licence testing procedures, track orientation for all Junior Competitors, facility infrastructure changes for Junior drag racing and some process changes for Junior Competitors as they exit the racing surface. A new Junior Competitor Passbook will now be issued upon renewal of all Junior Competition licences with the roll out expected to be completed to all ANDRA Junior Competitors by the 1st of January, 2020. ANDRA continues to work with venues, officials and licence holders/members to ensure that these new processes are as easy to comply with as possible. Members are encouraged to contact ANDRA with any queries. For more information on these changes, please consult the 15 October 2019 edition of the ANDRA Motor Mail at www.andra.com.au/latest-news/andra-motor-mail
2019/2020
ANDRA RULEBOOK A number of updates have been made to the 2019/2020 ANDRA rulebook sine the last edition of FASTLANE Magazine was released.
You can view these updates by visiting www.andra.com.au/technical/rules/ rulebook-page-updates The updates cover: • Page 18 – testing prior to an event • Page 62-63 and also Page 7071 – junior dragster changes •P age 193 – class regulations – transmission Changes have also been made to page 13 of the 2019/2020 ANDRA Supplementary rulebook regarding junior drag bike performance testing. You can view the ANDRA Supplementary Rulebook under the Technical tab of www.andra.com.au If you have any questions, please contact ANDRA Technical on 08 8271 5355 or technical@andra.com.au
fastlane
fastlane
6
staginglanes
LOOKING FOR MEMBER BENEFITS?
The ANDRA Member Benefits Program has been created to offer its loyal members the opportunity to receive discounts to products from supporting companies.
By joining the program, your business and products will be promoted to a performancebased target audience. Participating businesses of the ANDRA Member Benefits Program receive promotion through ANDRA’s database of over 5000 members and race fans, as well as exposure through the ANDRA website, the quarterly
FASTLANE digital magazine which is distributed to more than 36,000 ANDRA and NHRA members, and the fortnightly Motor Mail email newsletter. This is the perfect platform to launch new products, advertise monthly specials and any other sale promotions you may have.
FREE TO JOIN!
To view a listing of all ANDRA Member Benefits Program offers, please go to: www.andra.com.au/directory/memberbenefits-program-directory
If you would like more information on the program or want to complete your free registration, please visit www.andra.com.au/directory/andra-member-benefits-program
GET ON BOARD WITH ANDRA DRAG RACING! As a valued ANDRA business partner, you can receive maximum exposure through the ANDRA Drag Racing brand and its events. Your company will be showcased whenever and wherever possible, for example: racers will carry decals representing your logo, trophies will feature your branding, commentators will make reference to your involvement across events and media reports will highlight your involvement. There is a host of ways you can support ANDRA drag racing, including investment in the following: • Fastlane Magazine Advertising (online)
• Facebook/Twitter Recognition
• Website Recognition
• Rule Book Advertising (hard copy and online)
• Sportsman Series Bracket Sponsorship
• Member Benefits Program (Free to Join)
• E vent naming rights (at select events, please contact us for more details)
• Live Streaming Show Advertising (at select events, please contact us for more details)
• Motor Mail feature – Motor Mail is our members only newsletter, contact us to see an example if you don’t have an ANDRA member login
• Official Supplier Status
• R unner-Up Trophy Sponsor for Sportsman Series
• Presentation Rights to Championship Dinner
• ANDRA transporter signage
For more information and to discuss opportunities, contact ANDRA’s Business Development Manager Jennifer Lingo (Harrison) on jennifer.harrison@andra.com.au
19 7 fastlane
PROUDLY SUPPORTING ANDRA
Transit and static race vehicle insurance In an industry that is no stranger to risk, your vehicle, transporter and tools are exposed to risks every day. Our longstanding history working with the motor sport industry, means our insurance experts understand your risks and can help you find the right cover to keep your passion on track.
Talk to us today Martyn Luck – 08 8172 8121 martyn.luck@ajg.com.au Renee Morris – 08 8172 8084 renee.morris@ajg.com.au
001494-MAR18-V1.1
Proudly supporting ANDRA
fastlane
SM
8
SUN
The race to become a Summit Racing Queensland Champion and claim a Copper ANDRA Christmas Tree was brought to a close for the third consecutive year recently. Palmyra Dragway hosted the third and final round of the series in early October, with more than 100 racers taking part. Previously, the series had visited Roma’s Ironbark Raceway and Gladstone’s Benaraby Raceway before the epic one-day finale at the Mackay venue. The prize on offer was a special Copper ANDRA Christmas Tree trophy and it would be title winners Kilarney Back (Junior Dragster), Tracey Reick (Street Car), Peter Johnson (Street Bike), Adam McNichol (Super Street), Laeith Skinner (Modified Bike), Earl McCallum (Sportsman) and Rodney Hansen (Supercharged Outlaws) who would hoist the prestigious trophies at the conclusion of the day’s running.
Many of the championship winners had their hands well and truly full at the final presentations, bringing home race day accolades as well – taking victory in not only the series but also round three were Reick, McNichol, McCallum and Hansen while series runner-up McKie also took out the event victory for his bracket and Back, Grulke and Skinner were event runner-ups.
Championship runners-up Andrew Tinney (Junior Dragster), Barrie Young (Street Car), Aaron McKie (Street Bike), Brett Kelly (Super Street), Russell Bell (Modified Bike), Nathan Thwaite (Sportsman) and Russell Grulke (Supercharged Outlaws) were awarded championship plaques for their efforts.
Joining them in the winners’ circle at Palmyra Dragway were fellow event winners Jayden Bakonyi (Junior Dragster) and Dayne Brandon (Modified Bike). Also on-show at the event was the Top Sportsman bracket, with Steve Somer taking out the event victory for that bracket.
The final round of racing was supported by a range of bracket sponsors, including The Trophy Superstore (Junior Bike), Coalroc Contractors (Junior Dragster), Palmyra Dragway (Super Street), Komatsu (Modified Bike, Supercharged Outlaws and Sportsman), Knijff Earthmoving (Top Sportsman), Ironbark Raceway (Street Car) and Benaraby Raceway (Street Bike). ANDRA would like to thank Ironbark Raceway, Benaraby Raceway and Palmyra Dragway for their running of the Summit Racing Queensland Championship and also all of the racers for supporting the series. For full points from the Summit Racing Queensland Championship, visit www. andra.com.au
MILES
NSHINE STATE
9
fastlane
After another exciting season of the Summit Racing Queensland Championships, there were plenty of smiles in the Sunshine State when the three-round series came to a close at Palmyra Dragway recently Images courtesy of Rogue Snapper Photography
INTRODUCING YOUR 2019 SUMMIT RACING QUEENSLAND CHAMPIONS:
TracyReick STREET CAR
Tracey Reick snagged his Summit Racing Queensland Championship Street Car title with a win at the final round for 2019 and said it has been a long time coming. “It took me more than 30 years to get one of these (ANDRA Christmas Trees) and it is just fantastic,” Reick enthused.
“I thought we would build something cheap for my kid to have some fun in and he won the first Queensland Street championship in it, and then I entered the second year and in the third year, I won a ANDRA Christmas tree myself – wahoo! “I am 54 now and have been racing on and off since I was 17. I had a race car when I was young, I sold it when I had kids as you do, and then built this cheapie for my young fella and now we both have won a Christmas Tree in it. “The Summit Racing Queensland Championship is a fantastic series, I love the camaraderie among the racers and travelling away and going to different places like Roma and Benaraby, it is just fun and I really love it. My thanks goes to all of the staff and people at the three tracks, as well as my wife who crews for me and little Ronny Shaw, my mate who I beat – he was leading the Series up until the final round! “This is has just been fantastic, we are only running at the cheap end but it just shows that you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a lot of fun!”
More Champs continued...
EarlMcCallum SPORTSMAN
fastlane
10
For Sportsman champion Earl McCallum, his pursuit of the title was a nail-biter until the end.
had to go right through to the finals to do any good but the weekend itself was so smooth, everything ran like clockwork.
“I had to race for the title all the way to the final. If I didn’t win the final against Geoffrey Hazelwood it would have gone to Nathan Thwaite, that is how close it was,” McCallum explained.
“It was a perfect weekend with perfect weather and nothing went wrong, it was absolutely unbelievable.
“It was excellent to take it out. This is a fantastic series, and a really good idea to look after the sportsman racers of Queensland and bring them together. “The whole final weekend ran smoothly for us. It was a bit daunting as I was way back in third or fourth spot (in the title standings) so I knew I
“I would like to thank my sponsor John Brian of JB Race Engines who looks after my engine and also my crew member Dianne Walker, she was a big help at the weekend. I would also like to thank everyone involved in the series, including Glenn Cunningham and his team at Palmyra Dragway, for all of their work.”
Adam M c N ichol SUPER STREET Adam McNichol’s Summit Racing Queensland Championship came down to a tie-break in the final round after he took out the round victory. “I didn’t really expect to win the championship going into that last round, Brett Kelly was leading heading to Palmyra and he is a good racer, so I wasn’t really counting on there being a tie for the points at the last round. It was a pleasant surprise,” McNichol said. “It was good to win the event as well, I think there were four or five of us who had three round wins each so they had to decide the finalists with a count back. “The final race was probably the closest race I have had for a few meetings, (runner-up) Dave Rickards is a tough local racer and he made me work for it! “The Summit Racing Queensland Championship is a good series. I decided to run it earlier in the year. I had never been to Benaraby before and it sort of opened my eyes a bit. When it rained out while it was disappointing at the time it ended up working in my favour at the end, if that hadn’t happened I wouldn’t have won the series. “I want to say thank you to my wife for letting me race and letting me travel away. Also to my parents who came away with me for the first event to give their support and all of the tracks and the people involved in putting the series and the events together.”
Rodney Hansen
SUPERCHARGED OUTLAWS With victory in 2019, Rodney Hansen secured back to back Summit Racing Queensland Championships in the Supercharged Outlaws bracket. “It was a great honour actually to be able to take out one, let alone two in row! We have won two years in a row now and it is always great to have a win,” Hansen said. “The final round was great – it was a little disappointing that we didn’t have a lot of entrants in the bracket, but we had a pretty good meeting, nothing went wrong and the car ran well – all the crew had to concentrate on was keeping the driver in check!” he chuckled. “The Summit Racing Queensland Championship is a great series and I really wish we could see some more entrants supporting it, it is a really great series and I would love to see it grow. “My thanks goes to my crew guys, Jason Page and Cory Hess; my wife Sue for allowing us to race; and my sponsors Hansen’s Automotive, Gilroy’s Automatics and Paigepower Race Engines. “I would also like to send a big thanks to Glenn Cunningham and his crew for the amount of work they must put in behind the scenes to allow the Summit Racing Queensland Championship to run and as I have said before, the facility there at Palmyra is second to none. Finally, my thanks goes to Summit Racing Equipment and ANDRA for their support.”
Kilarney B ack JUNIOR DRAGSTER
11
fastlane
After being the 2018 championship runner-up to her cousin Harrison Thwaite, in 2019 Kilarney Back took out the championship title herself in the Junior Dragster ranks. Back was also the event’s runner-up and top qualifier for her bracket. “I was really excited to take out the championship – in the last two years I was third and then second to Harry and I have finally beaten him and come first myself, so I am really happy,” the 15 year old said. “I had a pretty good event, some parts were easier than others but it all came together. “From the start I was definitely determined to try and chase down that Christmas Tree and bring it home, I just kept trying and trying and I finally got it! “I have to say thank you to my wonderful mum and dad, Nikki and Craig, who support me, I wouldn’t be able to race without them. “I also want to say thank you to the whole HJ Racing Family Team including my Uncle Nathan and cousin Harry for always being there for me; and to our sponsors JADS Earthworks Bundaberg, Direct Chemist Outlet Pacific Paradise and Willack Brisbane.”
Peter J ohnson STREET BIKE While Peter Johnson might not have had a perfect final round, it was enough to get the 2017 Summit Racing Queensland Championship Modified Bike title winner over the line in the chase for the 2019 ANDRA Copper Christmas Tree in the Street Bike bracket. “I was quite pleased with the result – the Street Bike class is normally a pretty tough class, everyone is pretty close,” Johnson explained. “The Summit Racing Queensland Championship is a good series on a range of different tracks. While the final round wasn’t my best, I did enough to win. “The people we race and travel with make each event what it is. It is good also that you get to race against people you wouldn’t normally get to race. “I would like to thank the people who organise the Series behind the scenes, Glenn Cunningham and all of the clubs, they get together to put the events on and without them we would have nowhere to race.”
L aeith S kinner MODIFIED BIKE
Laeith Skinner secured his maiden Summit Racing Queensland Championship in the Modified Bike bracket and is clearly proud of securing the ANDRA Copper Christmas Tree trophy.
“It was really great, absolutely fantastic, to win. The ANDRA Copper Christmas Tree is more select than any of the other trees out there, I think it is probably the rarest of them all so I think it is just fantastic to have one of my own,” Skinner said. “The final round went okay for us, except that I only ended up with the runner-up spot in the finals! But other than that it went really well – it was a great day and a fantastic meeting which ran really well.
“I think the Summit Racing Queensland Championship is really great – it allows the regional tracks of Queensland to have something bigger than a club meeting and it brings them together to really compete for something while providing a bit of club versus club competition too.
“I really would like to thank each of the tracks for being involved and Glenn Cunningham for putting so much time and effort into the organisation that goes into the Series. “I also want to thank Komatsu who sponsored a number of brackets this year, including Modified Bike.”
To learn more about the Summit Racing Queensland Championships, please visit www.facebook.com/andra.QLD.Champs
fastlane 1212 fastlane
tech
torque
Understanding Jesel’s Sportsman Shaft Rocker Techology STORY AND PHOTOS BY WAYNE SCRABA
At one time, it was high tech to replace factory stamped rocker arms with roller-tip rockers – or if you were bucks-up, full-roller rockers. Today, we have shaft rocker setups that offer a wide range of upgrades and options. The reasons for moving to shaft-mount rockers are many. In something like a small block Chevy application, the stock rocker arm has a relatively short pivot length of 1.40 inches. This means the arc it travels in is comparatively small, particularly in contrast to other pushrod engines; for example, a big block Chevy has a pivot length of 1.65 inches. That short pivot length means the stock Chevy small block rocker arm tip more or less scrubs across the tip of the valve as it opens. This isn’t much of an issue with stock or mild camshafts that have low gross valve lifts, but when you increase the lift dramatically and simultaneously increase the valve spring pressure, you’re soon faced with another quandary: an increase in friction.
Decades ago, Jesel Valvetrain Innovation owner Dan Jesel did an experiment on a small block Chevy. He moved the rocker studs away from the valves to make room for big block rocker arms. While checking the rotating torque of the engine, Jesel found the engine with big block rockers consumed 80 lbs.-ft. less torque when compared to a small block with stock rocker arms. That’s a bunch. Relocating rocker studs isn’t an easy operation on any engine, but you can’t change the rocker pivot length and correct the rocker geometry unless you move the pivot point. It’s actually easier to start from scratch and build an entirely new rocker arm arrangement. That’s how Jesel’s line of shaft rockers was born. In the beginning, a gain in rocker ratio was a big part of the Jesel plan. Shaft rockers also reduced valvetrain friction and provided extra valvetrain stability at high engine speeds. Here’s why: using the small block Chevy as an example, the pushrod, rocker stud, and valve are not always in line. It’s not an issue with stock stamped rockers and low valve lift as the rocker can more or
13 fastlane 13 fastlane less compensate. Add more valve lift and the problem becomes a big issue. You can’t ‘fix’ this misalignment with a conventional stud-mount roller rocker, but you can adjust the geometry with a shaft setup. With a Jesel shaft rocker layout, the pivot can be moved further away from the valve to increase rocker pivot length. Some shaft rocker arm arrangements allow the manufacturer to lower the pivot point. This makes for a low pivot arc from half- to fullvalve lift, the point where valve spring pressures are the highest. The improvement in geometry eliminates much of the friction created by the rocker when it is dragged (scrubbed) across the valve tip. Another big benefit shaft rockers offer is increased reliability. As a stud-mount rocker slides up and down the stud, it takes up the valve lash before it opens the valve. Take the fabled small block Chevy ‘Duntov’ cam as an example. The required valve lash is 0.030 inch on the intake and the exhaust. In practice, that means the rocker is sliding up and down 0.030 inch on the stud each time the valve opens. But run that small block up to 7,000 RPM (or higher if you are brave) and that lash works as a slide hammer, pulling the factory pressed-in studs right out of the head. Using a roll pin to capture the rocker stud or converting to screwin studs allowed more valve spring pressure and more RPM, but racers encountered bending and broken studs. The fix for that was a stud girdle, which worked but added weight and complexity.
In contrast, a shaft-mount rocker simply rotates to take up the lash. The longer pivot length in a shaft rocker doesn’t side-load the valve as much as a stud-mount rocker, so shaft rockers tend to be much easier on valve guides, valve seats, and valve tips. Shaft rockers are available in a wide range of ratios. The distance between the pushrod cup, the rocker shaft centerline and the roller tip determine the ratio of a rocker arm. In a shaft rocker setup, various pivot lengths can accept a big range of ratios from approximately 1.4:1 through 2.25:1. Using a rocker arm to increase valve lift gives you access to almost unlimited options to fine-tune the valvetrain on a per-cylinder or per-valve basis. It’s a whole bunch easier to swap rockers than it is to swap camshafts. A final benefit of shaft rockers is ease of maintenance. Think about setting valve lash on a conventional roller rocker arm system fitted with a stud girdle. You loosen the stud girdle, lash the valves, retighten the girdle, and check the valve lash once more. If the studs are the least bit out of alignment, tightening the stud girdle changes the valve lash. You also have to be extremely careful with clearances on some combinations where the rockers and girdle can touch, which obviously spells more (and bigger) trouble. None of that monkey business is required with the Jesel Sportsman shaft rocker. You just set the lash and pretty much forget about it. As you can see, a shaft rocker setup such as the Jesel Sportsman provides a wide range of valvetrain improvements. I even use them on fast street cars, ‘cause that’s the way we roll!
The way a rocker arm contacts (or scrubs across) the tip of the valve has a huge effect on horsepower, efficiency and reliability.
Shaft rockers like Jesel’s opened the door to superior valvetrain geometry. With a shaft setup, the designer can move the rocker pedestal up, down, or sideways on the head.
Valvetrain geometry is critical to performance and reliability. So is weight. Jesel takes this stuff very seriously and offers different weight savings options for some of their shaft rockers.
Here, we’re setting up a shaft system on a Brodix big block Chevy cylinder head. Rocker arms must be secured to the cylinder head so that no movement is possible. With shaft rockers, the actual rocker arms and shaft must be securely fastened to the mounting bar, again with no movement allowed.
Jesel’s unique “stand links” for their Sportsman series big block Chevy rockers orientate the CNC-machined steel rocker stands and align the rocker roller squarely with the valve tip. Jesel notes that the stand link also acts as a safety guide in the event of a loose bolt.
With the Jesel system, the lash is taken up right at the pushrod by way of the adjuster. This eliminates the “jack hammer” phenomenon mentioned in this article.
fastlane
14
Winning Takes Work. Getting Parts is Easy.
Shopping is simple. Use the Summit Racing Mobile App to easily browse parts, add items to your cart, and check out right from your phone. Shipping is Fast! And our Landed Cost Shipping includes all duties, taxes, and clearance fees, so you can spend more time racing and less time waiting for parts. EXPERT ADVICE. HUGE INVENTORY. FAST DELIVERY. WORLD-CLASS CUSTOMER SERVICE. Get The Summit Racing app for Apple and Android devices. Int’l: 1.330.630.0230 FIND IT AT
1515fastlane fastlane
2019/20 CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
COMPETITION
PTS
SUPER SEDAN
PTS
SUPER STOCK
PTS
MODIFIED BIKE
PTS
COMPETITION BIKE
PTS 125 100 60 60 30
Tommy Turic Brodie Zappia Aidan Abel Sarah Donnelly Jake Berias
TOP SPORTSMAN
PTS
SUPER GAS
SUPERCHARGED OUTLAWS
PTS
MODIFIED
PTS
Craig Geddes Wayne Keys Shane Baxter Shane Martin Trent Morrison
Errol Quartermaine Graeme Simms Adrian Vella Matthew Forbes Steve Norman
Phill Paton Wayne Patterson Ross Townson Paul De Klerk Craig Gilbert
Vlado Turic Jason Arbery Leon Davies Greg Damiani Glenn Henley
Christine Steffens Justin Russell Jon Ferguson Mark Hunt Warren Leonard
Adam Mundy Angelo Locantro Chris Farrell Nicholas Wroe Joshua Baker
135 100 85 80 70
120 120 80 80 60
300 230 170 170 120
Chris Lioulios Martin Mirco Joe Carbone Peter Tzokas Darren Mallison
Gavin Dohnt Levi Addison David Denner Jake Hamilton-Moderate Ian Read
JUNIOR DRAGSTER
Colin Griffin Renee Cockerill Graeme Spencer Ante Krajina Jason Wilson
270 250 200 190 160
270 190 150 140 100
PTS 280 270 190 160 120
PTS 120 100 60 60 60
300 250 180 130 80
120 100 100 80 60
CLICK HERE OR GO TO ANDRA.COM.AU FOR FULL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
fastlane
16
RACINGTO NEW
HEIGHTS New ANDRA licence holder Chris Vilimovsky has been impressing at Calder Park Dragway recently with fast-paced performances. Chris Vilimovsky and his 1973 HQ have been turning heads for quite some time, and with a number of personal bests racked up, the racer recently decided it was time to take the step of upgrading the car for an ANDRA logbook while gaining his ANDRA licence. “The car has always been and always will be 99 percent street driven, but we decided once we ran the 9.75 second pass at 141 miles per hour at Heathcote Raceway that it was time to put some safety gear in and look at getting a tech and a licence so we could hit the better track surfaces and try and better our times,” Vilimovsky explained.
“It was a balancing act for us between keeping the car as family friendly as possible while meeting all of the safety requirements, but I am happy with the result – we have cruised as a family in the car to a couple of shows since making the upgrades and are really enjoying the cruising and car meet scene. “The biggest benefit I have found so far (of getting the licence and logbook) is the self-scrutineering at Calder Park Raceway
and also being able to run in the ANDRA licence holder lane. “This has made the day/night much more relaxed for me, knowing I don’t have to rush to get my runs in anymore. The additional benefit is I also now get to race at the Street Car Shootout style events without any worry and have some real fun in the car.” On his first outing in the car since completing the safety upgrades, Vilimovsky was able to reset his Personal Best to 9.44 seconds at 141 miles per hour. “The current engine has been in the car for around two years and we have slowly worked on the converter, trans and rear gear setup to see what the car was capable of, based on what we think the
engine is producing as we have never had the engine on a dyno,” he explained. “With the first setup which was just a guess at what the car might like, we ran the car with 4.11 gears and a powerglide trans with a 7000 RPM loose converter. The best ET with this set-up was 9.78 seconds at 138 miles per hour. “We then changed the powerglide to a Turbo 350 to get the car to half-track as
Images courtesy of Bright Design Images
it was lazy to the 60 foot and 330 foot beams. This change netted us a 9.70 second/136 mph result which was a little down due to the three-speed, but the car was quicker all the same. The data showed we had more in the car based on what we believe the engine is producing power wise. “We hadn’t raced it properly between then and when we smashed our PB recently with a number of changes made since the last running, including swapping out the three-speed – we now have a 6400 converter, 4.3 gears and a Sniper Stealth 4500 EFI system on the car. “We had also recently struggled with pulling big wheel stands and trying to slow down the front end, and we finally managed to do this on the only full pass
with the new combination resulting in smashing our old PB and running 9.44 second/141 mph at 3420lbs which we were very happy about. “I believe that the car will go quicker considering we only have one full pass under our belt with this set-up. The engine looks to be making around 800hp give or take on United E85 and we have looked at the data and think the car has 9.30 potential and could probably run 142-
17 fastlane
WHY GET YOUR ANDRA LICENCE AND LOGBOOK? Thinking of getting a logbook for your street car and gaining your ANDRA licence? There are a number of benefits to doing so, as Victoria/Tasmania Alternate Division Director Ian Brown explains: “The biggest advantage is you have a certified technical inspector look over your car – the safety aspects are paramount to us,” Brown said. “It is all about assisting people to race in a positive and controlled environment that is absolutely as safe as we can make it, and that they enjoy the experience and the competition. “It is about minimising the risk factor and maximising the enjoyment, so you have more people interested and wanting to join ANDRA and then you have an on-flow of people wanting to take part in competition.
143 mph, so that is the goal now. “Being a naturally aspirated car which I drive often on weekends, I would be over the moon to run that number – we have done over 5000 kilometres with this engine and dozens of passes and just really enjoy driving the car.” Vilimovsky has been on quite a journey with the HQ since he purchased it in 2013, doing all of the work himself. “The car had been parked up and stored away in a shed doing nothing and when I was talking to my panel beater about whether he knew of any race cars around for sale he told me about it. I went and saw the owner and the deal was done,” Vilimovsky explained. “From there it was time to transform the car to the tough street and strip combo you see now. Since I started with it back in 2013 it has been through a few incarnations. “We started off running 10.90 second passes with a 350 SBC before we built a 377 SBC which managed a best of 10.34 seconds at 133 miles per hour. “The new engine is the third build, using the same SHP block but it now sports 15 degree Racer Pro heads and 420 cubes. The engine had never been
on the dyno but we know it makes some steam! “It has had three different sets of wheels on it over the years and has gone from a two-speed powerglide back to a Turbo 350 three-speed. The rear gears have been changed a couple of times too and are now sitting at 4.30s. “The whole car was built in my garage by me, no one else has turned a spanner on it since I bought it. I am a firm believer in doing things yourself and giving anything a go – it is how I have learned all I know when it comes to cars. “I have to say thank you to my biggest supporter and the one that allows me to do what I love doing – my wife Michelle. “She has never stopped me from chasing my goals with this car and spending copious amounts of hours in the garage constantly changing things up to achieve what we have achieved so far. “She is truly something special considering she recently went through breast cancer, she manages to keep everything together in our lives and is the strongest person I know.”
“With an ANDRA licence and logbook, you can compete to win prize money, recognition, championships, you can even look at winning an ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree. There is a lot of reward there and you can put your name in the record books. “We don’t want people turning up to race meetings, test and tunes or street meetings in vehicles that are not suitable for their performance level, We don’t like making people unhappy when we tell them they are running too fast for their vehicle or licence compliance, but we need to ensure that safety is paramount and that everyone is having fun.” If you are interested in taking the next step with your street car, it is easy to do so. “All you have to do is ring or email me or your local division director, or contact head office or a technical inspector direct, and we will set up an appointment so you can have your vehicle tech inspected,” Brown explained. “We will arrange an inspector located near you to come and look at the car and carry out a tech inspection, and as part of that process the tech inspection paperwork will be filled out so it is on record and you know that your vehicle is passed or you know what you need to rectify to meet the current safety standards.” For the contact details of your local Division Director, please go to www.andra.com.au/ divisional-councils or contact info@andra. com.au or technical@andra.com.au to assist with any queries.
fastlane
18
N O K C BA
S R O I N WA JU
K C A TR
Images courtesy of Mike Sprylan
E L Y T S IN
With the WA Government lifting its suspension on Junior Drag Racing in mid-October, the 2019 Goldenstates – round four of the 2019/2020 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series – was the first national-level event for the junior bracket at the Perth Motorplex in almost two years. Coincidentally, the event was held not only just days away from the second anniversary of the tragic passing of Anita Board following an accident at the same event in 2017, but also on what would have been her 10th birthday (Saturday November 9). In an amazing turn of events, the junior dragster community had plenty to celebrate at the conclusion of the Goldenstates, because not only were the juniors ‘back on track’ in Perth, but Zara Board – Anita’s older sister – claimed the
Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster win from top qualifier and fellow West Australian racer Brodie Zappia in a victory that was celebrated across the country. “I am just ecstatic – this is another one for my family, another one for Anita, another one for myself; it is amazing,” enthused Zara, who claimed her maiden event victory on November 11 last year at the South Coast Nationals in Victoria. “My amazing family managed to get me to the Test and Tune event on the Wednesday before the Goldenstates and I worked hard to sort my lights out and stop doing red lights – that was my main challenge and we managed to sort it out and cut some pretty good lights. “It all went smoothly and I really loved having all of my family there including all of our extended families and
lots of friends; it has just been amazing. “I want to thank Brodie for an amazing final and for just being a really good mate to hang around and have a laugh with. That is the best thing about our racing community, it is all racing for sheep stations on the track but off the track you are the best of mates. “(Anita’s birthday) was on my mind a lot of course. I wanted to win it so badly for all of the hard times my family has been through – I just wanted to give them something amazing to smile about, so it would be an amazing day for her birthday, not a sad day - Pony Power forever!” While obviously very excited with the victory, Zara was quick to speak about how great it was to be back racing at her home-track. “It was awesome to get back on-track at home at the Perth Motorplex – it is good
19 fastlane
to be able to stop my parents from having to spend so much money travelling to go racing,” chuckled the 14 year old who is supported on-track by sponsors B,L & S,G Lake Brick Carriage (Scruffy), ACS Computers, MPRINT Industries, 89 Garage Doors, Ballistic Racing, Team Wood Automotive Performance Transmission, Maxine Oppes and Redi Finance. While not taking the event victory, event runner-up and DecoGlaze Glass Splashbacks Victoria Top Qualifier Brodie Zappia was happy with the result for his friend and fellow racer. “It was a very special event, especially being so close to the two year anniversary,” Brodie said. “It was a great event with 10 cars in our field for our first one back at Perth. It was awesome to be back at the Motorplex after racing at all the regional tracks, to come back was like being back at home.
“I actually licenced for Juniors on the 8th of November, 2013, so the Goldenstates marked the end of my sixth season of racing. It was good to get to the final at that one and to be able to race my new car for the first time in Perth. “The car was running really well, in every pass it ran within three hundredths of a second except for in the final where we just missed out with a red light, so we were very happy with that and top qualified as well so that was the cherry on top. “I want to thank my mum and dad, Scruffy from B,L & S,G Lake, Illusion Vinyl Wraps and Graphics, Coolshirt Systems Australia, ACS Computers and all of my friends and family who have supported me from day one.” ANDRA Chief Executive Officer, Brett Stevens, said the return of junior racing to the Perth Motorplex had been longanticipated by the junior drag racing community of Australia. “I am very proud of our junior drag racing
community and especially the families who represented the return of junior drag racing to the Perth Motorplex at the Goldenstates,” Brett said. “It was fantastic to see so many smiling faces as these families were able to return to a track that they love; to pursue their sport of choice. “Racers not only from Western Australia but also South Australia and the Northern Territory came to Perth for the Goldenstates and it was great to see. “Australia is an example of world’s best practice when it comes to junior drag racing, and while the unexpected changing of the starting age by the WA Government does create a disparity within Australia and with our international counterparts, it has been fantastic to see the future of our sport back on-track in Perth. “To have the juniors back on track was great in itself, but you couldn’t write a script like what played out at the Goldenstates and I don’t think there was anyone there who wasn’t touched by the result and by the continued strength of the Board family. I know the entire drag racing community is with me in continuing to hold them in our thoughts. Anita will never be forgotten.”
fastlane
20
who is your DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR? INTRODUCING:
Two-time Australian Super Stock champion Ian Brown has decades of racing experience under his belt and recently became the Alternate Division Director for Victoria/ Tasmania. “I started drag racing when Adelaide international opened the gates, and I used to run street meets. I had a ‘Bathurst XU1’ and then I had a HT 350 Monaro daily driver before I started to build a A/Street Monaro. I had a couple of meetings in that with no success but then I got married and had a family and priorities changed so I got out of it,” Brown explained. “I came back many years later in 1996 with a Torana Hatchback that I put together with a friend of mine and ran Super Sedan – we went 10.001 at 134 plus change in a fullon registered street car, and won the state championship!
Ian Brown
Alternate Division Director Victoria/Tasmania Email: victoriatasmania@andra.com.au Victoria/Tasmania Council Members: Rob Cassar Bill Caris Douglas Anderson Doug Penna Darryl Chamberlain Sean Agius Jacobus Kok Gary Portelli
“Then I built my own Super Stock Commodore before moving on to an ex-American Reher-Morrison Pro Stock Camaro which I ran in Super Stock, winning two national championships and setting records in D/GAS, and B/GAS. “We campaigned that car pretty successfully for four years and then sold it. After moving to Melbourne for business reasons, I bought the ex-George Marnell Grand-Am Pro Stock Car and had a 400 cubic inch engine built in USA, but we had to do a lot of work to sort it out as the American Dyno-ed horsepower turned into Shetland Ponies on the trip to Australia and it was not what it was supposed to be,” he chuckled. “We eventually got that sorted out and dropped back into Super Stock, setting B/AP records in that car before going back into Pro Stock. “I sold the car to Ben Bray and then bought the Mountain View Tyre Dodge
Pro Stocker from the US, building a 400 cube Dodge engine which was on the money and showed a lot of potential which finally gave us some confidence in doing well in Pro Stock. I was starting to get that combination sorted in Pro Stock when working on the car one weekend I had a brain haemorrhage. “While after a recovery period I was medically all okay, I decided the time was right to sell up and since then I had been on the periphery, helping a few people here and there. Then I got three phone calls from racers who said there was no Division Director for Victoria and asked if I would be interested in putting my hand up as I had just retired from the workforce after 16.5 years as the Chief Information Officer with the Defence Bank. “After some discussions I was put forward and nominated and here I am. I have never ever lost my passion for drag racing and the sport, as in my opinion it is the best sport on earth. I am enjoying being able to help people and I think I have a pretty good view of the racer’s perspective as I have spent a lot of time and a lot of money on racing over the years and I like to think we have a pretty good mutual respect.”
2019/20
2121fastlane fastlane
championship calendar
ROUND 1 AUGUST 3-4, 2019 Alice Springs Inland Dragway – Desert Nationals
ROUND 2 AUGUST 9-10, 2019 Hidden Valley Drag Strip – NT Nationals
ROUND 3 SEPTEMBER 21-22, 2019 Mildura’s Sunset Strip – The Sunset Strip Nationals
ROUND 4 NOVEMBER 9, 2019 Perth Motorplex – The Goldenstates
ROUND 5 NOVEMBER 23, 2019
Adelaide International Raceway – DecoGlaze Glass Splashbacks Rowe Memorial
ROUND 6 DECEMBER 14-15, 2019 Portland’s South Coast Raceway – South Coast Nationals
ROUND 7 JANUARY 11-12, 2020 Portland’s South Coast Raceway – South Coast 660
ROUND 8 FEBRUARY 1-2, 2020 Melbourne’s Calder Park Raceway
ROUND 9 FEBRUARY 29 – MARCH 1, 2020 Perth Motorplex – The Westernationals
ROUND 10 MARCH 13-14, 2020 Mildura’s Sunset Strip – Twilight Nationals
ROUND 11 MARCH 28-29, 2020 Adelaide International Raceway – Grand Final *Please note this calendar is subject to change.
fastlane
22
WAYNE KEYS
racerprofile Age 62 years old
Hometown: Oakford, WA Occupation: Bulk services officer Started racing: 1974 – I raced nearly every licenced street vehicle I owned in the early days Classes competed: Super Street, Super Gas, Competition, Top Doorslammer Best ET and speed: 5.83s/242mph Sponsors: AA Engineering, Dale Signs, Perth Diving Academy, RJ Metals (and my wife!) Favourite TV show: Anything motorsport related Favourite food: I try to stick with anything that’s reasonably healthy these days! Favourite racetrack: Perth Motorplex
You took out the Competition victory at the 2019 Goldenstates – tell us how that event unfolded for you? Talk about outhouse to penthouse! We just couldn’t get the car to go during the day and qualified dead last. After some major head scratching we came up with an idea and with nothing to lose, we hit the startline for the first round, where it left well and just kept going! In the semis it improved again with an under and over the record run and a win light into the final. Our opponent in the other lane for the final had me a bit nervous as he had been pretty consistent during the day, but I managed to keep my cool and got to the other end first. What did it mean for you and your team to take out the Goldenstates victory? As one of our Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series rounds for the season, it was a feeling of great achievement especially given the really trying weather conditions
on the day. Although the field numbers were low compared to previous years, each person on the entry list was and is capable of putting us on the trailer! I don’t imagine we will have the same situation (low numbers) at the Westernationals as I am hoping we see plenty of interstate racers in all classes for that one! Your head-turning Camaro was debuted at the Westernationals in 2018 and was immediately recognised with the Crow Cams Best Engineered Award – how has the development process for the car progressed since that debut? Well, the car was actually pretty good ‘out of the box’ and we were just working at it to improve performance but we had a major supercharger failure which required a trip back to Mike Janis for repairs. Naturally, while it was there we asked Mike for the latest updates. This presented us with two problems: it took a long time to get back here so we lost quite a few meetings and we also now have more
23 fastlane
power to try and deal with. That said, we are hopefully now back in a position to make some real progress. The car setup is good we think, so now we just have to work at the engine/clutch combo for consistency and hopefully better ETs! What is it that you love about drag racing and what brought you to the sport? I think it is the sheer acceleration factor from start to finish. The technical challenge keeps the old brain working and having family and friends involved is an added bonus. It’s also about the friends we have made along the way that we may have otherwise never met. My dad and brother raced a Datsun Bluebird with a 186 Holden motor in C/Gas I think, back at Ravenswood, and whilst I was still at school back then, I thought maybe this would be a good way to get rid of some money when I started working! So it was inevitable that when my licence and car came around, I hit the track and I raced pretty much every street car I owned back then, but only got serious about it in the early nineties. I really enjoy the atmosphere in the pits as well, especially when we get visits from racers
and spectators. There are always new people to meet and it is good to be able to have people get up close with the car and we let them sit in it and have photos, I like that it is an inclusive form of motorsport. What are your plans and overall goals for the rest of your 2019/2020 season? Our focus will be on competing in the local championship in Top Comp at Perth Motorplex. We will also be working on improvements and getting consistency from the car and also travelling interstate at ANDRA events after the local season is complete. You have certainly racked up a good number of achievements over the years – which ones stand out the most? We are very proud of our achievements over the years with track championships, success interstate, track and ANDRA records, and also becoming the National champion for Comp – that took a while to achieve! We were also very proud to receive the inaugural Gary Miocevich Award for Excellence and would like to acknowledge
the Perth Motorplex for the introduction of that initiative. Is there anyone you would like to shine the spotlight on? Our long term reliable and dedicated crew are the key to our success. They give up many hours in between race events for maintenance and studying data and then put in some long days at the variety of tracks we race at. We have an extensive list of people who support us with hours, skills, encouragement, acting as a sounding board and assisting with their knowledge from WA, Australia and there are also a few key people in the US and my thanks goes to all of them. I would also like to thank WADRA, ANDRA, the volunteers at all of the tracks, and the leadership teams and staff from the venues all around Australia who are all working hard to promote our sport amongst our racers and externally as well.
High Octane Photos
fastlane
24 High Octane Photos
COOPER PLUMMER
racerprofile Age 10 years old
Hometown Adelaide, SA Occupation Student Started racing 2019 Best ET and speed 12.023s at Mildura Sponsors Secret Squirrel, Baboon Racing, Oz Trekkers, Huntsman Racing Favourite race vehicle Danny Rickard’s Nitro Harley Favourite TV show Speedweek for the drag racing Favourite food Mum’s pork crackling Favourite racetrack Perth Motorplex Hobbies outside of racing: Football, baseball, learning new things
How are you finding racing in the Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster Championship so far? It is awesome. Everything is awesome about it, I am liking the experience and getting to learn the class and getting to meet lots of people that are really friendly. We have had some issues with the carby and lots of people have been helping which has been really great. What have been your favourite moments in your junior dragster racing career since you started? There are two things – getting my licence and having lots of people come to help me. What is it that you love about Junior Dragster racing? It is really fun, you get to meet lots of really nice people, and you are able to travel to really cool places to race and you also get to see new things on the way to the track.
What do your school friends think about your chosen sport? Mum says I am popular with the girls now! My mates think it is pretty cool, half of them don’t believe it until they see my licence or my GoPro footage though! Is there anyone you want to thank for the role they play in your racing? I would like to thank my parents for letting me race, Baboon Racing and Stephen and David Collis for lending me the car until I am 11 when I will have my own car, Oz Trekkers for giving me a gazebo and everybody that has helped out on the car so far as well as Vereen Elwood for getting me to the track, taking awesome photos and being my number one fan.
25 fastlane
Behind the Wheel with Jr. Dragster Racer Tommy Turic. “I love the atmosphere of Jr. Drag racing. Meeting other families, making new friends, and the after party on track!”
PRO15 Helmets
Arm Restraints
ANDRA Jr. Log Book
Jr. Dragster Tire Covers
as low as $219.95 USD each
as low as $29.99 USD pair
SUM-G5155JRANDRA $4.99 USD each
as low as $74.93 USD each
Keyword: VMS PRO15
Keyword: GFR Arm Junior
Keyword: SUM Jr. Log ANDRA
Keyword: JRC Tire Covers
303 Mid-Top Racing Shoes
Series 2A Head and Neck Restraint
206 Crate Engines
Camlock Harnesses
as low as $69.95 USD pair
ZTS-NT002003 $269.96 USD each
as low as $599.00 USD each
as low as $154.99 USD each
Keyword: VMS 303 Shoes
Keyword: ZTS 2A Restraint
Keyword: PWD 206
Jr. Dragster Full Car Covers
Jr. Dragster Cockpit Covers
as low as $136.99 USD each
as low as $130.99 USD each
Keyword: SUM Jr. Dragster Covers
Keyword: GFR Camlock
Keyword: SUM Jr. Cockpit
EVERY THING YOU NEED FOR ANY THING YOU DRIVE! ®
Low Cost, No Hassle, Landed Cost Shipping. Landed Cost shipping includes all duties, taxes, and clearance fees. In-stock parts are shipped FAST, delivered to your door with no unexpected fees. Questions? Complete details available in the Customer Service section of SummitRacing.com, talk via Live Chat.
• Landed cost delivery—no additional fees or charges to pay • Number One-rated customer service and technical support • Huge online catalog—millions of parts at your fingertips • Summit Racing app available for Apple and Android devices
International Sales: USA 1.330.630.0230
SummitRacing.com
®
Prices (USD) good through 1/1/20. • Typographical, description, or photography errors are subject to correction. ©2019 AUTOSALES, INC.
fastlane
26
THE VERY BEST PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE
FOR ANDRA MEMBERS No one plans for an accident, but it is always in your best interests to ensure you have appropriate coverage.
Through membership of ANDRA, members, permanent licence holders, clubs and tracks have exclusive access to a range of quality insurance covers.
PERSONAL ACCIDENT INSURANCE As a service to its members, ANDRA has arranged through its appointed insurance broker, two levels of Personal Accident cover for members competing in ANDRA Events.
B Category One
Cover at the Category One level is mandatory for all Drivers/Riders/ Crew at drag racing events run at the National Championship, Regional Championship, Sportsman Championship, National (Open) and Pro-Am levels, where cover extends to those participants listed on the official Entry Form, up to the maximum number of passes issued by the track for that class or bracket. At events where Category One cover is mandatory, a fee of $15.40 per entry will be charged as part of the Entry Fee. Any driver or rider other than the one shown on the Entry Form must notify the ANDRA Stewards/Track Officials and pay an additional $15.40 prior to participation to ensure cover. ANDRA Category One Accident cover is extended to volunteer officials through the issue of an ANDRA Event Permit. Apart from those events at which it is compulsory, Category One ANDRA Personal Accident cover is only available to permanent ANDRA licence holders.
B Category Two
At other ANDRA events (Bracket and Test & Tune), cover at the Category Two level is automatically provided to current ANDRA members and permanent licence holders. Permanent licence holders wishing to upgrade to the Category One level at these events may do so by notifying the ANDRA Steward/ Track Official and paying the $15.40 fee, prior to racing or qualifying.
Divisional Day Licence Holders:
A Divisional Day Licence (DDL) is required by any person who is not a member of ANDRA and who does not need a permanent ANDRA Drag Racing Licence for cars 12.00 seconds (1/4 mile)/ (7.70 1/8 mile) and slower (or 11.00 for cars originally fitted with airbags and 4-wheel disc brakes, 10.00 for 2008 or later model
cars), or motorcycles 10.00 seconds (1/4 mile)/(6.40 1/8 mile) or slower or 9.50 on a unmodified production motorcycle or slower. Whilst holders of a Divisional Day Licence are covered for the duration of an event by the comprehensive Products and Public Liability Insurance Policy; Personal Accident Insurance is not automatically provided. Personal Accident cover at the Category Two level may however by accessed on payment of a $5 fee.
CATEGORY SUMMARY B Category One • Available to all permanent ANDRA licence holders at Summit Sportsman Racing Equipment Championship Events and at all other events staged at a Pro Am event level or above* • Coverage is extended to include Pit Crew and Crew Members at these events • Officials and Voluntary Workers covered by Category One Insurance at all events
B Category Two • Provided automatically to holders of permanent ANDRA licences or permanent ANDRA membership • Coverage is not provided at this level to pit crew and crew members • Option is available to upgrade to Category One cover (permanent ANDRA licence holder/ member only) prior to commencement of the event on payment of the $15.40. Typically, these events would include street meeting and test and tune events*. *Competitors should contact the venue or ANDRA if you are unsure of an upcoming event level or the coverage available.
B Day Licence Holders
• Personal accident coverage not included in Divisional Day licence.
27 fastlane • Option available for upgrade to Personal Accident cover at the Category Two level for the period of the event, on payment of the $5.00 fee (inc GST) to venue prior the commencement of the event. • Upgrades to Category One or Category Two insurance to be discussed with Venue prior to commencement of event.
BENEFITS
B Funeral Benefit • Up to $10,000 for any one person.
B Student Tutorial • Maximum weekly benefit of $500 per week; limited to 52 weeks. • Excess period of seven days applies • (Not payable if claiming under Temporary Total Disablement)
B Non-Medicare Medical Expenses
B Domestic Help
(including Out of Pocket and emergency transport)
• 100% of eligible expenses, as defined, after reimbursement from a recognised private health fund to a maximum of $10,000 any one period of insurance. An excess of $50 applies per claim.
• Reimburse the cost of hiring domestic help from a recognised and licensed domestic help agency provided that:
B Out of Pocket Expenses • Up to $250 for any one insured person • Please note, all invoices for Out of Pocket expenses and Emergency Transport costs must be paid in full by the claimant. A copy of the invoice and receipt are to be submitted with the Claim Form to ANDRA.
-
The domestic help is certified by a Medical Practitioner as being necessary and hiring of family members of the insured persons family or other relatives are not included;
-
Up to 80 percent of actual and reasonable expenses up to a maximum benefit of $1,000 per week. Benefit Period limited to 26 weeks and a 7 Day Deferral period
B Home and/or Motor Vehicle Modification Benefit • Up to $10,000 for any one insured person (Payable for home and vehicle modification expenses). Provided that:
B Temporary Total Disablement • 100% of weekly earnings or $1,000 per week whichever is the lesser; limited to 104 weeks (Category One) • 100% of weekly earnings or $250 per week whichever lesser; limited to 52 weeks (Category Two -Drivers/Riders Only) • Excess period of seven days applies to both categories.
B Disablement – Non-Income Earners
-
All modifications are certified necessary by the INSURED PERSON’S treating doctor or rehabilitation provider.
-
NOTE: Death and Capital Benefits listed may be increased through extra cost options available through ANDRA.
Professional Players/Competitors: It is hereby noted and agreed that the excess period under the Weekly BENEFITS - INJURY Section will be increased to 28 says for any claims received under this BENEFIT.
• $250 per week (Non-Earning); limited to 52 weeks (Category One)
Except as otherwise provided in this endorsement, the Insuring Clause and all other POLICY terms and conditions shall have full force and effect.
• $250 per week (Non-Earning); limited to 52 weeks (Category Two - Drivers/riders only)
B Conditions
• Excess period of seven days applies to both categories.
B Permanent Total Disablement • $75,000 (Category One) • $30,000 (Category Two - Driver/Rider Only)
B Loss of limb/s, eye/s • Up to $75,000 (Category One) • Up to $30,000 (Category Two -Driver/Rider Only)
B Accidental Death • $75,000 (Category One) • $30,000 (Category Two - Driver/Rider Only)
No person other than registered Officials/ Competitors/Crew shall be eligible to make application. • Only accidents occurring during official ANDRA Drag Racing events, or related activities in the case of Officials, can be considered. • Payments shall be made at the discretion of the Insurer, and all paperwork must be in order, as with any compensation claim. • Applications for compensation shall be on the official form provided by ANDRA, accompanied by a copy of the relevant ANDRA Incident Report. • The Insurer will not pay accounts but will reimburse genuine out of pocket expenses
to the level stated under Benefits. Attach all accounts when paid, with a summary sheet clearly showing details. • Completed forms must reach ANDRA within twenty-one (21) days of the incident. • First Certificate must show anticipated period of Temporary Disablement, if any. • Written confirmation must be provided to show the Claimant is employed. • If self-employed, a Statutory Declaration, duly signed, must be provided with the claim. This is a summary of the insurance only and is not the policy document. Please contact ANDRA for further information.
If you would like a quote for your personal or business insurance requirements, please contact:
• $20,000 Persons under 18 years and over 75 years
PLEASE NOTE:
•
Martyn Luck - 08 8172 8121 martyn.luck@ajg.com.au Renee Morris - 08 8172 8084 renee.morris@ajg.com.au
In the Event of an Accident or Injury
If an ANDRA Steward is not present at the scene of your accident or injury, the incident should be reported to the Meeting Director before leaving the track. A claim Form should be requested from ANDRA on (08) 82715355 or info@andra.com.au immediately after the eventAccident Insurance is not automatically provided. Personal Accident cover at the Category Two level may however by accessed on payment of a $5 fee.
fastlane
28
SUNSET STRIP NATIONALS DELI
SPECTACULAR The Sunset Strip Nationals brought the 2019/2020 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series to Victoria for the first time in the 2019/2020 season, with round three held across September 21 and 22 at Mildura’s Sunset Strip. More than 150 racers went to battle across the event and particularly pleased with the event’s results were the event winners who took home ANDRA Christmas Trees: Colin Griffin (Super Gas), Jake Berias (Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster), Gavin Dohnt (Modified Bike), Michael Jennings (Super Street), David Todd (Super Sedan), Adam Mundy (Modified), Christine Steffens (Supercharged Outlaws), Glenn Henley (Top Sportsman) and Craig Geddes (Super Comp).
Runners-up were Renee Cockerill (Super Gas), Tim Baker (Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster), Derryn McGregor (Modified Bike), Rodney Kerr (Super Street), Alex Gkroidis (Super Sedan), Chris Farrell (Modified), Warren Leonard (Supercharged Outlaws), Sam Cardinale (Top Sportsman) and Shane Baxter (Super Comp).
The fight for Super Street saw Rodney Kerr and Michael Jennings face off in the finale, with Jennings ultimately taking victory. On their way to their final stand-off in Mildura, Kerr had faced off against Peter Jephson, Matthew Smart, Luke ‘Tex’ Griffiths and Nikolas Karanovic while Jennings had taken wins from his brother and defending champion Paul Jennings, as well as John Kalantzis and Mark Jachmann ahead of a bye run in round four. DecoGlaze Glass Splashbacks Victoria Top qualifier medallion recipient Robyn Phillis was defeated in the second round by Cara Bertoli. “I had a lucky day,” laughed Jennings. “I had five rounds made up of four red lights and a bye! But you have got to be in it to win it.
29 fastlane
R ACTION
IVER
“This is basically the second meeting in the car and our first Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series round with it and we have come away with a win, so we are very happy.
“It was the first time I had faced off against Paul too as normally I race Super Sedan. We were both excited and when the helmet goes on it is all the same, it was good to race against each other – one of us was going to the second round either way! “I would like to thank Graham Elliot – this car is a replica of the car he raced back in the 60s and 70s. He wanted to build a replica so a few people got together and pieced it together over a year. I would also like to thank my brother, Steve Hunt, my mum and dad and the whole racing family we have. Finally I would also like to thank the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association for putting on the meeting.” In the Modified ranks, defending champion and top qualifier Adam Mundy got his championship defence off to a strong start
with a Sunset Strip Nationals event victory. Mundy was treated to two bye runs across the first round and the fourth round of racing, defeating Matt Ponton and Stewart Johnston in rounds two and three. Chris Farrell meanwhile had earlier taken victories from Marino Gregoric (round one), Bradley Hicks (round two) and Josh Baker (round four) and enjoyed a bye run in round three. “The event was fantastic, it started off great and the track was super sticky and all the staff and crew were very well organised,” he said. “It was the first time out for us on the new fuel so we weren’t sure how the car was going to go, but it performed absolutely perfectly. “We were hoping to race at Alice Springs but that didn’t eventuate so we were a little bit nervous entering a field of 17 but we are absolutely stoked that I was able to back it up first time out.
fastlane
30
“A huge thank you must go to my crew members Des Mundy, and Ron Beaucaris, and I also want to send shout outs to Leon and Lisa Davies as well as to Steve and Leanne Braggs for the awesome car they gave me. Finally, I have to say a big thank you to ANDRA – I am looking forward to the next meeting!” The Top Sportsman battle came down to Glenn Henley and top qualifier Sam Cardinale. On his way to the event victory, Henley faced off against Kevin McIvor (round one), Leon Davies and Vlado Turic while Cardinale enjoyed bye runs in round one and three while facing off against Rick Smith in round two. “The car did not miss a beat all day – I didn’t have to change any jets or anything on it. I put a dial in on the car that I knew I was going to break out with every time if I ran it through the line, and I got off it every time just before the line. The strategy paid off obviously,” Henley explained. “It was a real smooth event and the track was fine with no dust. I would like to thank Henley Chassis, Craig Carrison Race Engines
and my crew: my wife Tracey and my brother Brett Henley as well as Dean Cleary, Dean’s son Chad Cleary and also Lara.” The pursuit for a Super Gas event trophy came down to last year’s title runner-up Colin Griffin and Renee Cockerill, who had made a return to the series after a number of years away. Griffin would ultimately take the event victory and prior to facing off against Cockerill, did battle against Jason Wilson (round one) and Graeme Spencer while Cockerill had taken on Michael DeRose and Anton Krajina – who eliminated top qualifier Charlie Saraceno in the first round. In SuperComp, Sunoco Race Fuels Evo 10 Top Qualifier and defending champion Craig Geddes went all the way to the big trophy, taking the win in the final against Shane Baxter. He earlier had a bye in the first round preceding victory over Matt Forbes in the semi-final. Baxter meanwhile had earlier done battle with David Roberts and Adrian Vella (semis).
31 fastlane
Images courtesy of Automotive Event Images
In Supercharged Outlaws, top qualifier Christine Steffens secured her spot in the final on her way to her second consecutive event win by taking victory against Mike Evans in the first round which earned her a bye in the semi-final. Runner-up Warren Leonard meanwhile had defeated Tim Stewart in the first round before successfully facing off against Justin Russell in the semis. The Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster battle came down to Tim Baker and Jake Berias with the defending champion Berias ultimately taking out the event win. Baker had enjoyed a bye in the semi-final after victories over Ayden Lanciana (round three), Holly Camilleri – who defeated Top Qualifier Ryan Russell in round one – and Brooke Camilleri while Berias had emerged victorious from races against Tommy Turic (round four), Baillie Ponton, Leroy Egan and George Limperis. On two wheels, Modified Bike runner-up Derryn McGregor enjoyed a bye in the semi ahead of his final against Gavin Dohnt after earlier beating Shane Walker – who defeated top qualifier
Rob Cassar in round two – Mark Habel (round three) and Nat McKay (round four). Event winner Dohnt meanwhile had taken on Matt Dare (round one), Mario Baker (round two) and Michael Cristoforo (round four) while having a bye run in round three. The Super Sedan battle came down to David Todd and Alex Gkroidis. Event winner Todd found himself in the final after wins over Peter Tzokas (round one), Chris Lioulios, Dennis Schwab and Kass Ward while Gkroidis earned his spot by bettering Joe Carbone (round one), Tony Tedesco and George Tipouikidis ahead of a bye run in round four. Top qualifier Rob Camilleri was unfortunately unable to progress past his round one solo pass. ANDRA thanks the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association as well as all of the volunteers and sponsors for an outstanding race track and a well-run event. For full results from the Sunset Strip Nationals, please visit www.andra.com.au/series/results
fastlane
32
MA Zara Board took a very emotional victory at the Perth Motorplex’s Goldenstates event, which marked round four of the national 2019/2020 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series. Also celebrated at the Goldenstates presentations were the event runners-up and top qualifiers. Brodie Zappia (Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster), Chris Allen (Modified Bike), Graham Smith (Super Street), Mick Fenton (Super Sedan), Nicholas Wroe (Modified), Alby Bakranich (Top Sportsman), Phill Paton (Competition Bike), Graeme Simms (Super Stock) and Steven Martin (Competition) took out the runner-up honours for their respective brackets.
Joining Zara in accepting ANDRA Silver Christmas Trees on Saturday evening were her fellow Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series bracket winners, Brian Hotker (Modified Bike), Craig Caton (Super Street), Terry Phillips (Super Sedan), Angelo Locantro (Modified), Vlado Turic (Top Sportsman), Wayne Patterson (Competition Bike), Errol Quartermaine (Super Stock) and Wayne Keys (Competition).
Zappia, Fenton, Paton, Quartermaine and Martin had their hands full as they were also presented with Top Qualifiers Medallions thanks to DecoGlaze Glass Splashbacks Victoria in recognition of their qualifying efforts, alongside fellow top qualifiers Ian Glatz (Modified Bike), Chris De Bruin (Super Street), Paul Ryan (Modified) and Chris Roe (Top Sportsman). Quartermaine was also additionally recognised as the Sunoco Evo 10 Race Fuels Top Qualifier for his efforts in Super Stock. Local racer Zara, the older sister of the late Anita Board, took the Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster victory from top qualifier and fellow West Australian racer Brodie Zappia on what would have
been her sister’s 10th birthday (Saturday November 9). The Goldenstates event was the first national-level event run for the Junior Dragster category at the Perth Motorplex since the Government lifted its suspension on the Junior category in October. Zara and her parents have proudly continued on in the sport of Junior Dragster in Anita’s memory and were understandably emotional yet ecstatic with the result, which came as the second anniversary of Anita’s passing following an accident at the same event approaches. To hear what Zara had to say about the victory, please go to pages 18-19 of this magazine. On his way to taking out the Modified Bike victory, Brian Hotker faced off against Murray Grant (round one), Zoe Nieuwhof and Rob Good before enjoying a bye run in the semis ahead of his final battle against runner-up Chris Allen. Allen meanwhile had emerged victorious from earlier match-ups against Carlo Spina, Tim Taylor, Chris Fryer and Brodie Messenger. “It was a bit of a strange event for me as I hadn’t been on the bike for six months
33 fastlane Images courtesy of High Octane Photos
GOLDENSTATES
ARKED BY A VERY SPECIAL
VICTORY with the Winter recess – normally I would go and race at Darwin so it wouldn’t usually be that long, so I was feeling very rusty and the first two qualifiers showed that,” laughed Hotker. “I managed to put a decent run together on the third qualifier and then with a bit of luck, I got through the rounds and to the final. I thought the final would be pretty tight, most of the races in Modified Bike are, so I just did what I had to do and I was lucky to beat him on the tree and then run within five hundredths of my dial-in, so I was pretty happy with that run! “It was cool as well to have Ducatis win both Modified Bike and Competition Bike. I am pretty sure there are only four dedicated Ducati drag bikes in the world and we have two of them over here and it is nice to win in both classes. “I have to say the track crew are awesome at the Perth Motorplex, they spent 12 hours out there in hot conditions and they didn’t wilt at all, there were no hold ups on the track, the schedule was perfect and they did a brilliant job, so my thanks goes to them and also to Ducati Bunbury for their support.”
For Terry Phillips, his Super Sedan victory marked his first ever event win and his first ANDRA Christmas Tree. Prior to taking on top qualifier Mick Fenton in the final, Phillips dispatched Steven Miilias in the opening round before enjoying a bye run ahead of his semi-final against former champion Peter Tzokas. Fenton enjoyed a bye run of his own in the opening round thanks to his top qualifier status, before going on to book his spot in the final with victories over Joe Carbone and reigning champion Martin Mirco.
“This has been really good – we had good racing and everything went smoothly and just fell into place. We had a couple of good hard races which were nice and close too,” Phillips said while thanking his pit crew – daughter Amanda, Toby, Paul, and ‘Wazza’ – as well as the Perth Motorplex and Summit Racing Equipment. “This is my first event that I have won and my first ANDRA Christmas Tree; I have had a few places before but have never won anything, so I am tickled pink! “The guys in Super Sedan here in Perth are really great and the guys that have come over from Adelaide are good blokes too. It
has been a great day of good racing, good blokes and a good day all round!” In Super Street, the battle came down to Craig Caton and Graham Smith, with Caton taking the victory in the final following earlier successes over Connor Jackson, top qualifier Chris De Bruin, Richard Stevens and Bernie Ellerby while Smith had faced off against Jack Wasley, Zachary Giles and Jacob Mills before receiving a bye run in his semi-final. “It was a good day and I was driving well which showed at the end I suppose. It was extremely hot for the final, I was pretty much saturated in my suit waiting with the helmet on,” Caton said. “Super Street is such a tough bracket to race in, every racer is good and you really have to be on everything and now with how our engine is running, we were able to run right on the dial in. “I was really surprised with the way the weather was that we were continually running the number – we didn’t really have to change the dial-in very much at all, in fact, it is probably the most consistent I have ever had the car and that comes down to the help I have had from Leon at
fastlane
34
A1 High Performance and the work he has done on the engine. “This is my third ANDRA Christmas Tree – my first was a silver one and came with my first ever win in 2014, and then I got a gold one at the Westernationals last year, and now I have another silver to add to the collection. “My thanks goes to A1 High Performance as well as Chris at Dimoff Transmissions, Performance Mods and my crew for all of their support.” The Modified battle saw Angelo Locantro secure his second consecutive Goldenstates victory with a win over runner-up Nicholas Wroe. Locantro secured his finale berth by emerging victorious from earlier battles against Nick Panagopoulos and Rhys Naylor ahead of a bye in his semi-final while Wroe had faced off against top qualifier Paul Ryan ahead of a round two bye and a semi-final victory over Darryl Treasure. In Top Sportsman, championship leader Vlado Turic took out the event win over Alby Bakranich after taking wins from Yvette Gregg and Paul Downe, while Bakranich had earlier defeated defending champion Jason Arbery and top qualifier Chris Roe. In Competition Bike, Wayne Patterson emerged as the victor from the threeround shoot-out format to take the event honours over runner-up and top qualifier Phill Paton.
“It was a very hot day, but it was also a good day. We normally have a very strong side wind and that virtually disappeared and we had a little tail wind as well which was helping with MPHs and ETs,” Patterson explained. “We had a few little teething issues to start with the bike but then we went through the rest of the rounds and won our three races. It came down to three riders who had each had three wins and it ended up being Phill Paton and I in the final. “Unfortunately he didn’t set his two-step correctly and the bike jumped forward when he touched the throttle and so he red lit. I remember I looked over and was like, what are you doing, and then I looked back and realised I was in full stage and had better get to it – I took off and the bike bogged down as it took off and lost fuel pressure, but it kept going and I got to the end of the line to win. “You wouldn’t believe it, but two weeks before at the Powerpalooza event Phill and I were in the final and we both red lit – but he red lit first so I won with a 12 second pass even though the bike bogged down then too, and here it is happening again at the Goldenstates with another bogged down 12 second pass. I call it a bit of a Bradbury effort! Apparently according to the data I did everything right, but the bike lost fuel pressure on the line and we will be investigating that now. “My thanks goes to Glen Baker at Auto Sport Electronics, he tunes my bike
virtually over the internet between each race using the Motec. We run a 749cc Ducati and it is quite possibly the quickest one in the world – its best time has been a 8.21 second run at 260kph. The other night I ran a 8.3s but when Glen sent me the data he said I have to try and keep the throttle on as it was up and down. So there is a lot of potential there and I think we will end up doing better than 8.21s once we learn to keep the throttle on a bit more! “I also want to thank my shop, Bunbury Ducati, and my son Todd Patterson who built the bike for me, as well as ANDRA and the Perth Motorplex for a well-run event.” Super Stock’s Errol Quartermaine had a very successful event at the Perth Motorplex, securing the Top Qualifier honours and resetting the DD/G ET (7.726s) and MPH (175.06mph) records before going on to win the event from runnerup Graeme Simms. Earlier in the night, Quartermaine took victory over Todd Stacy in the opening round before enjoying a bye run in the semi-finals. Simms meanwhile took on and defeated Rob Gaikhorst and Steve Norman on his way to the final. “We tried to set the car up so it would run ‘seven seventies’ basically and the hot weather mucked around with us a bit, we were having trouble getting the car off the line and that makes it a bit inconsistent, but it was all pretty good overall and we just took some power out of it to make it more consistent,” Quartermaine explained, while thanking Harris Engines,
35 fastlane
All Fast Torque Converters, Park Body Builders and Crow Cams for their support. “In the first round we had a re-match of our ANDRA Grand Final first round where we took on Todd Stacy. At the Grand Final we had a gearbox fail us on that run so it was quite funny that we had him in the first round again this time around, but this time we didn’t have a gearbox problem! “It was good also to top qualify as we knew if we won the first round we would have the second round bye. In the final we both had bad reaction times which was good for me as the weather had changed quite badly and because we had the bye run and we didn’t want to change the car too much, it didn’t run quite as well as we thought it would as we didn’t really adjust for the change in the weather. It was pretty close! “The record is good to have too – if the weather had been better the record probably would have been into the sevensixties, it was only that we didn’t really want to change the settings on the car too much. We knew from the Powerpalooza and test and tunes that on the level of boost we were running it was running consistent seven-sixties and sevenseventies and that is what we wanted to go into the Goldenstates running.” In the Competition bracket, Wayne Keys and his impressive Camaro again turned heads at the Perth Motorplex, clinching the event victory over Steven Martin following earlier victories from Michael Buckley and Trent Morrison. To ensure his place in the final, Martin defeated Russell Ladbrook in the opening round before benefitting from a bye run in the semis. To hear what Keys thought about the result, please go to pages 22-23 of this magazine. Also taking part in the Goldenstates to the delight of race goers were the Blown Alcohol, Nitro Bike and Outlaw Radial brackets, with John Zappia (Blown Alcohol A Final), Steve Aldridge (Blown Alcohol B Final), Greg Durack (Nitro Bike A Final), Ricky Wood (Nitro Bike B Final) and George Kelly (Outlaw Radial) taking victory in their respective classes. ANDRA thanks the Perth Motorplex and all of its volunteers and sponsors for an outstanding race track and a well-run event. For full results from the Goldenstates Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series round, please visit https://www.andra.com.au/series/results/
fastlane
36
CELEBRATING OUR ROWE MEMORIAL
TOP QUALIFIERS Images courtesy of Outlaw Images and DragsSA.com
It was with regret that the 30th Rowe Memorial was cancelled after just one qualifier. The event was to be held across Saturday 23 November at Adelaide International Raceway, however multiple electrical issues occurred throughout testing held the day prior and then re-occurred on race day, leaving event organisers with no confidence that the issues could be fixed sufficiently to allow for the event to resume that night before being run to completion on Sunday as had been hoped. For more information on this decision, please visit www.andra.com.au/statementrowe-memorial. Before a pause was brought to the ontrack action, the first round of qualifying was successfully held for all participating Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series brackets.
Please join us in celebrating the Rowe Memorial’s DecoGlaze Glass Splashbacks Victoria Top Qualifiers: • D aniel Carranza - Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster • J ake Hamilton-Moderate - Modified Bike • R obyn Phillis - Super Street • Lance Larcombe - Super Sedan • Adam Mundy - Modified • D arren Saliba - Top Sportsman • P hill Paton - Competition Bike • D aniel Camilleri - SuperComp • C hristine Steffens - Supercharged Outlaws • Jason Wilson - Super Gas
The Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series will re-commence at Portland’s South Coast Raceway for the South Coast Nationals across December 14 and 15, 2019. For more information, visit www.southcoastraceway.com.au or www.andra.com.au
37 fastlane
faces r fastlane
38
at the
races
t
39 fastlane
SPEED Photography Automotive Event Images
fastlane
40
41 fastlane
LATEST NEWS
SPONSOR NEWS
RACE REPORTS
VIDEOS & GALLERIES
TECHNICAL TALK
EVENT INFORMATION
Fastlane offers affordable advertising opportunities for your organisation to tap into our captured, loyal and passionate audience! Quarterly issues keep our racers and fans up-to-date with all the latest news and updates from around Australia! INSIDE FRONT COVER $1050
FULL PAGE $700
For more information contact ANDRA’s Business Development Manager, Jennifer Lingo (Harrison) on jennifer.harrison@andra.com.au
HALF PAGE $450
B/
QUARTER PAGE $250
D
E