Drag News Magazine Issue 42

// ISSUE 42

Craig Hewitt’s Radial Monaro // Craig Moar’s Valiant JD Nats Champion Brodie Zappia // Don O’Neal’s LS Camaro Don Garlits Electric Dragster // Grudge Kings // Jamboree

CONTENTS

Drag News Magazine Issue 42 Print Date: August 26, 2019 Editor: Luke Nieuwhof (luke@dragnews.com.au) Advertising: Rob Sparkes (advertising@dragnews.com.au) Photography Editor at Large: Grant Stephens (grant@dragnews.com.au)

DREAM CATCHER: Britney Olive follows in the footsteps of her father and grandfather on Sydney drag strips.

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RADIAL RENOVATION: Craig Hewitt joined the radial tyre party with his blown Holden Monaro and hasn’t looked back since.

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VALIANT EFFORT: Craig Moar’s sweet street Charger brings a classic touch to radial racing out west.

BRAT PACK: Brodie Zappia is on a roll right now, despite his nearest racing being two days drive away.

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ELECTRIC FEEL: Don Garlits is once again at the forefront of innovation, but this time he has abandoned internal combustion.

PLUS: JD Nats (34), Jamboree (38), Grudge Kings (44), Springmount Funny Cars (50), Don O’Neal Camaro (52), Anita Board Inquest Findings (60).

FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHERS: Joe Maday (NSW) - maday@mail2joseph.com Dave Reid (Qld) - sales@dragphotos.com.au Hayley Turns (Vic) - halzjeep@gmail.com John Bosher (NSW) - johnbosher@hotmail.com Jay Treasure (WA) - jattyt@hotmail.com Craig Radcliffe (NT) - crazyhouse0830@bigpond.com

WANT TO SEND US CONTENT? Send an email to press@dragnews.com.au.

LEGAL: All content is copyright to Drag News Australia Pty Ltd and may not be reproduced in any form without express written permission. Views expressed in this magazine by interviewees do not represent those of Drag News Australia Pty Ltd.

EDITORIAL Trench warfare is a particularly gruelling form of fighting, and symbolises the futility of war. Most famously used in World War I, trench warfare was associated with mass slaughter and appalling conditions. I feel Australian drag racing’s current battleground is in a trench state.

It could be argued that this all began with a decision by Drag Ltd (which included ANDRA) to introduce a levy on entry fees back in the 2000s. Pro racers paid $200 on top of their entry fees at of their rounds, while sportsman racers paid $50 at national events.

The levy was deeply unpopular with sportsman teams, who felt they were footing the bill for the TV for the pros. To some extent that was true, but the funding helped build a national profile for the sport that has not been seen since. The problem was, no one recognised that at the time. Even the pro teams felt that value was not being realised in the series.

When ANDRA withdrew rights to run the series from Drag Ltd in 2011, it was a populist move. Long term CEO Tony Thornton, who walked the razor edge between the interests of tracks and racers (very well one must say in retrospect), was outsted. The big three tracks were coming off a horror season of rain outs and weren’t fighting fit. ANDRA administered Group One in house and shifted the TV from a bespoke production on Channel Ten’s OneHD to the cheaper SBS Speedweek program. There was no doubt some thought that ANDRA could monetise the series in a different way than previously. Unfortunately, this idea that Australian drag racing is a golden goose just waiting to lay its eggs has been a long term myth in the sport – even more so in recent times.

ANDRA ran the series for a couple of years and was emboldened under controversial CEO Malcolm Bulley, who made some radical changes such as selling ANDRA’s head office building.

New tracks joined the series and broadened its reach, arguably the greatest achievement of this time. But where Thornton had an ability to keep the big three tracks working together (to the point where he was often accused of siding with them too much), Bulley’s personality clashed with their promoters and it eventually resulted in an ultimatum from the tracks for his dismissal.

It has been four years since the 400 Thunder/IHRA Australia separation began with the three major tracks – Sydney Dragway, Willowbank Raceway and Perth Motorplex – demanding the resignation of Bulley and board members Terry Jongen and Phil Parker, as well as returning the rights to run professional drag racing to a body comprised of the tracks and ANDRA, along the lines of Drag Ltd. ANDRA refused those requests, and then refused to sanction the tracks’ new 400 Thunder series. The response from the tracks was to create IHRA Australia and look after their own sanctioning, splitting a niche sport, in a small country, in half.

I believe at the time ANDRA thought they only had to wait out IHRA Australia, especially when Perth Motorplex returned to their fold, but IHRA Australia had the benefit of massive groups

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of racers who competed only at Sydney Dragway and Willowbank Raceway and rarely travelled. ANDRA managed to retain most of the regional tracks, with the exception of Springmount Raceway (IHRA Australia) and Warwick Dragway (RACERS).

ANDRA changed their mind on professional drag racing and although not giving any kind of permission to 400 Thunder to run national championships, they conceded the series by way of not setting a calendar for Group One, and even allowing the sanctioning of 400 Thunder events at ANDRA venues – the whole reason for the split in the first place. Their strategy in place, ANDRA went to the trenches with their stronger sportsman series base and by reducing their costs, were able to stop haemorrhaging money.

But IHRA Australia had been on the advance, and secured much territory. Memories of ANDRA’s treatment in those early days is still strong and with the IHRA Australia setting up their systems and infrastructure to better compete, they aren’t looking as flimsy as in 2015.

The tracks are, for the most part, fairly set in their sanctioning body of choice, and I would be surprised to see any changes coming. For our comparison to war, the tracks are effectively the territory the two sanctioning bodies are fighting over, because with the tracks come their racer base.

ANDRA are in a trench on one side with their grass roots sportsman support, while IHRA Australia are in a trench on the other side, strengthening their hold on the territory they have gained.

Like most wars, this one has been futile. At the time of the separation, the group that would become 400 Thunder held ANDRA’s TV out for particular criticism. Here is a quote from Willowbank Raceway’s Tony Wedlock in one of their press releases: “Our issue with the TV deal extends to the coverage being shown on SBS, a channel not in front of viewers’ minds. Our sport is buried in the Speedweek program, the program is not drag racing specific, nor does it show up on TV guides as drag racing, and the program itself is poorly branded and packaged.

“We do not believe it represents the best option for the sport and, quite frankly, the sport deserves better.

“We are aware that it has been suggested to ANDRA that a change to 7Mate may have increased the value of the television but this was rejected outright, which to us demonstrated a lack of understanding of the needs of the sport.

“I would suggest that a better question would be are we getting value for money with the current investment in television and given the recent review of the ratings the answer would be firmly no.”

400 Thunder went through several TV production companies who delivered poor quality and high expense. What they discovered was something that I had learned in two years I spent working at ANDRA in 2012 and 2013, that the value for money of the SBS

Speedweek program couldn’t be beaten. 400 Thunder went back to AVE, the company who produces Speedweek, in 2018. The only major change to the TV product has been the introduction of Ovo Play pay-per-view live streaming. Other promises, such as an end of season prize pool, have failed to materialise.

Which leaves us, well, where we were before the split. We haven’t advanced to keep up with changes in the entertainment industry, such as the massive streaming platforms like Netflix and social media. This idea that a major sponsor will come along and attach themselves to the series has long been held, but I don’t believe drag racing has modernised itself enough to get that sponsor.

Offering ‘eyeballs’ just doesn’t do it anymore, because the same budget spent on social media advertising delivers a far more specific audience at a lower cost.

ANDRA and IHRA Australia are both in the trenches. Anyone fighting for one side is shot by the other if they dare stick their head out or, God forbid, reach out for peace. And meanwhile the

world moves on and Australian professional drag racing becomes less and less relevant.

There has been a curious side effect however. Despite the lack of interest in traditional pro racing, areas such as radial racing or Pro Extreme have flourished. Racers are still seeking out exciting areas in the sport and I do believe if excitement and relevance can be restored in professional drag racing then the sport can recover.

We need the generals on both sides to lay down their arms, to stop subjecting the sport to the futility of trench warfare.

Unfortunately, until we see changes in management of ANDRA, 400 Thunder or IHRA Australia, I don’t believe this will happen.

The racers were once prepared to fight for their ideology, but what is an ideology without a sport?

- Luke Nieuwhof

STAND WITH THE DRAG RACING INDUSTRY Drag News Magazine is rebooting its business listings. Rather than one page with all the listings, we will be running small ads throughout the magazine, sized like this FuelTech one.

These ads are supremely affordable at just $300 for the year (eight issues), including a print subscription valued at $90. Or for $600 we will include your business’ logo in our email blasts, reaching over 4000 people.

Email advertising@dragnews.com.au to take up the offer and support your industry’s magazine.

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// SHUTTER SPEED FLAMETHROWER: Lee Docherty’s Mazda MX5 spits fire during a run at Sydney Dragway. From the best of our research (and by that, we mean about two minutes on Google), we learned rotaries are more prone to flame from the exhaust because of the design of the combustion chamber.

Canon 1D Mark IV at ISO 640, 140mm, 1/1250sec, F6.3.

Photo by John Bosher.

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// SHUTTER SPEED I’LL BE BACK: A big North Queensland crowd all have their eyes on The Terminator as Justin Walshe hits the loud pedal at Springmount Raceway.

Photo by Phat Photography.

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DREAM

CATCHER A third generation drag racer is turning a childhood spent watching drag strips into adulting at high speed.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

Photos by john Bosher.

Drag racing is a sport all about time, and the distance one person might travel given a few seconds of it. On the strip time passes intensely, away from the track it passes with subtlety – yet still no less rapid in our minds. And this is how we end up with people who were toddlers when Sydney Dragway opened, such as Britney Olive, now racing fully fledged drag machines.

Before Britney, there was her grandfather Phil and her father Shane, and neither were strangers to Sydney quarter miles. Phil began drag racing at 17 years old, driving an FJ Holden known as ‘The Red Devil’ and cutting 13 second times. He stepped up the classic Aussie sedan with a blown 392ci Hemi which put him into the nines and made him one of the quickest doorslammer drivers in the country in the 70s. In 1978, Phil claimed the title of having the world’s quickest FJ Holden with a pass of 9.35/148mph. Keen to improve his performances further, Phil purchased the exBobby Dunn fuel altered for some mid-seven second runs.

Shane followed many of his Dad’s footsteps, also beginning with a classic street car – the Holden Torana. And just like Phil, he decided to throw a blown engine under (and out of) the bonnet to make some nine second laps. The pair later decided to go Top Doorslammer racing, where they campaigned a beautiful Holden Monaro.

Shane’s path later saw him begin working for Graeme and Wendy Cowin, where he was to oversee a stable of two Nitro Funny Cars. However they quickly multiplied and presently there are eight Funny Cars and four Nitro Hot Rods to look after. As part of his employment, Shane even gets to drive some of the beasts – his 57 Chevbodied car is aptly named ‘The Red Devil’.

Britney Olive is 19 years old, so her earliest memories coincide with the opening years of Sydney Dragway. Joined by her family, a young Britney would set up camp on the terraces with picnic blankets and dinner ready to go, settling in for long days and nights of racing.

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“My cousins and I would always sit there with our massive earmuffs on for the Group One pairings, and as they came back down the return road we ran down to the front fence to wave to them,” she said. “It was always the highlight of the night if a Top fuel driver waved at you or signed something for you.”

She received tours around the pits courtesy of her father, watching teams rebuild their engines between rounds and talking excitedly about the runs they had just made.

“We’d wait around for their warmups before they went out to race again and being so close to the cars I could feel the rumble in my spine. Memories such as these made me want to be so involved within the sport and to strive to be a racer one day.”

As Britney got older, she realised that these cars weren’t driven by superhumans, just ordinary people – and she could be one of those people.

“I started to figure out how cars work and how drag racing works in general. I quite literally fell in love with the sport and the excitement that the powerful cars brought to the stands. I pretty much knew from then on that I wanted to race something. I never really knew which type I wanted to race, but I just wanted to get out there and be a part of all.”

Especially powerful to Britney were young racers such as Ben Bray or female racers like Amanda Shepherd. They proved that drag racing at a professional level was achievable without being a middle-aged man.

“Especially as a young girl I always used to look up to all the female racers that were going really fast and also had such beautiful looking cars. It is such a cliché, but in all honesty, women truly inspire younger girls to be brave and take on something different. Deep down I always knew that I wanted to be exactly like them. I admired them, for their love and passion to such a different sport.”

Unlike quite a few other third-generation drivers, Britney’s first time on the drag strip did not involve a Junior Dragster, or even a street car. The Olive family instead decided on the very big block Modified altered you see in these pages – because there is nothing like diving at the deep end.

“I was pretty fortunate for this altered to be the first car I have ever taken down the drag strip. For me it was super nerve racking to do everything for the first time, such as staging or doing a burnout or even my very first launch, just because I knew how much power was there and how fast the car has gone before.”

The car was built in the 2000s in the USA before it made its way to Australia, where it was last owned by Roger Radford and raced by his daughter Jordan.

There’s a 540ci BBC up front, fuelled by methanol and running your standard drag racing Powerglide transmission and nine inch diff combo. Britney has been as quick as 7.69 seconds at 171.40mph.

“The first time I drove the altered I remember being so nervous because I had gone over the routine in my head so many times and I didn’t want anything to go wrong. But I was also extremely calm and clear headed at the time, mainly because I had Dad there right by my side the whole time up until I left the start line. Doing something new for the first time, especially in something so extremely powerful, is a nerve racking process. My main thoughts were to get the other end safely and mostly to make my family and myself proud. It had been something that I had dreamed of for so long that I honestly couldn’t have been any happier. I remember when Dad strapped me in for the first time in the staging lanes, that was the first time it really hit me that I was about to do something that not many people get to do let alone many my age.

“It all happened so fast. You would think that your body and mind would be prepared for the launch, but in reality, they are really not. It took a few race meetings to just get used to the force of leaving the start line. My first full pass during my licensing process was a 7.98 at 156.26mph. You could not wipe the smile from any of our faces after that pass. I’m beyond lucky to have an opportunity to drive such a beautiful car, let alone go do an ET such as that one.

Both Dad and I knew that car had so much potential, so I really wanted to prove to him that I could take on the challenge.”

The Atura Blacktown NSW Championship Series has been the main focus for Britney, where she is hopeful of getting some results soon.

“Currently we are working on trying to keep the car as consistent as possible.

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ABOVE: Three generations of the Olive family have now hit the track, including Britney’s father Shane and grandfather Phil.

BELOW: Getting on the loud pedal in a sevensecond altered.

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ABOVE: Britney has had much talent available to her while she learns, including her father and his fellow Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car racer Rick Gauci.

RIGHT: After many years growing up around Sydney Dragway and watching her heroes, Britney now takes centre stage.

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Both Dad and I are still learning all about the car and its set up and getting used to the dial-in bracket style. It’s new to both of us but we are enjoying each lap as it comes and love matching up against all the different racers in the Modified bracket. We are hoping to enter in some big race meets, such as a 400 Thunder, to be able to gain experience in a bigger event and just to race against such great competition.”

Personal success is Britney’s primary target for her endeavours with the altered, leaving the track a better driver than she arrived.

“I’m always wanting to learn and develop my knowledge for the cars and how they function as such a big unit, or what makes the car not get the results we are after. In the future I would like to eventually move up in the higher and faster brackets and experience some of the different styles of cars, such as a bodied car or a dragster. My main goal is to push myself to be more confident in the car and develop who I am within the sport of drag racing. Enjoying the sport you love and being excited about racing makes you strive to be and do better for both yourself and others. The competition within drag racing can be extremely tough and disappointing sometimes, especially when you may not get the win light, but just having another opportunity to go and have another spin in the car makes you learn from mistakes and makes you eager to get back out there and improve.”

There’s an obvious question around Britney’s future in drag racing given her father’s link to the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars. She is now a regular crew member at events, her skills having matured from polishing to helping service the cars between rounds.

“After Dad got involved and started racing with the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars I was going to the workshop with him on a Saturday while he worked, and I would mostly watch him and learn that way. Slowly he started to give me small jobs to help him with the cars, from polishing the bodies to replacing windscreens if they were damaged after a race meeting. I have always loved learning the ins and outs of the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars, and it is something that I’m super proud of and excited to tell people about.

“As I got older I tried to spend any opportunity I had at the race track watching Dad and helping him on his Funny Car. Slowly I started to get bigger tasks thrown my way, such as helping service the cars after each run by changing spark plugs, fuel and oil, packing Dad’s chutes and backing him up after each of his burnouts. I would never have been so involved in the sport if Dad didn’t have such passion and drive for it. I’ve had so many different opportunities because of this awesome sport, like travelling with Dad and the Aeroflow series across the country to race at Perth Motorplex or Cairns.

“I have always looked up to both Graeme and Wendy Cowin for all of their work for the sport, and also to all of the drivers that are within the Aeroflow series. They always push themselves to be better and work harder with their cars to get down the track and get some awesome results. That style of drag racing has always appealed to me and I have always aspired to race alongside them and be a part of a spectacular show. I would especially like to live out my childhood dream of match racing against Dad.” Britney, who is currently studying at Macquarie University to be a speech pathologist, acknowledged she had to reach the next level of experience and commitment to the sport first before she could even think about getting her nitro licence.

“To be able to get to a level such as the Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars would involve me getting more comfortable with the track by getting more laps under my belt and also being able to fully understand, hear and feel the workings of a race car while racing down the quarter mile. These powerful cars definitely demand a lot of respect, co-operation and time to be devoted

to them in order for everything to go smoothly while racing.

Hopefully one day I may be able to fulfil my dream.”

“As a kid I could never tell people what my favourite part about drag racing was or what my favourite car was because there was just too many to choose from. But ultimately, I believe that it is the excitement of going faster than most people are used to. Everyone is generally wanting you to do well and would go out of their way if you need a hand at the track. They help you grow and learn so much more about the sport and the cars we race. Taking on board the information and constantly asking questions build you to be a better racer, a smarter racer.” DNM PPRF_Signage_1000x1400_FA.pdf

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RADIAL RENO VAT ION Craig Hewitt’s monster Monaro was formerly a big tyre brawler on slicks, but now it’s all about that radial life.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

Photos by Hayley Turns.

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Craig Hewitt has become one of many drag racers making the switch to radial tyre competition in Australia, taking his beautiful Pro Street Monaro from slicks to stiff sidewalls.

Hewitt raced the car on slicks at first and was particularly fond of the Australian Pro Street Association’s events, where he competed in the Pro Street Blown class.

When the APSA was wound up, Hewitt looked to the growing world of radial tyre drag racing.

“When the APSA stopped I still wanted to race heads up and other than Group 1, Pro Radial was the only class,” he said. “My car fit right in with all the rules, and the challenge of getting power down through that small tyre was very inviting.”

Hewitt was first captured by drag racing when he attended the opening event at Sydney Dragway, the 2004 Summer Nationals. There the atmosphere of the crowd and the unpredictable racing he witnessed on track spawned a new drag racing tragic.

“I thought, ‘Wow, look at the people here’. I’d never been to the drags before and I wanted to be a part of this,” he said. “I said to myself I was going to race at the next event.”

While that goal may have been somewhat optimistic, Hewitt went away and searched for a solid foundation for his speed dreams. A $250 VL Walinshawlookalike wreck was ideal and with some assistance from Sydney chassis builder Craig Burns, Hewitt began to build. As a metal fabricator by trade he had many of the skills to build a race car, but this was his first time constructing anything like a drag car.

The ‘Walky’ proved a popular car thanks to its show-car looks and a 632 cubic inch Chev equipped with two nitrous kits, running a best of 7.44/183mph despite weighing in at a hefty 3350 pounds. The ride served Hewitt well for the better part of a decade.

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LEFT: Craig Hewitt with some Grudge Kings recognition after a runner up earlier this year.

BELOW: On full throttle the rear end of the car lifts up as the suspension absorbs the power of the Pro Mod-style engine Hewitt has riding up front.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Notice the front chassis rails and suspension points still in place from the factory. Hewitt has eyes on very low fours for the eighth mile, and maybe beyond. Inside the cockpit is all business.

The pursuit of quicker times eventually meant Hewitt needed a new car, lighter and designed around a blown powerplant.

“I bought the Monaro from Melbourne, from a guy who bought it from Holden direct,” he said. “It had never been registered and was basically just a body with swinging panels.”

This time Hewitt had Pro-Fab look after the chassis work and turn the Monaro into a rolling chassis suitable for the quarter mile, before he took care of the finishing touches.

“I tried to make the car light but that didn’t quite work, it’s a full three quarter chassis with standard front chassis rails and suspension points.”

Hewitt’s preoccupation with going quicker and quicker did not disappear when he converted to radials, and he recently took the Monaro back into the shop to give it a renovation.

“We stripped the car and started from fresh. We threw a lot of carbon fibre parts at it and had a rethink about where the weight was. We did things like taking out the batteries for self starting and we ended up getting 200 pounds out of it.”

The change of rubber a couple of years ago made the driving experience totally different from Hewitt’s perspective.

“I feel safer in the driver’s seat,” he said. “I am not squirming all over the track, on the radials it is a lot like a railway track. If the car is good it makes a straight line run. You’re not fighting the car, the stiff sidewall takes some more of the power band and you’re not trying to recover the tyre, so it’s just about keeping it planted.”

With less weight to get moving thanks to the rebuild, Hewitt’s times have continued to fall and he has since clocked a best of 4.23/173mph for the eighth mile. Those kinds of figures come to be expected when taking a look underneath the hood of Hewitt’s coupe – actually, you don’t even really need to look under. There’s a 14-71 Kobelco Mike Janis roots-style supercharger sitting atop a BAE billet block. Noonan cylinder heads help get things pumping even more, with Pro Slammer-spec internals helping create somewhere in the region of 2500-3000 horsepower.

“We now have a very solid engine combo thanks to Westend Performance and a great transmission thanks to Al’s Race Glides so we are now concentrating on our team and suspension set up.

“We’re just tweaking the suspension with small adjustments. I’ve learned we need to look at the suspension points more and make fine adjustments for a radial, where before we would go out there with what they had. We have Menscer four way adjustables on the back, which sounds like a lot of movement, and it is. Kon and Simon Kryger have been helping us. I get comments now that the car lifts (in the rear end) when I launch and raises up from the ground, that is the suspension working. It’s knowledge and getting to know the car; every car is different.”

“The car lifts (in the rear end) when I launch...that is the suspension working.”

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Hewitt enjoyed some success in July at the Grudge Kings event, reaching the final round. Despite being against slick tyre cars in the Pro Street class, Hewitt’s radial car held on time and time again with a series of personal bests and finished with a runner up to Jeremy Callaghan.

“We starting testing with our new convertor and engine re-build and ran a string of Pbs, running back to back 4.3s. Our previous best was a 4.45 and that was on a fully prepped radial track. We wanted to prove to ourselves and to all the slick racers that we could try and win Grudge Kings with a radial tyre on. We made the final and ran PBs in every increment including a 1.07 sixty foot and our 4.23/173.87mph got to within 18 thousands of a second of winning the Pro Street class. In our eyes that was a major win.”

The next target for Hewitt is the Kenda Radial Riot at Willowbank

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Raceway later this year, where he is aiming to rocket out of the gates.

“Now that we know where we are headed, we are going to try and have the quickest 60 footing radial car in Australia and try running low 4.0s at Radial Riot. Then we want to win a couple of gold Christmas trees in Pro Radial and maybe an IHRA championship or two.

“I’m thinking 4.0s are definitely possible, as for threes, you never know and if the moons align and we get the tune right and the track is excellent, maybe. I would be over the moon with 4.0s though.”

Hewitt noted he was turning 50 in October, so perhaps Radial Riot will deliver him some timecards worthy of a half century on this Earth. DNM

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VALIANT EFFORT Perth’s radial scene is in the midst of a boom, thanks to hot street cars like Craig Moar’s slamming Valiant Charger.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

Photos by Luke Nieuwhof.

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Craig Moar never intended to own a Valiant Charger, despite having always dreamed of possessing one. He figured all the good ones were already in the hands of owners who wanted too much for them.

He was instead in the market for a Holden HQ Monaro to fulfil his speed dreams, but then a Charger popped up at just the right time and just the right price.

“I had given up on being able to find a good (Charger) and was shopping for a HQ Monaro when this car with a 440 became available for the exact amount I had saved up for a new car, so it was just meant to be,” he said. “The car has changed a lot since then.”

That’s putting it modestly. When Moar first took the Charger to the track it was cutting 12 second times with the mild 440 under the bonnet. Moar then added a small spray of nitrous to take the combo into the 11s before getting into a rebuild.

“I first took it drag racing in 2004, as I bought the car to go do that. My first drag racing was back from about 2001 in my six cylinder Holden VL Commodore at the Blue Light Drags that were held on the Barbagallo Raceway main straight every second Thursday night. I have been addicted to drag racing since long before I had a driver’s licence.”

When Moar rebuilt the car he got serious. The 440 was booted in favour of a Mopar Performance 540ci block, with a 4.25 inch Callies Magnum crank and Indy cylinder heads. Callies also supplied the rods, which were connected to Diamond Pistons and made for a motor with 11:1 compression. An SV1 carburettor was used along with an Induction Solutions nitrous system, with 98 octane pump fuel to feed the fire. All up the combination was good for 610hp at the wheels naturally aspirated and 796hp with laughing gas.

The transmission is a built 727TF using a Griner billet valve body. The diff is a Final Drive sheet metal nine inch, with a Wavetrac LSD and 35 spline axles. The car is still a multipack leaf spring using standard mounting locations and Strange single adjustable shocks with an anti-roll car.

The Charger rolls on 275 drag radials wrapped on 15 x 10 inch rims, with standard wheel tubs.

“I have always liked radial tyres, as my passion really lies in fast street driven cars,” Moar said. “The standard suspension world really works with me and that type of set up is great with radial tyres.

“At the moment in Perth, the radial class is really having an exciting beginning that should grow into a really large class. I think it is the start of something really special that

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hopefully ANDRA takes notice of. Personally I hope that the class splits soon so that the fast street cars who have no class to race in other than Super Sedan have somewhere to race where they can enjoy heads-up racing.

“The Wednesday night Red vs Blue radial shows at the Motorplex show how much potential for street car racing there is, when they managed to get 50 of Perth’s toughest street cars to turn up and race head-to-head. Most of these guys have no interest in racing dial-your-own classes, myself included in that.”

Moar’s Charger has run as quick as 9.53 at 146mph so far.

He doesn’t have any concrete plans for the future of the Valiant yet, as he is not sure whether he will continue in the nitrous vein or find another way to boost performances.

“Maybe I will go turbo EFI and build it more towards Street Machine Drag Challenge then anything else. But I have some Indy Predator heads and a Hogan intake manifold sitting on the shelf that will go into the car once that decision is made and the money has been saved to do it.”

Drag Week/Drag Challenge style events have interested Moar for some time. He spectated at the USA’s Hot Rod Drag Week in 2011, crewed for other racers in 2012 and 2014 and then bought a car to compete in 2017.

“I just love how it is all street cars. actually being used on the street,” he said.

Moar’s 1984 Buick Regal, powered by a 572ci big block Chev, completed the week – no small achievement – and had an average ET of 9.92.

“We only had minor issues all week like snapping a rocker stud, burning up a dizzy, and some traction issues. Then on the last day we dropped a lifter, tearing up the camshaft but that happened after we had made the necessary passes to complete the week and we won fastest Buick of Drag Week 2017.

“Since 2017 I have got married and my wife is pregnant, which made Drag Week unrealistic to attend, but the car is there and all the parts to repair it were purchased with upgrades. We are dropping weight out of the car with the intention to be racing at 2020 Drag Week, hopefully faster and with more traction.”

The dedication to the sport that Moar shows reflects a simple love of speed.

“I just love driving fast and the people you get to meet (in drag racing). It has taken me to places I thought would be a dream, and I’ve had a lot of amazing times.” DNM

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Craig’s Drag Week Buick in action. The Charger’s nitrous 540ci makes 796hp on the gas. The original black vinyl interior was replaced with tan and snakeskin. The big Charger gets on the brakes at the top end.

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BRAT

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PACK

When the nearest place you can drag race is a two-day drive away, it helps to find the fun.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

Photos by Hayley Turns.

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LEFT: The 2012 Mike Bos-built dragster is proving a solid platform for Brodie to expand his drag racing success.

ABOVE RIGHT: Celebrations after a win at the Junior Dragster Nationals.

BELOW RIGHT: To the winner go the spoils, including a Cool Shirt system for keeping temperatures down in the cockpit.

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If drag racing skills are hereditary, Brodie Zappia couldn’t hope to have a better family.

The Zappia name is well known around the world thanks to the exploits of John Zappia. But it is John’s nephew Brodie who has been racking up the victories lately in his Junior Dragster.

‘Zap’s Brat’ began by taking out the Desert Nationals at Alice Springs Inland Dragway, and followed that victory with a Junior Dragster Nationals win at Mildura’s Sunset Strip.

The successful series of events are the result of some off-season homework from Brodie and his parents Richard and Lia, as well as uncle John.

“For us this trip iwas about me still adjusting to racing an A/JD and getting the car running consistent ETs,” Brodie said. “I did quite a bit of research and with input from Mum, Dad and John, we made some gearing changes and redistributed some weight for the recent race meetings. I got heaps of seat time with nine passes at Alice and 18 at Mildura, and I feel like I have a handle on racing this car now.”

Zappia is currently driving a 2012 Mike Bos chassis, with a Craws ZR-4 engine, and slots into A/JD. The car’s stunning wrap was designed by Josh from Illusion Vinyl Wraps and Graphics.

Zappia had a high opinion of the Junior Dragster Nationals, an event that grows year on year with a fun approach to competition for the sport’s youngest drivers.

“It’s such a great event. We had such an awesome time last year that my parents committed to going again before we had even left the track last time. This year’s JD Nats were even better, even with the rain! The win on Sunday was great and to score a Coolshirt Systems prize package and money from Uplift Cranes was the best.

“It’s great how Kingsley and Lauren arrange the racing, so each day is a separate event with different racing layouts and lots of chances for us kids to compete for different awards and trophies over the weekend. We got to test on Friday, then run pro-tree, Chicago Shootout as separate A, B and C brackets on Saturday. Then Sunday was full tree with all juniors racing under the handicap elimination rules. There was also lots of chances to do grudge races.

“I always enjoy being with drag racing friends and families when we travel and this event it is so much fun. Each night, Kingsley, Lauren and their parents put on a big dinner for everyone.

My friends from other states are amazed how everyone is so friendly and how welcoming the atmosphere is. My parents are already planning to go again next year.”

Being a Junior Dragster racer in Western Australia is a little tough right now, with the class having been put on a State Government-mandated hiatus until the results of an investigation into Anita Board’s fatal accident are released.

Zappia was travelling around the country to compete before the incident and said he has continued to stay interested in the sport.

“My enthusiasm for drag racing is definitely still there and I hope we’ll be back racing at Perth Motorplex this season. I am lucky enough to have funding from my Grandpop which has allowed me and my family to race interstate, even before JD racing was put on hold here in WA.” Given Zappia’s heritage, one has to wonder if he will ever follow in the footsteps of his uncle. It’s a possibility, but the family is insisting Brodie gets plenty of race experience before setting foot in a 3000 horsepower doorslammer.

“Well I’d love to jump into a Top Doorslammer one day, but Mum, Dad and Uncle John won’t let me near one until I’ve learned to drive and had experience racing in sportsman classes first.

I think I’ve been driving everyone nuts looking at options as I still have a couple of years in Juniors to go.

“I couldn’t enjoy any of this without help from my main supporters, my parents, Scruffy from B.L. & S.G. Lake Brick Cartage, Mike from ACS Computers, Ken from Taylor Tyres, Josh from Illusion Vinyl Wraps and Graphics, Anthony from 89 Enterprises and of course John from Zappia Racing.” DNM

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JUNIOR NATS IN PIC TURES

Eighth mile missiles take over Mildura for two days of memory-making competition.

Photos by Hayley Turns.

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Ella Ruby Stares by name, race stare by nature! Joshua Maggs and father Jason returning after a pass. Chelsea Smith shows a ‘V’ for potential victory. Zac Harvey prepares for a pass in ‘Superstar’. Lauren Kuchel on start line duties the Kuchel family have been highly influential in making the JD Nats what it is. Ben Young talks over a time card - note the winter attire for what was a very wintery weekend!

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The kids let loose after a serious weekend of racing. Cooper Plummer is ready to rumble. Archie Boskovich’s car might just be the coolest thing yet in the JDs, replicating Don Garlit’s Swamp Rat XXX. The sweet rides even extended to the tiny pit crews.

Leroy Egan looks safety-conscious as can be in his C/JD. Day one of the event saw individual brackets for A, B and C designations. Winning those were Alex Rottenbury (C), Zac Harvey (B) and Jake Berias (A).

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COMPACT CLASH The Jamboree pumps out more records from Australia’s healthy sport compact scene.

Photos by dragphotos.com.au.

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The Brisbane Jamboree on August 24 and 25 was blessed with beautiful weather and plenty of hardcore drag racing from the best sport compact cars in the country.

Among the many strong performances, the battle for the Australian 13B rotary record proved one of the most enthralling contests of the Jamboree. Rodney Rehayem in the Pac Performance RX8 was the record holder coming into the event with a 6.56 pass, with Steven Barnett – the former record holder – keen to take back the honour. Barnett is a former Pac customer, in a former Pac car, but now runs out of Jon Blanch Racing. There is a keen rivalry between the two teams.

In pre-event testing, Barnett’s week got off to the rockiest of starts when he crashed his MX6 after some severe tyre shake. “(The crash) was my fault, I stayed on it too long,” Barnett said.

“It shook and it was going straight so I thought it would stay in it. (Twenty four hours later) the car is sitting here ready to race.”

The team thrashed to repair the car overnight and were able to return to the track two days later, where Barnett unleashed a 6.53 for a new record.

Come race weekend, neither team held anything back, but it

Steven Barnett blamed himself for a crash in testing, but he would later return to run a 6.53, which at the time was a new Australian record for 13B rotaries.

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was Pac Performance who finished on top with a stunning 6.494 in the third round of McKern Pro Compact racing.

“We are happy obviously,” Pac Performance owner Rocky Rehayem said. “We have two pro cars that are extremely demanding and after the first round Rodney’s transmission broke. In 40 minutes, we swapped out the engine and the transmission, and came back out to run a 6.59 in the heat, and then ran a 6.49 when the weather got better. We are super happy with the result.”

Ironically, neither Rehayem or Barnett made the Pro Compact final round, instead it was a consistent Kelly Bettes taking the Jett Racing Datsun ute to the winner’s circle over Simon Ioannou – her fourth time as a Jambo winner. Bettes recounted the pass as wilder than normal.

“I came up on the two-step and it had a pop so I sat on it a little longer, I had a crap light but wanted to make sure it was up properly,” she said.

“I was going along and just at half track, it made a big move. I thought I was in trouble, on two wheels, got it sorted and didn’t see Simon so I got back into it.

“I can’t thank my whole Jett Racing team enough for being there, for having my back no matter what and for giving me a badass little ute to steer and take home win lights.”

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: The pageantry of Jamboree remains a big part of its appeal for fans, with much glamour and colour transforming Willowbank Raceway. Jamboree owner Collin Willshire ran his first five second time in his Proline-powered Ford Mustang.

Kelly Bettes took out her fourth Jamboree victory in a hotly contested Pro Compact class.

Joe Signorelli lowered his world record for the quickest auto import to a 6.06. New Zealand’s Abbott brothers enjoyed their time in Queensland, running a new personal best and winning over plenty of fans.

Precision Turbo and Engine Factory Extreme winner Nathan Hagenson was another with consistency on his side, staying in the six second zone and then using a 6.29 in the final round to defeat Joe Signorelli.

Signorelli didn’t go home unhappy, with a personal best 6.06 in the semi final, improving his record as the world’s quickest auto import.

“After a text book weekend of PBs and low ETs we had an intercooler failure in the final,” Signorelli said. “The killer start looked promising and so too did the win but it just wasn’t to be. We take away huge pride from the event and can’t wait to run the five that got away on home turf.”

Tom Bell’s popular Holden Gemini wagon defeated Jason Payne’s Winternationalswinning Nissan Skyline in Bosch Motorsport Pro Turbo.

“This weekend has been an emotional roller coaster, going from nearly packing up the car Saturday night to wining Pro Turbo, we are all so stoked,” Bell said.

Payne got to celebrate a new PB of 6.95 earlier in the event, but was left to rue what might have been in a wild final.

“We threw the kitchen sink at it from two seconds on (in the final), however a radiator cap came loose from suspected tyre shake and turned it into a drift comp, just tagging the wall,” he said.

Marty Dack had the lone entry to make it to racing in FuelTech IHRA Pro Mod, finding some consistency in his Ford Mustang with several 5.8 second passes. While everyone would have loved to have seen some more attention from the Pro Slammer and Pro Extreme regulars, Dack enjoyed his Mustang’s repeatability.

“We gained a firm handle on thr car setup and new combination that we have put together,” he said. “The Liberty five-speed brings a new aspect to tuning, as well as the new Pro Force Motorsports engines making plenty of steam.”

Other winners for the event included Jono McDade in Hurstville Towing Street 289, Karl Herbert in Powerseals Modified 10.5, Robbie Butler in Napa Auto Superstore Modified Compact, Andrew Coles in RCE Performance J275, Tanya Thompson in RCE Performance J315, Fabian Romanin in Extreme, Nick Jack in Import Cartel All Motor and Joseph Freire in MTQ Street Compact. DNM

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PREPARATION PAY OFF Jeremy Callaghan’s Grudge Kings win was a testimony to the five Ps - prior preparation prevents poor performance.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

Photos by Joe Maday and cacklingpipes.com.

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Jeremy Callaghan scored the biggest win of his drag racing career at the weather-delayed 2019 running of Grudge Kings at Sydney Dragway on July .

Grudge Kings’ spiritual class of choice has always been Pro Street, where steel body sedans take on each other over the eighth mile. Callaghan took out the category in his 1969 Camaro, defeating Craig Hewitt in a thrilling 4.11 to 4.23 race where both drivers delivered their quickest times of the event.

It is fair to say Callaghan is one of Sydney’s turbo veterans. He has been campaigning twin turbo engines for the better part of a decade, from his vicious green Holden Torana – which unfortunately came to a crashing end – to his current Camaro, which was sourced from the USA. Callaghan was seeking an Outlaw 10.5 car, which was the hot scene of the time.

“We spoke with Proline when the car came up for sale,” Callaghan explained. “Eric Dillard went and had a look and said it was all good and we shipped it out. It was a

10.5 car in the States and satisfied all the Cecil County rules at the time.”

The car has had some recent chassis updates from Moits Racing, with some time spent on the scales to ensure it would handle some extra power courtesy of a fresh Proline 481x combo.

“Proline have been in the background the whole time.

Before Grudge Kings we had (tuner) Steve Petty out here and you don’t get anyone better than that. We have had the latest 481x in it for about a year now. It’s a Stage Four 572ci, with Precision 102mm XPR turbos and a Fueltech 600. It is all in consultation with Frank at Dandy Engines and Proline Engines.

“Steve was excellent with his attention to detail, and you can’t buy that experience. He knows what the plan of attack is and you’re not burning up parts, you’re getting reliable tunes, as reliable as you can be at this level.”

In testing over the quarter mile, Callaghan hit a smooth 6.14/243mph personal best.

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For race day he aimed for consistency over outright performance, a wise strategy given Grudge Kings does not have a qualifying or testing round – it was straight into eliminations.

Callaghan got an early break when his first round opponent Danny Makdessi red lit, though Callaghan’s 4.12 would have been a tough prospect for Makdessi to defeat regardless.

Next was Steve Bezzina’s big Falcon, with Callaghan clocking a 4.15, followed up by a 4.14 to get by Paul Todarello’s Torana. All that was left then was the final, where the earliermentioned 4.12 did the job.

It was Super Sedan-like consistency in a car that was likely making the better part of 3000 horsepower.

“We knew we had a consistent car, and with the weather change and things we were reluctant to make many changes on the car,” Callaghan said. “We just took each competitor on their form.”

As successful as the Camaro was at Grudge Kings, Callaghan is looking to make a new step in his racing, with intentions to go to Pro Mod. The Camaro is now up for sale as a roller.

“We are sussing out interest in the car right now. I’m going to run the same driveline in a Pro Mod car. The car is at a really good point, I know it is good car and comes as a good package. The bonus of the car is it is steel roof and quarter, so it fits Pro Street and radial racing.”

ABOVE: Jeremy Callaghan celebrates a Grudge Kings payday following his Pro Street victory.

BELOW: The 572 cubic inch, twin turbocharged heart.

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Greg ‘Mauler’ Tsakiridis delivered spectacular performances from his Ford Mustang in Pro Mod, including Australia’s highest ever sedan speed - 272mph.

Pro Mod was unfortunately missing a few guns with the likes of Barry Plumpton’s nitrous Camaro, John Zappia’s famed HQ and Kelly Bettes in the Jett Racing Mustang not returning, but the racing quality more than made up for the missing.

Unlike Pro Street, Pro Mod was run over the quarter mile using a Chicago Shootout format. There were many dramatic races across the day but the most spectacular was between Greg ‘Mauler’ Tsakiridis and Paul Mouhayet in round one. Tsakiridis dropped a .021 light on the 400 Thunder Pro Slammer champion for an early lead but the blown Mustang rounded up the turbo car quickly.

That was until a 272mph top end charge from Tsakiridis pushed ahead for a holeshot 5.63 to 5.61 win. It was the quickest sideby-side sedan race in Australia and Tsakiridis’ speed was a new outright record for sedans in Australia.

The epic performances continue throughout the remaining rounds.

Tsakiridis dropped subsequent 5.62 and 5.63 runs to well and truly ensure himself a place in the final. Mouhayet made up for his early loss with a 5.63 in round two and then a spectacular Pro Slammer-legal 5.587 in round three.

But quietly going about his business was Queensland Pro Slammer racer Steven Ham. A 5.66 win in round one and two more victories gave him the finals place alongside Tsakiridis.

The final did not disappoint. Ham called on all his experience and nabbed a .023 to .044 holeshot, but the turbo car was trucking with another 270+mph top end charge to come around the Ham Camaro with a 5.63 to a 5.69 – a win margin of four hundredths.

Tsakiridis could feel the excitement of each pairing from the driver’s seat.

“We came with a plan knowing that we’d be mixing it up with some of the baddest cars in the country and there would be nothing less than everyone pushing their best,” he said. “We drew a number for first round out of the hat and the last person I wanted to draw was the champions Team Moits and Paul, and what happens, we both pull the same number and it was on as first pair up!

“It was the race that everyone was waiting and hoping to see, the baddest blown car versus the baddest turbo car in the country.

Everyone was on the edge of their seats and standing on their tippy toes! Both teams put up their best and the race was so close it was breathtaking.

“We had our hands full with a couple of challenges through the rounds and went on to the final up against yet another Australian badass blown doorslammer, Steve Ham. The result was another ever-so-close run and we came home with the crown!”

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Michael Haimandos took out Pro Elite. Russell Taylor’s Torana was unlucky to lose with a fluid leak in round one. Crowds got close to the action thanks to VIP start line tickets.

Steven Ham dropped a bunch of 5.6s and went to runner up in Pro Mod.

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In Pro Elite, Michael Haimandos had his small block twin turbo Ford Mustang wheels up and screaming to take wins over Joe Signorelli and Rodney Rehayem, reaching the final against George Rehayem. Haimandos snatched the win with a 6.34 over the rotary’s 6.37.

In Pro Modified (not to be confused with Pro Mod), Daniel Camilleri made the trip back from Victoria worth his while, taking the win in a wild final encounter against fellow Mexican Steve Athans. Athan’s Mustang took a hard right turn past the sixty foot beams, going up on two wheels before a miraculous save.

Outlaw saw Adam Attard with his big cube Torana take on Joshua Ploeger’s twin turbo big block VL Commodore. Attard, an experienced local sportsman racer, had the race won at the tree with a mighty holeshot and at the stripe the VLs 8.45 was not near to the Torana’s 8.48.

Small Tyre Fighter was a well populated bracket, and the top eight after qualifying were put into a heads up shootout, while the rest raced DYO. Trumping the shootout were the radial cars of Craige Lewis – a previous Grudge Kings overall event winner – and Danko Knezevic.

Lewis’ super tough twin turbo, street legal Cortina cut a great .029 pro tree light and stormed off into the darkness with a 7.37 to Knezevic’s trailing 8.45. In the DYO portion, Luke Purdie picked off a large cherry in the final with his Torana against Mustafa Sakina’s RX7.

In Street Outlaw, David Muscat’s Mustang fronted the final against Cameron Sleeper with his AU Falcon. This final was also decided at the start line, as Sleeper was way too early on the go pedal.

Extreme Bikes were also given the opportunity to show off their stuff at the event. These machines don’t get any crazier than Leonard Azzopardi’s ‘Out Run’ Hayabusa, and he made a honking 213mph blast in round one. Unfortunately after backing that up with a 212mph run in the next round, he was unable to make round three and we saw Ian Smith and Darren Foley ride off in the all-Hayabusa final. Smith cut the better light of the two in the final but Foley had the power, stomping a 7.35 to Smith’s 8.07 at the top end. DNM

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RICK’S

RECORD

Rick Gauci gives Nitro Express another track record at Springmount. Photos by Phat Photography.

Rick Gauci and the Nitro Express 1957 Chev Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car won another Rocket Trophy after a dominant performance at Springmount Raceway on August 24.

Eleven AONFC teams rocked into Springmount to put on a show in front of another huge far north Queensland crowd at one Australia’s newest drag racing facilities.

One Bad Kiwi, driven by Morice McMillin, fired the first shot in round one, with an off the trailer 5.73 second run at 256mph. The Rick Gauci-steered Nitro Express eclipsed that with a stunning 5.58 at 264mph, just one thousandth off a second off the AONFC track record. Other first round winners were Dark Horse (Paul Messineo), LA Hooker (Anthony Begley), The Bandit (Josh Leahy), and Insanity (Harold Campbell) on a bye run.

Nitro Express opened the second round with a track record 5.56 at 260mph, and a win over King Kong (Brandon Gosbell).

Emma Begley in Let’s Boogie won the second pairing, with a giant killing run over The Bandit. One Bad Kiwi improved to a 5.68 at 253mph over Dark Horse, with Stormtrooper (Greg Leahy), Terminator (Justin Walshe), and Time Traveller (Nathan Peirano) also winners in round two. Nitro Express and One Bad Kiwi were

BELOW: Jason Stares just can’t stay out of winner’s circles!

tied on six points each with two wins apiece and would face each other in the final for the overall victory.

In the final round, LA Hooker won against King Kong, Bandit over Time Traveller, Dark Horse over Lets Boogie, and Stormtrooper won over Terminator. In the final for the win, Nitro Express rocked another 5.58 at 260mph to win overall against One Bad Kiwi, which unfortunately suffered a clutch issue.

So it was Gauci in Nitro Express taking the overall victory, and with the other fastest times in the final round deciding the podium on a tiebreak, Josh Leahy and father Greg took the remaining podium positions.

The event also featured the opening round of the 2019/20 400 Thunder Sportsman championship for the 2019/20 season.

Healthy fields across all contested categories saw a great mix of local and travelling racers compete for the much sought after gold and silver 400 Thunder trophies. The winners on the day included Jason Stares (Top Sportsman), Kellie Kidd (Modified), Brian Shorey (Super Sedan), Alan Annis Jr (Modified Bike), Shaun Doeblien (Super Street) and Jackson Perri (Junior Dragster). DNM

MODERNTAKE

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Don O’Neal wants to make sure drag racing keeps up with what the masses want.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

Photos by Luke Nieuwhof.

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Pro Stock is a class at the crossroads worldwide.

What was once the premier sedan category has now lost its lustre, with cars and engines that bear little resemblance to ‘stock’. The interest from factories has faded, as the ‘big three’ of Chevy, Ford and Dodge instead turn to the Factory Stock Showdown for their drag racing endeavours.

Indiana’s Don O’Neal, keen to explore what could be, has crafted what could be considered a modern take on Pro Stock.

His Magnuson-supercharged, LSX powered Chev Camaro made its race debut in NHRA’s Top Sportsman class earlier this year after being unveiled at last year’s PRI Show in Indianapolis.

The NGK Spark Plugs-supported machine is basically a Pro Stock chassis combined with the kind of motor found in the Chevy COPO Camaro.

Pioneers are rare in the winner’s circle of bracket races, which makes O’Neal’s decision to operate the car in Top Sportsman a brave one. When asked why he pursued a different path to most of the field, O’Neal said he had to wonder himself.

“That’s a really nice way of calling me a knucklehead,” he joked. “When we put this program together with a Pro Stock Camaro chassis and a Factory Stock Showdown engine, we wanted to be different. We know they make good horsepower and it wasn’t just nitrous oxide, or Prochargers or turbos like most do.”

O’Neal is aware drag racing needs to stay relevant to attract new spectators, sponsors and teams. The LS platform continues to be used throughout the GM range and he wanted his own race car to reflect what people were driving on the street.

“If people are looking to be relevant in motorsport then the LS side is where they should be looking,” he said. “Every GM dealership in the country has an LS motor in it. You can buy the sensors at a parts counter. It is where I think drag racing is going.”

O’Neal is a former military recruiter, and he understands the marketing side of the sport – including the importance of relevance.

“I’m retired from the Army where I worked for Recruiting Command for the last half of my career. I am really into marketing, PR and advertising. I have a bunch of corporate companies involved but I have just as many hardcore part companies and high performance gurus that are interested in our car because this is the future.”

Being a trailblazer has not come without difficulty. O’Neal’s Camaro needed many parts custom-made to match the factory engine to the Pro Stock chassis, which was originally built for a 500ci, naturally aspirated mill.

“This is completely different and there isn’t enough time to talk about how many issues we have had,” he said. “Working on our pulley systems and oil containment for example was a fabrication nightmare. But it is going to be really cool when I light up the scoreboards going like 6.70s with a 427ci.”

The Patterson Elite-built LSX made 1350 horsepower at the wheels on a hub dyno. O’Neal was happy with the figure, given the team has not yet made any significant changes to the supercharger.

“The Magnuson and throttle body are all straight out of Factory Stock Showdown, with their rules, and we stuck it on our car. Once we get this ‘stock combination’ baseline to where it is performing and consistent, then we will start looking at modifying it.”

Like the early days of Pro Mod, Top Sportsman continues to harbour the sport’s creative refugees. Unique as it is, O’Neal’s Camaro is now one of three LS-powered cars in Top Sportsman. Each has a different take on how to go fast, with J.C. Beattie using a Whipple supercharger while Mark Payne runs a turbocharged version.

O’Neal’s Camaro made its debut at Charlotte’s zMAX Dragway in April, where O’Neal hit the throttle in anger for the first time. While no amazing numbers were put up on the readout boards, O’Neal still went home satisfied.

“When I hear it run I am like a kid in a candy store. I am as happy as I can be.” DNM

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ELECTRIC

FEEL

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Battery-powered drag racing isn’t just coming soon, it’s already here. And leading the charge is the sport’s greatest innovator.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

South Florida in July is a hot, humid, buggy, lightning and rainfilled part of the world – in other words, not where you expect to see drag racing world records being set. But when arguably drag racing’s greatest man, Don ‘Big Daddy’ Garlits, is there, people pay attention.

Renowned for his Top Fuel world championships and being drag racing’s supreme technical innovator, Garlits has turned his attention to electric power in recent years. In 2014 he set the world record for an electric car by clocking a 7.25 at 185.6mph in the Swamp Rat 37 dragster. Five years on, Garlits was back with a new car for a push to run the first 200mph pass on four wheels.

Where Swamp Rat 37 was swoopy and aerodynamic, Swamp Rat 38 was stripped back, with an emphasis on weight reduction.

None of Garlits’ traditional call signs like a canopy windscreen or spoon front end were present; this was all business. The difference was significant, with Swamp Rat 38 weighing in at 1500 pounds, around 1000 pounds lighter than the previous version.

Into the chassis rails went a motor that was already a record setter. The Lawless Industries-built unit was previously used in motorcycle that set the outright quarter mile world record of 6.94 seconds and 201mph at the hands of Larry McBride. It’s a 13 inch DC, brushed electrical motor that makes around 800 horsepower and 1500 foot pounds of torque.

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Palm Beach International Raceway on July 20 was the scene for the first record attempt from the car, with a larger-thanusual crowd attending what was otherwise a regular bracket meet to see Garlits in action. Officials from the National Electric Drag Racing Association (NEDRA) were also present on the day, taking a keen interest in Garlits’ record attempt and the attention brought to electric drag racing by Garlits’ legend status in the sport. NEDRA marketing director Keith Howard said it was apt for Garlits to be making the attempt on the same day man landed on the moon 50 years previous.

“We are here to help write the future and move forward,” he said.

Electric drag racing is currently riding a wave of evolution in technology and arguably the record is long due to be reset.

As more exotic materials and systems become available, performances will drop rapidly.

“Batteries used to be the weak link, but

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now we have nitro-level power from batteries, so the motor is the weakest link,” Howard said.

As strange as it sounds, there was very much a retro factor to this humble bracket race at Palm Beach International Raceway.

This was a chance to see vintage Garlits, to witness the greatest drag racer to ever hit the strip set records once again, the same as when he terrorised the Top Fuel ranks through the sixties, seventies and eighties. At 87 years old, Garlits remains a pioneer of the sport, and several hundred passionate fans turned out to hopefully bear witness to history.

The throng of onlookers accompanied the car into the staging lanes, with well wishes and cheers as Garlits put on his helmet for his first run. This pass would be a sighter, aimed at getting the batteries to operating temperature and making sure all the systems on the car were performing as expected.

The dragster was silent as it approached the

burnout box, but then built into a high pitched whirr of motor and squeal of tires as Garlits warmed the big Goodyears. The motor arced as the power flowed – not quite nitro flame-levels of spectacular but still a visual treat, especially at night.

With no reverse gear, the team retrieved the dragster after the burnout and pushed it back the old-fashioned way. Once back on the start line, it was unusual to hear conversation taking place between Garlits and the team. With complete silence, there was no need for a two way radio or hand signals; communication came easily, and even supportive yells were easily heard coming from the grandstands. The commentators had the crowd count down from 10 for Garlits’ blast-off, and he was gone. An easy 8.050/160.33mph flashed on to the readout boards to get the day underway.

Unlike an internal combustion engine where heat build-up can be the enemy, electric cars thrive after making several runs

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Battery technology has advanced so rapidly that it is now the motors that are the limiting factor in electric drag racing. ‘Big Daddy’ himself in the cockpit, awaiting a shot at the record. Eighty-seven years young, Don Garlits is still a hit with fans, who flocked to Palm Beach in Florida for a chance to meet the living legend. The heart of the dragster is this cylindrical motor, which was linked by a chain drive to a very simple rear end.

in quick succession. The batteries give up their energy more readily when warm. It’s also interesting to note that the car does not use a high percentage of the battery capacity on each pass and a recharge can be performed in minutes. The way the team tells it, the easiest energy to get from the battery is those first few percent, with maximum power available when they first open the floodgates.

Run two would be a more serious attempt at the records. With a bigger burnout and a hard launch, Garlits clocked a 7.235/183.00mph, setting a new ET world record for electric cars. The dragster was moving hard mid-track, but the team wanted to see more speed. After a slight adjustment to the wing angle, the next run produced a good increase at the top end as Garlits hit 189.04mph, though with a slower ET of 7.316.

Original plans for the day called for the team to be finished by sunset, but the temptation for one more run to shoot for

the moon was too great. The team made a raft of changes, including replacing the chain and altering the gearing, removing weight from the front end of the car, and drilling holes into the wicker-bill of the rear wing. Some different batteries were also slotted in, making this as unpredictable a run as any.

As heat lightning appropriately lit up the sky around the track, Garlits returned to the staging lines for one last shot.

The dragster seemed angrier even in the burnout and expectations were high. As Garlits launched, the car squatted hard and gave good early signs, until one tire spun viciously and Garlits aborted the pass with what appeared to be a rear end issue.

Despite setting the records, the team were downbeat at the end of the night. They desperately wanted the 200mph run, and easily would have settled for 190mph on their final pass, until the breakage brought a disappointing end to proceedings.

Exhausted after a day in the thick Florida

humidity, Garlits and his team were left to wonder what might have been.

“We think an internal hub broke because it spun one tyre violently and that is impossible to do if the axle is solid,” he said. “It was pretty obvious only one wheel was spinning. We made a lot of runs where we didn’t have a lot of trouble and we were creeping up on the speed. We broke (two records) and we were very happy with that.

We were really going for it on the last run.”

At the same event in a bracket class for street cars, a Tesla Model X SUV raced a stripped out Camaro – with a 7.38 to 7.40 result on the eighth mile. It showed there’s all kinds of ways to go fast on a drag strip, and whether people choose do that with volts or gas, eight cylinders or four, in dragsters or sedans or otherwise, drag racing as a sport will live on – variety is the spice of life. DNM

DRAG NEWS MAGAZINE | 59

SAFETY

LEGACY

A series of recommendations have been made following one of drag racing’s most tragic incidents.

By Luke Nieuwhof.

The Coroner’s Court of Western Australia has completed its report into the death of Junior Dragster racer Anita Board, who passed away in an accident at Perth Motorplex on 11 November, 2017.

The investigation was headed by Coroner Sarah Linton, formerly a State and Crown prosecutor, who made a series of recommendations to improve safety in junior drag racing.

While the report makes for sad reading, it is important to understand the recommendations contained and to appreciate the value of a highly independent investigator seeing dangers we have perhaps all been blind to in the sport.

Linton first summarised the day of Anita’s accident in concise detail. Two days after her eighth birthday, Anita attended Perth Motorplex to do her licence pass. She passed a blindfold test, after an initial nervous start, and then prepared to do her licence pass on the track. After an aborted first attempt due to a problem with her dragster, she was called up to the line. She moved forward, then stopped and seemed to hesitate for a few seconds before she accelerated down the track. It was planned that she would travel at speed briefly, then idle down the track to the finish line. The deceased would then turn to exit the track through a gate that was open about 50 metres past the finish line.

Anita did not slow down early in the run as expected, or after the finish line. She was going too fast to safely negotiate the exit gate.

It appeared at first she was going to keep going straight down the track, but then she turned left in an apparent attempt to make it through the exit gate. She was going too fast to execute the turn and her dragster crashed into the corner of the concrete safety barrier at the side of the gate.

She was found unconscious and not breathing immediately after the crash, although she did have a weak pulse. Her pulse disappeared when she was extricated from the car. She was rushed by ambulance to hospital and spontaneous circulation was eventually returned after aggressive resuscitation attempts. A CT scan revealed a subarachnoid haemorrhage which extended into the ventricles and down the spine, with a likely spinal cord injury.

She was placed in an induced coma but she never recovered.

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Drawing particular attention from the Coroner was the scene immediately before and after Anita’s accident, and it was from those moments drag racing stands to learn.

A track official was on the track for Anita’s pass, which differed to ordinary procedures at the Perth Motorplex. There were conflicting reports about what happened as Anita failed to slow when she approached the gate. The official told the Coroner he was indicating for her to slow down, while witnesses – including other Junior Dragster drivers and crew members – recall seeing the official indicating for Anita to make the turn.

The speed Anita was carrying led witnesses to think the dragster would roll, but instead it stayed upright, which resulted in a head on collision with the exposed corner of the concrete barriers.

The subsequent response from track crews also showed confusion, according to the Coroner. The track official saw Anita’s vehicle hit the concrete barrier and the vehicle stopped suddenly before the rear end bounced up into the air and back down again. He immediately ran over towards Anita’s vehicle and found her still strapped into the vehicle and slumped forward to her right side.

Her helmet was cracked and the steering wheel was bent forwards on the right hand side.

The official noted Anita was not breathing and said he signalled to the ambulance officers to come over. A crew member from another vehicle told the official to turn off the car, but they did not know how, and so the crew member had to shut the car down.

The paramedic came out of the ambulance and ran over to the crash scene, checked Anita for vital signs, and found she was unresponsive, not breathing, her lips and nose were cyanosed and she had a weak carotid pulse. A deep laceration to the right side of Anita’s neck was the only visible injury. The paramedic cut Anita’s helmet strap and removed the helmet and neck brace while maintaining her airway. Extricating Anita from the cockpit was difficult due to the confined design of the vehicle. The paramedic called out urgently that she needed help to get Anita out of the car, but no one came forward. She then called out to her partner to get all of the equipment ready so that they could get her straight into

the ambulance as it appeared that she was quite ‘time critical’.

Anita’s father Ian Board then came running up. The paramedic told him that they needed to get her out immediately, and he instinctively stepped forward and ripped the windscreen off the vehicle and pulled the steering wheel out of the way. He then undid the harness to free Anita.

The Coroner said it was not clear where the fire and emergency services crew were during this period of time, as they were said by witnesses to be present by the exit gate prior to the crash, and it was their role to help extricate a driver from a crashed car, but no one was able to identify any particular person performing that role at the time. The paramedic gave evidence that it was her understanding that the fire and rescue vehicle attendants would help her extricate Anita from the vehicle, but when she called for assistance they did not provide it.

The seriousness of the accident was missed by many at the scene at the time, and afterwards. The Coroner noted that the car was moved, impeding any investigation, and racing was allowed to continue. There was also come confusion among the various departments of WA Police as to which body should investigate the incident.

The Coroner also drew attention to a history of previous incidents involving the exit gate at Perth Motorplex. In total four previous incidents had occurred with Junior Dragsters at the gate, one nearly severing the finger of the 11 year old driver who gripped the roll cage as her dragster crashed.

- The Coroner recommended that VenuesWest give consideration to replacing the previously used white flags at the Perth Motorplex with some form of fixed and highly visible finish markers that can be swung into position on the safety barrier wall to mark the end of the junior track.

The Coroner found Anita’s death was a rare and unexpected event that occurred due to her inexperience. The Coroner concluded there was a need for a training and induction programme for junior racers and a greater emphasis on building a safety culture among the children, parents and organisers of the sport. The recommendations were as follows.

- The Coroner recommended that VenuesWest, in conjunction with ANDRA, make it a requirement at all junior drag racing events at the Perth Motorplex that officials must conduct scrutineering of 25% of the vehicles participating in the junior dragster bracket and complete a full scrutineering of all vehicles once every two years, including driver safety equipment.

- The Coroner recommended that ANDRA give consideration to requiring all junior drag racing participants to continue all the way down the track, rather than through the exit gate. In the alternative, if junior drag racers are required to exit through a side gate, then all junior drag racing participants should be required to come to a complete stop before beginning to execute the turn.

VenuesWest (the Government body managing Perth Motorplex) should give consideration to installing some form of barrier to the corners of the exit gates, in a similar fashion to what is currently in use at the Sydney Dragway.

- The Coroner recommended that VenuesWest, in conjunction with ANDRA, explore the feasibility of requiring a remote cut-off device to be installed on all junior dragsters.

- The Coroner recommended that VenuesWest and ANDRA work together, in consultation with the Junior Drag Racing Association in WA, to create and implement a training programme for new junior drag racers, similar to the current training programme in place at Sydney Dragway. In her opinion, the children should not be able to commence the training programme until they are at least eight years old. It should involve the child going through a number of theoretical and practical tests that the child must pass in stages, assessed by a person other than their parent or guardian, before they are able to drive down the track in a dragster at anything more than idling speed. The speed should then gradually be increased. The training should also involve ‘on the track’ orientation at the Perth Motorplex, so that the child will be familiar with the landmarks before they attempt their first licence pass.

- The Coroner recommended that ANDRA introduce a mandatory requirement that all junior racers must include in their personal safety gear a frontal head restraint device as described and demonstrated at the inquest.

- The Coroner recommended that, if the junior racers are to continue to exit the track through the side exit gate, then a CCTV camera(s) should be installed at the Perth Motorplex to capture junior dragsters leaving the gate.

The Coroner concluded there was a need for a training and induction programme for junior racers.

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The Coroner’s conclusion noted that despite the tragedy of the accident, junior drag racing was a safe sport but required better attention to training.

“Anita Board will be remembered as a bright and bubbly eight year old girl who died doing what she loved,” the Coroner wrote. “Her family were, and remain, actively involved in the sport of drag racing and it had been Anita’s dream to have a chance to participate. Tragically, the first time she attempted to get her junior drag racing licence, she crashed and suffered injuries that led to her death.

“A serious event like this in junior drag racing is so rare that it seems no one, other than perhaps the paramedics, fully appreciated the seriousness of the situation at first. Compared to the fiery crashes that are seen in adult drag racing, Anita’s crash appeared relatively minor and people believed and hoped she would be fine. There is no doubt now, after a number of years have elapsed and junior drag racing has been suspended in this State, that all of the people involved in drag racing in WA, and indeed the world, are aware of the worst that can happen when a junior driver is not fully prepared and able to remain in control of their vehicle.

“As a Coroner, who sees the worst that can happen in everyday life, it is difficult to come to terms with the idea of children being put at risk in this way. However, I have heard, and I accept, the evidence of the witnesses involved in drag racing that the risks for junior drag racers are much lower than they might superficially appear. The objective evidence from the National Coronial Information System supports their opinions. This is the first known death of a junior drag racer internationally, and I was directed to only one other case where a child in the USA was gravely injured. While there have been other incidents, the children have fortunately come out of them relatively unscathed.

“Nevertheless, I am satisfied from the evidence I heard ... at this inquest, that there is a lot to be said for ensuring that the children who participate in this sport have more comprehensive and independently regulated training before they are permitted to get their drag racing licence. I am also satisfied that more can be done to improve the general safety of the venue that hosts junior drag racing in Western Australia, namely the Perth Motorplex, and I have made recommendations that hopefully will go some way to ensuring this occurs.

“During this inquest, it was apparent that Anita’s death has had a far reaching effect on the relatively small drag racing community. Many witnesses were visibly affected when giving their evidence and it was apparent that people have given a lot of thought as to how changes can be made that will improve safety and reduce the risk for all junior participants.

“I have appreciated the cooperative way in which ANDRA and VenuesWest and all the parents and other participants have approached this inquest and the respect that people showed to each other during the inquest. It was clear that everyone involved wanted to respect Anita’s legacy and hopefully, the changes that arise from this inquest will do that.” DNM

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TOP: The corner of the exit gate located just after the quarter mile finish line at Perth Motorplex. Anita’s Junior Dragster struck the corner, with the short pink witness marks indicating the head-on nature of the accident.

BELOW: Changes made at Sydney Dragway to improve safety at their similar exit gate. Perth Motorplex is likely to adopt similar measures before a hopeful return of junior drag racing this season.