Cloudy’s Take - The Wild Bunch

Octane Fix Online Issue 16

THE WILD BUNCH Cloudy’s Take

Like the OutLaw 71 Series, the Wild Bunch is introducing a new way of looking at the New Zealand drag racing scene with its “put on a show and the crowds will follow” attitude.

With the racer returns format nobody really loses as they return in the next round, so everyone’s favorite car from a fans perspective will run again. Points are gathered and the winner progresses into the “winners bracket” while the loser drops down onto a “losers bracket”. Here’s an in-depth look into the Wild Bunch put together by Ryan.

Straight from the desk of Ryan Sheldon:

The words ‘Wild Bunch’ bring to mind images and memories of a bygone era, a time when gas was cheap, racing was fun and grandstands and race fields were full. Somewhere over time we all got lost, ‘Wild Bunch’ as a class got swallowed up and spat out, morphed into other classes which led to a hell of a lot of cars and drivers being left without a class they were competitive in, until now that is. Formed a few seasons back ‘Wild Bunch NZ’ has not only brought a bunch of those cars and drivers back from the wilderness, but brought back a fun and exciting element to drag racing, along the same lines as the wildly successful example set by the boys and girls of the Outlaw71 class. With fields constantly in the 16-20 car range, the class packs the pits and grandstands whenever an event is on and with a wide variety of sedan bodied cars ranging from a crazy supercharged alcohol breathing Ferrari to a wild cartoonish VW bug, all running within the 6.99 to 7.99 range. The action is always fast and exciting and it’s a class where you are rewarded as much for the “show’” you put on as opposed to winning the actual event. It’s combatants indulge in as much banter and pre-race shenanigans as they can get away with, which makes the whole class just as much a family as a bunch of racers. Season 2023 for the ‘Wild Bunch’, proudly sponsored by Mountshop kicks off in January at Masterton Motorplex, stops off at Meremere Dragway in February and then returns for the monster of an event that is “MAYHEM at Masterton” which pits ‘Wild Bunch’ against the aforementioned Outlaw71 crew for all the bragging rights over winter. From wild smokey burnouts to out of control passes and close side by side action, Wild Bunch offers a little something for everyone. They even sell colouring books and teddy bears in their merch tent on site at all events to keep the little ones amused. So make it a plan to attend at least one event this summer, you won’t be disappointed! Cheers