WELCOME | INTRODUCTION
Welcome Bob Wilton Manager, Masterton Motorplex I would like to welcome everyone to the Kiwi Thunder Group One National Series. The aim of Masterton Motorplex has always been to put on the sort of drag racing you don’t normally see in New Zealand and I feel in partnership with Meremere Dragway we are indeed taking drag racing in New Zealand to another level. For the first time in many years we will see the cream of New Zealand’s Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammers competing against each other. This is a very positive development for drag racing in New Zealand and we are proud to be working with Meremere Dragway in this new venture. All going well, we are looking forward to holding other combined group series in the near future. I hope you enjoy Kiwi Thunder Group One National Series, which I feel sure will live up to its title.
Gary Bogaart General Manager Meremere Dragway I would like to welcome everyone to Meremere Dragway and Masterton Motorplex for the Kiwi Thunder Group One National Series. Meremere Dragway is excited to be part of this exciting new venture which I believe will be good for the Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammers classes, their drivers and you, the spectators. Kiwi Thunder is a positive development for the future of drag racing in New Zealand. It promises some spectacular racing and I hope you enjoy your time at Meremere Dragway and Masterton Motorplex for this unique event.
Mayor Lyn Patterson Masterton District Council I’m delighted to welcome you to the Kiwi Thunder Group One National Series at Masterton Motorplex and Meremere Dragway. Over the years Masterton Motorplex meetings have become an iconic event for our local drag strip enthusiasts as well as fans from all over New Zealand. We are very proud of having one of only two purpose-built drag strips in New Zealand. If you are visiting Masterton for the first time, I hope you can find the time to also explore the other attractions we have in our town. I’m sure you’ll receive a warm welcome wherever you go. Finally, good luck to all the drivers and crews and I look forward to seeing you in action! Enjoy the weekend.
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ABOUT BOB
Foot still to the floor at Masterton Motorplex Grass has little chance of growing under the feet of Bob Wilton. Bob grew up in Wairarapa, buying his first car, a Mark I Zephyr, while still at school. Bob pursued a career in motoring, first establishing The Speed Shop which sold V8 parts and later Wiltons Radiator Centre, which he still owns, and from where he directs the activities of Masterton Motorplex as Manager, a role he has held for 20 of the years since it was established as an incorporated society in 1997. Bob has won a cabinet full of trophies from when he took up drag racing at the age of 30 till when he retired from racing at the age of 50. Since then he has been putting all his passion for drag racing into Masterton Motorplex. Under his watch it has gone from racing at Hood Aerodrome to having its own international class facility. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Masterton Motorplex and hosting the 50th New Zealand National finals last season was looking like a tough act for Bob and the MMP board to follow. But they have managed to keep the momentum going by organising the inaugural Kiwi Thunder Group One National
Series with Meremere Dragway. Bob is equally excited with another project that is coming to fruition, and that is the installation of the largest drag racing timing board in Australasia. Costing $75,000, the bulk of the money has been raised by Masterton Motorplex, along with grants from Trust House and Eastern & Central Community Trust.
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The success of Masterton Motorplex has made the timing board a necessity, says Bob. “We used to get around 120 cars so the announcers had time to give out details of the drivers and their speeds between races, but now with around 200 competitors at every meeting the races are happening so quickly one after the other that there isn’t the time anymore.” The timing board is three metres high by six metres wide and located at the quarter mile mark. The speeds will flash up within seconds of drag racers crossing the finish line. Bob hopes the timing board will be in action by the February meeting and definitely expects it to be ready before the end of this season. He has other plans in the pipeline as well, all designed to keep spectators entertained. He has recently made overtures to the organisers of a “Hot Rod” class in Australia which doesn’t exist in New Zealand, to bring some of their racers here “which could happen next season”. He is also looking at introducing a vintage gas drag racing class to Masterton Motorplex’s Dragstalgia meeting for retro drag racers.
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ABOUT GARY
Racing still part of the mix for Meremere manager The person who makes sure New Zealand’s busiest drag strip runs smoothly is its General Manager Gary Bogaart. Gary has managed Meremere Dragway for the past nine and a half years but his history with it goes back further, to when he started competing in the mid-1980s. Since then Gary has been very successful in drag racing and has won pretty much every trophy/series in New Zealand, as well as setting around eight to 10 New Zealand records. These days he races in the Top Street and Supercharge Outlaw classes. He is life member of the Pukekohe Hot Rod Club which established Meremere Dragway. It was while racing at Masterton Motorplex in the early 2000s that Gary met Masterton Motorplex Chairman Bob Wilton and they have maintained a cordial relationship ever since. Both could see a need to get all the Group One competitors in New Zealand racing together. “It is good for the competitors, the tracks and it is good for the spectators,” says Gary.
Because of the enormous expense, Group One only has a small number of racers, he points out. “It costs tens of thousands of dollars to
run them and not everyone can afford them, but they are the top echelon of drag racing in New Zealand and they are popular with the public who want to see the fastest cars. “Kiwi Thunder means drivers will have more competition and spectators will see more drag racers - everyone wins.” Meremere Dragway is New Zealand’s busiest drag strip with around 45 meetings every summer, with everything from Night Speed Drag Wars to the American Muscle Car Club. The drag strip never rests on its laurels with new developments always under way. The latest is around $280,000 being spent installing lights all down the track. “This will allow us to have more meetings at night when it is cooler,” says Gary. Gary isn’t the only one who races in his family, with son Nick, 16, and daughter Chrissie, 15, both racing in the Super Street class.
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CLASSES
Here’s a brief run-down on the Super Street (C8)
A true entry level class for any registered and warranted car. The car must pass a simple safety check and you must have a helmet, then you can race in this class. The quickest a car can go in this class in 11 seconds. Qualify on reaction time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Modified Bike (C11)
A true entry level class for any registered and warranted motorbike. The bike must pass a simple safety check and you must have a helmet and full clothing (leathers are preferred), then you can race in this class. Qualify on reaction time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Junior Dragster 1/8 mile (C12)
drag racing classes
reaction time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Super Sedan (C10)
Street appearing cars quicker than 10.99 seconds. Cars range from modified street cars to purpose built race cars. Many cars are supercharged for extra horsepower (supercharger, turbos or nitrous oxide). Qualify on elapsed time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Comp Bike (C9)
Purpose built drag bikes or highly modified motorbikes. Qualify on elapsed time (quickest compared to the index), eliminations race using an index handicap on a full tree.
Modified (C3)
Scale replicas of dragsters (front or rear engine) or funny cars. Powered by a motorbike engine (up to 250cc) or a modified “Briggs and Stratton” (lawnmower engine, but highly modified). Drivers start at 7 years old up to 18 years. Qualify on reaction time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Purpose built drag cars - dragsters, altereds or cars with a body style older than 1935 (usually ‘T Buckets’ or similar). A range of engine styles and performance levels from 7 second to 11 second cars. Qualify on reaction time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Junior Dragbike 1/8 mile (C13)
Purpose built street appearing race cars. This category is the next level up from super sedan, and many of these cars hold national records. Qualify on elapsed
Scale replicas of Comp Bikes. Powered by a motorbike engine (up to 125cc). Drivers start at 11 years old up to 18 years. Qualify on
Top Street (C7)
time (quickest compared to the index), eliminations race using an index handicap on a full tree.
Competition (C2)
Purpose built race cars – dragsters, altereds or funny cars. This category is the next level up from modified, and many of these cars hold national records. Qualify on elapsed time (quickest compared to the index), eliminations race using an index handicap on a full tree.
Supercharged Outlaw (C4)
Any car as long as it is supercharged. This is an exciting category of very quick cars. Must be quicker than 8 seconds, and many cars can run 6 seconds. Qualify on elapsed time, eliminations race using a DYO handicap on a full tree.
Top Doorslammer (C14)
The ultimate in street appearing cars and the car must have opening doors. Wild engines usually in the 3,000 to 3,500 horsepower range. Most of these cars run in the 6 second range and the best are capable of high 5 seconds, although the 5 second barrier has not been broken in NZ yet. Qualify on elapsed time, eliminations race using heads up on a pro tree.
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ABOUT KIWI THUNDER
Kiwi Thunder an exciting new development for drag racing in New Zealand The introduction of the inaugural Kiwi Thunder Group One National Series is one of the most significant events in drag racing in New Zealand for a long time. For the first time in many years, New Zealanders have the opportunity to see all the best Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammers battling it out for top spot on the New Zealand drag racing podium. The series is being held over four meetings - the first and third at Meremere Dragway in Waikato, and the second and fourth at Masterton Motorplex in Masterton. With neither IHRA nor NZDR running a Group One points series this season, Kiwi Thunder promises to be an exciting show with New Zealand’s fastest racers all competing head-to-head. The series has been developed by track promoters Gary Bogaart, General Manager at Meremere Dragway and Bob Wilton, Manager of Masterton Motorplex, with the sole objective of bringing all group one racers back together again, regardless of which governing body they belong to. “We believe this series will benefit drag racing tremendously and will give the
Barry Plumbton’s Top Doorslammer
biggest show to the spectators they have ever seen with these two classes,” predicts Bob. “Both venues are superb and will provide
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MEREMERE DRAGWAY
Meremere Dragway in the lead for 45 years Meremere Dragway was opened in Easter, 1973 by keen volunteers who saw the need for a permanent Drag Racing facility in the greater Auckland region. Older drag racing fans will remember racing being held at Ardmore, Kerr’s Road, Manurewa and Kopuku in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These proved to be so popular it was obvious the American sport was here to stay. Today, drag racing at New Zealand’s premier dragstrip, Meremere Dragway, is run under the governance of IHRA NZ. The Pukekohe Hot Rod Club were instrumental in getting the drag strip built and are currently in charge of all the everyday maintenance and improvements, as well as the running of all drag racing events at the facility. The Pukekohe Hot Rod Club is also the only hot rod club globally who can lay claim to owning their very own drag strip! We would like to boast that we have grown up with New Zealand’s drag racing community and after 45 years in the business, we feel we have, from the days when we marvelled at 14-second cars to 12-second cars to 10-second beasts and now into single digit times.
12 Masterton Motorplex 2019
Nowadays, some racers are completing the 1/4 mile in under 6 seconds - that’s over 200mph in approximately 400 metres. Pretty awesome and quite a history really! If you haven’t been to the track recently to see and feel the roar and rumble of what makes this sport and our venue special, then book in some time this summer to visit and take in the sights, sounds, smell and atmosphere. Meremere Dragway – formerly Champion Dragway – celebrated its 45th year of operation in Easter 2018 and has been such a popular destination that the road off the main State Highway 1 trunk into the facility has been aptly renamed Drag Way (although the road sign says Dragway Road – we’ll take both). The venue also plays host to other great motoring ventures such as the Meremere Dirt Track run by the Meremere Dirt Track Club, the Auckland Vintage Speedway run by the Auckland Vintage Speedway Club, Every Green Drift Park and the Auckland Jet Sprint Track run by the Auckland Jet Sprint Club.
MASTERTON MOTORPLEX
Masterton Motorplex striving for the perfect drag strip Masterton Motorplex began as a club-run annual closed-road street drag meeting and street sprint, but has evolved into one of just two permanent drag strips in New Zealand. In the early days of drag racing in New Zealand, many hot rod clubs around the country ran various driving competitions for club members to try out their hottedup cars. In Wairarapa the first drag races were held in conjunction with the Wairarapa Car Club and Ramrodders Hot Rod Club. Based in Masterton, the Ramrodders developed a taste for straight-line racing. The very first drag race was held in Dixon Street. Then they were moved to Te Ore Ore Road, just east of Masterton. As time marched on however, health & safety regulations, scarcity of public roads to use, and increasing costs saw the Masterton event eventually become too difficult to remain viable, but its core group of enthusiastic racers were never going to let sleeping dogs lie. The idea of using Hood Aerodrome as a drag strip was first mooted in 1994. 1997 saw Masterton Motorplex established as an incorporated society to get drag racing at the aerodrome off the ground as a 1/4 mile track and the following year the first meeting was held there.
A race in Wairarapa Car Club days at Waingawa.
MMP Manager Bob Wilton, backed by his board, slowly but surely pushed towards securing a piece of council-owned land adjacent to the aerodrome, which was for many years the home to a large motocross track. Work on the drag strip started in 2012 and over the next two years fundraising was successful enough to get the initial strip completed and it was officially opened in 2014.
Over the years MMP earned a reputation for putting on very successful meetings, with touring drag racers coming from Australia and the United States.
At 20 metres, the drag strip is the widest in New Zealand. The 900-metre track has the longest concreted launch pad at 155 metres.
But with ongoing traction difficulties due to the painted markings, and an increase in use of the air strip by planes, coupled with the massive task of setting up and dismantling the track for each meeting, there was always a desire for a permanent, turn-key drag strip.
The racing section of the track is the standard 400 metres (quarter mile) long. The following 450 metres has a one percent uphill gradient to help drivers slow down at the other end, another unique feature of the strip. Concrete barriers on both sides for 850 metres, and other
facilities, have brought the strip up to international standards. The spectator area runs for 250 metres which is 100 metres longer than at the airport. There is permanent seating for approximately 1200 people on one side of the track, as well as standing room for the remaining length of the barriers with great views from both sides. Since opening Masterton Motorplex has been making constant improvements to the facilities including a two-storey timing tower, VIP viewing area, pit area, public toilets, planting of trees, and the biggest burn-out pad in New Zealand.
WILTON’S RADIATOR
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Bob Wilton • 6 3 14 Masterton Motorplex 2019
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MASTERTON MOTORPLEX
A Top Alcohol dragster in action at Hood Aerodrome.
Hamilton and Auckland Top Door Slammers compete on the new track.
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PROFILES Name: Anthony Marsh Hometown: Auckland Class: Top alcohol Anthony’s A/Fuel dragster has a 432ci Chrysler engine running on 94% nitro. He has owned the car for the past eight years and it is currently the fastest and quickest top alcohol car in New Zealand with a best time of 5.374 at 273.66mph. Successes include: • fastest Nitro/Alcohol dragster in the world (a small block Ford dragster that ran a 6.7 @ 199.12mph) • current top alcohol record holder with a 5.374 @ 273.66mph • top fuel record holder with a 4.789 @ 315.6mph
Name: Johnny Alsop (driver) Nigel Alsop (owner) Hometown: Class: Top Alcohol The brothers Alsop hold a proud collection of achievements including: New Zealand’s first 5 second small block and first 5 second Altered, Top Alcohol national record of 5.920 @ 234.78mph, first Top Alcohol – Masterton Motorplex, Auckland Invasion 2018, and runner-up Top Alcohol – IHRA Season Points Series. The 5.920 pass also makes it the second fastest small block Altered in the world, the fastest being Mark Sheehan who ran a 5.850 @ 239.42mph in Perth, 2003.
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PROFILES
Name: Barry Plumpton Hometown: Massey, Auckland Class: Top Doorslammer Barry raced in his 20s in club drags for several years, then purchased an HQ 2010 and started improving and upgrading the car. He ran in Father’s Day drags and won the top 8 Australian shootout in 2011 and 2015. Barry purchased Monte Carlo in 2012 and in his first season in 2012/2013 was the NZDRA Super Stock national champion and set national records, IHRA Top Street national champion and set national records. Barry then turned on nitrous and entered the Top Doorslammer class. He was 2013/2014 Meremere drag racer of the year, NZDRA national champion 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2018, IHRA national champion 2013, 2016 and 2018, NZDRA NZ nationals class winner 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2018, IHRA NZ
nationals class winner 2013, 2014, 2017 (2018 2nd), and 2018 achieved fastest Doorslammer pass in NZ at 6.120 in Masterton. IHRA NZ record holder. “I enjoy the challenges of competing with big inch nitrous motors and the unknown. I’m assisted by some great mates,
nearly always laughing and enjoying our competing to challenge ourselves.” Barry is currently competing in a 1968 Camaro built by Jerry Bickel Race Cars and running a 959” musi nitrous motor with Bruno/Lenco trans.
Name: Cess Miller Hometown: Waiuku Class: Top Doorslammer A 59 Impala body with an old small block 358 Rodek engine with 871 blower and powerglide. Strange diff. Best time 7.90. “Only been racing four seasons – just wanted to have a go.”
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PROFILES
Name: Brent Whittingham Hometown: Palmerston North Class: Top Doorslammer This is Brent’s first season out with his 69 Camaro, the specs of which include methanol 509ci Billet alloy Chev, Kobelco 1471 supercharger with mechanical fuel injection. Approximately 2500 horsepower. Transmission is a Reid 2 speed and converter. This is Brent’s first season learning about this car and he obtained his Group One licence at recent MMP Test and Tune. The car is teched as a Doorslammer and has also entered the recently formed Outlaw 71 Series. The car’s best result so far is 7.0 @ 194mph by its previous owner. Among Brent’s most memorable experiences was catching the net at Motueka “when my parachute failed to open. Winning the Super Sedan Challenge and the Central Nationals at MMP was cool. Running my Super Sedan Camaro into the 7s was a real highlight. Touching the accelerator pedal in my new car for the very first time earlier this season, prior to my very first burnout is something I’ll always remember.”
Name: Bryan Norman Hometown: Alexandra Class: Top Alcohol This top alcohol front engine dragster was built by Bryan and completed 2015. The crew chief is John Neilan from Auckland and crew Lou Barclay from Gore and Tricia Norman from Alexandra. It has a 470 cu in Miner Brothers Hemi engine with a 14-71 hi-helix psi supercharger running on methanol and making over 2000 horsepower. It has an ATI turbo 400 three speed transmission and a Strange 9 inch diff. The car’s best times to date are 6.25 secs @ 221mph “but as we have fitted a new supercharger for this season so we are hoping to improve on that. “This car is the quickest and fastest front engine dragster in New Zealand and our long term goal is to get it into the five second zone.”
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PROFILES Name: Chris Johnson Hometown: Pukekohe Class: Top Alcohol Chris bought his 2003 Uyehara second-hand from San Francisco without engine or transmission. He promptly put in a Chevrolet engine but after that was “destroyed” at Masterton Motorplex last February, Chris has installed a brand new Noonan Hemi. Chris is current New Zealand record holder for Top Alcohol MPH @ 262mph as well as Top Alcohol Elapsed Time record holder @ 5.49. He also holds the record for the fastest drag racer with a Chevrolet engine in the world. His most memorable experience in the Uyehara is his first five second pass. “That’s a milestone for a lot of people and something not everyone achieves.”
Name: Squig Hometown: Auckland Class: Top Doorslammer Squig’s 1965 XP Ford Falcon engine with 3 on the tree is totally 100% home built, running a Sainty BTV (billet three valve), PSI supercharger, injected, methanol (designed and built in Australia), Ex Top Fuel engine, overhead cam, 3 speed Lenco, Crower 10’’ pedal clutch, 9’’ Diff, Original steel roof and main body, 3’’ roof chop, 2 door. Carbon fibre front clip, doors, dash, rear wing. Squig has had the car for 34 years. “It was original with 4 doors, 6 cyl 170ci with 3 on the tree. Then we put in a 302 and C4 auto. Street car (14.6 @ 100mph). “Finally cut it up and made it a super gasser with a 514 ci caburetted big
block ford (ran 9.7 @ 140mph). Then stepped up with an Injected SVO 510 Big Block Ford (ran 8.5 @160mph), then bolted on a 1071 blower and Lenco (ran 7.7 at 185mph), then bolted on a 14-71 blower (ran 6.9 at 191mph) Put in a Sainty BTV and PSI and with only 2 full passes (6.9 @ 205mph) The car has won many meetings and the Super Gas point score in 1999, won many a meeting and the point score series in Top Street & Competition. It had the BB/TS record from 2000 to 2001 @ 8.5 – 157mph. “Kerry, my partner in crime has been with me for over 15 years and it has developed from someone giving a bit of helpful advice to a great friendship and part-owner of the engine.”
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PROFILES
Name: Nigel and Jodz Dixon Hometown: Hamilton Class: Top Doorslammer New Zealand’s quickest and fastest blown Doorslammer belongs to Hamilton’s Nigel and Jodz Dixon. Built originally by BSR in Australia with mods from Grant O’Rourke from 1320 Racecars, the full chrome moly chassis is clothed in a BA Ford Falcon skin. Sponsored by Kruzin Kustoms, it’s easily recognisable to its huge fan base as it resembles the daily driven version of the same vehicle, albeit with over 3000hp more than Henry Ford’s stock variation. To date Nigel has dipped as low as 6.19 @ 237mph after a mere two seasons behind the wheel. Having driven all manner of things in his 20-plus years in the sport, the Falcon is the final progression in a long line of tough-asnails street cars and bad-to-the-bone race
cars that he has stomped the loud pedal on. With the ultimate goal being the race to own the first 5 second time slip for a Doorslammer, Nigel is right up there amongst the favourites to make history and have that honour. A 521 cubic inch screw blown Hemi is his choice of power
plant, 3 disc clutch while a 3 speed Lenco transmission feed the power rearward to the huge Mickey Thompson rear tyres. With wife and most loyal supporter Jodz and a crew as talented and dedicated as any out there, all the stars are beginning to line up. Maybe Masterton Motorplex could be the place where history is made?
Name: Grant Briffault Hometown: Hamilton Class: Top Alcohol Grant’s rear engine dragster was totally built by Grant in his shed. To date it has achieved 5.9 seconds with a best speed in miles per hour to date of 230. One of the highlights of Grant’s career was “the first ever drag race meeting I attended back in December 1977”.
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PROFILES
Name: Dwayne Garrett Hometown: Masterton Class: Top Alcohol Dwayne and his team race with a rear engine dragster called Torquingheads. The 250” dragster was built in 2013 by Graham Berry Race Cars. It runs a 511 bae all billet Hemi, 3 speed Lenco transmission, 10.7 Crower clutch and a 9inch diff. “We have a 16/71 Littlefield supercharger for the air and a MSD pro mag 44 for the spark, also a Waterman fuel pump for fuel – altogether we have a p.b of 6.02 @ 228mph.” Dwayne is coming up on racing for 20 years. “My best experiences are racing the best racers especially when the pressure’s on – also mixing it up in my shed with the best of team members – crew chief Andrew, Shane, Elise and Kevin. With this team and a very small budget we hold our own out there. “You just can’t beat lots of friendly banter between teams but it all stops at the start line!”
Name: Mark Vincent Hometown: Gulf Harbour, Auckland Class: Top Alcohol Mark runs a top alcohol rear engine car. Its specs include a 526ci Hemi, Mike Janis prepped PSI roots blower running 30% over, Hogan sheet metal intake manifold, -6 BAE heads, JE pistons, GRP rods, Bryant billet crank. Best result is 5.94 @ 232mph.
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PROFILES
Name: Paul Davison Hometown: Upper Hutt Class: Top Alcohol Paul’s Upper Hutt Glass Dragster’s specifications include a 511cu inch Bard Anderson Hemi, 14.71 Superman Supercharger, and three speed air shift Lenco. Its best time is 621 @ 224mph. Paul is the 2017/2018 New Zealand Nationals champion. For Kiwi Thunder, Paul’s youngest son Aaron will be jumping in the driver’s seat. The 23-year-old was the youngest person in New Zealand to get into the six-second club when he was just 19.
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Photocourtesy Name: Gavin Green of John Faulkner Hometown: Featherston Class: Top Doorslammer Gavin’s 1968 Pontiac Firebird was brought out of Australia as a roller in 2017. The motor was purchased from Lucky Belleri in Australia, blower, hat and fuel system bought and flowed by Maurice Fabietti. JC Racestuff – Jeff Cutajar rewired the car. Warren Hale from Foxton refreshed the motor. Gavin’s team’s name is “Hold On Racing” and the theme of the car is the “angry bird.” Gavin was extremely impressed by the car at the MMP meeting at the start of December. “Our goal for the Pontiac was to achieve 200mph which we were going to sneak up on slowly and safely as there is so much to learn about the new combination, especially a blown engine. Then, boom, a 6.31 second pass at 224.06mph was achieved. The team is absolutely blown away, literally, by this result.”
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PROFILES Name: Jeff Dobson Hometown: New Plymouth Class: Top Doorslammer Jeff’s 2002 Pontiac Grand Am Pro Mod is not your typical Top Doorslammer with its 509 cubic inch big block Chevy with electronic fuel injection and twin turbos. “Everyone runs superchargers and we decided to go a different path and do something no one has really done in New Zealand before and run twin turbos on a Big Block full tube door car.” Jeff has only had the Pontiac for a couple of years but had previously campaigned the same engine in his old 1986 Pro stock style Camaro for over 10 years. “With our old car we won numerous events and New Zealand titles. With the new car running in the Doorslammer class last year we placed third in the NZDRA National points series with a couple of runner-up placing at events while we were still learning about the new car.” As a New Zealand Drag Racing Association Life Member, Jeff was proud to see his daughter Shanelle winning back-to-back New Zealand titles in the Super Gas class. “We do this as a family deal. Both my son Josh and son-in-law Adam are driving the car now so we all travel around together. My wife Janice and I have purchased a camper and take that to the track with the grandkids and everyone else, stay at the track and have a good time!”
Name: Simon Fowke Hometown: Christchurch Class: Top Alcohol Funny Car Simon will be running a new combination for this season with his car having a significant rebuild for its driveline components of clutch, bell house and transmission, supported by an updated SSI supercharger and fuel injection system. The car’s best performance to date has been an ET of 6.71 @ 211mph and his best result runner-up in the IHRA Top Alcohol division in 2014.
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PROFILES
Name: Mark Thomas Hometown: Wellington Class: Top Doorslammer Mark’s 1956 Ford Customline can get from zero to 100kmh in under one second, with a best speed of 363kmh – not bad for a ‘56 Ford! He is four times Top Doorslammer Nationals champion. His MT Racing Ford Customline makes more than 3000 horsepower, about 18 times that of the average street car.
It leaves the starting line with a force three times that of gravity, and is slowed by a reverse force more than three times that of gravity when both parachutes deploy simultaneously at 354kmh.
Name: Rod Benjes and John Dillon Hometown: Upper Hutt Class: Top Doorslammer Co-owned by Rod Benjes and John Dillon and driven by Rod, the Childs Play 92 Chev Beretta Doorslammer is powered by a 526 Hemi. Its specs include TFX billet block, Bryant billet crank, GRP rods, BAE pistons, Crane cam, Noonan billet cylinder heads with Victory titanium valves and PAC springs, DMPE specced PSI D-series supercharger, JBR carbon fibre injector hat, Waterman fuel pump and MSD 44 magneto ignition. All the power gets to the ground via a 3 disc Crower clutch, 3 speed Lenco transmission, Strange Engineering drive shaft and custom fabricated chromoly diff housing with Strange Engineering This will be the 10th season the car has been campaigned in Top Doorslammer. Its best results include; Current NZDRA Top Door Slammer record holder with a 6.28 sec @ 229.8mph; 2015 IHRA Top Door Slammer Nationals Champion; and 2013/14 IHRA Top Door Slammer National Series Champion Among their most memorable experiences have been setting the National record last season and winning the 2015 Nationals – “and the great friendships made through the sport.”
Wairarapa Mitsubishi 313 Queen Street, Masterton | 06 378 6134 Rodney 027 81 333 80 | Steve 027 59 299 56
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