The 41st annual Goldenstates take place at Perth Motorplex this Friday and Saturday, featuring round two of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series for Top Doorslammer and Top Alcohol.
The event is traditionally a performance powerhouse, with conditions just cool enough to feed plenty of horsepower into supercharged motors while ensuring the track does not get melting-hot.
The 2011 Goldenstates saw Top Doorslammer won by current points leader Peter Kapiris over John Zappia. Kapiris also top qualified at the event and took quickest time bonus points while Zappia earned fastest speed bonus points. In Top Alcohol Rob Pilkington won his first national event, defeating Adam Marchant. Gary Phillips top qualified and had both quickest time and fastest speed bonus points but crashed his car in qualifying and was unable to make eliminations.
This year’s event features a couple of unique factors. First is the massive field of 19 Top Doorslammers, swelled by an influx of Perth locals. Perth is renowned as a breeding ground for tough supercharged, menthanol burning racers and as such includes a bunch of wildcards. Also unique about the coming weekend is the amount of new racers joining the professional ranks with seven in total racing as professionals for the first time – Shane Catalano, Pat Carbone, Mark Chapman and Simon Travaglini in Top Doorslammer and Craig Glassby, John Napier and Brian Robinson in Top Alcohol.
