Craig Davis’ comeback to drag racing after four years away is going exceptionally well so far with two wins from two events clinched by the Darwin racer in recent weeks.
The Red CentreNATS was the official host of his return, with Davis and his Ford Mustang Coupe collecting the win in the 7 Second Heavy Hitters Bracket at Alice Springs Inland Dragway on September 6.
“That win almost didn’t happen – we made some four link adjustments to the car during the event and this nearly upset our chances. I find if you go out trying to break a record, you will generally break something, so we just set out to get the car from A to B in a timely manner and as consistently as possible. The rest was just up to me doing my job as a driver, with a little bit of good luck involved,” Davis said.
“After a four-year absence from drag racing, it was a long time between drinks. Time off gives you time to think about how you can do things better, so it is a real big pat on the back to come through with the victory after a lot of hard work.
“I think the Red CentreNATS event is one of the best events I have been to in years. It caters for nearly all motorsports enthusiasts from nearly every aspect of the sport and the pro tree, heads up drag racing brackets are one of the most exciting brackets I have watched and participated in. The win was just the icing on the cake for me – and also something to talk about on the 1,500km trip home!”
Well and truly bitten by the drag racing bug once again, the Managing Director of CCD Electrical Pty Ltd was back on the road for another 1,500km round trip to Alice Springs just weeks later, this time to claim the Top Comp victory at the NT Titles (September 18/19).
“Heading back to Alice Springs for the NT Titles a couple of weeks later, we didn’t really know what to expect but we were excited to race the car again and for us, the NT titles has always been the meeting of the year for the locals to defend our territory,” Davis said.
“The event was unfortunately confronted with high winds and dust storms that cancelled the qualifying on the Friday, but the committee and volunteers at ASID dealt with the issues in a professional manner and turned the event around on the Saturday night.
“The people at ASID really made the event in my opinion. You could not ask for a more friendly group of people and the track and track facilities were well organised.
“We had a problem with the EFI ECU unit in the car during qualifying, so we settled on only running one of the four stages of nitrous oxide on the engine. One of our most competitive opponents at the event, Bradley Hicks in the dragster, was who we ended up meeting in the final. It was a very close race at both ends of the track, but we came through with the win. Bradley was a gentleman and we hope to line up beside him again.
“For both the NT Titles and the Red CentreNATS, I can say we will definitely be back to race again next year. I think that if they are promoted correctly, the NT Titles and the Red CentreNATS both have the possibility of being some of the biggest events in Australia next year.”
With the Red CentreNATS and NT Titles now behind him, Davis is already longing for his next competitive outing when the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association’s season starts up in 2021.
In the meantime, he has a number of people that he wishes to thank for making his comeback to the sport he loves so successful.
“The lead up to any event entails a tremendous amount of work behind the scenes to make a drag car, race ready,” said Davis.
“We have a bunch of people that are dedicated to making this happen every year we have raced. Some of these people have supported me and my racing career for more than fifteen years and although we thank them every year, it would not be possible to do what we do without them.
“I would like to acknowledge my race team, Jason Kroonstuiver, Kim Kroonstuiver, Phil Boyton, Todd Knight, Brody Knight, Joab Coyne and my partner, Marilyn McNaught.
“I would also like to thank my sponsors, CCD Electrical, JSW Transport, JSW Welding, ISAS and Mick Taylor Automatics, and to also send a big shout out to Bear from Choices Flooring in Alice Springs for helping us out.
“Of course, we cannot forget the track officials and volunteers for all that they do, they make these events.
“And finally, I would also like to thank Ellie Thorley, event manager for the Red CentreNATS. She was a delight to deal with before, during and after the event.”
For more about Alice Springs Inland Dragway, visit www.cadra.com.au
