Day one of the Desert Nationals, the opening round of the 2024/2025 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship, has successfully come to a close at Alice Springs Inland Dragway this afternoon ahead of more exciting action scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday August 25).
Today’s action hosted four rounds of qualifying under blue skies and amidst hot temperatures, with one more round of qualifying set to be held on Sunday morning before racing is held for the first ANDRA Christmas Trees of the new season.
At the conclusion of today’s on-track running, Katrina Read (Super Street), Coooper Plummer (Junior Dragster), Dean Gunson (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Tony Miskelly (Super Sedan), Bradley Hicks (Modified), Vlado Turic (Top Sportsman), Edge Mallis (Competition Bike) and Garthe McIntyre (Huntsman Racing Supercharged Outlaws) are leading the way for their respective brackets.
Also hitting the track today were competitors for the non-championship Street Car, Street Bike and Junior Drag Bike brackets, with Ashley Gillatt, Amanda Vandenberg, and Ashia Gillatt currently topping the qualifying sheets for these brackets respectively ahead of Sunday’s running.
Huntsman Racing Supercharged Outlaws competitor Garthe McIntyre said he is having “the best time ever” at Alice Springs Inland Dragway so far.
“It has been a really good day. The track is brilliant, the officials are excellent, we just didn’t pick a very good day for the weather with it being very hot,” he laughed. “It is a dry heat though and there is a nice breeze, so that is okay.
“We have had a great time so far, everyone here, the officials and the racers, are terrific.
“Tomorrow is set to be great, even if we have the same heat it won’t matter as we are used to that in the car and it is so well organised that we aren’t sitting around waiting for a run.
“I have to say the track is one of the best we have raced on, the traction is brilliant and it has a nice long run-off area and a good return road, the facilities here are just brilliant,” he concluded, while thanking Mackay Pressure Clean Hire for their support and also his daughter, Felicite McIntyre, stating, “we wouldn’t have a chance of getting the thing on the track without her!”
In Super Street Katrina Read was another racer who was very pleased with how the day has panned out.
“It was an awesome day,” she grinned.
“It was pretty hot out there, but the track was on-point and the car ran very well and very consistently, so I am stoked.
“Everything is going really good so far and so I am feeling confident ahead of tomorrow. Hopefully I can win, but you can never count your chickens before they hatch!
“We will just take each round as we go, but I am feeling confident and also feeling relaxed for once!” she added, while thanking her husband Cory Read as well as supporters FuelTech Australia, RT Race Craft, Archie Fabian Motorsport, Adelaide Motorsport Fabrications and Tony Morby.
The Desert Nationals action at Alice Springs Inland Dragway will continue tomorrow (Sunday August 25) with the conclusion of qualifying from 11.00am before racing from 12.30pm, with the finals to be held at approximately 5.00pm. For more information, visit www.cadra.com.au or www.andra.com.au
Results after qualifying Day 1
2024/2025 ANDRA REGIONAL SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP DATES
• Round one – August 24-25 – Alice Springs Inland Dragway – Desert Nationals
• Round two – September 21-22* – Mildura’s Sunset Strip – Sunset Nationals
• Round three – November 22-23 – Perth Motorplex – Goldenstates
• Round four – December 7-8* – Portland’s South Coast Raceway – South Coast Nationals
• Round five – February 8-9^ – Dragway at The Bend
• Round six – February 14-15 – Mildura’s Sunset Strip – Twilight Nationals
• Round seven – March 15-16 – Whyalla’s Steel City Raceway – event name TBC
• Round eight – TBC – Dragway at The Bend – ANDRA Grand Final
