Help celebrate the 50th anniversary of Drag Racing’s premier event. Meet stars of yesterday and today and check out some of the nicest cars around that will be on display along with scheduled fire ups throughout the day.
The First Australian Drag Racing Nationals were conducted under the sanction of the AHRF by the Victorian Hot Rod Association at Riverside Dragway, Lorimar Street Fisherman’s Bend, Melbourne on 2 & 3 October 1965.
Australia’s best dragster drivers were in attendance to contest Top Elimator, they were led by Eddie Thomas in his supercharged Chrysler powered dragster, Ash Marshall is his then recently imported supercharged Chrysler Hemi powered Vandal. Jack Collins and Graham Rose in 179 Holden powered rails led the rest of the entrants that included Joe “Snoopy” Schneider and Jim Gullen in Valiant six cylinder powered rails, Don Bradshaw from South Australia with his Y Block Ford dragster, Len Brindley and Murray Batson had Vanguard and early Holden powered rails.
Top Eliminator was won by Jack “Fizzball” Collins over Eddie Thomas.
Jack Collins is the organiser of this forthcoming “First Nationals Reunion” to be held at the Excelsior Hotel, 82 Mahoneys Rd, Thomastown, Melbourne.
The celebration is on October 4th 2015 and begins at 10 am, concluding at 4 pm.
Many stars of drag racing from the formative years of the sport will be in attendance. So come along and meet Jack “Fizzball” Collins, Greg Goddard, Eddie Thomas, Alan Walton, Paul Rogers, John Fleming, Max De Jersey, John Bell, Ken Spence, Jim Walton, Graham Rose, Colin Russell, Jim Carter, Peter Clarke and Ash Marshall’s Crew Chief Dennis Calkin.
These and many other personalities who helped set the pace of the sport in Australia will be on hand to help celebrate 50 golden years since the first AHRF National Drag Racing Championship was held at Riverside Dragway.
If you are coming you will have to book in and pay for lunch or accommodation if required. Phone the Excelsior Hotel on 03 94603666 or visit http://www.theexcelsiorhotel.com.au, there is a Facebook page as well and information on the Australian Drag Racing
History and Memorabilia Facebook page.
