Australia’s quickest and fastest man on two wheels, Chris “NitroVoodoo” Matheson, has called time on his illustrious career. Matheson was the man to beat in Top Fuel Motorcycle racing for the last decade, as he and his NitroVoodoo team crossed Australia in their quest to rewrite history in the sport.
Matheson smashed the holy grail of Top Fuel Motorcycle – of the last major barriers in the sport on May 5 2023, at 2.39pm, when he broke into the 5-second zone, clocking a staggering 5.920 seconds at over 232 MPH (370 KPH) over the quarter-mile (400m).
Setting the bar throughout his career, winning every race from a rookie start for almost two entire race seasons, ultimately accumulating 8 National Championships during his 11 year reign. Matheson closes his career as reigning champion, and number one plate holder, in both 400 Thunder series and the Burson Auto Parts Top Fuel Championship.
The Nitro Voodo team has dominated the sport, winning his last five championships consecutively, holding national speed and ET records for some ten plus years. Incredibly, Matheson holds the track records of all major group one tracks throughout Australia, and has racked up some 50+ Group One wins, 70+ podiums, and in excess of 60 Top Qualifiers.
It hasn’t been all smooth riding suffering some spectacular mishaps in his decade of racing as well. Including being blown off his Nitro Voodoo machine at almost 235 MPH (380 KPH), and being electrocuted during a race in Darwin, when a spark plug hit him in the chest on a pass, electrifying him with some 45,000 volts.
“The team and I have achieved what we set out to do,” said Matheson. “We designed and built our own power plants here in Brisbane, Australia, under the direction of Mr Philip O’Brien of Performance Wholesale Australia, who effectively made a nitro bomb into a quick, fast and reliable machine.
“We have two of the youngest crew in the sport, Jaimie McKinley and Clutch Guy JP working tirelessly to turn the bike around between races, while Crew Chief Mick Mackay orchestrates the ensemble.
“I am elated to see a resurgence in Top Fuel Motorcycle racing in recent times, and confident we have improved the profile of our sport from when we entered the scene in 2010. We set some records along the way and changed history with our team’s efforts. I have made many friends on the journey and met many loyal fans. Sponsors, supporters, volunteers and officials have made the whole experience extremely enjoyable.
“To all the racers and teams we competed against, thank you. Especially Chris “Bad Bones” Porter, who put up some of the toughest competition throughout my career. My wife and children who let me chase my dreams through the good times, and the tough times. It is time to move over and let some youth chase down our legacy, and write their own history in this crazy wild sport we call Top Fuel Motorcycle.”
Matheson has yet to reveal what is next.
– https://nitrovoodoo.com.au/
