The 2016 Track Championship Series launched last Saturday night, with bracket numbers high and the racing giving a sign of what is to come this drag racing season.
After track rectification works delayed the start of the 2016 season, that issue was well and truly behind racers as they hit the track for some test and tuning of their vehicles during the day before heading into round one of the season that afternoon.
“Racers enjoyed the test and tune/round one combination and getting a lot of runs on the track, we have worked our officials hard but that pays off when new personal bests have already been set by a number of teams and it’s only round one,” said HVDRA president Scott MacLean.
Todd Knight returned to racing in Top Sportsman this season with a brand new car, after a major accident in 2015 when a tyre blow out destroyed his car. Knight reset his personal best time with a 6.932 @197mph.
After winning every round in Top Sportsman, including the finals with a 6.936 @ 197mph, Knight handed the win to Dwight Brieffies after it was discovered one of his crew had broken a staging beam while helping guide the car into stage.
Two Super Sedan favourites returned for 2016 with Ashley Smith taking the win in Super Sedan with a 9.161 @ 142mph over Neville Beyer with a 9.440 @144mph.
Times were getting quicker as the night got on with Tim Bryan breaking out in the Super Street finals with an 11.137 on an 11.4 dial in handing the win to Shaun Boyer’s 11.78 @ 114mph.
Bob “Mr Consistent” Czerniawski broke out in the Street finals with a 13.55 on a 13.6 dial in handing the first win of the season to Anthony List.
Jack Kypreos took the win with a 9.70 @ 139mph in Modified Bike over veteran rider Mark Tattingham.
Hidden Valley saw the return of Tauri Minogue for the 2016 season with a very impressive 10.607 on a 10.60 dial in to secure his first win in Street Bike and set a bench mark for thing to come.
Brooke Harris debuted her new Junior Dragster, which saw her taking the win for round one with an 8.32 @ 77mph.
The night was finished off with some tyre frying burnout action in the Trafficwerx Colosseum. With a shake up to the normal Burnout format, there will be Burnout competitions held at every track championship meeting in 2016 with prize money and points awarded to see who will be crowned HVDRA Burnout Champion of 2016. Rhys Trezise took out round one of the White Bins burnout competition in his VT Commodore [SLOTH].
Photos from the event courtesy of Craig Radcliffe Photography.
