The Kenda Tires 660 Drag Radial Series fired back up at Willowbank Raceway with their Braggin’ Rights event living up to the hype as the radial tyre record books copped a beating.
In Outlaw 315, John Ricca laid down the gauntlet in testing by smashing into the 3.50-second zone, following a rapid turnaround by the team to convert the blown Camaro from a big-tyre setup to radial trim ahead of the event. Ricca carried that blistering form into race day, charging through the Chicago Shootout eliminations with a string of incredible performances, recording 3.52, 3.51 and a historic 3.49-second pass to reset the benchmark for the category.
But despite another stout 3.53-second run in the final, victory slipped away in heartbreaking fashion. A red-light start left the cherry glowing on the Christmas Tree, handing Wade Wagstaff and the Grinch ’75 the Chicago Shootout victory while Ricca was left to reflect on a weekend that rewrote the record books but fell just short of the event win.
Note: Terry Seng had the LS powered Dodge Stratus singing with a 4.02 over the eighth but in testing on the quarter the next day slotted the quickest LS run ever in Australia with a 6.09 at 209mph.
Records also tumbled in Outlaw 275, with Simon O’Carroll rewriting the Australian record books aboard the stunning blown Kraken Camaro. O’Carroll blasted to a sensational 3.859-second pass in qualifying to establish a new national benchmark before carrying that momentum into race day. Unstoppable throughout eliminations, O’Carroll marched to the final and sealed the event victory with another outstanding 3.865-second pass at a record-setting 212.13mph, defeating Daniel “Pazzo” Nunziante after the purple Mustang driver left too soon and triggered the red light.
For Nunziante, the Willowbank curse continued. The team remains winless at the venue after a frustrating weekend that began with the Mustang eating a transmission in testing and ended with a heartbreaking red light in the final.
It was on like Donkey Kong in Outlaw 235. Before the event, no one had ever recorded a 4.3-second pass on a 235 radial in Australia. By the end of the weekend, three different drivers had joined the exclusive club. Cam Riley and Scott Cortina traded blows throughout testing, with Riley’s turbocharged VK Commodore becoming the first car to crack into the 4.30s, only for Cortina to answer before the night was out in his ProCharged HG Holden.
Cortina continued the assault in qualifying, laying down 4.353 and 4.354-second passes that secured a new Australian elapsed time record. Riley, however, was unable to continue after qualifying, sidelined by mechanical issues. Jaidyn Seng then entered the record books in the opening round of eliminations, ripping off a stunning 4.359-second pass that turned heads across the paddock. But with Cortina suffering problems in the opening round and taking a costly loss, the record-holder was unable to fight his way back into the final.
Seng, driving the dramatically revamped VH Commodore, capitalised with three straight victories to earn a place in the final against Randall Laurie. Laurie’s blown Torana had been one of the surprises of the weekend, also stringing together three wins despite looking every bit a handful and awkward on the tiny 235 radial. When it mattered most, however, Seng was untouchable, driving away to victory with a 4.55-second pass to cap off one of the most memorable Outlaw 235 events.
Into the OG classes for the stock bodies and Tim Cross romped to a 4.395 to 4.380 win on a holeshot in his turbo Cortina out reacting Daniel Barritt in the OG315 final. In OG275, it was almost the case of the little engine that could, with Guy King’s six-cylinder Barra powered Corolla charging all the way to the final against Dale Gridley upsetting a field of V8s. But Gridley’s ultra-cool twin-turbo big-block AP6 Valiant wagon had the answer with the longroof storming to a 4.66-second pass to defeat King’s 4.73 and secure the OG275 title.
Note: In testing Guy King knocked out the first six-second quarter mile pass for a Barra machine on radials the next day – 6.97 at 207.7mph.
K525 is the first of the index classes for the Kenda Tires 660 Drag Radial Series. Darren Mallison’s Cortina pulled a power wheelstand and headed to the wall leaving Bailey Simpson to drop a 5.33 on the 5.25 index with his Torana for the win in the final. Jason Seng broke out with the LJ Torana chasing down Bradley Lynch’s Holden ute’s 5.58 on a 5.50 in the final for Radial Renegade. In the 5.80 Radial Ruckus final it was an all-Ford affair, both racers did not trouble the index as Kurt Rohweder found the stripe first in his Mustang – 6.07 to 6.14 – versus Mark Kleinert’s XY Falcon. The Radial Rumble 6.40 class came down to Paul Allan and Bodie Newcombe and it was decided at the tree with Allan’s Mustang pulling a red and Newcombe cut a tight 6.42 with his hatchback Torana for the event win. Final class of the event was Radial Rebels racing to a 7.00 index and Tim Morton held he startline advantage in his Commodore to the strip with a 7.07 against Seth Lansdowne’s 7.16 in a Hilux ute.
Next round of the Kenda Tires 660 Drag Radial Series takes off at Karnage in the Kanefields July 30- Aug 1 at Palmyra Dragway.
Photos courtesy of Drag Photos.
