Hidden Valley Dragstrip seen off with a bang

The 2010 Farewell Special said goodbye to the original Hidden Valley Drag Strip with a bang on Saturday night as over 100 teams took to the track for the last time before major facility upgrades commence on the 5th July.

 

 The Aussie Bandit wheel stander had the bumper crowd enthralled as it completed three full track wheel standing passes at over 110mph (177km/hr), sparks showering from its wheelie bars as they hit the ground. 

 

Scott MacLean had a hair raising ride first up which saw him go deep into the gravel, stopping only metres from the tyre wall at the end of the braking area. The borrowed Ford Capri, owned by Matt Abel got away relatively unscathed with only superficial damage. It was an unfortunately end to what was a personal best at his home track, crossing the finish line in 6.687 seconds at 211mph (340km/hr), making him the second fastest Territorian to race at Hidden Valley.

 

Red lights were the order of the night with three of the finals won by default due to competitors jumping the start.  In the Super Sedan bracket Dwight Brieffies red lit in his Ford Mustang, handing the win to Allan Arthus with an 8.731 at 154mph.

 

Shaun Boyer took out the Super Street bracket with a 14.012 second pass after coasting across the finish line. Troy McGregor jumped the start but finished with a 12.314 at 104mph.

 

Freddy Soohoo was the third finalist to give away the win finishing with a 13.252 at 109mph in his Nissan Skyline while rookie Tristan Lack ran a 14.395 at 99mph in his Holden Crewman to take out the Street car class.

 

In the Street Bike bracket Dave Tattingham defeated Geoff Hawkins with a 10.421 on a 10.2 second dial-in against Hawkins 12.112 on an 11.5 second dial-in.

 

Modified Bike saw Scott White take down Leith Darrach.  White ran a 10.121 on a 10.1 dial-in on his Suzuki Hayabusa while Darrach ran an 11.646 on an 11.6 dial-in.

 

Brad Stott took out the Phil Kerr Service Centre Burnout Comp with a spectacular farewell to the old drag strip. While other competitors moved down the strip in a cloud of smoke, Stott proceeded to loop his 350ci Chev powered Holden Statesman around the painted start line area, leaving his final mark on the Valley.  The cheer from the crowd was echoed in the judge’s scores with his ingenuity putting him on the winner’s podium. Second place went to James Berry in a Holden Gemini while Joe White took out third place in his Holden 308 powered Toyota Hilux.

 

With major upgrades now under way, Hidden Valley Drag Strip looks to re-open in 2011 with brand new facilities that will benefit both spectators and competitors.