A veteran of drag racing in Western Australia, Wayne Keys continues to impress whenever he competes in his supercharged Holden Monaro.
Following a reasonable season at Perth Motorplex where he finished fourth in the track championship, Keys is now in the middle of a tour of duty of the east coast.
He carries some significant pace with him, having recorded Australia’s quickest AA/Altered Production time during the season with a 6.08sec. pass.
“We had no breakages throughout the season besides a few minor things, which certainly makes the racing and maintenance easier; this is a sign of a better tune-up,” Keys said.
“The 6.08sec. track record was certainly a highlight for our season and some reward for the hard working efforts of the team.”
With just two weeks between the Grand Final for the WA season and his first event in Sydney, Keys had a tough turn around but got there in the end and made the second round, despite struggling on a cold track.
“Our two qualifying sessions were all over at the start line with too much power at the hit of the throttle,” he said. “Our 11th qualifying position was not indicative of the potential of our car, but a red light from Maurice Brennan in round one gave us the win.
“The quarter final matched us against John McSweeney and this time some oil under the tyres on the hit caused the car to launch hard right and I abandoned the run.”
Keys has the Winternationals in Queensland next on his agenda where he intends to match it with 20 other drivers at Australian drag racing’s most prestigious event.
“This is a big event and again it’s a tough competitor list for Competition Eliminator will make for a challenge,” he said.
The team is also already looking ahead to the next season with some changes in mind to improve performances even further.
“During this time the car will be stripped once again and refreshed as much as possible. Myself and the crew are thinking and discussing ways in which we may be able to distribute the weight more effectively,” Keys said.
“The aim is to lighten the front half of the car. It’s a small challenge but I’m sure we are up to it.”
