New Pro Stock team PRE/Goldfingers Racing is hoping that Round Two of Willowbank Raceway’s New Year Series will be the scene of their racing debut after ‘new car blues’ saw them fail to qualify for the season-opening Nationals in September.
The team will be one of 17 pro stock entries looking to qualify for a 16 car field at the January 14 and 15 event, which will also host racers from Top Doorslammer and Nitro Funny Car, following on from round one which will see Top Fuel and Top Alcohol racers ring in the New Year across January 2 and 3.
The new team is the product of a partnership between Melbourne businessman Raymond Bartlett, accomplished crew chief Con Sideris and record-breaking driver Andrew Stavroulakis.
Sideris, a former Australian Champion winning crew chief and the crew chief/engine builder responsible for the current quickest ever Pro Stock elapsed time (7.023 seconds set by Lee Bektash at the 2010 Castrol EDGE Winternationals) said it wouldn’t be long before the PRE Motorsport team would be battling for wins given its experience.
“This is a new evolution of the motor I ran at the Winternationals last year, everything is looking very promising and the chassis is coming around quick as well considering the few runs we have made,” said Sideris.
“Andrew is great to work with. He has a very good understanding of the way everything in the car contributes to the performance of it.
“We had a data logger malfunction at Calder Park while testing and he was still able to give me feedback on the way the car performed, so the passes we made weren’t a total waste. We expect to improve significantly at the New Year Series in January.”
Stavroulakis, who was the first person to break the 190 mile per hour barrier in Australian Pro Stock history in 2006, said he couldn’t wait to fire a shot in anger aboard the PRE Motorsport/Goldfinger Stratus Pro Stock racer at Willowbank Raceway in January.
“I am keen to build on this past success with this new team. We have an experienced crew that knows how to win,” stated Stavroulakis, who has enjoyed a decade-long relationship with the PRE crew.
“This RJ Race Cars chassis responds to everything we do and with another 5 or 6 runs we will be in the thick of it. It is an awesome car to drive! Our next goal is to qualify the car well at the New Year Series and move forward from there.
“Willowbank is always a great place to race, the track prep is first class which always makes for close and exciting racing.”
“We had a few issues to contend with which in the end were minor, however with some rigorous testing in the past two months we feel we have ironed out the bugs and we are ready to go,” said Sideris.
“The car showed plenty of potential from the get go and I feel that now we are on the right track – I’ve always approached my racing with the will to win and be successful and this team will prove to do just that.”
The two-round New Year Series at Willowbank Raceway will take place on January 2/3 (Round One) and January 14/15 (Round Two), 2011.
ANDRA Pro Series brackets Top Fuel and Top Alcohol will take to the Ipswich quarter-mile over January 2 and 3, before Top Doorslammer and Pro Stock are joined by the fire-throwing Nitro Funny Cars on January 14 and 15.
For more information and tickets, please visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au
Willowbank Raceway is Queensland’s premier drag racing facility and hosts four major drag racing events each year – the two-round New Year Series in January, the Australian Top Fuel Championships in March and the Castrol EDGE Winternationals in June. The Queen’s Birthday event is the largest drag racing event outside of the US and is the season finale for the ANDRA Pro Series calendar.
Event Information: New Year Series
Round One – Sunday January 2 and Monday January 3, 2011
Racing from:
Feature brackets: Top Fuel and Top Alcohol
Racing also from: Super Comp, Competition Bike, Supercharged Outlaws, Knijff Earthmoving Modified, Powercruise Super Sedan, Speed Elec/Prime Signs Super Street, Modified Bike, Donnelly Blasting Services Junior Dragster, Super Gas.
Ticketing: tickets available online at www.willowbankraceway.com.au or at the gate:
General Admission:
Adult Admission – Sunday January 2nd 2011 – $35.00
StudenT/Concession Admission – Sunday January 2nd 2011 – $25.00
Adult Admission – Monday January 3rd 2011 – $35.00
Student/Concession Admission – Monday January 3rd 2011 – $25.00
Adrenalin Club – includes Admission – holds 215 people only:
Adrenalin club – Sunday January 2nd 2011 – $75.00
Adrenalin club – Sunday January 2nd 2011 – $30.00
Adrenalin Club – Monday January 3rd 2011 – $75.00
Adrenalin club – Monday January 3rd 2011 – $30.00
Reserved Grandstand seating – does not include admission:
Startline Club Seat – Sunday January 2nd 2011 – $16.00
Startline Club Seat – Monday January 3rd 2011 – $16.00
Schedule:
Timings are approximate only and subject to change – be sure to check www.willowbankraceway.com.au for schedule updates closer to the event.
-Sunday January 2, 2011 – on track action from 4.00pm (Main Show Qualifying 5.00pm, 7.00pm, 9.00pm)
-Monday January 3, 2011 – on track action from 2.30pm (Main Show Racing from 5.00pm, 7.00pm and finals for all brackets from 9.20pm)
Round Two: Friday January 14 and Saturday January 15, 2011
Racing from:
Feature racing: Nitro Funny Car, Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock, Pro FX
Racing also from: Competition, Super Stock, Super Compact, Competition Bike, Supercharged Outlaws, Knijff Earthmoving Modified, Powercruise Super Sedan, Speed Elec/Prime Signs Super Street, Modified Bike, Donnelly Blasting Services Junior Dragster, Super Gas.
Ticketing: tickets available online at www.willowbankraceway.com.au or at the gate
General Admission:
Adult Admission – Friday January 14th 2011 – $35.00
Student/Concession Admission – Friday January 14th 2011 – $25.00
Adult Admission – Saturday January 15th 2011 – $35.00
Student/Concession Admission – Saturday January 15th 2011 – $25.00
Adrenalin Club – includes admission – holds 215 people only:
Adrenalin club – Friday January 14th 2011 – $75.00
Adrenalin club – Children 13 & Under – Friday January 14th 2011 – $30.00
Adrenalin Club – Saturday January 15th 2011 – $75.00
Adrenalin club – Children 13 & Under – Saturday January 15th 2011 – $30.00
Reserved Grandstand seating – does not include admission
Startline Club Seat – Friday January 14 2011 – $16.00
Startline Club Seat – Saturday January 15 2011 – $16.00
Schedule:
Timings are approximate only and subject to change – be sure to check www.willowbankraceway.com.au for schedule updates closer to the event.
-Friday January 14, 2011 – On track action from 12.00pm (Main Show Qualifying 5.00pm, 7.00pm, 9.00pm)
-Saturday January 15, 2011 – On track action from 12.00pm – 9.30pm (Main Show Racing from 3.00pm (Pro Stock only), 5.00pm and 7.00pm (all Main Show brackets) and finals for all racing brackets from 9.00pm)
