Day one of the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals has not only hosted plenty of on-track action and off-track preparation for around 500 race teams today, but also an enthusiastic group of students from Horizons College with Top Fuel team PremiAir Racing.
The 20 students from the non-state Special Assistance School based in Caboolture are all studying an Auto Certificate Course and were hosted by PremiAir Hire Racing on Thursday at what is the largest championship drag racing event held outside of the US.
As part of their Winternationals experience, the students were able to witness driver Peter Xiberras and his crew completing their final preparations ahead of his highly anticipated comeback to racing.
They also took in some great qualifying action from the popular sportsman racing categories and spent a large amount of time with PremiAir Hire Racing crew chief, Tim Adams, who taught them all about what it takes to get a 10,000hp Top Fuel dragster down the drag strip.
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“We were very pleased to be able to provide this special experience with the help of Willowbank Raceway to these students,” Adams said.
“This event is particularly special for us as it marks the comeback to Top Fuel racing for the PremiAir Hire Racing team and for our driver Peter Xiberras following his well-publicised crash in Sydney in May of last year.
“Today has been an intense day of final preparations and for the Horizons College students to be involved in that process is something very unique indeed. With each of them keen on pursuing an automotive-based career, it was great to be able to show them up close the intricacies of our sport.”
Horizons College deputy principal Jane Robinson said experiences like the one offered today by PremiAir Hire Racing and Willowbank Raceway were very important for the school and its students.
“Horizons College of Learning and Enrichment is all about assisting young people for whom mainstream education is not meaningful. The school commenced in 2014 and now caters for students across years 7-12,” Robinson explained.
“This is the fifth year in a row that we have been able to send some very well-deserving students to this amazing event with the support of the Raceway and some very generous race teams.
“This is an opportunity that many of these students would not have had otherwise. It is a true highlight of their year; feeding their passion and inspiring them to continue to learn. We are very grateful to Willowbank Raceway and PremiAir Hire Racing for the experiences they have provided to our students today.”
– PremiAir Racing Media Release
