Robert Schwab left Australia to pursue a dream of racing Nitro Funny Cars in the USA and it has been a career full of highs and lows. His greatest high was perhaps reaching the semi final round of the Mile High Nationals in Denver in 2004, but the lowest moment was a firey crash in Utah during testing of a brand new car in 1999. Schwab recently remembered this moment when he saw video of a crash by Courtney Force in Seattle. He has kindly allowed Drag News to share his thoughts on what was a horrific moment for a new racer. “Seeing Courtney’s headers brought back a lot of memories. This is a piece of my history that I have never told in my own words or had a way to share it. It’s a story that has been hidden away for so many reasons and I just wanted to tell it before I lose my memory,” Schwab said. “There are so many people that helped me come back from this tragic day that I will always be so thankful to including DRAW, the Rocky Mountain Raceway safety team and family, my own family, Mathew Leonard who changed bandages on me, the doctors and staff at the UofU burn unit, and all the people who helped us put the new car together and my race crew that never gave up. “This happened for a reason, not sure what it was, but I do believe there was a reason.” Schwab had spent four years building his pride and joy, proudly emblazoned with the Southern Cross. “It was immaculate, more like a show car than a race car, a life long dream and labour of love,” he said. The team was licencing the car to compete in Phoenix at a 32 Funny Car show and were on their fourth run of the day when the tyres started spinning shortly before the 60 feet mark. Schwab was off the power and already counter steering. The spinning momentum of the drivetrain kept the wheels moving and drove the car towards the wall.  “At this point I am still driving but not much is happening, the momentum has the control,” Schwab said. The front of the car hit so hard that the back of car was two feet off the ground when it hit the wall. It’s easy to forget just how fast a nitro car is moving even when it has only travelled 60 feet. Schwab was knocked unconscious by the impact and the worst was yet to come. The body was knocked on to the throttle.“She goes wide open, the car is on bare concrete with no traction, I am asleep dreaming about Adelaide beaches. Look at the tyres smoking!” The free-revving motor kicked the rods out, contributing more oil and fuel to help the fire. Schwab can joke about what was a very scary moment now. “Surely that is some sort of record – longest unconscious fire burnout? The rubber fuel lines on the hat have now burnt off and are spraying fuel around like a sprinkler head! And they are still legal!” You can see Schwab’s time and speed up on the read out boards. Unconscious, on fire and scraping a wall, he clocked a 9.13 at 150mph. “You can see the tyre tracks, she was still trying to go and kept hitting the wall,” he said. “Bit hard to see but if you look down past the ambulance you can see a big hot fire burning. I am still in there, my foot is tangled in a gauge hose that was zip-tied in. Roy the suited fire diver has gone down and the other divers are still trying to get me out. Suzie Wells, who had run before me, comes running down in her full firesuit to help. Her daughter Jen has the cutters that will free my foot.” The bent headers were aimed right at the cockpit. They melted through the body and the car panels to reach Schwab’s face. “I had molten aluminium mixed with a blowtorch aimed at my helmet.” What the inside of a torched Funny Car cockpit looks like.  “The butterflies were still wide open as the barrel valve had melted, she only stopped here after running out of fuel. The fuel had burned off quickly after the lines melted.” Schwab’s safety gear laid out in the braking area. Many of the layers of his boots and firesuit were burned off and the helmet was in very bad shape. “The Simpson fresh air systems were new at the time and not yet required, but for some divine reason we not only had installed one but had it turned on. This saved my life and worked well till the visor was melted off.” Schwab in hospital recovering from his burns.  “I am only smiling because of the morphine, the other pictures are a bit too graphic to show on here. Lisa never left the hospital, slept in a chair for a week. Don’t know how I got so lucky, she even helped Mathew order a new body and that was before they would even commit that I was going to make it. So many people helped over the next months untill we ran again.”

Following the devastating news that the tireless efforts of the Warrnambool and Drag Racing District Association to build a new drag racing facility in the Victorian town was squashed by the local council, a unexpected supporter has shown himself that breathes new hope into the deal.

The long awaited opening of Swan Hill Dragway; Australia’s newest quarter mile drag strip in regional Victoria, is edging closer with entries set to open for the Race for Pride on October 8-9th.

Drag racing is more a team sport than most people imagine. It takes a small army of dedicated souls behind the scenes to bring a race vehicle to the track – especially if it happens to burn nitro.

Benny Phillips is one of the many FIFO workers in Darwin, far away from his home in Victoria. But he has taken advantage of his work situation this year by bringing his Holden Torana with him to go racing at Hidden Valley Drag Strip.

Drag racers have complained about traction on drag strips for years – normally the lack of. But this little guy was left very upset by too much traction at Sydney Dragway.

Ironbark Raceway in Roma hosted round three of the short track series on Aug 6. “The series went off really well. We picked up another 23 on day entries and if it had not been for the clash with the All Bike meeting at Benaraby we would have had another over 100 entry list,” said series organiser John Winterburn.

A massive crowd enjoyed a huge day of racing at the newly completed Springmount Raceway near Cairns. 

In early 2014, Mick Mahoney had a violent crash at South Coast Raceway in Portland with his Supercharged Outlaws Ford Capri, but the painful memories are no doubt made less so when he takes a look at his new Ford Mustang now approaching race readiness.

Supercharged six just has a ring to it, wouldn’t you agree? There will be plenty of unique Australian engineering hitting the track very soon when Jeff and Matt Ramsay debut their FJ Holden ute, to be powered by a Whipple supercharged Holden 186 red motor.

Joe Gauci has been racing his trusty Cortina for near-on 30 years and now he has finally achieved his six-second goal – and it was on radials.

We have see plenty of nitrous explosions in the sedan ranks before, but thankfully they are rare for the two wheel brigade. And as this US rider can attest too after narrowly escaping a near tragedy, we don’t want to see again. 

That is the goal for Jeremy “Jet” Martin with his VB taxi after a ripping 6.13 second pass in testing recently.

There is now apparently a way to see the IHRA Australian Rulebook with the document available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Queensland race fans will get a taste of nitro with the confirmation the Aeroflow Nitro Hot rods of Wendy and Graeme Cowin will be debuting at Willowbank Raceways Cruzin Magazine Nostalgia Drags & Hot Rod Reunion, August 14.

Nothing to say here – you just need to watch.

Lucas Oil Top Fuel driver Richie Crampton’s streak of seven consecutive final-round victories came to an end at the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, but the final-round appearance was his first of the season and could signal a surge in the final nine races of the 2016 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series.

Nitro Funny Cars are a hard to tame beast at the best of times, let alone when all that horsepower breaks loose.

Michael Fotheringham has advised the Board that he will be standing down from the Board due to work commitments. His term as Chairman will expire at the end of July 2016.

  Warrnambool and Drag Racing District Association have been left stunned after their proposal for a permanent home for drag racing in the Victorian town was rejected by local council.

Racer and Crew Chief Aaron Hambridge and sports media personality Lachlan Wills have joined the ANDRA Drag Racing commentary team on SBS Speedweek.

We had only just brought news of Scott Keogh’s new Harley Davidson V-Rod-based Pro Stock Motorcycle in the build but the story has taken a devastating turn with a fire at Jason’s Garage in Thornton, NSW, destroying the engine the team had been preparing.

The second round of The Cruzin’ Magazine Nostalgia Drags and Hot Rod Reunion will see hundreds of Hot Rodders from around the country blow the dust out of their cars and set a course for Willowbank Raceway on 14th August, 2016 where they’ll be in for a celebration of the quickest and fastest cars of yesteryear. 

Lights Out showed and gave us a introduction into the popularity of bare bones drag racing, and now Po Tung has formulated the style of racing into Grudge Kings – and the result? Well see for yourself.

Four years for four hundredths of a second. That’s what it has taken for Gerry Sarafoglou to improve the record for Australia’s quickest LS turbo, in a quest that has truly tested his resolve.

Grudge Kings has produced astonishing performances across the board, including in the street car arena. One of the most impressive was a 9.94/140mph blast from BLWN63, a Mercedes Benz C63 AMG out of the Autowerks workshop.

John Zappia has assumed the lead of the ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship after the second round of the series in Alice Springs.