Gary Philips and Damien Muscat have each overcome some tricky runs to take the Nitro Up North Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle event victories this weekend.

Day one of Hidden Valley Drag Strip’s Nitro Up North has hosted qualifying today (Friday July 8, 2016) for the first ever Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series event to be held in the Top End.

At the conclusion of day one of Nitro Up North, Grant O’Rourke (Top Doorslammer) and Mark Drew (Top Fuel Motorcycle) lead their respective fields in what is the first round of the 2016/2017 ANDRA Drag Racing Season.

Results from the opening round of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series and Summit Sportsman Series from Darwin’s Hidden Valley Drag Strip.

The 2016/17 ANDRA Rulebook has been released and for the first time is available free online.

We’d heard about this bizarre incident at a Calder Park street meet a while ago but this is the first time we’ve seen video. This does come with a language warning! 

WA Top Comp champion Wayne Keys recently moved on his venerable Holden Monaro to a new owner and now the question remains, just where has this five second doorslammer ended up?

This Friday and Saturday (8 and 9 July), Hidden Valley Raceway will explode with ANDRA National Championship Drag Racing for the professionals and Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman categories, and Top Doorslammer racer Grant O’Rourke is already getting into the ‘swing’ of things.

VenuesWest has commenced a tender process to appoint a sanctioning body for Perth Motorplex events. Both ANDRA and IHRA are expected to respond.

A chance encounter with the administration of the Australian National Drag Racing Association is what lead to aircraft engineer and skydive instructor Ashley Smith to become the Super Sedan drag racer he is today.

Rob Taylor is not about catching a disease – in fact his life’s work has been to prevent it. But when it comes to drag racing he came down with a serious case of quarter mile fever. The Melbourne-based biochemist stepped into the deep end of the sport last year with a new Top Doorslammer, the culmination of a love of fast cars. “As a kid I grew up in the northern suburbs (of Melbourne) so I was always into cars,” he said. “We used to race illegally on the streets, but that was very short lived because we used to continuously get arrested and have cars impounded and that sort of stuff in the late 80s and early 90s. They were harder then they are now on the racing. “But there was an initiative by Calder Park back then where you could come and race your street car and race the cops.” Taylor shifted into legal drag racing and quickly found himself developing a severe sickness for the sport. His streetable Holden HX ute was a nine second runner, with a 509ci stroker and Hilborn injection. Back then, that was a properly fast street car – indeed it still is. Real life then stepped in and brought a temporary stop to Taylor’s racing plans. “After a few years of racing I got sick, I had a brain tumour and I had to stop racing for ten years,” he said. “It was because of the fact that I had taken that much time off work and uni when I was sick that I had to catch up after.” Taylor’s return to the sport was in a purple Holden Torana he bought from Queensland in 2011 and it has been a successful and fun race car for the team. But if there is one thing to be said for Taylor’s Version 2.0 career in the sport it is that he knows what he likes and doesn’t hesitate to get it. When the Torana was getting a rebuild he was looking for a motor and stumbled on a Super Sedan Gemini. “When I saw it under cover I thought it was an LX Torana for a minute, then I saw it was a Gemini, I thought, ‘who races a Gemini?’ But I fell in love with it because it was a really nice car.” The Gemini had 500 cubic inches up front but the restless Taylor wanted something even bigger, so he went for a 622ci Reher Morrison. “The car went 7.6/180mph off it at 1000 feet but it ended in tears after ten runs. To his credit the engine builder has done the right thing and we have just ordered a 762ci Reher Morrison. The car will be front halved at Bob Maslen Race Cars to make it fit.” Taylor confessed he always has a project going on somewhere. There’s also an LJ Torana and a 1968 Camaro lurking about, the former with 502ci up front and driven on the street, the latter about to get a turbo set up. But the biggest splash Taylor has made lately is with the debut of the ‘Mad Professor’ Camaro Top Doorslammer. When we asked Taylor what his first drive in a 2500 horsepower supercharged sedan was like, he said he had to give the G-rated version. “It was like all the best passes you have ever put together, in one go,” he said. “I look back it it now and everything went so flawlessly because I had the right people around me. “It’s exciting, it’s high anxiety, it’s fun, its so exhilarating and such a rush. And then you have people around you who are there for you, that support you and help you and because of that you share the experience. “Sharing going fast with your team is unbelievable. They give up time every weekend to come to our factory and basically give up their weekends and work on cars and get shit prepared and it is a labour of love.” There is a very obvious physical sensation that comes with being accelerated to obscene speeds in just a few seconds, but Taylor explained that the competition is what drives him. “I like all the brackets. I love to race Super Sedan. Everyone says how can you run Super Sedan after running six seconds? But it is not about that, it is about the competition.” There are no illusions within the team that the current challenge is going to be their greatest yet. “We are not (racing) TD to run at the back of the field. We want to run as fast as possible. We know these guys (the other TD racers), they are professionals we know it will take time to get up and run with them. “I’m not going to run there on the bump spot. We are going there to run as fast as we possibly can. We will be respectful, but you don’t go not to win.” You may wonder what the ‘Mad Professor’ livery is all about. Taylor, who runs the Melbourne Sports Medicine and Anti Aging Clinic, said his profession as a biochemist has led to a nickname among friends. “My mates all call me the mad professor because I am always doing something exotic. We do anti-aging and hormone replacement therapy. Because of that I am always in the lab, that’s how the name came about.” It’s unlikely he’ll be brewing up a cure for the drag racing sickness any time soon. Taylor wanted to pass on his thanks to his wife Georgie Taylor, his crew including Rob Carella, Nick Dyer, Mick Carella, Joey Colaci, Andrew Sutton, Con Maretis, Anthony Rodrigues, his staff at Melbourne Sports Medicine and Anti-Aging, Drago Hikodijevic for his advice and friendship and Bob Maslen Race Cars. – This article originally appeared in Drag News Magazine. For more great Australian drag racing content, subscribe now. {fcomment}

Kevin Prendergast has resigned from his position as general manager of the Perth Motorplex after a 13-year tenure.

Australian drag racers Anthony Begley and Rod Bailey and their team are readying the Chemical Warfare Nitro Funny Car to head to the USA later this year for the final two events of the NHRA season in Las Vegas and Pomona.

After twenty plus years of consecutive competition in events all around Australia from Super Street to Group 1, O’Rourke Motorsport’s Grant and Debbie have announced that they will ‘park up’ for an unspecified time, following July’s back-to-back drag racing events in the Northern Territory.

While Queensland may have already come out on top in the current State of Origin Rugby League Series, for Top Fuel Motorcycle racers Chris Porter and Damian Muscat the battle will continue this weekend on two wheels as part of Hidden Valley Raceway’s Nitro Up North event (July 8 and 9, 2016).

A turbocharged issue of Drag News Magazine is ready to read, going behind the scenes with the top teams of Australian drag racing.

The ANDRA Championship Central Swing to open the 2016/2017 season will feature a bumper field of Top Doorslammers on back-to-back weekends in Darwin and Alice Springs.

Darwin will be the centre of Australia’s drag racing community come July 8 and 9, with a massive 124 entries received for Nitro Up North.

Australia has chalked up yet another Import or Sport Compact World Record – this one going to the GAS Racing camp.

WA drag racing looks set to resume uninterrupted from September with Perth Motorplex under government management for the time being. The calendar for 2016/17 has been released as follows:   National Opens Saturday 22 October 2016 (Drag Racing Track Championship)Saturday 19 November 2016 (Drag Racing Track Championship)Saturday 3 December 2016: Nitro SlamMonday 26 December 2016: Night of Fire (Boxing Day)Saturday 7 January 2017: Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car3-4 Saturday 2017: Goldenstates (Professional and Sportsman National Championship Drag Racing)4-5 March 2017: 46th Westernationals (Professional and Sportsman National Championship Drag Racing)25 March 2017 (Perth Motorplex Track Championship)8 April 2017: Drag Racing Grand Final   FAST Racing Series The ever-popular sportsman drag racing and speedway events begin on Saturday 8 October 2016 with the six-round season schedule. Round 1: Saturday 8 October 2016Round 2: Saturday 29 October 2016Round 3: Friday 25 November 2016Round 4: Friday 16 December 2016Round 5: Friday 17 February 2017Round 6: Saturday 22 April 2017 Drag Racing Minor Events Holden vs Ford ‘Take 2 of the 2016 event’ will kick start the quarter-mile events on Sunday 2 October 2016. Similarly on Sunday 23 October, the second shot at The 2016 Nostalgias. Both aforementioned events will commence their 2017 events later on in the season with The Nostalgias on Sunday 9 April 2017 and Holden vs Ford in its traditional Anzac Day position. Sunday 2 October: Kwinana Performance Holden vs Ford (2016)Sunday 23 October 2016: The Cruzin’ Nostalgias (2016)Sunday 9 April 2017: The Cruzin’ NostalgiasTuesday 25 April 2017: Kwinana Performance Holden vs Ford (Anzac Day)   Drag Racing Test Days Saturday 8 October 2016: 10am – 3pm (FAST Series to follow)Saturday 29 October 2016: 10am – 3pm (FAST Series to follow)Wednesday 1 February 2017: 10am – 4pmWednesday 1 March 2017: 10am – 4pm {fcomment}

Fourteen year old Darwin resident Brooke Harris is hoping the home track advantage will quieten the nerves and provide her an edge when it comes to taking on her fellow Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster competitors at next weekend’s Nitro Up North event. The event, to be held at Hidden Valley Raceway across July 8 and 9, includes the first round of the 2016 national Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Drag Racing Series, and will host racers from all across the country. According to the year nine Taminmin College student, the fact she would end up in racing was something of an inevitability. “My family and friends got me interested in drag racing and cars – my parents have owned a mechanic shop for 20 years in Darwin, so I think horsepower is in my blood,” Harris explained. “I love the adrenalin you get when you go down the track. My friends from school think it is cool and different, and really like that I do it. “I think there should be more girls like me in drag racing, because we are just as good as the boys. For me, the only lowlight is when I am not racing! “My biggest highlight so far has been winning the Junior Dragster bracket in 2015 and also taking out the Track Champion of Champions title the same year – which was my first year of racing.” For Harris, her ultimate goal is one which should make those who introduced her to the sport nervous. “My ultimate racing goal is to race one of my parents one day!” laughed Harris, who despite her urge to beat them on the track thanks her parents as well as her pit crew and her local sponsors for their support. As a local, the Hidden Valley Raceway is a home away from Home for the Harris. “Hidden Valley is a really good track, I have grown up around it and seen it change so much. It is run by a great bunch of people,” she said. “I am pretty excited to be racing in such a big field next weekend and against people from all around Australia. “I like to think I will have a home track advantage, because I feel that I won’t be as nervous as I would be racing away from home. “In the end, I just want to have fun and hopefully take a win.” {fcomment}

A Junior Dragster pilot with a message is on his way to Darwin to compete at Nitro Up North, with a media savvy and fan friendliness better than many of his older peers. Victorian Daniel Carranza, 10, has taken to drag racing like few others, going from a hardcore fan of his hero Peter Kapiris in Top Doorslammer to a winning racer himself – taking out the Divisional Championship for his State. It’s down to his passion for the sport and his drive for sure, but perhaps even some personality traits that may suit a sport requiring meticulous attention to detail. Carranza has autism, but that has not prevented him from success. In fact, part of the team’s journey to race around the country involves raising awareness about autism. Since an appearance on Channel 10’s The Project, Carranza has become the closest thing to a household name in the Junior Dragster category. “So many teams of people have supported and helped us travel Australia wide to raise awareness for autistic kids,” he said. “Our ride has been amazing so far.” As well as getting to indulge in his favourite hobby, Carranza has been able to interact with folks from around the country who love hearing his story. “I am fortunate to have met so many amazing people both on and off the the track, not only in Australia but overseas as well,” he said. “They have even asked us to travel over to their countries and make an appearance at their local tracks. They believe that we are so inspiring to their kids and community with what we have achieved. If all our stars line up and get some sponsor support we are looking at maybe travelling to one of these tracks to make an appearance and meet some of our fans overseas.” Carranza, also known as the ‘BatDan’, has never raced in Darwin before, but his race car has hitched a ride with the Lamattina Top Fuel Racing team to make his first appearance. “I am very excited and looking forward to travelling and racing in Darwin,” he said. “It will be my first time racing there and the only track that I haven’t raced in the country. “Hopefully we get a little time to go and see the Northern Territory sights between racing rounds in Darwin and Alice Springs. I also have a radio interview with ABC to try and fit in between to promote junior drag racing. Hopefully we can get more kids into the sport.” Travelling is all part of the experience, but a win is what Carranza would love to earn while he is in the Top End. In pursuit of that goal he has a new car ready to go. “The new car is a B/JD that runs 8.50 seconds on the eighth mile (201 metres) rather than 12.50 seconds that I used to ran as a C/JD. It’s so much quicker and more of a rush. I have run my new car once already in the Adelaide finals but now we are coming out with a fresh new engine combo for the new season. “I’m hoping to get through a few rounds in Darwin, though it would be great to take a trophy home. Most of all I look forward to meeting all my fans in Darwin that I haven’t met before and who always write nice things to me on my Facebook page. “Thanks to my sponsors LMR, KCTools and Penrite Oils, they have supplied me with lots of things to give away to all those fans I have up there and we must mention the Lamattina family, Masters Home Improvements, ProSealed, Repco South Morang, Bridgestone Select South Morang, Honda Power Equipment together with Keilor Mower Services, Costanzo Motors, Simpson Race Gear and WURTH Australia. “I have to especially thank my Mum and Dad for helping me with my racing cause if it wasn’t for all their hard work I wouldn’t even be here.” {fcomment}

Victorian Top Doorslammer racer Rob ‘the Mad Professor’ Taylor will travel from one end of the country to the other next week to participate in back-to-back ANDRA events in Darwin and Alice Springs.