When husband and wife Grant and Debbie O’Rourke hit Hidden Valley Drag Strip this weekend for the latest round of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series (11-12 July), it will be Australia’s quickest and fastest current female drag racer who will lead the way for the high-octane pairing.

Editorial – Get them early. That should be the philosophy of ANDRA and indeed any drag racing organisation/body/track as we look to build our base of racers.

Australian Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Steve Harker took a holeshot win at Norwalk, Ohio on Sunday, defeating Chris Foster in the final of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals.

New WA Junior Dragster state champion Makenah Johnson-Begg drove the race of her life to claim her first title as she eyes bigger things for the future.

ANDRA will be changing its fee structures for the new financial year with membership fees and Group One licences increasing but the cost of Super Street and Junior Dragster licences falling.

The recent 1/8th mile PDRA Summer Drags held at Martin Michigan included a very special and rather unexpected public debut of a fantastic new race car courtesy of Australia’s Paul Mouhayet.

Western Australian Modified state champion Sam Treasure will be stepping up next season, recently bringing the ex-Chris Stipanovich Nitro Funny Car across the continent. The team will be spending some time on methanol first as they learn about running a supercharged vehicle. They will also be modifying the car to run as both an altered and a funny car. “As it is now it’s a complete Nitro Funny Car with all spares,” Treasure said. “The only thing that it’s missing is a blower. “It has a brand new spare block and brand new spare crank, the motor in the car has only done 12 passes since new. “We will be modifying the car to run on alcohol and run Supercharged Outlaws for a while then maybe nostalgia nitro.” {fcomment}

Maurice Allen and Milwaukee Tools have put together this ripper video from the Fuchs Winternationals that sums up the passion involved in all drag racing teams.

Shane Tucker has finished an NHRA career best, reaching the semi finals in Chicago on Sunday.

The Summerland Drags at Casino Airstrip in northern New South Wales continued its series of popular events recently.

Shane Tucker achieved his best ever qualifying performance last weekend in New Hampshire and will be looking for a repeat of the success this weekend at Chicago’s Route 66 Raceway.

Before the 2014 FUCHS Winternationals, the Pro Stock national records matched the quickest marks seen in the eliminator, at 6.982 and 196.10mph, and the Willowbank track records weren’t too far behind at 6.983 and 196.04mph. By the end of the iconic Willowbank Raceway event, these elapsed time marks has been bettered 12 times and the speed records exceeded 10 times.

Clear skies and an outstanding racing surface saw the record books take a hammering at the 47th FUCHS Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway over the Queen’s Birthday weekend.