The Perth Motorplex has issued the following media release regarding the future of Pro Series events at the facility in response to the proposed ANDRA seasonal calendar change.
ANDRA to drop WA Pro Series rounds
Western Australia is likely to lose half of the current ANDRA Pro Series events because of changes to the ANDRA calendar scheduled to be released by ANDRA tomorrow Friday 23rd March 2012.
ANDRA Operations Manager Brenton Myers yesterday confirmed that ANDRA will announce that the 2012/13 Pro Series calendar is to commence at the Nationals in Sydney in September 2012 and will finish back in Sydney in the first weekend of November 2013.
Myers also confirmed that the 41st running of the Goldenstates (one of Australia’s longest running events) scheduled for mid November featuring Top Doorslammer and Top Alcohol and the Pro Series event for Top Fuel and Top Bike scheduled for the first weekend of December will not be included in the 2013 portion of the calendar.
ANDRA is changing the racing season to a calendar year and seems to be disregarding the absolute fact that Drag Racing can only happen between October and April in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania on warm summer nights.
It also puts Drag Racing in direct competition with the AFL, NRL and significantly the V8 Supercars for spectators, sponsors and media.
Basketball, Soccer and other sports have moved to a summer season to avoid clashing with these major Australian sporting products.
This change will mean that two Pro Series events will be deleted from the West Australian Drag Racing calendar.
Perth Motorplex is arguably by far the most successful Drag Racing venue in the country for many reasons.
However central to the growth and development of the sport in Western Australia has been a consistent annual event program that delivers for the racers, the Sport of Drag Racing and the Spectators who attend the events.
The Management of Western Australian Drag Racing has been providing this consistent racing program since 1983.
The current Perth Motorplex season is comprised of a minimum of 9 National events conducted over 14 nights between late October and early April each with four ANDRA Pro Series events scheduled during this period.
The venue’s success is based on running Pro Series brackets at different events between mid November and early March, plus other features at the remaining events.
However, if the revised ANDRA season calendar is confirmed it will dictate that half of these events can no longer occur and therefore the Venue, racers and public of Western Australia will miss out on two very successful Pro Series events.
Perth Motorplex General Manager Kevin Prendergast today stated “We are surprised that ANDRA is prepared to remove 50% of the Pro Series events from Western Australia.
Having managed Drag Racing in Western Australia continually since 1983 we have an integral understanding of the Western Australian market place and know that you cannot just shift an event such as the Goldenstates or the Top Fuel rounds to early October given the cooler conditions and higher rain risk.”
Perth Motorplex Drag Racing Manager Peter Pike also noted “ANDRA will effectively shut ANDRA Pro Series Drag Racing out for Western Australian Drag Racing fans in November and December.
This will result in the loss of rounds for Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel, Top Bike and Top Alcohol at a time when the competitors are seeking more good quality rounds for each Championship”.
