The Australian Nationals heralded the first round of the newly branded and expanded Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship, with racers now needing 300 points to achieve maximum tally heading into this corresponding event next year which will become the final round of the championship.
In Competition Greg Clayton blitzed the field with a -0.639 under 6.13 in qualifying from the BB/Altered, Craig Geddes by comparison in the little 290ci E/AA was also under the national record with a -.576 under 7.47.
The two would match up in the semi finals Geddes index took a beating against Mike Nola’s Pontiac in round one likewise Clayton needed to run under the record to go around Jason Maggs in the previous round. But the battle was decided at the tree with a -.015 light from Geddes allowing Clayton to save his index against other finalist Wayne Cartledge who earned a solo in the other semi final.
Cartledge had his index touched up as well going past Ray Oxley and Lyle Gilmore en-route to the final, and the B/DA racer had no answer to blown horsepower as the altered flew past in the top end with a 6.13 (6.46IN) to Cartledges 7.30 (7.50IN).
A fifteen car Super Stock field mean’t everyone would get to play in eliminations, with the new points system encouraging full passes in qualifying for championship points. Daniel Camilleri was a surprising top qualifier, the turbo VL under the DD/GA record with a 7.82 (-0.530), national champion Jason Simpson was lurking close by himself though with a 8.26 (-0.517) in the old school Capri followed by a cluster of cars .4 under.
By the time we reached the semi finals the top four qualifiers were still alive proving the new points system was helping to prevent sandbagging in qualifying. Simpson took down Les Heintz’ B/MP GTO 8.32 (8.52IN) to 8.75 (8.72IN) and Clint George eliminated the top qualifier 7.54 (7.78IN) to the VL’s 7.98 (8.14IN).
Again the final was over at the fall of the lights, George picking off a -.020 cherry giving Simpson the perfect start to his championship event. Who needs late model high spec machinery to be competitive in Super Stock!.
It was refreshing to see a field in Competition Bike in Sydney, a few locals have made the step up and with the new classes coming on board it may lead to a revival of the class on the East coast. It was Victorian Corey Buttigieg on his V-ROD who went a light year under the index with a V/CB -.0.768 under 8.66 that took pole. Next closest was local Glenn Northridge stepping up to Comp Bike for the first time with his A/SB Hayabusa running 8.79 (-0.396).
Buttegieg broke in the second round against Paul Harrison’s V/CB, Harrison would face Northridge in the first semi but the west Aussie missed the start with a .504 light allowing Northridge to easily round him up to make the final.
Northridge would face off against perennial finalist Corey Scholes on his DD/CB Kawasaki, Scholes had a easy run to the final only having to face Dave Shaw in round two and now benefits in the final with a untouched index. Northridge received the slight holeshot advantage but the turbo Kawasaki had the Hayabusa in its sights and passed it for the win with a 8.73 (8.90IN) to Northridge’s 8.93 (8.98IN).
Super Compact benefited from not having to compete with the Factory Xtreme exhibition bracket for competitors. Scott Porter who was returning to Sydney after destroying the car in a monster smash at the Nitro Champs this time smashed the V6 Nissan world record with a 6.34 to be -0.626 under the AA/SC index and on top of the qualifying sheet. Joe Signorelli was not to far arrears with a 6.36 -.601 under in a class that is really flying when Rod Harvey’s 6.41 a third qualifying ET would of thought to have been quick only a couple of months ago.
Porter moved to the semi finals defeating Po Tung in round two, special mention has to be made of Tung who decimated the AA/SM class record in the first round with a 7.24 (7.75IN) to claim his own world record of the world quickest full bodied Celica. Signorelli would face Porter in the semi and a epic showdown was to ensue if Porter had not left a cherry on the tree, the race 6.48 to a 6.54 un-coincidental in the end. Meanwhile Michael Baghdadi would solo to the final in the other semi with his CC/SM Nissan S15.
Baghdadi did not miss out on the record setting either, his first round saw him push the 4 cylinder SR20 powerplant to a 6.94, that’s is over a second under the index!, before disposing of Harvey in round two. The final turned into a pedalfest off the line, both cars shaking tyres and sideways, the Celica of Signorelli recovering first and drove on to his first Christmas Tree win.
Supercharged Outlaws had nearly 30 entries from the blown brigade, Andrew Hodgson was the quickest legal pass with a 6.57 after a number of competitors went quicker than the 6.50 cut off.
By the time semi finals rolled around a loan Queenslander in Les Rodgie and his Teachers Pet funny car was with three locals, Rodgie faced Michael Watkins fresh of a win two weeks earlier in the NSW Championship, a 7.13 (7.07DI) for the Watkins altered made easy work of the funny cars 7.79 (6.77). The second pairing was the two funny cars of Darryl Walford and Andrew Hodgson, the Avenger funny car of Hodgson cut a great light and held that advantage for the win 6.57 (6.51DI) over the Skips Thunderbird’s 6.70 (6.71).
It was left for locals to duke it out in the final, Watkins left first with a .009 light jumping Hodgson’s .074, at the end a sensational 7.105 (7.10) was too tough of a package for the funny cars 6.556 (6.54) to reel in with the win going to the ecstatic Watkins brothers.
Greg Fowler was the familiar top qualifier in Super Sedan in the GXP with a 6.99 but could not make the call in eliminations. The drama continued for Fowler Family Racing who have dominated the Super Sedan championship for years now when current champion Steve Fowler went red by 6 thousandths in round one.
The field now blown wide open it was down to four locals in the semi finals, Joe Valenzisi Monaro took on Brett McNiff doing it for the Mopar fans in the first match up, Valenzisi’s better reacting 9.19 (9.09) defeated the Valiant’s 9.66 (9.60) run. If the Fowlers are not in contention you can be sure multiple time former champion Neil Constantinou would be, the familiar red Torana matched up with Jim Denaro in the other semi, a -.005 light from the Denaro Cortina ended that race early.
Identical .018 lights from both cars had the final down to dial in’s and it was the Torana reaching the line first 9.98 (9.92) to the Monaro’s 9.20 (9.09) and another Gold Christmas tree to the collection for Constantinou.
Two time Super Street champion Rob Harrington has stepped up to Modified in a big way and top qualified his big block dragster with a 7.14. When semi finals arrived all three eastern mainland states were represented, Queensland’s Tony Littlewood moved straight to the final with a bye. The other pairing featured last years Nationals winner Alan White and Victorian Craig Baker, the altered of White dumped a perfect reaction on the Baker dragster however Baker’s 8.729 (8.72) produced a better package at the end taking the win over the altered 8.92 (8.85) in tough Modified racing.
In the final Baker delivered his own perfect reaction to Littlewood and that would prove the difference, a holeshot win to Baker with a 8.75 (8.71) to a near perfect 8.66 (8.662) run from Littlewood’s dragster.
Michael Mitchell nitrous Kawasaki was well ahead of the competition in Modified Bike qualifying with a 7.86 best. Semi finals time though saw Paul Geerlings Destroyer solo to the final and Victorian Gavin Dohnt in his first ANDRA championship event trounce Michael Dwinger’s Kawasaki 9.88 (9.86) to 9.75 (9.86).
The Suzuki of Dohnt handed the start line advantage to Geerlings in the final but held of the charging destroyer with a 9.868 (9.85) to the Harleys 9.784 (9.70) for the victory.
Last years winner in Super Gas Warren Smith trumped tight qualifying with a 9.902 that saw the top four racers all running 9.90.
There would be no repeat for Smith with the semi finals featuring National Champion Simon Isherwood taking on former champ Darryl Stephen, a 9.953 to 9.932 holeshot win had the Isherwood Commodore through to the final. He would face Roy Romeo who overcome South Aussie Bruno Romeo 9.94 to 10.02, not a bad feat for Bruno competing in a Pontiac that is only one event old.
A .007 light from Romeo in the final pushed Isherwood to break out in the final with a 9.88, Romeo’s 9.91 victorious, we will no doubt be seeing these two racer fighting it out seasons end.
Small field of 15 Super Streeters did battle it out, John Kerr went closest to the legal Super Street cut off in qualifying with a 11.09.
The Mercury of Kerr would take on Ian Brown in the first semi and with a .002 light takes the win light with a 11.21 (11.14) over the Brown Torana’s 11.29 (11.27). Craig Warren’s Torana broke out with a 11.04 (11.10) in a race he probably should of won with a huge reaction time advantage over Carl Taylor’s Bubbletop Chev’s 11.21 (11.20).
The all NSW final was a matchup of classic American muscle, Kerr was competing at his first ANDRA Championship event though he has been a demon racer on the Nostalgia circuit and Taylor already has one Christmas Tree to his name. The reaction time tables were reversed in the final, Taylor’s .012 far out shone Kerr’s .160 leaving Kerr to break out 11.09 (11.14) when trying to chase down the big Chev’s 11.23 (11.20) as Carl “Chevy” Taylor wins his second Tree.
Emma Hazzard earned top qualifier in Junior Dragster with a 8.003, left in the semi finals was David Roberts battling Hayley Mackay, immense holeshot win to Roberts 8.069 (8.05) to Mackays close to perfect 8.021 (8.02) and Dakota red lit by one thousandths to propel Tony Austin to the final.
Another all NSW final was over with a flash of red as Austin went -.039 at the tree crowning Roberts as Nationals champion.
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