Willowbank Raceway ran the penultimate round of the Queensland Drag Racing Championships and what a sensational meet it was. The event also featured a record breaking round of the Kenda Tires 660 Drag Radial Series.
With now just one round to go in the QDRC it is now or never for championship contenders. Here are the results:
Competition Bike
Winner: Andrew Badcock
R/Up: Chris Collin
With not enough Super Comp cars in the paddock for a class, Competition Bike represented the national index racing brackets. And while we were greeted by a small field of comp bike racers, the quality did not leave anyone disappointed and neither did Peter Puznik’s back wheel antics. When both riders cut reds in the final, that says how much they both knew how hard they needed to hit the tree. Badcock courtesy of being the quicker bike got to see Collin’s red then proceeded to do the same, but finished the run off with a 7.62 ay 170 mph and a winners trophy.
Modified
Winner: Mark Allan
R/Up: Kellie Kidd
Kidd won the last QDRC round in Modified in what was an eventful final with the crash of Stephan Gouws ,but this time it was all clear thankfully. The final race which was a replay of the previous round of racing in the Chicago Shootout format, Allan changed his dial in up from 8.01 to 8.02 and Kidd moved her’s down from 7.50 to a 7.49. This proved a good move for Allan who ran right on his dial in with a 8.01 and Kidd even with the dial in change still ran too quick with a 7.46 on the 7.50. Kidd started the meet on top of the points and should still be but Allan shook off his bridesmaid tag and is most certainly on the charge. Also of note with no Super Comp available Tony Bellert dropped back into the bracket and smashed the A/MD Track Record and his own A/DA record with a 6.77 at 197mph.
Super Sedan
Winner: Michael Schaper
R/Up: Noel Green
Both racers were consistent all day and the final was a beauty. Green had cut a. 003 light in the previous round and cut one again in the final, but as is his way he wheelstood the Torana and was out of the groove at half track, whilst Schaper got the mighty Chev ute out to a straight as an arrow 8.83 on an 8.77, and took an enjoyable win.
Modified Bike
Winner: Michael Beaton
R/Up: Tammy Goldthorpe
Both Beaton and Goldthorpe reached the final with three wins in what was a very tough field of bikes as usual. In the final Beaton cut a .064 to Tammy’s a .066 so it was anyone’s race, at the stripe Beaton had broken out with a 8.58 on an 8.59 but Goldthorpe’s 8.93 on an 8.96 dial in was a bigger break out and Beaton picked a hard fought win.
Super Street
Winner: Ray Ross
R/Up: Neil Tschutura
Tschutura in his Commodore is always one of the first racers to turn up to the lanes, and being first cab off the rank did him well as he made the final. Ross had the Charger cooking all day with some sweet wheels up launches, and with dial in consistency as well. In the final Tschutura had the better of the tree but and was chased down by Ross who scored the win by the barest of margins in what was an exciting final.
Junior Dragster
Winner: Kyle Magner
R/Up: Rhys Beauchamp
Coming into the round Beauchamp was on 64 points in second place and Magner in fifth on 56 points for the QDRC showing how tight the championship is, and with twenty Junior Dragsters all vying for points is a tough ask and the boys did well to make the final. In that final Beauchamp had the advantage on the tree in his chase but still went to hard, breaking out by 7 thou against Magner who stayed safely within his dial in.
The final round of the QDRC is on Oct 28th.
The event also saw another round of radial tyre racing madness with the Kenda Tires 660 Drag Racing Series, which saw Australian radial tyre records hammered.
Perry Bullivant smashed the E.T record with a 4.21 before going down in tyre smoke to Joe Gauci in the Kombat final. Earlier we saw Shaun Hale in his iconic fox body Mustang run the fastest ever speed for a radial car over the short track at 186mph.
In the Drag Radial Warz class Tanya Thompson showed the fellas with a win in her turbo LS Commodore by taking the win over Scott Dransfield.
And in the Radial Rumble bracket that featured plenty of tough streeters, Cameron Snow’s monster 615ci Camaro took the win of Ian Weber’s nitrous snorting six banger Torana.
The minor awards saw some new faces:
ASG Motorsport & Dyno Quickest Boosted:
Perry Bullivant – 4.21
Armstrong Automotive Quickest 275:
Joey Bridge – 4.89
Snickers – Bullivant Racing Quickest 235/8.5
Steve Sloan – 5.9
Phantom Performance & Dyno Quickest 6 Cylinder:
Nikki Hepburn – 4.40
Protective Sercurity Quickest Aspirated:
Marcus Page – 5.04
Spool Imports Wildest Pass:
Danny Lansdowne
Mood Motorsports Announcers Choice:
Juan Kudnig
6 Boost Hard Luck Award:
Phil Penny – Launched the Turbo off the car
Performance Wholesale Most Consistent:
Johnny Haley (3 x 6.439 Passes)
RCE Performance Warehouse Best Reaction Time:
Scott Hipwell – 0.020
JCM Coffee Machines Racing Best Appearing:
Goran Ivanovic Turbo LS Cortina
Bring on October 21st for the KENDA Tires Radial Riot.
– Thanks to Terry Dale with the assistance of the report.
