Leading Top Doorslammer drag racer, Robin Judd, will call it quits at the end of this weekend’s 45th annual Fuchs Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway, Ipswich.
Announcing his retirement, Perth-based Judd, one of Australia most successful Top Doorslammer racers, said he has lost the passion for the sport and felt the time is now right to retire.
Australia’s quickest Doorslammer racer, Judd also cited increasing business commitments, a looming global recession and the sport’s lack of the direction as contributing factors to his retirement decision.
While Judd’s drag racing career will come to an end this weekend, he is also looking to finish on a high, by winning the season-ending Fuchs Winternationals, considered Australia’s most prestigious drag race event.
Judd was runner-up at the 2009 and 2010 Winternationals and is keen to win this year’s event to add to his two Australian Nationals (2009 and 2010) and Goldenstates (2009) titles.
“While I have enjoyed the past 14 years racing in Top Doorslammer, it is now time to stop. Apart from losing the passion there are a number of reasons why I will be finishing my drag racing career at the end of this season,” Judd said.
“My business commitments require a lot more of my time and wearing my accountant’s hat, I believe the economy is going to tighten in the short to medium term. The commercial and management issues facing the sport make the business case difficult and Group One drag racing has not moved forward to where I believe it should be which disappoints me.”
While Judd concedes he cannot win the 2011-2012 Australian Top Doorslammer championship series, a win at the Winternationals could see him again runner-up in the ANDRA Pro Series for the third time in the last four seasons. He was also runner-up in the 1999-2000 Top Doorslammer championship.
Judd ran Australia’s quickest-ever Top Doorslammer pass, a 5.762-second, when he top qualified at last month’s Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway (SD). He also ran Australia’s first Top Doorslammer 5.7-second pass, a 5.779-second, while testing for last year’s Nationals at SD.
In fact at the five championship rounds contested to date, Judd has top qualified at the past three ANDRA Pro Series Top Doorslammer championship events and qualified second at the first two events.
Judd believes his Aeroflow/William Buck team can win the Fuchs Winternationals, which he said would be a fitting way to retire.
“The Aeroflow/William Buck team are a fantastic group of people and it would certainly be a great way to finish our time together, winning the Winternationals. I would like to sincerely thank my sponsors and in particular my dedicated and hardworking crew that have been such an important part of our team’s success.”
In the ANDRA Pro Series Top Doorslammer championship race, Judd (460.5pts) is currently in third place, behind John Zappia (567pts), with Peter Kapiris (521.5) in second place.
