A record number of Western Australian nitro cars will compete at this weekend’s Outlaw Nitro Challenge at Perth Motorplex, marking a stunning coming of age for the Perth drag racing scene.
Six Nitro Dragsters and Funny Cars (not to mention a field of Nitro Bikes) will be competing over three rounds to decide who WA’s top nitro driver is.
The pilots of these land-locked missiles, each carrying around 4000 horsepower, are under no impressions about how difficult it will be to tame the nitro fuel.
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Nathan Coles will be at the wheel of Rory Taylor’s Thumper, a Camaro with proven five-second pace that could easily come out on top of the night’s racing. He said the fans are in for a treat.
“Nitro is so unpredictable and unforgiving, making these cars extremely exciting to watch,” he said. “The sound these cars produce is like nothing else, you don’t just hear the sound – you feel it rattle through your body as well! It is something I personally believe everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.”
Michael Brooks is throwing everything at the Outlaw Nitro Challenge in order to emerge victorious, bringing two dragsters into combat. He will drive Nitro Mayhem, while also throwing Shannon Taylor into the Aussie Digger.
Brooks has aspirations of one day setting a world record for front engine dragsters.
“With nitro, you’re sitting behind a controlled bomb if it goes right,” he said. “But if it doesn’t, let’s say it gets very hot for the driver! The spectators will see fast racing, lots of header flames, and out-of-control races. The long term goal for us is going better than 5.48/272mph, as that would be the fastest in the world.”
Taylor is just as ready for the visceral experience of sitting behind the engine of an unpredictable nitro dragster.
“There are a few things as terrifying, exhilarating and soul satisfying as driving a front engine dragster,” he said. “You are sitting inches away from the flywheel of a screaming V8, feeding its torque to an axle housing situated directly between your legs, with a thin alloy seat separating you from the asphalt at 250mph. That’s drag racing!”
Nitro veteran Anthony Begley is hoping to turn his experience into a win when he rolls out the new look Dark Knight Funny Car.
“Nitro is so unpredictable and you never get the sense that everything is going to go to plan,” he said. “We are aiming for three five-second runs at the Outlaw Nitro Challenge.”
But arguably the two favourites are going to be Matt Abel in Rory Taylor’s Nitro Thunder and Andrew Katavatis in Beach Bomb. Both cars are proven to run mid-fives and it is safe to say that the Outlaw Nitro Funny Car track record could be under threat from these teams.
The first nitro racing will take place at 5.30pm on Saturday. To make sure you are inside the venue in time to see all of the nitro runs, we recommend downloading the SafeWA app and purchasing your tickets online before the event to ensure you have a smooth experience and get to witness all the nitro action!
