Shane Weston debuted a new dragster two weeks ago, a replacement for the ‘Endangered Species’ car he crashed in 2015 in a braking area incident at Perth Motorplex.
Weston was immediately impressed with the new tube.
“I was a little nervous going out there, not so much from the crash but from having been out of the seat for so long,” he said. “But the car was really comfortable and it performed exactly the way (Car builder) Chip Nelson said it would react.
“It drove like the Rolls Royce of dragsters and everything worked well except for a few electrical problems with the ignition.”
Weston, who has covered the drag strip as quickly as 5.47sec., said the updated dragster was more sensitive to steering inputs and better braking technology meant it pulled up as aggressively as it launched.
“Our old car was a nice ride but you can definitely tell the difference between the two.”
While Weston is aiming just for some consistent runs to learn about the new car, he also has talented drag racing tuner Greg Gower assisting behind the scenes with the fuel set up, which means there is plenty of knowledge on his side.
“Eventually I want to be able to run consistent 5.4sec. passes. I doubt we can run the 5.3sec. times some are running in our bracket but nothing is impossible. While we are using the same engine, the whole combo is different and everything else is new.”
While Weston had to miss Powerpalooza last wekeend, he will be driving for one fan in particular at the next round of the WA Drag Racing Series on, the Prestige Lock Services Goldenstates on November 11. His grandfather Harrold Davies has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but will be out at the track to watch his grandson at speed.
“Granddad has been really sick, he is my number one fan. The desire to give back all that my grandparents have given me has forced me to work, work and work some more. The only repayment I can make on a lifetime of positivity and support from them is the ability to create the warming smiles on their faces when they see the dragster roll up to the start line.”
