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Watch this type of action and more in the comfort of your home 20 kms away or 20,000 kms away. Drag Racing, Hot Rodding, Boats, Speedway and more. Sportingscribe.com travels the width and breadth of Australia filming drag racing events with the occasional hot rodding and speedway event thrown in, all packaged up in video edits usually within a week of the event finishing. Scheduling and growth of the industry has made it difficult to find the editing time to process all the action in a reasonable time frame. My quest here at sportingscribe.com is to set up a live streaming service that will deliver the same content to my viewers, live as it happens. All the action from the Australian National Drag Racing Association Summit Sportsman Series plus selected marquee events including hot-rodding from around Australia delivered live right onto your device. Get us close and personal with drivers, pit action and all the drama that go hand in hand with competition. Be there to celebrate the highs of motorsport achievement with victory speeches, interviews and pit parties. Catch all the cool guys and gals in the ever growing hot-rod scene with live vision of the coolest rides on the road, the girls in their rock a billy gear and the finest featured hot-rodding live music.
Sounds entertaining you say! I agree and want to bring it to you live free of charge onto your device, yes free of charge, no pay per view charges, but I need your help.
To give you all this supercharged cool action I have set up a fund to help raise capital for the purchase of live streaming equipment. I have a regular job and currently cover drag racing and motorsport events free of charge and not for profit. Your support and assistance with this campaign will kickstart my journey into live streaming, bringing all the men and women of motorsport right onto your device. Let's get this campaign rolling and see what we can do with a little bit of support. I thank you in advance.
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Norman Goes European With The R/T Marine Prepared BMW
By Mark Humphrey
Adelaide, SA/Aus. 16th June 2017. 2015 Australian Super Stock champion Steve Norman will debut his new ride this weekend at the Adelaide Drag Race Promotion’s Sunday Funday at Adelaide International Raceway. Having been out of the racing seat for the past 15 months, Norman is itching to get some seat time in the R/T Marine built BMW coupe which had been in the pipeline for about 5 years.
I dropped a line to Steve to find out a bit more on the vision he had with the BMW, “Well I noticed the BMW sitting in the Perth Motorplex pits at a Westernationals 5 years ago and straight away thought about debuting a Super Stock version” he said. Norman went on to say “I got the boys (Ryan & Reg Lee) to measure it up and here we are 5 years later with an unbelievable version of European motoring”. Norman added, “we embarked on the project less than 2 years ago with Ryan Lee from R/T Marine responsible for making it happen. Along with his father Reg and the help of others, the team has put together a race car that is as good as anything I’ve had in the past” he said. Norman went on to say “the attention to detail is simply unbelievable and I cannot fault any part of the build at all. I had enormous trust in the boys to get the job done and they certainly haven’t let me down” he said.
The history of the car is quite chequered with the car originally part of a divorce settlement in the USA. Legend has it that the ex-wife snatched the BMW, poured acid over the boot and then proceeded to drive the car into a dam. The Norman camp found the car at a salvage yard via a friend in the USA and the rest is history.
The guy responsible for the unique transformation was Ryan Lee who owns and operates R/T Marine SA, a business that had its roots in boat repairs but has now expanded into fibreglass auto products, vehicle modifications and of course complete race car builds. I caught up with Ryan and his father Reg to find out more on this simply stunning build and started by asking Ryan his thoughts on the BMW build “absolutely over the moon. The team has done a fantastic job on the car with the end result being an amazing BMW Super Stock car”. Ryan added “ we took possession of the car from the US and completely gutted the car in order to get it ready for the build. Originally, we looked at a Jaguar but because it had an aluminium body it was going to be too expensive to put chrome moly bar work through the car. It then come down to transforming either a Mercedes or BMW car into a MP Super Stock car. We measured up a BMW in the pits at the Perth Motorplex and found that everything would fit and the rest is history” he said.
After being stripped back to a bare shell the car was sent to interstate chassis builder John Lang to get the bar work installed along with some tin work. Ben Seal was then called in to complete the tin work which included all the necessary bracketry, front end and 4 link suspension points. Ben worked solid for 3 straight weeks and then dropped in after hours on more than half a dozen occasions to complete any alterations that were required. Also helping out on the tin and aluminium work was Doug Elsworthy from Elsworthy’s Chassis Shop.
The running gear was fitted up to see what alterations if any were required. The running gear for this project come out of the championship winning Chevy Cobalt and consists of a 312ci Bob Book small block coupled to a 3 speed Pro Flight transmission.
Power is transferred down to the JRI sprung titanium housed diff via a carbo fibre tail shaft. Lamb front struts work nicely with Lamb carbon fibre disc brakes to provide plenty of stopping power.
Next it was the job of brother Bryce with help from good friend Matt to prep the body and bar work for paint. Bryce spent a solid 3 weeks straightening the panels alone before prepping the car for paint which in the end was coated with Electric Orange. I asked Ryan what the most difficult part of the build was and he mentioned choosing the paint color. “I first suggested orange to Steve but that was rejected with a pearl white looking like the color. I liked black but in the end, it was Steve’s decision and after some deliberation Steve decided that it would be Electric Orange” he said. Ryan added “I think the color choice was spot on as it certainly showcases the car”.
Once the car was painted it was time to fit out the car and that’s when Reg took over. The car was completely re-wired starting from a bare shell and color coded to MSD color codes. Every wire was color matched to components with all original hinges used. The boot retains its electric opening operation keeping some originality with the car.
The interior was completely re-trimmed by Vicki in the color of their choice still incorporating the woodgrain in the dash and door trims. The attention to detail with the trim is unsurpassed with Steve Norman noting how the interior trim was altered to incorporate bar work encroaching into the door armrests. The choice of trim color certainly adds to the build and compliments the vision the boys had when they first set out to build the car. 
Asked what the most pleasing part of the build was, they both responded simultaneous with “today”. “Having the car 100% finished with nothing to do but turn the key is definitely the most pleasing part of the build” said Ryan. The car is built to 25.5 C SFI specification as a MP car and will initially be running in Gas.
Now that the car is 100% completed the next thing to do is get some laps into the car. As noted, the team will head out this weekend to Adelaide International Raceway to put down an installation pass testing out things like brakes, tracking, parachute and the like. They hope to get at least a second pass in which with all things being equal will be under full noise. The fact that they are using the running gear out of the Cobalt, takes away the uncertainty of how the drivetrain will go and leaves the team with one less thing to worry about. The team hope to run a private test next weekend and provided they meet all parameters will debut the car for competition in round 3 of the ANDRA Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series at Sunset Strip Mildura in late September.
Obviously to put together this masterpiece the team relied on some outstanding help with Steve Norman thanking Ryan and Reg for their commitment with this build. With regards to the workshop activities Ryan and Reg would like to thank Bryce and Matt for the paint, Ben Seal for the fabrication, Doug Elsworthy for additional fabrication, John Lang for bar work, Vicky from Vicki’s Trimming Shop, Motorsport Connections, Craig at RCE, BMW Adelaide and Brett Henley from Henley Chassis for all his advice.
For race fans, keep an eye on the ANDRA website for details on the 2017/18 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series dates which will feature the likes of Steve Norman, Competition champ Craig Geddes, Super Stock champ Jamie Chaisty among others duking it out in Super Stock/Comp.
Click on the link for more details http://andra.com.au/
All images supplied by Reg Lee
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2017 is here and with a full slate of ANDRA Championship Drag Racing coming up, The Accommodation Brokers are here to help ANDRA members save on their travel plans.
Adelaide Chrysler Festival
Round 10 A Victim Of Windyalla
Current Modified Bike Australian Champ Bryan Finn gets it sideways
By Mark Humphrey
Whyalla/Sth Aus, Aus. 13th March 2017. The Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) in conjunction with Whyalla track staff have put a halt to round 10 of the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series due to inclement weather conditions that at times had put the drivers safety at risk.
The decision to suspend racing was first taken late in the afternoon with officials electing to re-assess the situation within the hour. High winds had caused a number of issues with race cars getting down the strip safely due to the amount of dust that had settled on the racing surface. ANDRA Competition Manager Brett Stevens was on deck along with Ray Treasure to oversee the running of the Summit round which had been promoted as a single day event. The decision by Stevens to consult with the relevant organising representatives with regards to driver safety was absolutely warranted with the correct course of action taken. I have to say that the governing body of the sport has got this one right and hats off to Stevens and race officials for taking the tough line here. Stevens was not alone in the decision making with some of the sports best officials on hand to further endorse the recommendations. Along with Stevens and Treasure, we had Tim Reidy as race director, Craig Plummer as the official starter, Whyalla Steel City Drags President Mark Kuhn as well as his award winning team officials on hand to assist with the decision making.
The decision makers in deep discussion
The large number of spectators that had supported the event were told by commentator Alan Ward that racing was suspended for an hour while officials waited for the wind to abate. Drivers were summoned to a track-side meeting where they were told by Mark Kuhn that racing would be put on hold for the moment. Kuhn added that if they couldn’t get a re-start then the club was prepared to finish the meeting in the morning which seemed to be the logical choice as race teams had come from as far as Perth, Melbourne and Sydney to compete in the event.
Super Sedan champ John Kapiris questioned the legality of running the meeting the next morning as the official entry didn’t list provision for a rain out day. After a vigorous discussion between track officials and Kapiris the offer to run the remainder of the meeting if required the next morning stood much to the dismay of Kapiris. Kapiris may have been right in his opinions but the fact was that some racers had travelled to Whyalla chasing championship points so it seemed in the best interest of the series competitors to continue with racing. It must also be said that there were a lot of racers there that just wanted to go racing.
Currenty 4 x Australian Super Sedan Champ John Kapiris puts down a qualifier
After 45 minutes of downtime the meeting resumed with officials deeming it safe to run. The wind had abated slightly but was still coming in at a fair rate. The track temperature was starting to drop as well making it tough to carry on with the eliminations. Officials were able to complete round 1 of eliminations for Junior Dragster, Super Street and Super Sedan but had to call the night when the Supercharged Outlaws rolled into the staging lanes. Competitors were told that eliminations would continue in the morning from 9am.
Vlado Turic picked up the Super Sedan Top Qualifier while Michael Braggs (below) was Top Sportsman's #1
During the night, the area received some rain which had soaked the dust that had settled on the track leaving the racing surface covered with a thin film of mud. Early morning inspections of the racing surface resulted in track officials taking the decision to cancel the meeting completely due to the preparation time that was required to get the racing surface up. That meant that this was the 4th round that had been cancelled during the 2016/17 series with Adelaide, Portland, Swan Hill and now Whyalla all coming to an abrupt end with the exception of Swan Hill which was pulled from the series schedule prior to the event.
Round 10 Top Qualifiers
This was also the 4th event at Whyalla this season that had been canned due to inclement condition. As a matter of fact, Whyalla Steel City Drags have not completed an event this season which must be heart breaking for all the people involved with the club. The facility is a reasonable size when you take into account the amenities and would definitely require plenty of work to prepare the facility for a race meeting and even more for a Summit round.
Whyalla in reflection through the visor of Modified Bike rider Greg Oberti
Although the event was cancelled I believe points will be allocated for first round wins which although only 20 points, will be of assistance to some. Top Sportsman runner Greg Damiani picked up a first round when with a solo pass due to the fact John Kapiris had loaded his car onto the trailer and gone home. The other Top Sportsman chasing points was Michael Braggs who managed to Top Qualify but lost in round 1 when he had to lift slightly due to the car getting lose. Actually, there were a number of drivers that had to get off the pedal in round 1 due to the car unloading.
Top Sportsman racer Greg Damiani had a solo in round 1 and also picked up best presented.
Well it was a disappointing end to an event that promised so much. Club president Mark Kuhn just shrugged his shoulders this morning and said how it was just bad luck. He also mentioned that a lot of racers come away with 60 foot PB’s giving testament that the track was on. It’s just a pity about the dust that had settled on the racing surface further down the track.
The series now heads to Adelaide International Raceway for the final round of the series where ANDRA will crown National Champions in each bracket with some having the opportunity to go back to back. Kapiris, Darryl Stephen in Super Gas and Bryan Finn in Modified Bike are in strong positions to go back to back with Craig Geddes already guaranteed another Competition Eliminator Series Championship to go with last year’s. Geddes cleaned up on the Western Australia swing and now has an unbeatable lead going into the final which is much the same situation as last year.
The Grand Final round is over 2 days with action commencing at 3pm on Friday the 31st of March with a full day’s program listed for the Saturday with finals decided Saturday night.
For more info on the event go to:https://www.facebook.com/adelaidedrags/
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Cast from resin, this accurately detailed |
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PRESS RELEASE, 02/12/2016 |
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Steel City Drag Club Named Volunteers of the Year |
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The Whyalla Steel City Drag Club has been awarded the Arthur J. Gallagher Volunteer of the Year at the 2016 ANDRA Championship Dinner on Thursday December 1. Recognised for their outstanding efforts and contribution toward the 2015/2016 ANDRA Championship Grand Final at Adelaide International Raceway and their assistance to fellow tracks and clubs throughout the year, the Steel City Drag Club are worthy recipients. “Thank you to Arthur J. Gallagher and ANDRA for the award,” said Club President Mark Kuhn. “We as a club love drag racing and we are happy to assist other clubs and organisations to build the sport and work together. “It’s a credit to all the members of the Whyalla Steel City Drag Club for their hard work and passion to be awarded Volunteers of the Year.” The Arthur J Gallagher Volunteer of the Year award recognises the outstanding contribution and passion of volunteers donating their time to ANDRA Drag Racing. The Steel City Drag Club were in attendance at the 2016 ANDRA Championship Dinner to accept their deserved accolade. ANDRA thanks the Steel City Drag Club, who will celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2017 for their time and dedication to the sport. Also awarded on the night were the previously announced ANDRA Champions and Runners Up, John Storm Memorial Trophy Winner – Matt Forbes, and newly inducted ANDRA Hall of Famer Jim Read. |
Whyalla Round Sets Up Grand Finals
By Mark Humphrey
Whyalla, SA/Aus. 14th March 2016. Another successful round of the Summit Sportsman Series this time at Whyalla Steel City Drags had wound up with the scene now set for an enthralling grand final series at Adelaide International in April.
What an event for the Whyalla Steel City Drags with 110+ teams making the journey over to the steel city venue chasing down series points and ultimately an ANDRA Xmas tree. Hats off to Whyalla Steel City Drags for conducting a faultless event which included 4 qualifying rounds on Saturday culminating with finals on Sunday. We didn’t see any national records produced from the round 9 fixture but from the opening heat there was a buzz around the venue as teams battled the conditions looking for that perfect set up. The club had the welcome mat out for teams that had come from far and wide to contest the round 9 fixture with most taking advantage of the relaxed dining environment provided by the club each night.
Steve Norman once again proved why he is Australia’s #1 Super Stock runner taking out the Super Comp bracket with a win over Jim Ioannidis in the final. Norman who come into the round sharing the points cap lead with Kim Fardella was solid off the line producing a 5.214 pass on a 5.27 index to Ioannidis 6.049 on a 6.14 index. Norman took care of Kim Fardella in round 1 in one of the day’s best races while Ioannidis picked up wins against Neil Davis and the wheel standing Louis Svingos. Ioannidis courtesy of his round 9 points haul heads into the grand final locked on 300 points with Norman and Fardella with Daniel Camilleri sitting in 4th spot on 230 points.
Top Sportsman produced a cracker final with Paul Russo in the 57 Chevy picking up his second win of the series taking out Stu McBain in the Foreign Affair Chevy. Russo courtesy of the win joins a packed leader board in Top Sportsman and heads into the grand final in white hot form. Russo joins Jason Stares, Top Qualifier Darren Saliba and McBain at the top of the table capped out on 300 points with Jason Arbery still in the mix. Russo ended Arbery’s weekend in round 1 with a solo in round 2 while McBain took care of Brody Sonntag in round 1 and top qualifier Darren Saliba in the semi. McBain looked sharp on the weekend and has found some consistency in his driving over the latter part of the series and is definitely one to watch heading into AIR next month. What a bracket it’s been for ANDRA with Stares dominating mid series only to see McBain and Russo close the gap with some fast consistent racing. Saliba has always been in the mix along with Arbery and although Arbery was a 1st round loser this weekend you can’t count him out of the championship race. Paul Russo once made the statement that he was coming after Jason, well after the win this weekend he has caught the series leader. What a bracket and one I’m looking forward to come Adelaide.
Shane Kramer picked up the win in Supercharged Outlaws getting past former national champ Doina Day in the final. The Kramer team have put some hard yards in trying to get the car down the track over the past couple of seasons and look to have finally got a handle on the car with Kramer posting a 4.531 on a 4.51 dial in @ 154.3mph. Day was impressive in only the second time out in the new dragster and had to get past Nationals winner in Peter Datson along the way. Day now heads into the grand finals just behind series leader Adam Murrihy and is a real chance along with Dave Thorton of taking out the 2015/16 series.
Simon Barlow proved why he is one of the best Modified racers going around picking up another win in the 15/16 series beating home former national champ in Craig Baker. Barlow posted a 4.77 on a 4.70 dial in to Baker’s 5.56 on a 5.48 dial in. Baker is an outside chance heading into AIR next month courtesy of his runner up placing and joins Kenny Stewart, Barlow and Matt Forbes in the chase for the modified title.
Gavin Dohnt has continued on with his recent hot streak taking out the Modified Bike bracket with a win over West Aussie Gordon Crawford. For Dohnt the win has catapulted him to the top of the points table sharing the position with Shane Walker on 300. Dohnt has made the last 3 Summit Sportsman Modified Bike finals with back to back wins including the Nationals. Walker looked solid on the way to a semi-final loss to Dohnt while on the other side of the draw another contender in Wally Hosta also looked solid on the way to a semi-final loss to Crawford. Although Crawford has a round 7 win out of Portland to go with his runners up placing he looks to be too far back to challenge for the 15/16 series title. The same could be said for local Bryan Finn. Looking to capture some valuable points from his home track Finn was a 1st round loser to Hosta and will find it hard to overtake Walker and Dohnt in the race for the series title.
Super Sedan was taken out by multiple Aussie champ John Kapiris with a win over George Tipoukidis. It was the 3rd win of the series for Kapiris and surely has him as the one to beat heading into the finals. Tipoukidis by way of his runners up placing joins Kapiris at the top of the table on 300 points and now has a real chance of being crowned the national champ. Danny Buccella, Michael Jennings, Steve Hunt and Joe Bresciano all missed out on the big points this weekend and now have it all to do come the finals.
Super Street was taken out by Creagh Stuart with a win over Rod Kerr in the final. The result was good for the Stuart camp but didn’t have any impact on the series leader board with the race for the national crown down to just two. Harry Harris has been at the top of the leader board after taking the win in round 1 over Kylie Tanner and backing that up with wins in rounds 3 and 5. Tanner although not picking up a win this series is locked in a battle with Harris at the top of the table and only needs to finish higher than Harris at next month’s grand finale to be crowned the national champ. Paul Garbellini is a remote outside chance of taking the title and needs to win the grand final with both Harris and Tanner going out 1st round. That isn’t going to happen.
Michael Naylor joined Josh Baker and Natalie Bishop at the top of the Junior Dragster points table with a win in the final over Natalie Bishop. Coming into round 9 both Baker and Dan Carranza were tied at the top of the table on 290 points. Baker was the first to reach the points cap with a heat 1 win but bowed out in the quarters going down to Bishop after breaking out. Heading into the series final we have Josh Baker, Natalie Bishop and Michael Naylor all locked up on 300 points with Carranza, Kelly Donnelly and Brad Bishop all within striking distance.
Collin Griffin continued on with his fine season in Super Gas taking out the win over another wheel standing racer in Johnny Ienco. This was the 3rd win of the series for Griffin and now heads into the grand final locked at the top of the leader board with Matt Forbes and Darrell Stephen. Current National champ Graeme Spencer sits just back behind the top 3 and is still a chance to go back to back.
Well that wrapped up what was another killer round of Summit Sportsman racing. Heading into the round there was a lot riding on the results with some taking advantage of the round and some missing golden opportunities to set up a series win. The Whyalla Steel City Drags club had the welcome mat out from the moment the racers arrived on site and conducted another classic regional drag race meeting that had it all. Hats off to Mark and Lia Kuhn, Tim Reedy and all the Steel City club members who combined together to present yet another memorable round of Summit Sportsman Series racing. The club put their hand up at the request of ANDRA to conduct a round of the series and no doubt have ticked off all the boxes and deserve to be included in the 16/17 series.
The series now heads to Adelaide International Raceway on the 9th and 10th of April for the combined grand finals with group 1. This should be an absolutely huge event and the perfect way to cap off what has been a fabulous 2015/16 Summit Sportsman Series which started way back in July at the Alice Springs Inland Dragway.
For more details on the event go to:http://www.andra.com.au/
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PRESS RELEASE, 13/03/2016 |
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Norman wins for Whyalla at Steel City Raceway |
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Whyalla’s own Australian Super Stock Champion Steve Norman has won his third ANDRA Christmas Tree this season at Steel City Raceway. The win, in front of his family and friends at his home track, is the second in a row following the Australian Nationals. Norman was already guaranteed to contend for his second consecutive Championship at the ANDRA Grand Final in Adelaide April 9-10 and although anything can happen, he is the firm favourite to take the gold tree at AIR. The marquee match up against fellow title hope Kim Fardella fell Norman’s way in the first round allowing the defending champ to take a solo in the semi. In the final Norman had the reaction advantage and led all the way over Jim Ioannidis for a 5.214 second pass at 134.28 mph to a 6.049 ET at 115.83 mph. “It’s a real honour to have a Championship round in Whyalla,” said Norman. “The first Championship event here we top qualified, won the event and I’ll be sleeping in my own bed tonight so it doesn’t get much better than that.” “I’d really like to thank ANDRA and Summit Racing Equipment for being on board the last couple of seasons. It’s extra special today because I’ve got all my family here and I think it’s the first time ever I’ve had all the family at a race meeting. “Big thanks to Rich, Ryan, Paul and my wife Lynn who crewed today and a big thank you to Steel City Raceway – without them none of this would have happened, it’s just been phenomenal what they achieved out here.” Shane Kramer (Birdwood, SA) scored an emotional win for his first ever ANDRA Christmas Tree trophy in Supercharged Outlaws. Kramer top qualified and added the event win by out reacting Doina Day at the start line and recording a 4.531 ET on a 4.51 dial in at 154.30 mph to a 4.924 ET on a 4.80 dial in at 142.59 mph in the final. Kramer had earlier sent David Thornton and Graham Sheill packing as he found the consistency needed to go rounds. “Oh my God, it’s an amazing feeling I just can’t believe it,” said Kramer. “I came here just hoping to get some runs down without tyre shake and it’s been a dream weekend the whole time. We were within a tenth of our dial in all weekend I can’t believe it. “I want to thank my mate Dave Lee, he’s been beside me for 20 years and thanks to everyone that’s helped me along the way, it’s been awesome.” Also in Supercharged Outlaws, Mark Kuhn and his team were awarded the Gridstar by YBI Best Presented Award. They receive the Best Presented trophy, six Best Presented caps and a $50 Summit Racing Equipment voucher. Before this season Paul Russo (Virginia, SA) had never won an ANDRA Christmas Tree. He now has two in his last three races after taking Top Sportsman in Whyalla and boosting his bid for the Championship. Russo took down friend Jason Arbery in Round 1 followed by a solo in the semi final to hone in on his dial in. His opponent Stuart McBain reacted quickly in .026 seconds but it wasn’t quick enough with Russo recording a .014 reaction time to win on a 4.999 ET with a 4.96 dial in at 143.30 mph. McBain could only muster a 5.471 on a 5.39 dial in at 120.70 mph. “We needed to make the final (for the Championship), we didn’t need to win but winning is such a bonus because last week we didn’t have an engine in the car. “I don’t even know what to say but without my brothers, without Bob Sherry we never would have got this car going. This win goes to my crew and thanks to everyone else. Whyalla, great venue, Stewie McBain great run – we finally beat him in a final and Jase (Jason Stares) we’re coming after you still!” Simon Barlow (Holden Hill, SA) won his third trophy of the season taking a final showdown against Craig Baker. Barlow dialled in at 4.74 to run a 4.770 second pass at 137.70 mph and defeat Baker on a 5.564 on a 5.48 dial in at 122.94 mph. Barlow benefited from a solo in Round 1 following his top qualifying effort and ran a near perfect pass for his dial in during the semi final win over Bradley Hicks. “It’s been a great season so far, it’s been exceptional actually,” said Barlow. “There are a lot of people to thank for that. Read’s Transport, they’re doing a great job supporting us. Lawrence and Hansen Gawler, Just Muscle Cars – they’ve done a terrific job towing the car all around Australia for me, my crew – they’ve been awesome getting the job done and Infinity Signs, MV Automatics and Walkom Automotive. They are all my sponsors and happy to have them on board.” Gavin Dohnt (Henty, VIC) had previously lost to Gordon Crawford in the Modified Bike final at South Coast Raceway in Portland but he got his revenge today defeating Crawford and taking home his second win in a row following the Australian Nationals. Dohnt had an inferior reaction time and needed to ride around Crawford on a 6.006 ET with a 5.98 dial in at 112.53 mph from a 6.487 ET on a 6.40 dial at 107.93 mph. Dohnt defeated Don Baird, Toni Keating and Championship leader Shane Walker on his way to the final. “That’s pretty exciting, you never know what’s going to happen on a race weekend,” said Dohnt. “Guys like Gordon pull one out of their back pocket every now and then so I’m really happy. It’s been a fantastic weekend, the Steel City Drag Club has been brilliant, our bracket marshal has been awesome, and it’s just been great.” Three time defending Super Sedan Champion John Kapiris (Two Wells, SA) secured yet another Christmas Tree in his bid for a fourth title defeating George Tipoukidis in the final. Kapiris drove around Tipoukidis with a quicker reaction time to run a 6.408 on a 6.37 dial in at 108.72 mph from a 6.497 ET on a 6.44 dial in at 106.15 mph to add to earlier wins over Andrew Thompson and Steve Hunt. Creagh Stuart (Beverley, SA) took the honours in Super Street first eliminating Michael Bridges, Kylie Tanner and Harry Harris to earn a bye into the decider. There Stuart out reacted Rod Kerr to claim the win with a 7.964 on a 7.90 dial in at 85.33 mph from a 7.249 on a 7.22 dial in at 90.21 mph. Michael Naylor (Marangaroo, WA) won his first ever Christmas Tree in Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster dedicating the victory to his friend and Modified racer Simon Lekias who recently passed away. Naylor reacted in just .003 seconds at the start line and stopped the beams at 8.144 seconds on an 8.10 dial in at 81.25 mph. Natalie Bishop broke out in her chase by running an 8.048 on an 8.06 dial in at 81.71 mph. In Super Gas, Colin Griffin (Mt Ridley, VIC) picked up another win defeating Johnny Ienco with a 6.582 second pass at 106.96 mph in the 6.30 fixed index class over the eighth-mile to a 7.093 at 106.04 mph. Griffin earned a bye in the semi final following his first round win over Frank Fontanelli. ANDRA would like to thank the Steel City Drag Club and their volunteers for their hard work in staging the event and to Whyalla City Council for their support in bringing the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series to the region. For full results from Round 9 of the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series presented by Whyalla City Council please click here. The 10th and final round of the 2015/2016 ANDRA Championship Season takes place at Adelaide International Raceway April 9-10 as part of the ANDRA Championship Grand Final alongside the ANDRA Drag Racing Series. For more information please visit www.adelaideraceway.com.au |
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PRESS RELEASE, 12/03/2016 |
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Whyalla ready to rumble on Sunday |
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Qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series presented by Whyalla City Council has been completed in hot and humid conditions at Steel City Raceway. Local hometown Super Stock Champion Steve Norman heads the field for the Group Two bracket even after only completing two qualifiers early in the day. He planned to skip Q3 and decided against running the final qualifier as a strong wind gained momentum through the day. Norman’s 5.170 second pass put him -0.200 under his National C/APA index and maintained top spot through the final two qualifying sessions. “The first qualifier was a little bit off, we just missed it with the heat and humidity,” said Norman. “The car went straight though, we brought it back and took some fuel out of it. We didn’t go any quicker because the conditions got worse and the wind picked up. “We still held the number one position and we’ve got two guys, Robert Bergamin and Neil Davis stepping up from Super Sedan which is fantastic and we get to run a Super Stock bracket at the first National Championship event here in Whyalla.” Louis Svingos secured second place from Jim Ioannidis while Norman’s Championship rival Kim Fardella qualified fourth to set up a marque match up in round one against Norman. Bergamin and Davis complete the field in fifth and sixth. In other action Supercharged Outlaws Australian Nationals winner and Whyalla local Peter Datsun qualified first despite a dead even 4.491 elapsed time with Shane Kramer. Graham Sheill is third, Steel City Drag Club President Mark Kuhn is fourth, David Thornton fifth, Doina Day in her return after scraping the wall in December is sixth while Lawrence Coppola and Warren Leonard are seventh and eighth. Darren Saliba qualified first for the fifth successive occasion in Top Sportsman with a 4.713 second pass from Paul Russo, Stuart McBain, Jason Arbery and Brody Sonntag. He’ll be looking to finally convert his strong qualifying efforts into an event win on Sunday. Simon Barlow secured top honours with a number one qualifier in his quest for the Modified Championship recording a 4.776 ET followed closely by Kenny Stewart in second. Bradley Hicks, Craig Baker, Adam Mundy, Neil Dyson and Bruce McHendrie all posted five second times to round out the field. Leon Davies qualified first in Super Sedan running a 5.588 second pass to keep Vlado Turic at bay in second while Lance Larcombe, Keith Yandle and Andrew Thompson closed out the top five. Niki Zakrzewski overcame a tumble in her second Modified Bike qualifier with her first round 5.646-second effort enough to hold Australian Nationals winner Gavin Dohnt to second followed by Greg Sparks, Shane Walker and Wally Hosta. Mick Piscioneri topped Super Street with a 7.042 second pass set in his second qualifier from Joe Martino eight hundredths behind in second. Matthew Jarvis qualified third, Leigh Donaldson fourth and completing the top five is Neville Hereen. Junior Dragster title hope Natalie Bishop wrapped up her second top qualifier in a row following the Australian Nationals with an 8.006 ET followed by Connor Oehms, Michael Naylor, Bishop’s brother Bradley and Tegan Roach in fifth. And finally Colin Griffin continued his solid form this season to take Super Gas with a 6.301 ET in the 6.30 fixed index class over the eighth-mile. Johnny Ienco qualified second, Jeff Romeo third, Frank Fontanelli fourth, Graeme Spencer fifth and Michael Derose sixth. Eliminations commence from 10am on Sunday March 13 at Steel City Raceway. For more information please visit www.steelcitydrags.com or the Whyalla Steel City Drags Facebook page. For final qualifying orders please click here. |
