Melbourne Motorsport - Drag Racing

END OF AN ERA?

END OF AN ERA?

19/11/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Calder Park Drag Racing, Article # 5786247

 

 

END OF AN ERA?

Shane Baxter on the way to another pass in the 6's.

By Mark Humphrey.

With track upgrades expected to start in early December the Calder Park Drag Racing test day scheduled for December 7th could very well be the last ever meet on the 40 + year old track. Lots of memorable moments have occurred on the famous strip of bitumen which no doubt have been etched into the memories of hundreds of thousands of spectators over the years. The string of 4 back to back Nationals is certainly one memory that has stayed with me over the journey along with the 50,000 spectators who packed into Calder for one of those Nationals.

I remember names such as Rachelle Splatt and Romeo Capitanio who were the kings of top fuel racing back in the day. Capitanio was a 3 time champ and Splatt was the first woman in history to break the 300mph barrier. These cars and many others lined up at Calder which at one stage was the fastest bitumen track in the world. Even as late as last October Top Fuel cars were lighting up the Calder strip.

Unfortunately as witnessed at the Southern Nationals earlier this year, the surface had past its use by date. High powered cars found it difficult to get down the track once the heat went out of the surface. The actions of ANDRA to stop the meeting due to safety concerns were basically the nail in the coffin for the iconic drag racing strip. The dedicated enthusiasm of current promoter Peter Pisalidis to run the current Street Outlaws series has at least given Melbourne drag racing fans something to follow albeit somewhat tame compared to competition drag racing.

I find it easy to go down memory lane @ Calder with many many highlights over the years. Even the recent Southern Nationals provided some good moments. Who could forget the trouble the door slammers were having getting down the track then Zappier came out and pedalled his car to within inches of the wall while still keeping the hammer down. Shane Baxter (pictured above) was another who drove the car around the trouble to dip into the 6's. Absolutely memorable driving skills from these guys.

Although the upcoming day is billed as a Street Outlaws qualifier, there are always comp cars out testing. It will be interesting to see who's out for the last ever day on the current strip. Being a daytime event there should be plenty of warmth in the track for cars like Baxter and co to get down the track under full noise. For me there is plenty of interest in seeing who will turn up for the meet just to say they were part of a day in history. You would expect the day to be relaxed with plenty of stories being thrown around about the good ol' days. Who will put down the quickest pass on the last ever day of this current surface? History will tell !!!

For more information on the event go to https://www.facebook.com/calderparkdragracing

 

Street Outlaws Qualifying Continues.

Street Outlaws Qualifying Continues.

12/11/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Street Outlaw Series (Motorsport - Drag Racing), Article # 5625062

Street Outlaws Qualifying Continues.

By Mark Humphrey

Calder Park, Vic/Aus. 12th Nov 2014. Drivers were out in force last Friday night as the Calder Park Drag Racing Street Outlaws qualification series continued into round 8 of 10. With teams also out for testing, the staging lanes were quite busy for most of the evening.

One team out testing was the Jason Reily Supercharged Outlaw outfit. Needing a pass of 7.99 or better to qualify the car in the Supercharged Outlaw bracket I asked Jason how far away he was from the qualification time “Not that far away at all but it seems like it’s taking forever” he said. Jason added “we have put down an 8.1 pass but just can’t seem to get everything going in the same direction at once. We do this for a bit of fun and are pretty relaxed about it all but it would be nice to actually drop into the 7’s” he said.

Jason purchased the car from the USA at a bargain basement price and knew the car would be a bit rough “Yeah I picked it up pretty cheap and wasn’t expecting too much when she arrived on the docks. We have virtually rebuilt her from head to toe including a new 540 Dart big block power plant” he said. Jason is not sure about the HP rating as he has never had the engine on a dyno but estimates the power somewhere in the range of 1200HP. With round 9 of the Street Outlaw series including test n tune being run this Sunday, Jason is keen to get out in the heat of the day to try and crack that magical 7 second barrier. Jason Reily gets hooked up

With track upgrades imminent, time is ticking away to qualify into the top 16 of the Street Outlaws categories. At this stage works may commence at the start of December to rip up the existing track surface and concrete barriers and replace them with a brand new concrete drag strip complete with new concrete fencing. An upgraded return road will also be part of the package. A full interview with track promoter Peter Pisalidis on the 2014/15 schedule is currently being edited and due to be released in the coming weeks to coincide with the start of the track upgrades.

Keep an eye on the Calder Park Drag Racing facebook page for updates on the track re-build and also the last ever drag racing meet on the existing 40 year old strip.

Images from the night

 

THINGS ARE HOTTING UP!!!

THINGS ARE HOTTING UP!!!

22/10/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Street Outlaw Series (Motorsport - Drag Racing), Article # 5123919
 
THINGS ARE HOTTING UP!!!
 
By Jess turner Motorsport 

Street Outlaws Round 7 saw a combination of our toughest Street Outlaws cars and the participants of Street Machine’s Drag Week go head to head in an all in battle. The lanes were full and the crowds gathered to watch the action really heat up!!!

After driving hundreds of kms in the Drag Week Challenge, Calder Park regular and favourite Quentin Feast and his super-neat TT Torana posted a stout 8.59 @ 161mph run to jump a few spots on the list and prove he wants to be the Up-Front come the grand final!Displaying AE3R9526.jpg

Arty Roumbos finally brought out his ‘TUFXYY’ to run an impressive 9.48 /143mph on his first outing with a fresh 440 engine running full street trim in front of many shocked onlookers on the startline! This catapults him into the pointy end of the list.Displaying AE3R9977.jpg

The Zito boys were out again with Dom behind the wheel but he was unable to improve on his sons best, Dom posted a 9.87 in his 400 cube ‘TUF-LJ’ Torana. Displaying AE3R9453.jpgPeter Morris and “Stewie Casserole” were as always, out having a play at Calder Park, both improving on their previous bests with an 10.99 and 10.51 respectively from the pair of HSVs. Displaying AE3R9858.jpgDisplaying AE3R0342.jpgOther notable runs included Mark Arblaster’s 9.17 @ 145 and Robbie Adamo’s 9.83 @ 139mph.

Terry Sang drove the miles from Sydney and didn’t disappoint running an 8.31 @ 171mph in his Twin Turbo VC Commodore in the Drag Week Challenge.Displaying AE3R9844.jpg Luke Foley and his LS VH Commodore posted a 9.14 @ 153mph, Brenton Miller drove his Chrysler Centura all the way to a 9.61 @ 140mph after a massive effort to travel from Cairns.

.With the next round of Street Outlaws on Friday 7th of November, time is running out to Qualify so if you want to prove what you’ve got you’d better hurry!!!


 

Street Machine Muscles In On Outlaws

Street Machine Muscles In On Outlaws

20/10/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Street Outlaw Series (Motorsport - Drag Racing), Article # 5068757

Street Machine Muscles In On Outlaws

By Mark Humphrey

CorrectionIt has been pointed out by Calder Park Drag Racing that Terry Seng and Quentin Feast had both improved on their times listed in this article. Seng posted a best of 8.30 and Feast posted a best of 8.56. Full details can be found at Street Machine.

Calder Park, Vic/Aus. 19th October 2014. Round 7 of the Street Outlaws qualifying series was completed last Friday night with the Street Machine Drag Challenge competition rolling in to complete phase 3 of their 4 meet program. The Street Machine Drag Challenge series included 19 cars from across the country that went toe to toe with the regular Street Outlaw guys on what was a perfect night for drag racing.The Street Machine Drag Challenge Invades Calder Park Outlaws qualifying

Based on the US concept ‘Drag Week’, the Street Machine Drag Challenge consisted of 4 events over 5 days with competitors having to drive their vehicles from venue to venue. All mechanical repairs had to be completed on the road and competitors had to carry tyres, tools and equipment with them. Sydney Drag Racing Park which was unfortunately washed out was the first venue followed by a timed course at Albury, on to Calder Park and then finishing up at Heathcote the next day.

I caught up with Simon from Street Machine magazine to find out more on the series and started by asking the origin of the event, “Yeah, the Street Machine VPW Drag Challenge is modelled on the Hot Rod Drag Week which has been running in America for many years. The rules are very close to the ones used in America. There are no car trailers, you must drive your car under your own steam and haul your own stuff with you. There are no support vehicles allowed but you can tow a trailer. Basically you race with what you carry” he said. Simon added “We have had guys replace head gaskets and even a gearbox to date on the journey so it becomes a competition of survival and mechanical know how” he said.

For the inaugural year Street Machine limited the entries to 30 to basically get a feel for the event and the logistics required to run the event. Although this year they have 19 runners they did have a few guys drop out at the last minute. Cars range from supercharged to turbo charged and normally aspirated engines both big and small block. There is no prize money for the event and the event is open to all comers who get through a basic ANDRA scrutineering check. Simon believes the event will grow in stature as time goes on. “We expect to have a lot more cars enter next year as the guys basically have 12 months to prepare. I expect guys will build cars to suit the event” he said.Street Machine muscle courtesy Mark Arblastar

If you follow the Hot Rod Drag Week you will know that the king of the week this year was a guy who was pulling 6’s every day. The Aussie version is nothing like this with ET’s at Calder generally in the 10-12 second bracket. Toowoomba’s Terry Seng has reportedly run a 7.8 previously but with a mal functioning fuel pump could only drop into the 9’s. Local Street Outlaws entrant Quentin Feast once again dropped into the 8’s backing up the 8.91 @ 159mph he has registered with the Outlaws series. Outside of these guys the racing was pretty basic with 10’s being the order of the day. Initial thoughts on the news that the Street Machine Drag Challenge was coming to Calder was one of mind blowing 7 second cars that backed up day after day. Unfortunately that was far from reality this year but I expect that as the event grows we will witness the series champ averaging passes in the low 8’s or even dipping into the 7’s.There is no doubt the concept works and it’s only a matter of time before car builders embrace the concept here in Australia.Terry Seng manages a 9.7 pass @ 205kph despite a faulty fuel pump.

With drivers coming from all over Australia to compete in the Street Machine series I caught up with one driver who travelled just on 2500kms just to get to Sydney. Brenton Miller resides in Cairns and was one of the first drivers to nominate for the event. I asked Brenton what the attraction was with the Drag Challenge, “I just think it’s an awesome event. I use my car every day and I like to drive fast. For me it ticks all boxes’ he said. Brenton runs a 1976 Chrysler Centurion upgraded with a 4 litre Toyota Soarer V8 engine complete with a small Eaton supercharger. A Toyota auto transmission which has been manualized gets the power through to a Borg Warner diff complete with up-graded axles. Brenton has installed bigger disc brakes on the vehicle which now covers the 4 corners. The car has run in the high 11’s previously but since installing an air conditioner the best he has run is a 12.3 with a full exhaust system. Brenton’s trip is exactly what he envisaged with good comradery between the guys during racing and afterwards at the motels.  “Most nights we are together at the same place which is good because you talk about cars and stuff. I recommend this trip to anyone who is interested in drag racing” he said. After clocking up just on 3500kms to date, Brenton plans to stay around for a couple of weeks in Melbourne before heading to Avalon Raceway to compete in the Tread Cemetery burnout competition. By the time he gets back home he would have clocked up more than 8000kms with a burnout comp thrown in for good measure. Now that is a drag challenge. Look for a complete wrap on the Drag Challenge in the upcoming Street Machine Magazine.Well travelled Brenton Miller pulled an 11.54 @ 117mph.

Street Outlaws qualifying will continue with 3 more rounds pencilled in before the December 27 final. Competitor numbers for Qualifying 7 were a touch disappointing given the fact the Drag Challenge was on the same ticket. Maybe back to back qualifying sessions are hard to turn cars around and hard on the pocket. With tenders closing on the 31st of October for the track upgrades we might not see too much more action before the finals anyway.

To keep a handle on the upgrade situation check in on the Calder Park Drag Racing facebook site.

IMAGES FROM THE NIGHT

Outlaws Qualifying #6

Outlaws Qualifying #6

14/10/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Street Outlaw Series (Motorsport - Drag Racing), Article # 4940828

Outlaws Qualifying #6

By Jess Turner Motorsport

With the weather at a perfect temperature for some fast racing and the track as good as it gets, Friday nights Street Outlaws Round 6 saw wild passes, the safety crew earn their keep, timing blocks hit for six and the competitors battle it out to move themselves on up the lists as the final round is fast approaching!

#1 spot was claimed again in Street Outlaws, with Daniel Sharban and his neat Ford Capri running some consistent times along with a monster wheelstand to keep the crowd entertained. After a string of 8.6 runs he belted out an 8.63 @ 159mph to really shake up the top end of list! The finals look to be heating up with a few of the tough competitors running in the 8s now, make sure you’re there to see the action!Displaying AE3R8652.jpg

John Stoumbas and his Cortina came to make his mark and he left it with an impressive 9.68 @ 152mph to put him on the list heading into the pointy end of the season.Displaying AE3R8149.jpg

A couple of regulars brought our their HSVs again, with Noel Pzcierzug running a best of a 10.91 to just miss improving his best from last time of a 10.89. Pzcierzug was running head to head with Peter Morris who ran a best of an 11.17 to improve his best. We love watching these two close mates fight it out every round!Displaying AE3R8555.jpg

Displaying AE3R9346.jpg

We saw Warren Holmes drove his XD Falcon out for a play, improving every pass of the night to eventually finish it off with an 11.49 @ 120mph.Displaying AE3R0980.jpg

Round 7 of Street Outlaws is on this Friday Night the 17th of October, we can guarantee its one not to be missed!!

Displaying AE3R9326.jpg

Outlaw Images   
  Big Hitters Start To Flex Their Muscle.

Big Hitters Start To Flex Their Muscle.

14/10/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Street Outlaw Series (Motorsport - Drag Racing), Article # 4934755

       Big Hitters Start To Flex Their Muscle.

By Mark Humphrey

Calder Park, Vic/Aus. 14th October 2014. Round 6 of the Street Outlaws qualifying series at Calder Park Drag Racing took place last Friday evening in near on perfect conditions. Originally slow to get going the drivers eventually rolled out their machines onto the pavement to set about improving their current Outlaw qualifying times. Drivers have 10 opportunities to qualify their machine in the top 16 of their category before the finals come around in late December.

One of the series heavy hitters Daniel Sharban had his turbo charged Capri in white hot form posting an 8.68 @ 159.29mph to stamp himself as a genuine contender for the Street Outlaw category. Over the qualifying series Sharban has managed to knock off nearly a full second from his ET with no doubt more to come. The car looks strong and definitely has more to give as we creep towards the December final.

As has been the case throughout the Street Outlaws series there were plenty of guys who had rocked up to get some test n tuning done on their comp machines. Tim Holmyard had his Higgins Race Developments VX Commodore out testing again under the watchful eye of Stef from Western Link Auto. Having put together a number of engines for customers over the past year Holmyard finally got his comp engine assembled and in the car for his first hit out at Street Outlaws qualifying 5.

Back again last Friday, Holmyard put down his quickest ever mph in the car running through the beams at just over 164mph. His ET of 8.66 was 3 one hundredths outside his PB. With no sign of engine stress Holmyard believes there is still a bit left in the car. The car is now back in the garage having a Strange rear end installed in place of the original IRS suspension. Expect the car to go even quicker once the alterations are completed.

Craig Munro was another out testing.  Currently still developing his VX Commodore, Munro put down several passes in the low 8’s with a best of 8.09 @ 175mph. The Commodore is running a Nelson Brothers Racing 632ci big block Chev with a couple of turbo chargers bolted to the power plant. Producing an estimated 2500+ hp, look for the car to tip the 200mph mark in the not too distant future.

The night definitely belonged to Drago Nikodijeuic in his 2010 supercharged Chevy Camaro. Sounding like a Top Doorslammer Nikodijeuic had the entire gallery waiting in anticipation as his crew fired up the mega horse powered Camaro. Having completed the customary burnout Nikodijeuic punched out a stout 7.52 ET @ 187mph. At just over 300 clicks for the quarter this was no doubt the highlight of the night and a sign of things to come when the track upgrades are completed. Nikodijeuic is exactly what drag racing is all about, awesome looking machinery, eardrum blowing noise and an extreme showcase of raw vicious automotive power. What a rush!!

We now move into round 7 of the qualifying series with the added attraction of the Street Machine drag week entrants who will be cruising through Friday night. This will be an awesome night with weather predictions ideal for big numbers. For more info on the event go to http://www.calderparkdragracing.com.au/.

A collection of auto art work & imaging

A collection of auto art work & imaging

26/09/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Calder Park Drag Racing, Article # 4509395

A collection of auto art work & imaging

Action from Calder Park Drag Racing, Repco Show N Shine & FRW cruising.

Next inspiration: Westside Autorama Car & Bike Show this Sunday 28th September, Grieve Prd Altona Nth. Doors open 10.00am.

Images from round 5 of Street Outlaw Qualifying including Test N Tune.

Images from round 5 of Street Outlaw Qualifying including Test N Tune.

26/09/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Calder Park Drag Racing, Article # 4504529

Images from round 5 of Street Outlaw Qualifying including Test N Tune.

Feast To The Top Of The Tree

Feast To The Top Of The Tree

24/09/2014, Melbourne, Motorsport - Drag Racing, Street Outlaw Series (Motorsport - Drag Racing), Article # 4456370

  

Feast To The Top Of The Tree

By Mark HumphreyQuentin Feast picks up the front left on the way to an 8.91 pass.

Calder Park, Vic/Aus. 23rd September 2014. Local south eastern suburbs man Quentin Feast had the hammer down for round 5 of the Street Outlaw qualifying series putting his LH Torana at the top of the tree for the Street Outlaw category with an 8.91 pass @ 159mph. Feast now sits 2nd in the category just shy of the 8.87 top mark. Basically running a standard LS1 power plant, Feast with the help of good friend and mechanic Mark bolted on a couple of turbo chargers to get the LH really singing. Coupled to a 2 speed powerglide the performance is pushed through to a 3.25 diff running radial tyres. Like a lot of car enthusiasts Quentin has owned the car for about 20 years and in that time has carried out several builds. The latest build was done over a 12 month period with the car freshened up from top to toe. Originally purchasing a 2 speed from the States the boys eventually turned to local suppliers to put together a 2 speed suitable for the vehicle. Feast ran the car on the weekend with around 15lb boost and said the car was comfortable at that level. He hoped in the coming weeks to pick up the boost in time for the Street Outlaw finals. Feast had the car out Friday night cruising the streets and said the car just looks like any other car. “We drove past a Highway Patrol car the other night without any issues. The boys in blue aren’t looking for guys like me they’re after the dudes doing the wrong thing” he said. Feast added “This car is such an easy driver on the road you wouldn’t know there is a couple of turbo’s bolted on”. The Street Outlaw series is exactly about this. Cars that could be driven daily and Feast has the perfect example of this type of motoring.

With the sun beaming down on the drag strip there were plenty of cars out testing in both the street category and race versions. Phil Parker had his top fuel bike out to test but unfortunately a couple of damaged sumps put paid to his day before he could get out on the strip. “It’s a real shame that we can’t go testing today” he said. “We cracked a sump loading the bike so we replaced it here with a spare. All was ok initially then on a re-start the sump let go again” he said. Parker added “it’s a shame we couldn’t get out as the motor is running perfectly at the moment. It would have been interesting to see how the bike performed today” he said.

That aside, there were plenty of quick passes put down on the day. Glen Forster driving his Boss Mustang topped the time sheets with a 7.23 pass @ 197mph. Several other boys dipped into the mid 7.50’s in what was a fantastic day of testing. Forster picked up quick time on the day with a 7.23 @197mph

Tim Holmyard had both his cars out testing on the day also. Currently both street registered his red VX Commodore is a purpose built race car that at one time was Australia’s fastest IRS naturally aspirated car. Just fresh from a rebuild Tim was out testing and put down an 8.97 pass @ 158mph. “Yeah the car ran ok today considering we were just checking things over. We give it a small shot of NOS without issues so that was good” he said. The car on a full gas shot produces around 1400hp which is plenty for a car still running an independent rear set-up. His daily driver is a black 02 Monaro which managed to dip into the 10’sTim's street (above) and strip (below)

Street Outlaw qualifying reverts back to Friday night with the next scheduled meeting on Friday 10th of October. To keep up with the latest check the Calder Park Drag Racing facebook site.

Some of the better ET's on the day

8.43 @ 169mph8.16 @ 162mph8.19 @ 165mph7.50 @ 149mph7.53 @ 174mph8.88 @ 149mph8.87

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