10 December 2010
The smell of Methane, VHT and burning rubber was enough to tell us the Steel City Drag 2010/2011 race season was off to a blinding start.
The first meeting and Round One of the Charlie Dennis Memorial trophy enticing a record number of entries of, 71 Cars, 21 Bikes and 6 Junior Dragsters attracting an impressive collection of motor vehicles. From the Junior Dragsters to the high octane Blown Outlaws, everyone was out to impress and a couple were vying for the track record.
The newly laid strip stood up and showed all the hard work had paid off, with some impressive times being run. Enzo Demizio came out in his Chevy Lumina with a mad run of 4.87 seconds, which was then challenged by Whyalla local Steve Norman in his Super Stock Pontiac Fire bird who took out the track record with a 4.81 pass. There were also some PB times recorded on the day, Mark Kuhn in his EK Holden Ute run a 5.69 and Simon Barlow in his Rear Ended Dragster a 4.976.
With a big push for sponsorship still ongoing as a further $150k still required so the upgrades can continue. This was given a great push forward when “Read Furniture Removals” who were racing their Ford Capri decided to become a lane sponsor on the day. This was an exceptional decision as it is a $20,000 investment into the club. So to Mick, Phil and the boys you are not only great competitors but great ambassadors for the sport. There were a lot of competitors who put their money where they leave their rubber on the track and put some sponsorship money back into the track kitty.
Now the track has proven itself on its maiden run we will be looking forward to seeing a lot of new faces and motor vehicles coming out for the rest of the season. With a couple of heart skipping moments at the end of the track when Enzo in his Chevy after his impressive 4.87 second run decided to spin out at the end of the track and Craig Pankhurst from NT in his 350 Chevy Funny Car whose chute failed to open sent heart fluttering for a few moments but resulted in no damage to either racers chances of a second pass. Shaun Kerkman in his Holden Monaro came off second best when he touched the dirt on the side of the track and ending his race day with the vehicle being put on the trailer for the rest of the day.
The day was a warm one with the temperature hovering around the mid 30’s made sure the diehard spectators and racers were seeking out the shady areas. Graham Phillis (Phyllis Electrical Platinum Sponsor)went above and beyond by setting up his own personnel marquee’s for the spectators. The track officials were kept busy with small spills with the commentators Alan Ward and Michael Agius keeping the crowd entertained with their vast knowledge of the sport during the entire event.
Competitor travelled from all over the state with some from NSW and NT also making the effort to try out the new track.
The track was officially opened by the Whyalla Mayor Jim Pollock with the assistance from the council CEO.
Race Results:
Blown Outlaws – Michael Vidau – 5.18 Seconds (Winner), Bruce McHendrie (Runner Up)
Super Stock – Exhibition Only
Modified – Simon Barlow – 4.93 seconds (Winner), Paul Utting (Runner Up)
Super Sedan – Hernan Tosti – 5.65 seconds (Winner), Lenny Cole (Runner Up)
Super Street – Rob Sitko – 7.06 seconds (Winner), Lisa Blandford (Runner Up)
SA Street Challenge – Stefan Lainas 10.00 seconds (Winner), Brett Riding (Runner Up)
Bikes – Matt Thompson 7.30 seconds (Winner) , Howard Browne (Runner Up)
Junior Dragster – Justine Piddington 8.85 seconds (Winner), Melissa Piddington (Runner Up)
Upgrades up to date at the Mullaquana Strip are in excess of $750,000 with a large majority being donated in money and labor from our wonderful sponsors and club members. There is still a lot of work to be done so if you wish to make a donation or want to become a sponsor you can contact Rodger Weste (Promotions) 0438 259 075 or Lia Kuhn (Treasurer) 0407 607 176 or for any further information Peter Datson (President) 0448 014 322 www.steelcitydrags.com
Race Dates-
Saturday 15th January 2011 – Round 2 Charlie Dennis Memorial Trophy
Saturday 19th February 2011 – Round 3 Charlie Dennis Memorial Trophy
Saturday 12th March 2011 – Max Cranes Tri Series Test N Tune
Sunday 13th March 2011 – Max Cranes Tri Series
Saturday 16th April 2011 – Race Your Mates
Saturday 7th May 2011 – Round 4 Charlie Dennis Memorial Trophy