Off-street meetings are where the majority of people get their first taste of ANDRA Drag Racing. You can organise things early by ringing the track office a few days beforehand, or just enter on the day at the gate. All tracks have good signage and helpful officials who’ll direct you into the paddock area. From there you’ll need to go to the scrutineering bays where a quick inspection will be carried out to make sure your car or bike is in condition suitable for the race track. Don’t forget to have an approved crash helmet, long pants and sleeves, shoes and socks. Motorcycles don’t need a seat belt of course, but helmets, long trousers and leather jackets are all required.
You’ll need your civil driver’s licence and you’ll also need to buy an ANDRA Divisional Licence, which makes you an ANDRA Member for the day. This means you have to comply with the rules of the event and ANDRA, and it also means you’re automatically protected by ANDRA Public Liability cover in the event that you injure someone or damage their property. The ANDRA Divisional Licence costs just $10.00. It’s available from the ANDRA Stewards on the day, and some tracks include it with your entry fee.
Once you pass scrutineering, you can go straight to the staging lanes and line up to go to the startline. Once you get there, one of the officials will direct you to the burnout area. All tracks keep plenty of water on the surface here to get the wheels spinning. There’s not too much of a rush at off-street level, but keep an eye on your competitor so you don’t hold them up. Next thing to do is stage. (find out more in the ANDRA Rule Book)