12 October 2010

TAKING the heat off the street and on to the strip is as easy as 101.

The Ballarat Drag Racing Club will trial a show-and-go course for young drivers this Sunday, to encourage drivers to take up the sport rather than risk losing their licence.

Club president Scott Rouhan said the program, Drag Racing 101, was about showing how easy, safe and inexpensive it was to enjoy a motor car without endangering others and falling foul of the boys in blue.

He said Drag Racing 101 covered the safety and sporting components of the sport, so that drivers could turn up the following meeting with their own cars and dive straight into the action.

“Firstly, it’s about showing them how they can have fun, but it’s also about getting racing off the street,” Rouhan said.

“We feel that when you hear about a car crash involving a young bloke, they say it’s ‘drag racing’. That’s not drag racing, though. Drag racing is racing in a controlled environment with proper timing. What people driving fast on the roads are doing is giving the sport a bad name.

“The drag racing class, which was developed by club member Phillip Parker, will be held at this weekend’s test and tune meeting at Ballarat Airport, at 12.30pm.

It covers the fundamentals of basic off-street drag racing, such as the safety items required, how to “stage” a vehicle for a drag run, what the lights mean, how to win a race and what a driver’s time card shows.

Interested drivers need no special items for the session. Once a driver has covered the basics of drag racing they will be ready to race at the next race meeting, Rouhan explains.

“It’s easier than most think to go racing,” he said. “You need a proper helmet, long sleeves, shoes and long pants, and then there is a $60 entry fee. After that it’s just the cost of fuel.”

“You don’t need a specially modified car or motorbike. You could turn up in your Commodore or whatever.”The cost of entry to the race meeting on Sunday is $10. There is no additional cost to be part of Drag Racing 101.

Article: from The Ballarat Courier see Media Watch