The first day of ANDRA championship drag racing in Victoria since 2001 saw Portland’s Fuchs South Coast Raceway come alive with over 150 race teams taking to the track in an historic round of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.
Not only were teams returning to Victoria, but it was also the first time the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship has been run over an eighth mile (201 metre) distance, with plenty of teams going underneath the new national records.
Group Two categories were merged into a single Super Comp eliminator for the event and it was Victoria’s own Craig Geddes setting the standard with a 4.706 second time to be 0.394 under his national handicap (5.10) and making him the top qualifier with his small capacity Chev V8. The Victorians had a stranglehold on the top positions with Shane Baxter (0.341 under the handicap) and Darren Parker (0.310 under the handicap) filling out the top three.
In Competition Bike, Corey Scholes followed on from his success at the Australian Nationals with a top qualifying effort of 5.378, to be 0.262 under his national handicap.
It was the Supercharged Outlaws racers who were the quickest on the day with Tasmanian Mike Evans recording a 4.302 second time at 267kph (also the fastest speed of the day) to lay claim to number one spot. Victorian Jack Danaher was not far behind after a 4.309 time while a 4.322 from New South Welshman David McGaw slotted into third.
Eliminations kick off Sunday morning from 10am.
To see qualifying lists, head to the ANDRA results page.
Day one photos (Facebook album)
Images courtesy Lee Davis.