Qualifying for the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship was completed on day one of the Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway with many racers running sub-record passes in the cool weather.
Victorian Shane Baxter paced Competition with a 6.72 second run going 0.59 seconds under his index and leaving him in number one position with a first round bye run. Three other racers went underneath their national records including WA’s Jeff Lewis, Victorian championship leader Craig Geddes and Queensland’s Greg Clayton.
In Super Stock Darren Parker’s run of 7.39 seconds in the last qualifying session put the Victorian both underneath the existing B/APA national record of 7.44 and on top of the sheets at 0.54 seconds under the index. He was narrowly ahead of Queensland racer Jason Simpson who carded a 0.50 second-under 8.25 to be underneath the G/GA record. Local driver Fred Soleiman’s Pontiac GTO also proved a serious package, just nipping underneath the D/GA record to qualify third.
Corey Buttigieg’s potent Harley Davidson V-Rod dominated the top of the Competition Bike qualifying sheets with an 8.50 going 0.92 seconds underneath the index. The Victorian rider has been showing a lot of pace in recent rounds of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship and goes into race day as favourite. Like in the other Group Two categories he was not the only one to go under the record with Jamie Prothero and Peter Everett both ducking under the B/SB mark to qualify second and third respectively as Paul Harrison ran a personal best time to be under the V/CB record.
Michael Baghdadi’s (pictured above, image credit Fred Dwyer) 7.16 had him 0.74 seconds underneath the index in Super Compact, with plenty more still in reserve for one of the world’s quickest four cylinder race cars. Gina Bullian’s 7.11 in the BB/SM class had her 0.68 seconds under the index, followed by Bill Nabhan’s 7.69 (0.55 under) and New Zealander Rod Harvey’s 6.40 (0.50 under) at a massive 229mph, one of the fastest speeds ever seen from a turbocharged six cylinder motor.
In the Group Three dial your own categories, Andrew Hodgson’s 6.510 was the leader in Supercharged Outlaws, as the air-brushed Dodge Avenger led a tight field.
Rob Harrington holds top spot in Modified with a 7.05, Dallas Whyte’s 6.73 is number one in Super Sedan, Daryn Schuster’s 8.61 leads in Modified Bike, Stan Nikitaras’ 11.04 is out front in Super Street, Toby Austin’s 8.011 claimed the top qualifier’s medallion in Junior Dragster and a perfect 9.900 from Simon Isherwood was good for first in Super Gas.
Eliminations racing begins today for the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship alongside pro qualifying for the ANDRA Drag Racing Series.
Results: Competition – Super Stock – Competition Bike – Super Compact – Supercharged Outlaws – Modified – Super Sedan – Modified Bike – Super Street – Junior Dragster – Super Gas