Following the AGM held at The Bend Motorsport Park on Thursday October 17, the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) is pleased to officially welcome David Thornton and Wayne Downes to the ANDRA Board.

Thornton and Downes join ANDRA Chair Katie Cassar, Murray O’Connor (WA DD), and Tony Miskelly (CA DD) alongside independent seat holders Danya Borkowski and Patricia (Trish) Crossin AM in making up the seven-seat ANDRA Board.

Sunraysia Drag Racing Association President, David Thornton, was appointed to a one-year term as one of two track promoter representatives.

The 56-year-old Systems Programmer from Mildura has been around ANDRA drag racing for many decades, first as a spectator, then as a crew member – including for a Top Fuel team – and racer, building his first race car 20 years ago. He has also been a member of SDRA for nearly 25 years, holding various positions across his tenure.

Away from the track, Thornton first qualified as an electrician before going on to study engineering and moving into Automation System Controls. He has worked in that field for 30 years, including being self-employed for the last five.

“I think my business, club and racing experience together enables me to see things from all sides and work to achieve good outcomes for all,” Thornton said.

“I am pleased to be joining the ANDRA Board as a track representative – I believe it is very important for the tracks to have representation at Board level and I hope to provide another viewpoint to ensure fair and balanced decisions are made for the good of all ANDRA members.

“Working on the Board will definitely be a new challenge, and I look forward to meeting the other members and getting stuck into it. As a track representative, I hope to help improve areas which can prove a challenge to putting on race events, and make sure the rule book is kept up to date to prevent any ambiguity.”

Queensland ANDRA Divisional Director, Wayne Downes, was elected to one of the three DD-held seats on the Board on a three year term, replacing  NSW DD, Aaron Brookes who joined the Board in June in the casual vacancy left by Nathan Peirano.

Downes started as an ANDRA Steward in 1999 after some years crewing on a Super Stock car, before joining what was then known as the South Queensland Divisional Council in 2001.

Over the decades since, Downes has served as Division Director, as an ANDRA Board Member, Chief and National Steward, and a member of the National Rules Committee.

The 58 year old from Rosewood in Queensland also owns a Competition Eliminator dragster, and after most recently working as a Fleet Condition Officer for local government, recently took up a role with Volvo Group Australia as their Campaign and Customer Service Coordinator.

“I am excited to be elected to the ANDRA Board.  ANDRA has been through several challenging years but has continued to move forward and I am looking forward to the future and what ANDRA can bring to its members,” Downes said.

“With the challenges that ANDRA and drag racing in general has faced over the last several years I think we need to look at becoming more open to changes that are happening – it is no secret that we have strong competition out there and while we need to stand by our ethics and history, we also need to embrace change in the sport.

“I also feel that we need to actively work to help our junior competitors in the sport by establishing clear pathways for them to follow.

“I believe that my experiences working with internal and external customers and stakeholders will bring value to the Board and to ANDRA and I look forward to what lays ahead.”

Also at the AGM, ANDRA Chair Katie Cassar, who previously held a casual vacancy seat on the Board, was formally appointed as the second track promoter representative, for a two year term.

“I would like to officially welcome David and Wayne to the ANDRA Board,” Cassar said.

“There is no doubt they come to the ANDRA Board with a wealth of valuable experience and knowledge, and I look forward to working with them as the ANDRA Board continues to do its utmost to best serve ANDRA members well into the future.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank departing Board member Aaron Brookes for his service to the Board and look forward to continuing to work with him in his role as NSW Division Director.”

To learn more about the ANDRA Board Members, go to https://www.andra.com.au/about-us/andra-board/

To learn more about ANDRA, visit www.andra.com.au