After taking out the Nitro Up North Super Street honours in both 2016 and 2017, Darwin racer Tim Bryan is hoping to bring home a three-peat when the event hits the Hidden Valley Drag Strip next weekend.
The July 13-14 event marks round one of the 2018/2019 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series and will be quickly followed by round two the very next weekend at Alice Springs Inland Dragway (Desert Nationals, 21/22 July).
Bryan and 2017 Nitro Up North Super Street runner-up Shaun Boyer kept the fans on tenterhooks with an exceptionally close ‘all-NT’ final last year.
“It was a very close final, it came down to thousandths of a second and I think we ended up taking the win by two one-thousandths – it was very, very close,” said Bryan, who thanks TLC Towing, Darwin Lock and Key, Boscato Panel Works, AFA Insurance Brokers, Exide Batteries and Signtech for their support of his racing.
Now, Bryan is hoping to follow up his 2016 and 2017 victories with another in 2018 aboard his Ford Falcon XW GT ‘Allan Moffat’ lookalike which has recently been completely rebuilt.
“Without wanting to sound arrogant I am always very confident, that is the way I have to work – every time I line up, I line up with the anticipation of winning and I have that expectation of myself,” Bryan said.
“It would be great to take three in a row; however I have to say I don’t quite have the same amount of confidence that I would usually as almost everything in the car is brand new.
“We undertook a complete rebuild in our off-season and have only had two meetings in it since overhauling everything. We are still ironing out some bugs and testing. I am still confident, but we will see how things go.”
If he can take the win again this year, Bryan says it will be like winning the Grand Final.
“This year’s Nitro Up North is looking better than ever – there are more entrants across all of the brackets and I think this is the biggest Super Street entry list we have had up here for the event! I am really looking forward to racing some more interstate entrants,” Bryan said.
“This event does carry a lot of importance for me as a local racer, it is easily our ‘Grand Final’ or our ‘State of Origin’. Anytime you are looking at an ANDRA Xmas tree is very special, and this event certainly means a lot.”
Bryan’s ANDRA Xmas tree pursuit for July 2018 won’t end with Nitro Up North either, with the 52 year old also signing up to compete at Alice Springs Inland Dragway’s Desert Nationals the very next weekend.
“I raced at Alice Springs last year and made it through to the third round before I was knocked out because of a mistake on my behalf – I was very dirty with myself!” Bryan explained.
“I have travelled to race at Alice Springs a few times with good success so I like the track and I am keen to have a go and see how we go this time around.”
The locksmith and manager started racing some 32 years ago, starting out in the ‘Street’ bracket before progressing to Super Street where he has stayed ever since.
“I really like the Super Street bracket – we can all go quicker but for me it is all about real cars and real racing, no electronic devices and a great group of people and racers,” Bryan said.
“The community around the bracket is made up of genuine people and I really enjoy the atmosphere and the people that come with the bracket.
“The fact that once you have your car sorted all you have to do is clean it and pour some fuel into it appeals to me too – you don’t have to change your entire life to fit around racing. I love the bracket and I intend to stay there for a long time yet.”
Round one of the 2018/2019 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series, Nitro Up North, will be hosted by the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association across the 13th and 14th of July, 2018. Round one will be quickly followed by round two, the Desert Nationals, at Alice Springs Inland Dragway across July 21 and 22.
For full event information, visit www.andra.com.au or www.hiddenvalleydrags.com.au (Nitro Up North) and www.cadra.com.au (Desert Nationals).
PHOTO BY DAVE REID, DRAGPHOTOS.COM.AU