Round one of the 18/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series, Nitro Up North, has concluded in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Drag Strip this evening.

Hoisting ANDRA Christmas Trees at the end of the two-day event were Jake Berias (Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster), Mark Tattingham (Modified Bike), Theo Karamanidis (Super Street), Peter Tzokas (Super Sedan), Jess Voigt (Modified), Mark Hunt (Supercharged Outlaws) and Jason Arbery (Top Sportsman).

The 2018/2019 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series has gotten off to a great start at Darwin’s Hidden Valley Drag Strip this evening, with another full day of Nitro Up North racing action still to come.

Perfect weather and an enthusiastic crowd greeted the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series competitors for Friday’s qualifying, with Jake Berias (Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster), Leith Darrach (Modified Bike), Gavin Pocock (Super Street), Ashley Smith (Super Sedan), Chris Farrell (Modified), Adam Murrihy (Supercharged Outlaws) and Darren Saliba (Top Sportsman) going on to set the fastest qualifying times for their respective brackets. 

In recognition of their Top Qualifying efforts, each of these racers will tomorrow be presented with a Top Qualifiers Medallion thanks to TheTileCo-TheShowerPeople as well as a 25 percent off RRP voucher for any KC Tools outlet, and a Summit Racing Equipment pack. To the delight of the spectators, NT locals were well represented in taking the qualifying honours, with Pocock, Darrach, Smith and Murrihy all calling the Territory home.

Six race cars and twenty drag racing enthusiasts will arrive in Darwin today for this weekend’s Nitro Up North event (July 13/14) at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip as part of a month-long road trip which started in Tamworth earlier this month.

David Hutchen heads up the group of Tamworth Drag Racing Club members and associates who are undertaking their third bi-annual drag racing road trip this year, which will also include next weekend’s Desert Nationals at Alice Springs Inland Dragway (July 21/22).

After bringing home a pair of trophies from last year’s ‘northern swing’, South Australian Sergio Bonetti is hoping for more success at the 2018 instalments of the Nitro Up North and Desert Nationals events.

Nitro Up North will be held at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip this weekend (July 13/14), ahead of Alice Springs Inland Dragway’s Desert Nationals (July 21/22). The events mark rounds one and two of the 2018/2019 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series respectively.

Bonetti certainly has form ‘up north’ after coming home as the runner-up in the Modified bracket at Nitro Up North in 2017 before going on to take the win at the Desert Nationals on his 63rd birthday.

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). 

The Top Qualifiers of all brackets across the 18/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series will once again receive a special award thanks to TileCo-TheShowerPeople and KC Tools.

Both companies have renewed their support of the popular Top Qualifier Medallion accolade, with racers who set the fastest time in their qualifying sessions for their bracket to receive a Medallion, a 25 percent off RRP voucher for any KC Tools outlet, and a Summit Racing Equipment pack.

Following a hard-fought season, Justin Russell has been awarded the 2017/2018 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series Australian Title for the Supercharged Outlaws bracket.

Russell and Jason Keily tied on points at the conclusion of the ANDRA Grand Final proceedings at Adelaide International Raceway. This week an ANDRA tribunal declared Russell as the champion.

After a strong and consistent season, Graeme Spencer was able to secure a third Super Gas Australian Title at the final round of the 17/18 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series.

While any season with a championship at the end of it is likely to have been a good one, Spencer says this one ranks right up there.

While it is true that most championships do not come easy, for Tony Frost, the road to claiming the 2017/2018 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series Australian Title for the Competition Bike bracket was particularly rocky.

With the support of his fellow racers, friends and family however, he was able to hoist a prestigious ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree at the final round of the season.

At the recent ANDRA Grand Finals, Steve Norman not only took out the SuperComp victory for the final round of the 17/18 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series, but also the Crow Cams Best Engineered Award.

The recognition of Norman’s D/GA BMW M3 Coupe comes at the end of the car’s debut season, following the retirement of Norman’s 2015 Super Stock championship-winning Chevy Cobalt.

Round One of the 2018/2019 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series will be hosted by the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association across the 13^th and 14^th of July, 2018.

The Nitro Up North event will cater for all ANDRA sportsman classes, subject to entry numbers.

Qualifying will be held on the Friday night, with three sessions for all classes, ahead of racing on the Saturday.

Entry for the event is now open online on the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association website. Entry for all sportsman classes excluding Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster is $70.00. Junior Dragster competitors can enter for $20.00.

It may have been over a month since he took out the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series Australian Title for the DENSO Super Street bracket, but South Australian Harry Harris is still buzzing.

“I don’t think it will settle in until the next Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series season starts really,” Harris said.

When he claimed the 2017/2018 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series Australian Title for the Competition bracket last month, Craig Geddes also made history.

By taking the title, he was the first racer in Australia to claim three back-to-back championships in the Competition class.

When it came time to be presented with his Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series Australian Title last month, larrikin Super Sedan racer Peter Tzokas celebrated by landing a big kiss on the face of ANDRA General Manager Brett Stevens.

The move was met with much amusement from the watching racers and crew, but not surprise, as anyone who knows Tzokas knows he loves to have a laugh.