Tony O’Connor turned some heads at the Fuchs Winternationals. Those heads just happened to include ANDRA officials as they awarded him the Best Engineered Award for his Ford XD Fairmont.

As the saying goes, it’s better to be lucky than good but Jess Turner was good and lucky on her way to a first ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree at the Fuchs Winternationals in the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

Turner upset the likes of teammate Kenny Stewart who experienced engine troubles at the startline in round two and current Champion Craig Baker in round three on a double breakout.

The young Victorian pushed Baker all the way on a 7.921 on a 7.93 dial in from Baker’s 8.391 on an 8.43 meaning Turner won on account of going less under her dial in than Baker.

It was a glorious day in the sun at Willowbank Raceway as final qualifying for Group Two and early eliminations for Group Three got underway in the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship at the Fuchs Winternationals today.

Greg Leahy only needed one qualifying run to occupy top spot in Competition Eliminator going into day three and potentially smash the BB/FCA National record in the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship at the Fuchs Winternationals. 

The 47th edition of the Fuchs Winternationals kicked off at Willowbank Raceway today with qualifying in Groups Two, Three and Four in the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

Kate Harker is following her father Steve and twin sister Diana into the Funny Car ranks this weekend at the Fuchs Winternationals.

The daughter of Aussie NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Steve Harker has entered Competition Eliminator and will debut a 2005 McKinney Funny Car fitted with a 2011 Monte Carlo body. 

The car was purchased from Dan and Frank Parker in Michigan with her partner Dan Rice.

“We have spent the past year fitting the car with Dad’s running gear (engine, clutch, transmission) and we purchased the 14-71 roots supercharger from Speed City Performance in Cleveland Ohio,” she said. 

“Our funny car is fitted with all the latest NHRA safety elements and is a quality car that could step up with us if we decide to progress into Top Alcohol."

Kenny Stewart is hoping the Fuchs Winternationals will be a successful final swan song for his current Fuchs Modified Dragster before he unleashes a new 260-inch top dragster on the Sunset Strip in Mildura this spring.

The Hof (the Corvette driving Supercharged Outlaw driver not The Hoff, 1980s Trans Am driving Knightrider star) goes into next week’s Fuchs Winternationals looking for his first ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree.

Kelly Bettes can’t wait to get back in the seat at the FUCHS Winternationals next week especially since her last appearance behind the wheel came at the Sydney Jamboree in March.

Bettes, who broke the New Zealand four-cylinder record at the V4 and Rotary Nationals earlier this year, expects the Super Compact field to be very tough with some quick cars to contend with.

“A lot of cars are capable of running a fair way under there respective indexes so it could come down to a reaction time advantage to be able to take the win,” she said.

Local Ipswich resident Rick McBroom will get the chance to tick off a major bucket list item in just over two weeks at Willowbank Raceway.

During the recent X-Champs at Sydney Dragway, Dallas Whyte and Steve Fowler completed the first ever side-by-side six-second pass at over 200 mph for naturally aspirated vehicles in Group Three.

Until recently, Daryn Schuster didn’t even know he was the owner of the Competition Bike D/AB mph record at the X-Champs.

He may have been defeated on a holeshot in the X-Champs Junior Dragster final, but Toby Austin will take some consolation in scooping the 60foot Rising Star Award for Round 6 of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

It’s hard not to talk about Alistair McClure and Kyle Putland as a pair after their record setting X-Champs weekend at Sydney Dragway.