Defending Goldenstates Top Alcohol champion Rob Pilkington is the most confident he has ever been after some improving runs in state championship competition ahead of the national round.
“We can’t wait for next event as it’s probably the most confident the team has been leading into a championship round in all our previous attempts,” Pilkington said.
“Basically we were using the (state) meeting as a test bed for this weekend’s Goldenstates, but we ended up with some great data after a 5.58 run and we bumped our best speed up to 415kph in the process, which means that what we’re testing is working and you can’t ask for more than that.”
Pilkington is pleased some momentum has carried into the new season.
“In a complex sport like drag racing, we’ve resolved to keep everything as simple as possible and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so we’re not surprised the car maintained the form from last season, but to run a bigger top end speed was huge for our confidence and affirms that we know what we’re doing,” he said.
Pilkington was also elated to have all of last year’s racing partners rejoin the team for the new season, with long time supporters Alutech stepping up their support to claim the naming rights to the car along with Force Equipment and CTS Low Loaders.
Pilkington’s defence of last year’s Goldenstates win begins with qualifying on Friday November 16 and eliminations on Saturday November 17 at the Perth Motorplex. He will take on a tough field including Gary Phillips, John Cannuli and Russell Mills joining locals Shane Weston, John Napier, Craig Glassby, Brian Robinson and Adam Marchant.
Image courtesy Lucas Gardner.