ANDRA Drag Racing comes to Warwick Dragway for the first time next week when the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series hits the eighth-mile track.

Following on from events in Sydney and Portland, the Series heads to Queensland for the first and only time this season giving local racers a chance to pick up championship points before racing returns to Victoria in December and January. 

Supercharged Outlaws racer and Gatton local Christine Steffens says it’s a great time for regional tracks as the Series reaches more venues than ever before.

“Groups Two, Three and Four are an awesome standalone product when effectively marketed as they provide all the thunder and excitement you get from the broad range of vehicles that participate in this form of racing from high speed, ground shaking supercharged action to the cars they can recognise as street style cars,” she said. 

“There were a number of first timers at Dragfest that told me they will be back for the November 28-29 meeting and everybody I spoke to had a great time.  The grandstands have shade covers to keep the sun off the spectators on those warm summer Queensland days and there are plenty of facilities for spectators to buy food and drinks or BYO picnic and sit on the grass on the hill. 

“Having been involved in the sport of drag racing since 1988 I have seen many changes in this sport and undergone many changes in my own racing but the racing at the regional tracks just feels like coming home to friends where we get to socialise off the track and race on the track.

“Warwick Dragway itself was as good if not better to run on Dragfest than the Winternationals track so you know you can give it your best shot and go for a number.  We actually put more into it than we had at the Winters as we had to take horsepower out to try and get down Willowbank albeit unsuccessfully.” 

Queensland is home to some of the best Sportsman racers in the country with a healthy number of tracks ensuring there is always tough competition to be found. Steffens expects the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series to be fierce as racers go in search of the coveted ANDRA Christmas Tree trophies.

“Racing in Group Two – Four isn’t just about driving the car it is about doing the numbers as you are going down the track as well. You have to know your car and what it does on each pass because of the dial ins/handicaps rule in Group Three and Four just as records/indexes rule in Group Two.

“If we go too fast in Group Three and Four we normally lose so when you need to cut awesome lights, run on your handicap and also beat the racer in the other lane over the finish line – but not by too much in case you breakout – you have a lot going through the brain while trying to drive a car going more than 200 mph.

“Racing over the eighth mile condenses this and you have to think that much faster and sort it that much quicker.  It doesn’t matter what car I drive as they all have their own requirements and it is a sense of achievement when I get it right and depressing when I get it wrong.” 

Steffens will be racing in the Supercharged Outlaws category alongside Super Comp, Competition Bike, Top Sportsman, Modified, Super Sedan, Modified Bike, Super Street, Junior Dragster and Super Gas when the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series visits Warwick Dragway November 28-29.

For more information, please visit www.warwickdragway.com

Image: dragphotos.com.au