(ATFC release) Mildura’s Sunraysia Drag Racing Club has pulled off the biggest coup in drag racing, securing a round of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship for the Sunset Strip facility.
The event, which takes place March 12 and 13, is the first Top Fuel championship round to be held in Victoria in a decade and sees all active teams and six Top Fuel cars heading to Mildura to race in their 10,000hp rocket ships.
Sunraysia Drag Racing Club President, Kingsley Kuchel, was thrilled by the opportunity to host a round of the championship.
“We’re really excited about Top Fuel coming to race at our local track. It’s been a long time since Victoria has seen Top Fuel championship drag racing, so to have all the teams heading our way to join us at the Sunset Strip is a huge win for the club,” Kuchel said.
“We’ve been talking to Top Fuel since the end of last year, and the stars aligned for us in the last couple of weeks and we’ve made it happen. The club has been hit hard by COVID and this event is a massive boost to our recovery. Racing entries have sold out, and we’re hoping the Mildura community will get behind us with a massive turn up at the event.”
The event is a racing homecoming for Mildura local and Top Fuel driver, Phil Lamattina, who last raced his nitro-burning dragster at the Sunset Strip back in 2014.
“It’s going to be a big weekend at my home track and it’s great to be bringing the incredible show that is the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship with me. The track has never looked better, and the drivers are ready to put on a massive show.”
Lamattina is the current track record holder hitting over 400kms/hour on the eighth-mile sprint. He’s looking to go faster again, all while battling five other drivers with their eyes on the win and the vital championship points.
The Top Fuel teams will join more than 100 local racers as part of the Ken Scroop Memorial event with four Top Bike teams, several exciting racing categories, and a fireworks spectacular to cap off Sunday’s competition.
With limited racing in the past two years due to COVID, the club has been working hard on upgrades to the facility that will make for a great day out at the drags. The Top Fuel event represents the first major show back and sets the venue up for two more major events between this now and Easter.
Discounted tickets are available online from https://bit.ly/TopFuelTickets