Melbourne Turns Out For Street Drags

Melbourne Turns Out For Street Drags

By Mark Humphrey

Dare we say it!!!! Drag racing is back in Melbourne.

If last’s night street meet is anything to go on then one can comfortably say that drag racing is alive and well in Melbourne albeit street meets.

It’s been a long time coming but hats off to the venue promoter Peter Pisalidis for sticking in when things looked bleak. Although it might be early to claim drag racing is back after just one meeting like last night’s, it has been a long time since we have seen the staging lanes full stretching back to the entrance. Evident last night also was the amount of young blokes and their girls who graced the staging lanes. People often comment on how drag racing has lost a generation of fans through one reason or another which might have some substance but last night we witnessed a new generation of drag racer super keen to get their cars and bikes down the quarter in the best possible time."Welcome back old school" Neat 55 Chevy

In the heyday of the sport there were plenty of cool dudes just cruising around in mint cars with their show piece girls going along for the ride. That was evident last night as dudes lined up in the staging lanes with plenty of girls showing an interest in the racing. Back in the day it was cool to be around drag racing and the young males thrived on the action with their big V8’s. The V8’s were there last night along with some stout 6’s as well as rotary’s.

Another thing evident with last night’s action was the appearance of ANDRA officials who were on hand to witness the night’s proceedings. I caught up with the Victorian/Tasmania Divisional Director for ANDRA Mr Phil Parker to get his thoughts on the turnout, “great to see this many cars and spectators here. Calder is a big place and it takes plenty of spectators to make it look busy” he said. Here to support the interests of drag racing I asked Parker what the future held for Calder, “this is really encouraging to have so many cars and people here for a street meet. Obviously ANDRA is working hard to try and secure some funding for a track upgrade which is desperately needed to support comp cars. We’re looking for around $200,000 to carry out the upgrades which unfortunately have to be in place prior to the ANDRA December Grand Final meeting” he said. Parker added “it’s a big ask to find that type of funding but a decision will be made by the end of June with regards to the December event so everybody is kept in the loop in advance” he said. Like all of us Parker has his fingers crossed that they can find the additional funding.

As for last night, spectators were able to watch street cars, bikes and the occasional comp car light up the track with several cars pushing the 150mph mark. There were nostalgia drag cars, mint old school Holden’s, Fords and Chryslers there along with late model cars including a big dollar Mercedes. Out in the pits there was a Bathurst 69 HT Monaro parked beside a 57 Chev as well as some other pristine cars on show.Nostalgia cars were part of the night

Former AFL great Barry Hall was there in his big block Chev WB Ute along with Taverna Classic winner Rob Taylor in his “On Juice” LJ Torana.

All up it was an exciting night for Melbourne’s drag racing fraternity and one that hopefully kick starts Melbourne drag racing.

Check out Calder Park Drag Racing facebook site for pics and vids from various photographers.  

For updates on future street meets log onto http://www.calderparkdragracing.com.au/

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Street meets are a great way to try out drag racing and test the performance of your everyday street vehicle in a safe and legal environment.

Calder Park will be hosting ANDRA sanctioned street meets through the second half of 2013 so you can experience the thrill of Melbourne's own quarter mile.

Entry cost: $65 (includes $5 ANDRA divisional day licence)

Spectator entry: $25

To go racing at street meets, all you need is a street vehicle that passes basic safety checks on tyres, brakes, steering and liquid leaks. If you race a vehicle with a manufacture date of pre 1 January 2008 you can run up to 11.00 seconds without the need for a tech inspection or ANDRA licence. Vehicles manufactured post 1 January 2008 can run to 10.00 seconds without the need for a tech inspection or ANDRA licence. Check www.andra.com.au for specific information on safety and licence requirements.