Roll Away Drag Racing

By Mark Humphrey

Warrnambool, Vic/Aus. 29^th January 2015. It’s fair to say that drag racing is in the blood of the committed but Warrnambool And District Drag Racing Association (WADDRA) takes that saying to the extreme. Lacking a permanent facility the club takes on the task of rolling out a drag race meeting 3 or so times a year at the local airport. Now in their 22^nd year the club transforms one end of the Warrnambool Airport runway into a temporary dragstrip to accommodate the local drag racing fraternity who roll out in numbers to watch the motorheads put their machines through their paces.Completely mobile control tower is simply towed away at the end of the event.

Originally sanctioned to the opposite end of the runway the club recalls having to dig in their own temporary Armco railing for each meeting and then remove the railing at the completion of each event. On several occasions the drag racing has had to be halted for several hours while the air ambulance used the runway. This procedure for the air ambulance is still currently in place with officials and spectators having to sit it out when the air wing arrives at the airport. Now in a more accessible area the club gets to work around lunch time the day before setting up temporary fencing, pit offices, commentary and control towers, staging and timing beams along with canteen facilities all of which have to be removed by 5pm the following day.The locals enjoying a day out at the drags.

It is amazing to watch the co-ordinated precision of the club as they dismantle the entire drag racing set up after the completion of racing. A local burnout competition kicks into gear directly after the last drag racing final with a dozen or more cars participating in the 2 round format. This signals the club into overdrive as teams spread out to collect witches hats and timing gear while other members dismantle the staging lights, communication equipment and temporary fencing. The pit box and communication tower are towed away leaving nothing but cleaning staff to complete the transformation. By the end of the burnout competition the place is starting to resemble an open paddock once again. Every skerrick of debris including spent burnout debris has to be collected and carted away leaving the area 100% spotless. Even the white lines painted on the start of the tarmac have to be repainted the following morning. Action from the days racing has to be erazed from the white lines.

And all of this has to be completed by 5.00pm on the day. Now that’s commitment!

           State of the art track preparations.           They tell me that 60' times are comparable with tracks across the country.

All is not doom and gloom for the club though as they are knee deep in trying to secure a permanent site to house a brand new 1/8 drag racing facility. Although a long way off club president Tony Frost addressed the gallery with regards to pending actions. At $35,000 for a feasibility study Frost said that they had to make sure all things were in place the first time around as the club didn’t have the money to conduct another study. The club was expecting some favourable news late in December but a technicality has held over the news. Frost is hoping that once they receive the planning permits local companies and the public will jump on board to support their fundraising drive. The club hopes to emulate their neighbour’s facility at Portland giving the Western District of Victoria the tag of Australia’s greatest country drag racing region.

The final round of the WADDRA 2014/15 season will run in March or April with a final date not set at this stage. Keep an eye out for the meeting along with the development of a permanent facility. The club is hoping the drag racing fraternity across Australia will pitch in and help out when the time comes. Watch a small sample of WADDRA round 2 action in the following video.

IMAGES FROM THE DAY