Straight line racing has a new direction with the creation of a national series for New Zealand’s fastest motorsport.
Meremere Dragway is hosting the inaugural event for the new Kiwi Thunder drag racing series this Saturday.
The new series features a double-bill for the Group 1 Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammer categories scheduled over four-rounds at the Meremere and Masterton Motorplex drag strips.
Meremere Dragway is hosting the inaugural event for the new Kiwi Thunder drag racing series this Saturday.
The new series features a double-bill for the Group 1 Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammer categories scheduled over four-rounds at the Meremere and Masterton Motorplex drag strips.
Christchurch racer Johnny Alsop pops the `chutes on his Top Alcohol altered at Meremere Dragway. Picture: COLIN SMITH.
Significantly for the sport it means a unified Group 1 national series that includes events run under both NZ Drag Racing Association and International Hot Rod Association sanctions.
Five-second racing at over 400km/h is promised by the supercharged dragsters, altereds and funny cars racing in the Top Alcohol category. Leading contenders are expected to be Anthony Marsh’s A/Fuel dragster, Christchurch’s Alsop brothers with their small-block Chev altered and the big-block Chev dragster of Upper Hutt’s Bert King.
Several early season Top Doorslammer performances have heightened anticipation for records as Kiwi racers with 2500-horsepower door cars edge ever closer breaking into the five-second bracket.
Auckland’s Barry Plumpton holds the national record with a 6.125sec pass late last summer in his 15.7-litre nitrous-injected `68 Camaro. Plumpton has also posted the quickest pass of the current season at 6.182secs while experimenting with new tyre sizes and gear ratios.
Also running deep into the 6secs range early in the season have been Hamilton’s Nigel Dixon with a 6.281secs Meremere pass in his Ford Falcon BA while Masterton performances in December included Upper Hutt’s Rod Benjes (Chevrolet Beretta) at 6.376secs and the twin turbo Pontiac Grand-Am driven by Adam Prestney (New Plymouth) making a significant step to run 6.630secs.
The strongest hit at Masterton belongs to class rookie Gavin Green (Featherston) who has made a rapid transition from a championship winning Top Street Holden Monaro to Top Doorslammer with his newly completed Pontiac Firebird powered by a 521 T/FX Hemi. In just his third meeting in the car Green unleashed a 6.314secs effort at Masterton’s Central Nationals in December.
A couple of other 6secs cars have yet to be seen on track this summer. Auckland’s Mark Bardsley will debut a new engine combination in his `68 Camaro and the Ford Falcon XP of Hunua’s Andrew ``Squig’’ Miles is another combo with the potential for a continuing performance improvement.
This weekend’s meeting is also the annual Wellington Invasion with a strong group of capital city, Wairarapa and Kapiti Coast racers competing across all classes.
Saturday’s schedule sees the track open for the first round of Group 1 qualifying at 10.45am and racing will continue through into the early evening.
Five-second racing at over 400km/h is promised by the supercharged dragsters, altereds and funny cars racing in the Top Alcohol category. Leading contenders are expected to be Anthony Marsh’s A/Fuel dragster, Christchurch’s Alsop brothers with their small-block Chev altered and the big-block Chev dragster of Upper Hutt’s Bert King.
Several early season Top Doorslammer performances have heightened anticipation for records as Kiwi racers with 2500-horsepower door cars edge ever closer breaking into the five-second bracket.
Auckland’s Barry Plumpton holds the national record with a 6.125sec pass late last summer in his 15.7-litre nitrous-injected `68 Camaro. Plumpton has also posted the quickest pass of the current season at 6.182secs while experimenting with new tyre sizes and gear ratios.
Also running deep into the 6secs range early in the season have been Hamilton’s Nigel Dixon with a 6.281secs Meremere pass in his Ford Falcon BA while Masterton performances in December included Upper Hutt’s Rod Benjes (Chevrolet Beretta) at 6.376secs and the twin turbo Pontiac Grand-Am driven by Adam Prestney (New Plymouth) making a significant step to run 6.630secs.
The strongest hit at Masterton belongs to class rookie Gavin Green (Featherston) who has made a rapid transition from a championship winning Top Street Holden Monaro to Top Doorslammer with his newly completed Pontiac Firebird powered by a 521 T/FX Hemi. In just his third meeting in the car Green unleashed a 6.314secs effort at Masterton’s Central Nationals in December.
A couple of other 6secs cars have yet to be seen on track this summer. Auckland’s Mark Bardsley will debut a new engine combination in his `68 Camaro and the Ford Falcon XP of Hunua’s Andrew ``Squig’’ Miles is another combo with the potential for a continuing performance improvement.
This weekend’s meeting is also the annual Wellington Invasion with a strong group of capital city, Wairarapa and Kapiti Coast racers competing across all classes.
Saturday’s schedule sees the track open for the first round of Group 1 qualifying at 10.45am and racing will continue through into the early evening.
2019 Kiwi Thunder Group 1 Series:
January 12 — Meremere Dragway
February 16-17 — Masterton Motorplex
March 9-10 — Meremere Dragway (IHRA Nationals)
March 23-24 — Masterton Motorplex (NZDRA Nationals
February 16-17 — Masterton Motorplex
March 9-10 — Meremere Dragway (IHRA Nationals)
March 23-24 — Masterton Motorplex (NZDRA Nationals
Personal Bests
Two Kiwi drag racers clocked new personal bests in Australia last weekend.
Sydney-based Morice McMillin was runner-up in the latest round of Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car competition at the Perth Motorplex and raced to new personal bests of 5.562secs and 261.5mph in the One Bad Kiwi Pontiac Trans-Am funny car.
Beachlands’ racer Trevor Smith continued his campaign in Australia’s 400 Thunder national series and lowered his best in his `75 Holden Statesman Pro Slammer to 6.140secs during Friday test sessions for the New Year’s Thunder event at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway.
The highlight of the Willowbank national event was Australia’s first all-female Top Fuel final with defending champ Kelly Bettes taking victory over California’s Ashley Sanford.
Sydney-based Morice McMillin was runner-up in the latest round of Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car competition at the Perth Motorplex and raced to new personal bests of 5.562secs and 261.5mph in the One Bad Kiwi Pontiac Trans-Am funny car.
Beachlands’ racer Trevor Smith continued his campaign in Australia’s 400 Thunder national series and lowered his best in his `75 Holden Statesman Pro Slammer to 6.140secs during Friday test sessions for the New Year’s Thunder event at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway.
The highlight of the Willowbank national event was Australia’s first all-female Top Fuel final with defending champ Kelly Bettes taking victory over California’s Ashley Sanford.