A long break in championship elimination action has ended for the quicker categories of NZ Drag Racing Association competition.
The Easter weekend 2016 NZDRA Nationals had been rained out after first day qualifying was completed at Taupo and a similar thing happened at the early December Central Nationals which opened the 2016-17 season at the Masterton Motorplex.
But on Tuesday afternoon the Pirtek Summer Nationals titles were raced to completion at Taupo Thunder Dragway.
The team with the best consistency on a day of varying track temperature and a strong head wind was Whanganui’s River’s Family Racing.
Driving duty in the Blue Brothers big-block Chevrolet rear-engine dragster was shared by the father and son duo of Grant and Adrian Rivers. With Adrian at the wheel for the Competition division final with a 6.97secs pass at 204.18mph setting the standard for the day and securing the win ahead of Palmerston North’s John Shepherd with his Hell Razor Chrysler Hemi powered front-engine dragster.
Camaro racer Ryan Sheldon edged out the Monaro of Gavin Green to win the Super Stock division. Photo / Colin Smith
Super Stock was a close battle among the low-8secs, 160mph-plus contenders with a final round 8.19secs pass earning Henderson’s Ryan Sheldon the SummerNats win in his 598-cubic inch Chev Camaro ahead of Featherston’s Gavin Green (632-cubic inch Holden Monaro) who ran 8.34secs.
Supercharged Outlaws went to Aucklander Steve Milliken in his Fiat Topolino altered when Upper Hutt’s Allan Hartley raced under his DYO time target in the final in his supercharged ‘23 T Altered.
Te Puke's Paul McLeod in his Toyota V8 engine dragster won the Modified division. Photo / Colin Smith
Top Alcohol saw an unopposed win for Taranaki’s Wayne Curry (`27 T-Altered) after the rear-engine dragster of Hamilton’s Grant Briffault shut-down after its burn-out. Competition Bike was an all-Wellington final with Shane Dixon defeating Chris Lysaght.
Larger fields produced multi-round contests in a wide variety of cars in both Super Street and Super Sedan.
Rhys Harrison from Stokes Valley raced to the Super Sedan victory with his `68 Chevrolet Camaro. Photo / Colin Smith
Rodger Murray’s Ford F-150 SVT won Super Street against the rotary-powered Starlet of Shane Cunningham and Super Sedan was won by Stokes Valley racer Rhys Harrison (`68 Camaro) who edged the Ford Capri V8 of Mark Hudson in the final.
Upcoming January drag racing fixtures include the Drag-stalgia event — including a front-engine dragster challenge — at the Masterton Motorplex on January 7-8 while Meremere Dragway runs the second round of its 2016-17 Competition Series on Saturday January 14.