Your Favourite Drag Racer

[Melz]

Just interested to know who people follow in Group 1 Drag Racing here in Australia.

Personally I'm a HUGE fan of Victor Bray. Ever since I saw him race at Heathcote (many many moons ago) against Scotty Cannon, i've been a huge fan and also of Ben too, not many 21 year olds get to win National Drag Racing Championships.

So who's your fav drag racer? :

[Racecraft]

Victor Bray is cool, a very down to earth guy

I have a true Victor Bray story,, years ago @ Willowbank Victor was renouned for his 1/2 track burnouts, well standing on the startline Les Winter also had a old doorslammer and ripped up a good skid, I turned to my mate and said what a good burnout it was, to which he replied "Not as good a Victor".. I told him Victor couldn't drive a greasy stick up a dogs ar$e. A tap on my left shoulder spelt fear, I turned to see big Vic standing there smiling at me.. He laughed and told me to come back to his trailor after the race and he gave me a signed T-shirt and some stickers.. It was very cool and one of those moments I'll never forget

[302donk]

mine is Dave rogan and Pete ridgeway and the hole ridgeway team, they are all good friends ours, my secound fav would be jay upton theres something about a little 1.6lt motorbike engine going 6.40@215mph ohhhh yaaaaa

[agony]

Brett Stevens is a cool customer not many out there that could do that well in one section let alone two and now it looks like he is into his third different category

[rodderz]

Plenty of good drag racers in Oz...when I was younger (and the good drags were still at calder) there was Victor Bray, John Zappia, Brett Stevens, Steve Read, Peter Russo, the Sammut Bros., and my brother helped out in pit crews with Russell Simpson and Keith Agius. Very accomodating blokes when we were around...but very heartbroken when brand new funny cars blew up!

Romeo Capitanio is well worth a watch too, mad as a hatter and has had his fair share of contraversy at some events

I vagely remember when Romeo was the pit crew for Rachelle Splatt one year in her top fuel rail, and the event was rained out...Romeo jumped in the fueller and did a half track burnout on a wet track and no helmet....absolutely mad

[JG3282]

For me growing up it was always Hans Van Dyk... Imagine my excitement when we moved in across the road from him 15 years ago

For me though its more the lesser known guys than the big shots, Peter Sammut, Jon Andriopoulos, Scott Fitzpatrick, Rod Rainford, Wayne Cartledge, Graeme Cooper

[rodderz]

Nearly forgot Hans Van Dyke Ash....he had greatly presentated Commie's...werent they similar to the old HRT colours?

Also Alan Dobson in his Castrol Funny cars

[eb six on boost]

benny gatt

[Falcon Freak]

Dave Grubnic. Doing very well in the USA but is not receiving in Australia the recognition he deserves.

FF

[JG3282]

So true... I'm not criticising Andrew Cowin but Dave Grubnic has such a better record in the US and is a regular qualifier and winner... Cowin gets the accolades but has yet to deliver

My other personal favourite when he finally gets the Big Croc fired up is Craig Christerson!

[SpoolMan]

Darren Morgan, top Fuel.....1st year in does a 4 sec pass for his license and then wins the championship all in the same year..

[347_XR8]

Benny Bray, go the young'n!

[xdclevo]

The Bray boys get the job done. I remember being at Willowbank in the early 90s when Victor Bray was the first person ever to run 200mph in a doorslammer. It was a big day.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by xdclevo

The Bray boys get the job done. I remember being at Willowbank in the early 90s when Victor Bray was the first person ever to run 200mph in a doorslammer. It was a big day.

Need to correct you there xdclevo, Wayne Rowe & Ray Ward were the first Doorslammer in OZ to go over 200MPH at calder in 1989 from memory.

Maybe Victor was the first at Willowbank ?????

[Chris]

my fave drag racer is my opponent. :dj:

[GRNKPR]

Chris from Bluepower Developments

[xdclevo]

Originally Posted by Craig@ACE

Need to correct you there xdclevo, Wayne Rowe & Ray Ward were the first Doorslammer in OZ to go over 200MPH at calder in 1989 from memory.

Maybe Victor was the first at Willowbank ?????

On the night they made a big deal of being the first in the world to do 200mph. I see they were classed as being the first AA Gas Car to Run over 200 MPH. Is this the same?

[GASXR6]

Originally Posted by xdclevo

On the night they made a big deal of being the first in the world to do 200mph. I see they were classed as being the first AA Gas Car to Run over 200 MPH. Is this the same?

Na, the first 200 was the real ugly 2 door ea I think falcon.

[302donk]

wasnt it john zappia that run the first 200mph in a sedan

[sfr rob]

Chris from Bluepower!

[jcxr]

obviously some of you people dont know of some REAL heroes in drag racing such as Jimmy walton , Ian splatt ,Jim carter all running some very qwick times in yesteryear. Some other examples are Jim rowley running 12s in a n/a 6 cyl, Ron harrop running 12s in a 6 cyl, the list goes on .Some of you guys are so out of touch with whats real performance its a joke. 30 years ago Harrop ran numbers that are still unbeatable by an aspirate 6.

[Craig]

Nearly all of my dads cars were National Record holders from his first sideplate grey model altered running 11's and 12's to the "K" Ruption Mustang funny car and when he was Crew Chief for Jim Walton's Coca Cola Monza funny car the man knows his race cars. He is my HERO.

Other's that i have admired over the years for different things,

Graeme Cowin
Romeo Capitanio
Ian Splatt
Santo Rapisarda
Kevin & Greg Flarrety
Jay Upton
Gary Philips

Now it's great to see the young and second generation racers coming through to keep this sport alive like Phil Read, Luke Shepherd, Rachelle, Andrew Cowin, Darren Morgan, Benny Bray.

[jcxr]

Heycraig, way back at AiR , wasnt your old man guilty of running over your mum in a reversing accident? If it was ive still got the issue of drag news with photos etc

[Craig]

Originally Posted by jcxr

Heycraig, way back at AiR , wasnt your old man guilty of running over your mum in a reversing accident? If it was ive still got the issue of drag news with photos etc

That's the one, he did a big smoky burnout and the parachute fell out at the end of the burnout, so mum tried to pick it up and of course with no mirrors dad just thru the car into reverse and ran into her she got thrown up into the air from the rear slick and her neck hit the rear wing which blew her wig off and she landed on the ground and the whole crowd thought her head came off.........funny now but at the time extrodinary. The good old days when drag racing was fun.

[347_XR8]

Geezzzzuzzzz! Anything can happena drag strip!

[GRNKPR]

Originally Posted by sfr rob

Chris from Bluepower!

Chris wouldve said the same if he was asked the Question

[JG3282]

Originally Posted by 302donk

wasnt it john zappia that run the first 200mph in a sedan

- Bert Willemsen's EA ran the first 200mph in Oz
- John Zappia's HQ's ran the first 7,6 & 5 second passes in Oz
- Victor Bray's older Chev (which was then raced by Benny) was the first to do 220, 230 & 240 mph in the world

[JG3282]

Originally Posted by GRNKPR

Chris wouldve said the same if he was asked the Question

He told me some guy called Phil is his favourite by a mile :

[Craig]

The Wayne Rowe & Ray Ward Ford Thunderbird Doorslammer with Warlord Racing on the side were THE FIRST in Australia to run over 200MPH in 1989 at Calder Park Raceway. I know cause i was there with them and did we party afterwards...............

[JG3282]

P'haps Bert did it in Outlaw/Wild Bunch competition and it didn't count... Craig you are way older than me so you'd be a better judge, I was merely a 14 year old kickin' around @ Ravenswood in '89 and as you'd imagine we barely got much eastern states news