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The latest update as of March 17, 2001
Today is the third, and hopefully, final day of the
35th Australian Drag Racing Nationals. It's been held at Calder Park
Raceway near Melbourne, since 1992, and this year's edition looked like
business as usual until the track's owner, Bob Jane, decided to pull the
plug on all competition drag racing at Calder and Adelaide International
Raceway. A lot of scrambling, and a lot of gambling on the part of ANDRA
was able to pull the event out of the rubbish bin and ensure that it would
proceed. Whether that enormous effort on the part of the association, the
volunteers who've organized the race, and the racers who've shown faith in
it, will be rewarded is still up for debate.
Oops, looks like the posse is here already, and it's
time to rock on out to Calder Park, which after last night's heavy rain
should be too wet to swing into action until later this morning. We'll
bring you all the stories, gossip and the results late tonight
(read: Sunday morning).
Quick recap: Gary Phillips has
put a strangehold on Top Alcohol with a 5.72 - 246.71; Paul Shackleton ran
a career best 239.36 mph (with a 5.84, and later, a 5.82); Frank Intini ran
a career best - by a TONNE - 6.03 at over 226 mph; and Tom Easton laid down
a 6.12 - 219.91.... at the cost of an engine (three rods out). Debbie Reed
ended up on the bubble at 8.74, due to a broken blower belt at half track.
In Top Fuel.... two Reads and
Kirby made it to the finish line, with the Reads the only ones under power
all the way. On top is Pommie Steve at 4.96 - 283.36, with Jim Read at 5.25
- 271.90 (on Thursday
afternoon - ending with a big
fireball at the finish line). Roy Smith (in the Atholwood & Smith car
from Brisbane) had the throttle hang open on the burnout last night.... but
got it shut off before the finish line and saved the car. The other two
entrants, Rachelle Splatt and Terry Sainty (in Gerry McGrath's car) haven't
made a qualifying pass yet and if the scheduled 10 AM last ditch session is
cancelled, won't be in the field.
Sorry we can't flesh out this
report with some of the twenty pages of notes we've taken so far, but time
is at a tremendous premium right now.
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