INSANE DRAG RACING CRASHES

TOYOTA RETURN TO TESTING AS AUDI DEBUT AT SPA

Although they won't be at Spa for round two of the World Endurance Championship the Toyota TS030 hybrid will be a the track this weekend. The team will complete a functionality test of its new chassis at the Magny-Cours circuit in France. Following the accident at Paul Ricard on 4 April, which damaged the monocoque of the first TS030, the team has worked hard to accelerate production of a second car. This will be completed directly before transportation to the one-day functionality test. A total of seven test days were cancelled in April as a result of the testing accident, giving the team no opportunity to validate the aerodynamic and hybrid system specifications intended for its first race. So the team had no choice but to miss the WEC Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps event, which takes place on 3-5 May. Yoshiaki Kinoshita, Team President: “I would like to express my thanks to the staff members at Toyota Motorsport GmbH who have worked so hard to deliver our second monocoque ahead of schedule. Now we have a very intense testing programme to prepare for Le Mans, beginning with an initial functionality test to shakedown our systems.”

WHEN DRAG RACERS TURN CORNERS

US PRO STOCK STARS ANNOUNCE NEW ENGINE BUSINESS

Coughlin Brothers Racing, an entity owned by drag racers John, Troy, Mike, and Jeg Coughlin Jr., announced a partnership with Nick Ferri and Roy Simmons to build a state-of-the-art engine shop that will produce Pro Stock racing motors for consumers around the world. JNR Racing plans to build and lease motors from its new Research and [...]

NASCAR STAR GOES DRAG RACING

NASCAR star Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in the Sprint Cup Series, has announced that he will be making his NHRA Full Throttle Series debut at the 41st annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals, March 11-13, at historic Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway. The 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion will be competing for one of the 16 qualifying spots in the ultra-competitive Pro Stock class in the Shell Dodge Avenger for Allen Johnson and J & J Racing. “Pro Stock is the tightest pro category as far as the elapsed time is concerned and it’s not going to be an easy task,’ Busch said.  “I feel me teaming up with Allen Johnson and the Mopar folks, we’ve given ourselves the best opportunity to make the show.” Busch spent a good part of his busy off-season testing with Allen Johnson and he earned his NHRA Pro Stock license with an impressive best-pass of 6.576 seconds at 210.43 mph at Bradenton, Fla.

DEBBIE READ INJURED IN WILLOWBANK CRASH

Fifty-one year old Debbie Reed of Brendale, Queensland, has suffered a high-speed crash during qualifying for round one of the New Year Series at Willowbank Raceway this evening. The incident occurred during her first qualifying pass in the Top Alcohol ANDRA Pro Series category at the Ipswich facility at 6.05pm (QLD time) after she crossed the [...]

CALDER SET FOR “RICHEST” PRO-STOCK SHOWDOWN

Australia's richest Pro-Stock Drag Race and the return of the Top Doorslammers will be just two of the major announcements to come this Wednesday at Melbourne's Calder Park. Track owner Bob Jane and manager Ian Macarthur will also announce details of a rich new "Triple Crown" series to be held at the track across all major classes. The new series will kick off with the "True Blue" Nationals which will once again feature the countries Top Doorslammer stars in their 1/8th mile challenge series. As well fans of hi-tech turbos and rotaries will get to see a special match race series featuring the turbocharged Toyota Aurion of Tony Wedlock, against Rocky Rehayem in his wild rotary turbocharged Mazda 6, in a Pro FX challenge.

THE MOTORSPORT WORLD DESCENDS ON FLORIDA FOR PRI SHOW

It's the World's biggest dedicated motorsport trade show, and every year tens of thousands of people from all over the World descend on it's Florida base to see an Aladdin's cave of racing and performance related product. It's the PRI Show. Held every December by the trade magazine "Performance Racing Industry" (PRI) the show attracts the biggest players in US and International motorsport for three days of networking, seminars and other events showcasing the diverse range of products and services for the industry. One regular visitor to the show is Australian Motorsport Legend Murray Carter. A little over one month short of his 80th birthday Carter has just debuted a brand new Corvette at Phillip Island and this years PRI show will be a chance to check out new products, and ideas to assist in the car's further development. "I go every year if I can." Murray told me at Phillip Island. "It's marvellous" he said.

AUSTRALIAN GP GOING NOWHERE: Well not to Calder anyway

There will be no move of the Australian Grand Prix to Melbourne’s Calder Park despite ludicrous mainstream media speculation. Local media was awash with reports that a heads of agreement signed between Calder Park, CAMS and the Victorian State Government could see the race moved to Calder from it’s current location at Albert Park. The agreement says [...]

25 YEARS OF WILLOWBANK SPEED

Queensland drag strip Willowbank Raceway, will celebrate the track's 25th birthday with two days of celebrations next weekend. Saturday will see the biggest cash prize in Pro Street drag racing on offer, when the 10.5 Outlaw Pro Street Shootout hits the track. $10,500 will be on offer in a winner takes all format for the 10.5 Outlaw category. Cars of all sorts of power combinations and power adders, including Blown Injected, Turbo Charged and Nitrous injected V8’s right through to Tube chassis lightweight turbo charged fours and rotaries are eligible. Johnny Wilson, drag racer and co-owner of the Australian Pro Street Association, said that if a drag car has swinging doors and runs 10.5 inch W tyres it is eligible for this bracket. “This means that we will be seeing cars like the Pro Stock monster of Shane Tucker, Deno Brijeski and Matt Abel in their Top Doorslammers, Ben Bray’s Pro FX Gas Motorsports Scion and Tony Wedlock and his Toyota Aurion Pro FX machine competing against cars like Frank Mamone’s Black Chevy Nova and Joe Signorelli’s Toyota powered Celica." he said. Image: Frank Mamone's Blown Chevy Nova © blacktrack.com.au