Great Drag Racing Moments

Craig · 21-03-2006, 09:58 PM

With not much happening at the moment, I thought i would ask what have you seen at the drags that really sticks in the good part of your memory banks......

Theres a few for me like Al Hofmann in the team USA funny car at a calder street meet on a friday night came out for a shakedown run before the main event on the saturday and did a 1000ft burnout and rolled through the finish line backed it back and ran like 6.09 or something then came out on the saturday and ran his first ever five with a 5.87, that was spectacular.

Seeing Graeme Cowin run 4.89 @ 294.31 in Dec 1993 was special.

Seeing the Warlord Thunderbird run over 200MPH was cool.

Jim Carter v Al Hofmann in Adelaide in Nitro Funny Cars sitting in pre stage for what seemed like 2 minutes but was probably like 45 seconds finally staged then a smoke fest to the other end and the crowd went wild.

Romeo Capitanio's Funny Car days were always exciting....

Seen heaps in the USA but i don't 2 hours to type all that in so will leave it at that for now...

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Cheers CC

Melz · 21-03-2006, 10:02 PM

My personal fav was seeing Victor Bray & Scotty Cannon race at Heathcote all those years ago. Thats what really got me hooked on drag racing...

347_XR8 · 21-03-2006, 10:16 PM

Mines not as big time as everyone else. Mine was Rubberfest last year, going out and taking photo's and getting coverd in rubber! i loved it.

rag top · 21-03-2006, 10:47 PM

Seeing a Torana go onto the opposite side of the track at the half way mark, and hit the wall hard, whilst the ute he was racing managing to pull up in time.

Canberra International Dragway - RIP......

rodderz · 21-03-2006, 11:12 PM

Russell Simpson blowing up his near new funny car at calder close to 17-18 years ago, and a few years later Keith Agius doing the same right in front of where we were sitting with a video camera rolling

Romeo Capitanio always put on a good show, I remember one night he drove Rachelle Splatt's top fueller down a partly wet track doing a burnout over half track without helmet or anything after the meet was called off...that guy had some balls

SpoolMan · 21-03-2006, 11:37 PM

Graham Cowin doing the 1st 4 sec Pass in Australia.
Victor Bray was always the Calder Park Burnout King.
recent one was last year, John Zappia running the 1st 5 sec door slammer pass in the world done it at the east coast nats at WSID.

gtfpv · 21-03-2006, 11:41 PM

top fuel racer doing 6.25 seconds over 400m . the sound was like a deafening vibration even with ear plugs . couldnt stop my kids crying and had to leave early.

SpoolMan · 22-03-2006, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gtfpv

top fuel racer doing 6.25 seconds over 400m . the sound was like a deafening vibration even with ear plugs . couldnt stop my kids crying and had to leave early.

I remember the 1st time i took my young brother to the Top Fuels he was around 11yo, when they started the car and put them in the burnout he run up the hill and hide behind the control tower, it was the 1st drag meet he went too and the most noise he had ever heard.

rodderz · 22-03-2006, 12:43 AM

Does hamo still do that?

Was wondering why he kept running off at the heathcote meets! :nutsycuck

neb · 22-03-2006, 01:38 AM

Police drag car crashing into the wall at Calder friday night drags a few weeks ago was pretty amusing

302donk · 22-03-2006, 08:52 AM

i have heaps of great mmerorys of drag racing heres just a couple peter russo and darren carters(ithink) crash at calder in there funny cars darrens car was toast but they repaired it a got it out for the final great moment, 2 sitting in the tunnel at wsid in the ute waiting to run the final of the east coast nationals and i had ben bray funny car infront of me and then seeing john zappia run the first 5 right in front of us will stay in my head for ever, and a nother thing is when drag racing was big, because you used to be on the road for 3 weeks at a time sometimes AIR one week heathcote next week then calder the 3rd week i dont think drag racing will ever be that busy in oz again but we can only hope , and most recently see Scott kalita and david grubnic run at wsid

agony · 22-03-2006, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neb

Police drag car crashing into the wall at Calder friday night drags a few weeks ago was pretty amusing

Have you got pics of that one or even better you didnt happen to catch it on video did you.

:

jcxr · 22-03-2006, 10:31 AM

Exhibtion wheelstanders at Adelaide, at the old Ampol series rounds, always was pretty reasonable value during the 80s

JG3282 · 22-03-2006, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melz

My personal fav was seeing Victor Bray & Scotty Cannon race at Heathcote all those years ago. Thats what really got me hooked on drag racing...

Watching Scotty Cannon that day was awesome... Let's paint the picture. It was 39 degrees in the shade, the then-operator of the track (not the person who owns it now) had very little idea about track prep considering there were about 8 or 9 Doorslammers running. Vic was around third quickest in qualifying with approximately a low 8 second pass, Andrew Searle's Customline was around 7.1 secs in second and Scotty Cannon ran a 6.3 sec ET on every qualifier. If I remember rightly though, Big Vic did win the final and he also won my mate's heart after picking him out of the line of autograph hunters and inviting him to the team BBQ at his first and only time at the drags. But that day belonged to Scotty Cannon, I've never seen anyone get a car down a poorly prepped track in such a way. It wouldn't happen now mind you, because Russell works hard to ensure the track is at its peak every meet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 302donk

peter russo and darren carters(ithink) crash at calder in there funny cars

Mark, that was Keith Agius and Darren Carter as Rodderz already said, but it was scary to watch thats for sure...

Craig · 22-03-2006, 11:02 AM

Rumor has it that the Carters are purchasing another Funny Car to race very shortly....

neb · 22-03-2006, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by agony

Have you got pics of that one or even better you didnt happen to catch it on video did you.

:

I've only got this picture... courtesy of fullboost.com.au

ridefox · 22-03-2006, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neb

Police drag car crashing into the wall at Calder friday night drags a few weeks ago was pretty amusing

i dont know what was beta to see the cop car hitting the wall or when the other cop car took off in reveres

ridefox · 22-03-2006, 11:22 AM

or when i seen the first ever side by side 5 sec 1/4 mile in australia at calder when i was about 5 and ive been hooked on dragracing ever since

JG3282 · 22-03-2006, 11:27 AM

For me, the moments that I have enjoyed the most as either a spectator or racer:

- Graeme Cowin 4.89/294 first ever four second pass
- Phil Howard running 6.47 in Top Fuel Bike (at the time the record was about 6.9)
- Phil Shearer running 7.70 in Super Mod (The idea of Super Mod was to see who ran closest to 8.90)
- Me making the final of a 30+ car DYO bracket running 18.3 secs in a stocko XF about 7 years ago
- Me being still alive in the semi's when rain washed out the 2001 Nostalgia nationals
- Victor Bray doing the first 220 mph pass for a sedan
- My former neighbour Hans Van Dyk running his first ever 7 sec pass
- Shane Baxter running 6.90 in his small block Altered
- Sammut Bros running 7.90 in their 6 cyl Nissan
- Grant Williams running 7.92 on an 8.90 index in his RX7 at Adelaide
- Any wheelstand by George Hatzi's Cortina
- When they put a sprintcar engine into a dragster in Darwin in '86 and it ran the NT's first ever 8 second pass
- Having two choices on who to crew with in Super Street at the 2001 Nats and the guy I chose against qualified number 1 and the guy I went with only made the field after a protest as he ran 10.7 without a steel cage
- Peter Kapiris winning the Nationals in 1997, huge celebrations that weekend
- Losing a DYO race after getting off it at 3/4 track and still running quicker than my dial-in
- Cutting a .4001 reaction time at Heathcote one day
- Watching guys like Chris Soldatos, Wayne Cartledge, Rod Rainford and Tommy Easton running in Comp Eliminator in the late 90's and absolutely going hammer & tongs run after run after run
- Errol Quartermaine's HB Torana powered by a turbocharged Ford crossflow six running 8.18/168
- Getting into a punch on with my mate (we were 12 year olds hen) in the pits at Ravenswood and a huge gathering crowding around us
- Graeme Cooper and his awesome "The Bricklayer" great car, awesome driver
- Scott Fitzpatrick in his dragster in the late 90's consistently running 8.90 on an 8.90 index
- Glenn Sanders going out to race with an 8.00 dial in with his 265 hemi 6 cyl powered Altered. The bloke nearby p|55ed himself laughing and said there's no way a 6 cyl will run 8.0 secs, well 8.05 seconds later that guy was very very silent.
- Romeo Capitanio running 5.3 in his funny car
- Peter Russo running 280mph in his funny car
- Mark Brew running 5.80 in a small block powered dragster
- The old days in the late 90's of Adelaide, then Calder, then Heathcote, a week off, then Adelaide, Calder, Heathcote again
- Ravenswood in the early to mid 80's
- Hidden Valley in the late 80's
- Getting out there and racing and doing rocker clearances, re-jetting carbies, re-setting the plug gaps, cleaning out fuel lines etc between rounds, those were the good old days where you used to run what ya brung and hope ya brung enough, no laptops, no sneaky pete's. They were definitely good days

302donk · 22-03-2006, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JG3282

- Watching guys like Chris Soldatos, Wayne Cartledge, Rod Rainford and Tommy Easton running in Comp Eliminator in the late 90's and absolutely going hammer & tongs run after run after run

how good was comp in the 90s watch out soon as rod rainfod is building a super stocker and should hit the track soon, dad and wayne are still running comp but were has tom easton gone havent heared that name for years?

isnt darren carter in the states crewing on a car over there?

blo666 · 22-03-2006, 02:02 PM

One moment stuck in my mind was when the Topdoor slammers where called wild bunch it was at easten creek a guy by the name of Alfie in his BMW he was at about half track when the door flew open and he was in the right lane and it threw him into the wall on the left side and as he is sliding down the door the fire truck pulled out on him and he hit it doing about 250km still. Very scary moment and he was very lucky to walk away after spending quite a few months in hospital

Craig · 22-03-2006, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 302donk

how good was comp in the 90s watch out soon as rod rainfod is building a super stocker and should hit the track soon, dad and wayne are still running comp but were has tom easton gone havent heared that name for years?

isnt darren carter in the states crewing on a car over there?

Darren runs his own sucessfull engineering company in campbellfield.

**Bluepower** · 22-03-2006, 03:01 PM

Many a fine thing happens in Campbellfield, lol

I think the thing that hooked me on Drag racing hardcore was when Cooper steered Tony busscher's monaro in A/street for 12 months, ive never seen a car wheelstand like Tonys, and ive learnt much from Graham cooper.

At the springnationals in adelaide, it ran the first full bodied super stock 9 outside the US, remarkable for a 3500lb car, flat tappet cam and iron heads.

FPV8U · 22-03-2006, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neb

I've only got this picture... courtesy of fullboost.com.au

Ahh i wish i was there for that :king:

302donk · 22-03-2006, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig@ACE

Darren runs his own sucessfull engineering company in campbellfield.

me so stupid

: must of been thinking of someone else

rodderz · 22-03-2006, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig@ACE

Rumor has it that the Carters are purchasing another Funny Car to race very shortly....

Will there be a particular ex-John Force funny car with teeth on the front providing some competition for him Craig?:voldar02:

SpoolMan · 22-03-2006, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JG3282

- Sammut Bros running 7.90 in their 6 cyl Nissan

There coming back, they have a car being fabricated now.
I think Murry Anderson is doing it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by neb

Police drag car crashing into the wall at Calder friday night drags a few weeks ago was pretty amusing

This car, had just been finished on the Thursday, then smashed on the Friday.
We had a few local workshops who donated some time, Rear end was done by Treverna, Auto by Arron in Geelong, Cam and tune done by F1 Performance.

Craig · 22-03-2006, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodderz

Will there be a particular ex-John Force funny car with teeth on the front providing some competition for him Craig?:voldar02:

I hope so rodderz i hope so.......

agony · 23-03-2006, 01:06 PM

What about ROMEO backing up after the burnout going through the water and hitting the concrete wall OR him being red lighted in his funny car and getting out and knocking the starter out

Craig · 23-03-2006, 01:21 PM

I'm not sure they are in my great drag racing moments although i was there for both of those mishaps and have them on home video to.......