PRO STREET SHOOTOUT DELIVERS WORLD RECORD-BREAKING ACTION
24 March 2014
An action-packed Pro Street Shootout including the world’s quickest four cylinder car pass on a 10.5 inch tyre has delighted racers and spectators alike at Willowbank Raceway at the weekend, with more than 100 racers taking to the track across a range of high-performance brackets.
The Saturday 22 March event was the third of four events scheduled for the month of March, with the final hit-out for the month to come this weekend with round three of the Street Series on Saturday 29 March – for event info, please click here.
Across a frenetic day of racing nine victors were crowed, with Wade Wagstaff (Outlaw 10.5), Domenic Luppino (Pro Street Blown), Chris Stevermuer (Pro Mod Street Unblown), Michael Arnold (Mod Street Blown), Stuart Henry (Radial Outlaw), Tony Webb (X275), Andrew Searle (True Street), Jason Ellem (Pro Street Bike) and Allan Woods (DYO) all claiming event wins in their classes.
While he didn’t take the final win, Carbrook’s Collin Willshire was pleased to become Australia’s quickest four cylinder drag car and the world’s quickest four cylinder drag car on a 10.5 inch tyre (6.725 seconds at 209.88mph/337.76kph) on his way to an Outlaw 10.5 runner-up performance against Wagstaff.
The achievement for the Jett Racing Team Principal follows quickly from a win result in the Factory Xtreme bracket at the previous weekend’s Sydney Jamboree and only eight weeks after his team’s driver Kelly Bettes became the fastest four cylinder drag car pilot in New Zealand.
“To come from the Sydney Jamboree where we took the win in the Factory Xtreme bracket and turn it all around ready for the Pro Street Shootout at Willowbank Raceway was big for us, and we are very pleased with the result,” said Willshire, whose Jett Racing team is supported by Garrett Turbos, Motul Oil and K1 Cranks.
“For us becoming the fastest four cylinder outright in the world is definitely a goal we are pushing for and we are now not far off that following this performance.
“To be able to mix it up amongst the 10.5 Outlaw racers Saturday was really good, with our 122 cubic inch (2 litre) engine compared to the majority who are up around the 500 mark (8 litre), we are something of an underdog and we had to fight hard all day, we had to win races and our crew worked hard to get around our fair share of issues to set down that pass and also get us into the final.
“The biggest thing for me aside from taking the quickest titles for Australia and the world on a 10.5 inch tyre was just being a part of the camaraderie – we had people from other teams and classes coming over to us all day and there was a great representation of teams and team spirit on-track which I think is so important for our sport.”
For Wagstaff, taking the win was a real boost for the 25 year old Bridgeman Downs racer for who the weekend represented both his Pro Street debut and a comeback to drag racing after an 18 month hiatus in a new car.
“We only rolled the car out for its first testing on Monday, and by the time we got on track Saturday we still hadn’t done a full pass,” said Wagstaff, who has seven years of on-track experience under his belt.
“We experienced our fair share of bugs across the week and then on Saturday morning it was certainly frantic with a blown blower belt in the first qualifier, a hole in the side of the oil tank as we were warming up for the second qualifier, and dead batteries on the starter for the third qualifier!
“However after all those issues from the first round on everything was perfect right through to the finale against Collin Willshire who had earlier that day set down a record breaking performance – that was a bit daunting!
“We were pretty evenly matched as far as round performance up to that point, but I was able to get past him at the second half of the track and take the win, which was pretty amazing.
“I really have to say a big thanks to my crew, especially Pete and Jarred and my dad Andrew for the endless hours they have put in over the past week, and also Phil for welding the oil tank for us Saturday morning, Glenn from GD Race Cars for the chassis set-up and Collin Willshire for helping me out with some 10.5 tyres!”
Next up at Willowbank Raceway will be the third round of the 2014 Street Series, hitting the track on Saturday 29 March 2014 ahead of the Shannons Queensland Autospectacular (Sunday 6 April) and the return of Easter’s Santo’s Super 3 Extreme Drag Race presented by Uplift Cranes and Titan Cranes (Good Friday 18 April and Easter Saturday 19 April).
As the entry level competition for aspiring drag race champions, the Street Series provides an accessible and affordable competition for Sedan and Motorcycle racers who wish to prove their mettle on the race track while chasing a coveted Queensland Drag Racing Championship (QDRC) trophy.
Saturday’s Street Series event will kick off with time trials from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, with racing from 7.00pm. Spectator entry is available at the gate for just $20.00 for adults and $18.00 for students with ID. Children aged 13 years and under gain free admission. For more information on the Street Series or any upcoming events, visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au
Willowbank Raceway is Queensland’s premier drag racing facility, located 45 minutes from Brisbane or just a short drive from Ipswich, offering a year-round program of events for the entire family. For more information including a full event calendar, please visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au