NOSTALGIA NATIONALS SET TO GET WILD AT WILLOWBANK

11 August 2010

State pride, the Wild Bunch and nostalgia action is what it will be all about this weekend at Willowbank Raceway, as it revs up with the NITRO! Magazine Nostalgia Nationals.

The last remaining members of the original Aussie Wild Bunch will be on track with a host of other racers to relaunch State of Origin style drag racing, while all of the Nostalgia Drag Racing Association categories will also be on show across the two day event – Saturday August 14 to Sunday August 15.

The public can also get in on the action with a ‘Pit Lane’ Show and Shine taking place alongside the racing.

John Colbran, promoter for the Nostalgia Drag Racing Series, said the event was shaping up to be a ‘War with Doors’, and with nearly 230 entries set to hit Queensland’s premier drag racing facility, it is something not to be missed.

“The Wild Bunch was created in the USA in the eighties, and they came to Australia and made a home for themselves with the likes of Camp Stanley and Tommy Howes showing the Aussies how it was done,” said Colbran.

“With their professional on-track performance, side-by-side burnouts, dry hops, throttle blips and out-the-back-door racing, it didn’t take long for the locals to get up to speed and pretty soon, the Aussie Wild Bunch was full of local blown sedans that toured the country, eventually ending up in a State of Origin series of races between Queensland and New South Wales cars.

“Then Top Doorslammer came along and the Wild Bunch dropped off with only three original cars and drivers remaining to this day - reigning NSW captain Benny Gatt and his Hardtop Falcon, Lindsay Churchill’s ‘Norma’ 57 Chev and sole Queenslander Garthe McIntyre’s HQ.

“These three will return to their former glory at our event on the 14th and 15th of August with a large number of debutantes to join each team to help them reach full-strength for an exciting ‘War with Doors’ for state pride."

All of the NDRA classes will be on show as well over the two day meet, including Nostalgia Outlaw, Junior Fuel, Slingshot, Gas, Vintage Gas, Hot Rod, Aussie Muscle, US Muscle, Aussie Six Banger, Hambster, Classic Bike and Outlaw Bike. Qualifying is Saturday, with Chicago Style racing on Sunday.

Qualifying starts from 10.00am on Saturday while racing gets underway from 9am on Sunday. Tickets are $28.00 for adults and entry is free for children under the age of 13. For more information, please visit www.nostalgiadrags.com.au