by John Doig, Australian Correspondent
Round one of the inaugural Australian Pro Racing series kicks off at Sydney Dragway on November 15-16. The five-round series, a spin-off from the National Drag Racing Championship, will feature Pro Alcohol, Pro Stock, Pro Mod and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The series will run two stand-alone meetings. One this weekend, then at The Bend, South Australia in February followed by appearances at the Nitro Champs, May and Winternationals in June, where they will race along with Top Fuel, Nitro Funny Car, Top Fuel Bike and Pro Slammer.
Arguably, Top Alcohol will be the standout category of the PRS, with 71-year-old defending champion Russell Mills and his polarizing FE dragster the main draw card.
“The car is basically a standard McKinney Funny Car chassis with an extra 100 inches added with the driver sitting in front of the rear wheels,” according to Mills. The shape is inspired by lines of the Bonneville Streamliners.”
Mills will start as a hot favorite to defend his crown in the absence of his closest rival from last season, third-generation racer Daniel ‘Boon’ Reed, who will miss the opening round.
Veteran Gary Phillips, the most decorated racer in the history of the category with 21 titles, will make a rare appearance outside his home state of Queensland.
Two-time champ John Cannuli has the talent and experience to cause a major upset.
Pro Stock has attracted 11 entries, including 2023-2024 champ Rob Dekert, who will be the pacesetter this season
The absence of the Tremayne brothers, Tyrone and Aaron, who have dominated the category over the past decade, has taken some of the luster out of the first round of the series. Veterans Rick Chilton, runner-up last season, and Victorian Chris Soldatos are likely contenders if Dekert stumbles.
Pro Mod is expected to provide the closest racing on the weekend. The hot favorite is Craig Burns, who clinched the 2023-2024 title with two wins from four starts and was the top qualifier three times. One of the country’s leading chassis builders, Burns held off fellow Sydneysider Zoran Gajic to claim the title at the Winternationals by a mere 20 points.
Inaugural NDRC championship-winning Pro Bike star Luke Crowley crushed the opposition last season, winning the title by a massive 243 points, and secured his place in the history books when he notched up his third consecutive Winternationals victory. Prime candidates to foil Crowley are veteran Jason Lee and 2023-2024 runner-up Tony Frost.
