RECORDS CONCLUDE AUSSIE NITRO FUNNY CAR CHALLENGE IN STYLE
Sun, 2010-01-17 13:00
Tonight’s final round of the USA vs AUS Nitro Funny Car Challenge at Willowbank Raceway has been concluded with a jaw dropping 320mph/513kmh pass by Australian Damien Harris, sealing the Aussie domination of the two round series over American Jack Wyatt.
Harris saved the best till last with the new speed record being set in very last run of Nitro Funny Car for the night, which also saw the West Australian alongside Queenslander Ricky Steffens set the quickest Nitro Funny Car side-by side-pass for the country as well.
Harris’ 320.66mph at 4.868 second effort combined with Steffens’ 5.164s pass – a new personal best for the driver – to better the previous side-by side-mark (also featuring Harris alongside fellow West Australian Mark Sheehan in Perth on Boxing Day) by seven one thousandths of a second.
Tonight’s final round of the USA vs AUS Nitro Funny Car Challenge at Willowbank Raceway has been concluded with a jaw dropping 320mph/513kmh pass by Australian Damien Harris, sealing the Aussie domination of the two round series over American Jack Wyatt.
Harris saved the best till last with the new speed record being set in very last run of Nitro Funny Car for the night, which also saw the West Australian alongside Queenslander Ricky Steffens set the quickest Nitro Funny Car side-by side-pass for the country as well.
Harris’ 320.66mph at 4.868 second effort combined with Steffens’ 5.164s pass – a new personal best for the driver – to better the previous side-by side-mark (also featuring Harris alongside fellow West Australian Mark Sheehan in Perth on Boxing Day) by seven one thousandths of a second.
“The speed record hasn’t really sunk in as yet to be honest, the guys came on the radio to tell me what had happened while I was slowing down and I was concentrating on the car and things, and it just hasn’t sunk in,” said Harris, who also won the first round on January 2.
“It is a great result though for me, Paul (Schackleton, car owner) and Tim Adams (tuner) and it makes all the work that the team do worthwhile.
“They are the guys here with the sweat dripping off them getting this work done and getting us on track and it just makes it that bit more enjoyable for them to run results like this, and helps us all keep going.
“To ‘wax’ Wyatt as one of his team said is just great, I would have liked to have had Jack in the final and blown his doors off but to claim back-to-back wins is just a great achievement for the team, and we hope to come back in 2011 and defend it.”
American Jack Wyatt continued to search for performance in the new surroundings this evening, and in his final run of the series was looking to be on-track for a four second pass before broken supercharger studs saw that hope ended.
“That last run was feeling really great, we were finally feeling good and I thought it was going to be a great run but then the supercharger studs broke, we just couldn’t get a break,” said a disappointed Wyatt.
“Harris was just phenomenal – what an amazing, flying run – all of the Aussies have been fantastic and I am just sorry that we weren’t able to put on a better show for the fans and give the Aussies a better race, but hopefully we can come back and get a rematch.
“To come down here and race was something I have wanted to do all my life and to fulfil a dream has just been great, and very overwhelming, probably more overwhelming than I expected…but its been great, a real once in a life time opportunity and I loved it.”
Tonight’s 320mph plus pass sees Harris smash the record he recently reset when he ran 311mph during that Boxing Day pass with Sheehan in Perth, which saw him better the existing speed mark at that time for the category, which was incidentally set by Wyatt’s fellow American Gary Densham at the 2009 New Year series.
Densham has been here for both rounds of the 2010 International New Year Series, guiding Wyatt while running his Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car against local Peter Leahy and his front-engined dragster, which ran nitro especially for tonight’s event.
Denhsam was chasing the magic ‘five second’ number for his Nostalgia machine, however pulled up just short with a 6.014 second pass at 240.59mph.
“We just missed it by that much!,” laughed Densham.
“We have been looking after the car as we wanted to make sure we could put on a good show for the fans, and for that last run there we just really felt like we could throw everything at it and take a chance.
"If we broke it then that didn’t matter as long as we put on a show, we would just put it back in the trailer and fix it for its next run when we get back home, we wanted to put on a show and that was the main priority.
“That last run was perfect, it just ran really great so to miss out that little bit was a bit disappointing but that is how it goes, and the same for Jack – he tried really hard to put it all out there and I feel he would have run a 4.9 pass if those studs hadn’t of broken but that is just how it goes sometimes, the race gods come on down and slap you!
“I love coming here and I really hope I can come on down again, Harris was brilliant, all the Aussie racers were, in an ideal world I would like to bring my big Nitro car back here and race these guys, but we will just have to see – I hope so!”
Other winners for round two of the International New Year Series were Craig Hewitt in Pro Street, Alan Craig in Knijff Earthmoving Modified, Matthew McKnight in Powercruise Super Sedan, Joshua Leahy in Junior Dragster, Damien Morris in Speed Elec/Prime Signs Super Street, Wayne Smith in Modified Bike, Blair Pennington in Custom Central Competition Bike, Omar Sedmak in Lifestyle Floorcovering Super Comp, Brian Martin in Wheelboyz.com.au Supercharged Outlaws and Ian Neilsen in Super Gas.
Next up for Willowbank Raceway is the Australian Top Fuel Championships, which will feature Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Morgan & Wacker Pro Stock Bike over April 17 and 18
Harris saved the best till last with the new speed record being set in very last run of Nitro Funny Car for the night, which also saw the West Australian alongside Queenslander Ricky Steffens set the quickest Nitro Funny Car side-by side-pass for the country as well.
Harris’ 320.66mph at 4.868 second effort combined with Steffens’ 5.164s pass – a new personal best for the driver – to better the previous side-by side-mark (also featuring Harris alongside fellow West Australian Mark Sheehan in Perth on Boxing Day) by seven one thousandths of a second.
The timing boards tell the story: The 4.868s pass at 320.66mph saw Harris seal the New Year Series for the Aussies (credit - blacktrack.com.au)
Harris saved the best till last with the new speed record being set in very last run of Nitro Funny Car for the night, which also saw the West Australian alongside Queenslander Ricky Steffens set the quickest Nitro Funny Car side-by side-pass for the country as well.
Harris’ 320.66mph at 4.868 second effort combined with Steffens’ 5.164s pass – a new personal best for the driver – to better the previous side-by side-mark (also featuring Harris alongside fellow West Australian Mark Sheehan in Perth on Boxing Day) by seven one thousandths of a second.
“The speed record hasn’t really sunk in as yet to be honest, the guys came on the radio to tell me what had happened while I was slowing down and I was concentrating on the car and things, and it just hasn’t sunk in,” said Harris, who also won the first round on January 2.
“It is a great result though for me, Paul (Schackleton, car owner) and Tim Adams (tuner) and it makes all the work that the team do worthwhile.
“They are the guys here with the sweat dripping off them getting this work done and getting us on track and it just makes it that bit more enjoyable for them to run results like this, and helps us all keep going.
“To ‘wax’ Wyatt as one of his team said is just great, I would have liked to have had Jack in the final and blown his doors off but to claim back-to-back wins is just a great achievement for the team, and we hope to come back in 2011 and defend it.”
American Jack Wyatt came to grips with the track for the final run, only to see supercharger studs put an end to what could have been a four second pass (credit - blacktrack.com.au)
“That last run was feeling really great, we were finally feeling good and I thought it was going to be a great run but then the supercharger studs broke, we just couldn’t get a break,” said a disappointed Wyatt.
“Harris was just phenomenal – what an amazing, flying run – all of the Aussies have been fantastic and I am just sorry that we weren’t able to put on a better show for the fans and give the Aussies a better race, but hopefully we can come back and get a rematch.
“To come down here and race was something I have wanted to do all my life and to fulfil a dream has just been great, and very overwhelming, probably more overwhelming than I expected…but its been great, a real once in a life time opportunity and I loved it.”
Tonight’s 320mph plus pass sees Harris smash the record he recently reset when he ran 311mph during that Boxing Day pass with Sheehan in Perth, which saw him better the existing speed mark at that time for the category, which was incidentally set by Wyatt’s fellow American Gary Densham at the 2009 New Year series.
Densham has been here for both rounds of the 2010 International New Year Series, guiding Wyatt while running his Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car against local Peter Leahy and his front-engined dragster, which ran nitro especially for tonight’s event.
Denhsam was chasing the magic ‘five second’ number for his Nostalgia machine, however pulled up just short with a 6.014 second pass at 240.59mph.
“We just missed it by that much!,” laughed Densham.
“We have been looking after the car as we wanted to make sure we could put on a good show for the fans, and for that last run there we just really felt like we could throw everything at it and take a chance.
Gary Densham (foreground) went oh-so-close to running a 'five' aboard his Nostalgia Nitro Funny Car as he match raced Aussie Peter Leahy (credit - blacktrack.com.au)
"If we broke it then that didn’t matter as long as we put on a show, we would just put it back in the trailer and fix it for its next run when we get back home, we wanted to put on a show and that was the main priority.
“That last run was perfect, it just ran really great so to miss out that little bit was a bit disappointing but that is how it goes, and the same for Jack – he tried really hard to put it all out there and I feel he would have run a 4.9 pass if those studs hadn’t of broken but that is just how it goes sometimes, the race gods come on down and slap you!
“I love coming here and I really hope I can come on down again, Harris was brilliant, all the Aussie racers were, in an ideal world I would like to bring my big Nitro car back here and race these guys, but we will just have to see – I hope so!”
Other winners for round two of the International New Year Series were Craig Hewitt in Pro Street, Alan Craig in Knijff Earthmoving Modified, Matthew McKnight in Powercruise Super Sedan, Joshua Leahy in Junior Dragster, Damien Morris in Speed Elec/Prime Signs Super Street, Wayne Smith in Modified Bike, Blair Pennington in Custom Central Competition Bike, Omar Sedmak in Lifestyle Floorcovering Super Comp, Brian Martin in Wheelboyz.com.au Supercharged Outlaws and Ian Neilsen in Super Gas.
Next up for Willowbank Raceway is the Australian Top Fuel Championships, which will feature Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Morgan & Wacker Pro Stock Bike over April 17 and 18
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