Some early season major event updates from within Australia’s thriving Professional drag racing circuits….
Sydney Dragway Hosts PDRC Round #1 — The inaugural round of the Pro Drag Racing Championship was a roaring success last weekend with racers and fans alike — despite Friday’s action being cancelled due to persistent rain and cold temperatures and Saturday’s early racing affected by rain as well.
Over 50 Professional racers took to the Sydney Dragway quarter mile, supported by the Grand Finals for the NSW Championship Series sportsman racers. The event counts towards the National Drag Racing Championship Points score with the NDRC and PDRC.
The A-Final in Pro Alcohol saw the two highest seeded racers at the event, the championship winner and #3 Russell Mills and Chris Hargrave doing battle, off the back of two wins each in the All Run Format.
Mills logged a 5.52 in a round one solo and backed it up with a 5.51 win over Cruz Lovering, while Hargrave recorded a victory over a tyre shaking Cheyne Phillips in Round one on his way to a 5.64 and improved to a 5.57 in round two.
Russell Mills was consistently fast while winning the Pro Alcohol Division with his bizarre and unique creation.
Mills was once again on song in the final, his 5.53 enough to best Hargrave’s 5.60 in a race decided by only .0095s.
Mills said afterwards, “It’s been an awesome event- the PDRC has put on a great event, and to run another 5.5 is incredible. I have to get used to trying to defend the championship from last year now!”
Pro Mod was the largest category in the professional ranks, with 15 competitors facing the starter.
The A-Final came down to the two most consistent cars throughout the event in the form of Former Champion Zoran Gajic and first time Pro Mod finalist Peter Gratz.
Zoran Gajic’s speedy turbocharged Mustang scored in the 5.85 indexed Pro Mod class at Sydney.
Gajic logged wins over Danny Makdessi and Joe Gauci, while Gratz bested Neil Murphy (courtesy of a red light start) and Rob Campisi respectively.
The final saw a holeshot advantage to Peter Gratz, but Gajic had made the difference up by half track and went through for the victory, a 5.89 besting a 5.94 from Gratz.
“We are very, very happy, there isn’t much more we can do to make this thing consistent. It is such a great car, and I just try to do my job on the lights and leave on time, Gajic Said after the race.
The class of the Pro Stock field was undoubtedly Rob Dekert and John Barbagallo, the only two cars in the Pro Stock Category to run into the six second zone through the first two rounds of racing whilst taking two wins from two.
Chris Soldatos was unlucky not to take a place in the final round, but a late reaction time in Round one that resulted in a loss to Barbagallo cost him dearly.
The final saw a marginal start line advantage to Barbagallo, and that was the difference in the end with his 6.99 enough to hold off a fast finishing 6.95 from Dekert by .0093s .
The Pro Stock winner was John Barbagallo’s Ford Escort.
“Rob & Chris – all of those guys set the bar so high, to get the win over Rob is incredible. We are just trying our best and luckily, we got the job done”, Barbagallo said.
Pro Bike was a war of attrition with only six bikes fronting the starters orders, after licencing issues cruelled the hopes of Callam Godeassi and Brendan Sanders in their hope of making the field.
Reigning champion Luke Crowley was the quickest bike through both of the first two rounds of racing and rightfully took his position in the final alongside Jason Lee, in his second season returning to the sport after a 10 year plus break.
Jason Lee emerged a upset winner in the Pro Bike class.
In the final a massive holeshot to Jason Lee saw him take an upset victory over Crowley, his 7.31 enough to hold off a 7.304 from Crowley.
The Pro Import exhibition featured six cars, with 3 rotary powered cars taking on 2 Toyota 2JZ powered cars.
The final featured Paul Mouhayet and Frank Tarabay, the two most consistently quick cars throughout the event.
Mouhayet took the win on yet another holeshot, his 6.04 enough to account for Tarabay’s 5.997.
Paul Mouhayet drove this Toyota Celica to the Pro Import class exhibition feature.
The win saw Mouhayet take home $2,000 cash from Enviro Waste Services Group for the win.
“We put some in it for the final, I knew Tarabay would be quick, so we were aiming for a ’95 (5.95s) but the Gas Racing Celica never lets us down man!” Mouhayet said after the win.
The PDRC moves to Adelaide for the second round of the Championship on February 8 & 9, 2025
Australian Top Fuel Motorcycle Record! — Damian Muscat had a very good outing at Dragway at the Bend’s Drag Bike Nationals, not only laying down the quickest Top Fuel Motorcycle pass in the country, but also taking out A-Final victory over runner-up Rob Cassar for what was the first round of the 2024/2025 NDRC Top Fuel Motorcycle Championship.
Muscat is only the second Top Fuel Motorcycle racer in Australia to run ‘a five’, smashing Chris Matheson’s breakthrough 5.92 effort at Sydney Dragway in May of last year to lay down a 5.800 second pass at 394.96kph in the A-Final last night.
Damian Muscat made speedy history while winning at the NDRC Drag Bike Nationals.
According to the Queensland racer, who was the runner-up in last year’s NDRC Top Fuel Motorcycle title chase, the time also sees him as the eighth quickest in the world.
“It is odd – sometimes the best passes don’t feel that way, as everything just happens so smoothly and that is what makes a good run! My competitor (Rob Cassar) in the other lane actually saw the time board and was able to tell me when he pulled up beside me in the deep end, and once my crew came down beeping the horn, it was so surreal,” Muscat said.
Taking out the B-Final victory was Corey Buttigieg, over Danny Rickard. Kim Leonard also took part in the event, but was unable to continue past the first round of racing.
Round two of the NDRC Top Fuel Motorcycle Championship as part of the NDRC will come as part of the Perth Motorplex’s 50th annual Goldenstates on November 22-23, where Top Doorslammer racers and Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship racers will also be in action.
Posted by NDRC
Photos by Grant Stephens (Cackling Pipes) & Bruce Biegler
