Riverina Drag Racers Association

In what seems like years ago, it was June, 2004 that Riverina Drag Racers Association (RDRA) formed a club and first put an application to Narrandera Shire Council for permission to conduct drag racing on the air strip there.  After six months of negotiations and piles of paperwork, the first meeting was given the go ahead.  We had given ourselves what seemed to be an unrealistic time frame, with the date we’d set being 23 January, 2005.  Considering none of us had ever done anything remotely like this before, it was a fairly big task.  But with the motivated committee we were able to cross the T’s and dot all the Is on time, with Narrandera Shire laying down concrete “launch pads” and RDRA being able to secure some 30 sponsors for the day. 

The first event was billed as “Riverina’s Fastest Street Car Shoot Out”.  We managed to fill the 70 spots we had planned for by 7.30 am, closing entries and turning away another dozen or so vehicles which were just too late.  We knew there was some interest in the region, but how much?  OK, competitor spots were full, but could we pull a crowd?  In a traditional “speedway” area, with most people water skiing or fishing on weekends, 9.00 am gates opened to the public, with cars banking up outside.  The people kept streaming in with the final crowd figure or 6500-7000 people.

 On the “green” but prepared track, early on was a bit slippery, but was slowly coming around, but so was the 42 degree heat, with track temperature over 60 degrees at 1.00 pm.  Racing was also hot with the top eight qualifiers gunning it out for the final in “heads up” eliminations.  As usual the cream flats to the top with the final round between the two quickest car of the day, Michael Brody’s 406 Chevy LJ Torana from Howlong and Steve Twomey’s LH Torana from Wangaratta which is powered by a “Brody” built 355 Holden.  With Brody turning on the win light with a 6.909 to Twomey’s 7.415.  Other notable performances were David Moss with his Suzuki GSX 1000R, clocking a string of 6.9’s and reaction times in the .40’s.  O.K. is was only a street meet, but in a region in it’s fourth year of drought and motor sport in the area in a bit of a lull, it was as if John Force had won the Bid Bud Shoot Out.  Such was the buzz and hype around the place, especially amongst the first time spectators for the drags.

by Carlo Luisi