Drag Racing General Drag Racing & Motorsport

6.4 @ 207mph ... not too shabby!

https://www.dragnews.com.au/news-al...s-quickest-fastest-woman-australia-bound.html

 

Not sure what the all-time quickest motorcycle run at a TDRA event is, but I'm pretty sure she'd clean it up!

@Murdo might know who has the best motorcycle ET at a TDRA event.

 

5.50 at 264 mph ... that's effing scary!

 

Yep, they're all scary numbers! I doubt that there are too many folks out there who could ride that thing. I wonder if he goes to the Chiro straight after a meet to stretch his spine back to normal?

 

Our old mate (he has raced at Gunnedah), Brian Vernon, has started the 2020 Atura NSW Championship season off on the right note by winning the opening round of the Street Bike class. Too bad @Linkin was overseas otherwise he might have taken his mighty quickshifter-equipped R6 for a run.

 

I was planning to spend the week getting the Nostalgia Bike ready for this Sunday's drag racing, but I'm wondering if they will cancel it too. I'll still get the bike ready just in case. Fingers crossed.

 

One for the Triumph fans...

https://www.dragnews.com.au/news-al...n-gummow-s-nitro-triumph-ready-for-debut.html

 

And I don't think anyone will be racing anytime soon. At least this Nostalgia meet was postponed.

 

Well, I suppose it's good to see some motorsport is still happening. WSID held the second round of there local Atura NSW Championship recently. No spectators, so minimizing the social distancing issues. Anyway, our mate, Brian Vernon cleaned up in Street bike again. Brian runs on a 12.03 dial-in, so just goes to show you don't have to have the fastest bike to win. Interestingly, WSID uses reaction times during qualifying to determine the running order. The TDRA did this at the last round at Gunnedah (to see who got the first round bye run), I like this idea and I hope it spreads as it will make racing a little more interesting for the competitors. There was also a white 'Busa present that has competed at Gunnedah. Of interest to me is that they let 2-strokes race (I think) in their street class. I've included a pic of a "bitza" bike that raced on the day. I'm not sure this bike would qualify as a "Nostalgia" bike, but good to see a smoker going down the strip. Looking forward to getting back out there as soon as possible. Stay safe all.

https://www.dragnews.com.au/news-al...-2020-atura-nsw-championship-series-rd-2.html

 

Thanks Chief. Some serious hitters in that lot. All big bikes though, no 2fiftycc runners. This one's close (RD350) ...



This one is a 2fiftycc with an extended swingarm and quickshifter. Action starts at about 2:45 into the video.

 

The Original Junior Dragster...

Back in the late 1960's, some guy called Mickey Thompson decided to make mini dragsters powered by a small engine. These scaled-down slingshots were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s.



The little chain-driven, fibreglass-bodied dragsters, of which only 180 were made by Mickey Thompson Advance Engineering, were powered by a single-cylinder Tecumseh 4-stroke engine and could reach a top speed of 25mph (40kph) but the main thrill came from the car’s ability to pop wheelies. The little dragsters even had wheelie bars in the back. Below is Thompson (who is credited with the development of the full size slingshot dragster in 1954) taking a wheelie-popping test run at Lions Drag Strip in 1969. Drag racers being drag racers, for some the 3hp engine and 25mph were not good enough, so the engines were modified (or replaced) and larger sprockets and tyres added for more fun.



It’s not exactly the predecessor to today’s Jr. Dragsters, but one could make a case for some family lineage. The cars came with a body choice of exactly two colours (red or blue) and sold for a pretty steep $US395, and as demand began to wane were closed out for $US265, which would have made a pretty good investment seeing as how the beautifully restored version below went on the Sotheby’s auction block in 2018 and sold for more than $US19,000!



About the closest to this that I've seen in modern Junior Dragster racing is this little unit driven by a young lady in NZ and powered by a Honda CBR250 engine. A "normal" Junior Dragster is parked behind it in the second pic.

 

Looks like Dubbo is open for business...

30/08/2020
18/10/2020
15/11/2020

 

Looks like I may have to use my 'Tasmanian' residency to race in NSW. I'm not in a hot spot, so should be okay, but who knows what will happen before 30/08/2020. Hopefully the TDRA will publish some race dates soon. Otherwise, it might be Dubbo in August.

'Not welcome': NSW bans Victorians from coronavirus hotspots

https://www.smh.com.au/national/vic...-nsw-or-face-11-000-fine-20200701-p557xq.html