Willowbank Raceway Official Announces New Schedule For 2008-09
May 12, 2008
As the ANDRA Championship Drag Racing Season speeds to its climax at the 2008 Castrol EDGE Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway on June 5-8, the Ipswich facility’s management committee has announced an exciting new calendar for 2008/2009.
The new calendar, the largest ever seen at Willowbank Raceway, will feature five major championship events and commence with a brand new September hit-out, followed by a two-round New Year Series, the Tin Top Titles and the Castrol EDGE Wintenationals.
In total, the new calendar will see 18 individual rounds of the ANDRA Championship Drag Racing Series, at least two rounds of the Rocket Industries All Stars Drag Racing Series and an International Nitro Funny Car Series.
Opening the Group One festivities at Willowbank will be a brand new Event - the 2008 Spring Top Fuel Championships - held on September 26/27 and featuring Top Fuel, Top Alcohol, Pro Stock and Top Bike.
From there, the re-birth of the New Year Series will hit the track over two massive events with the first featuring International 7000hp Nitro Funny Car Competition and rounds of the ANDRA Championship Drag Racing Series for Top Alcohol, Top Doorslammer and Pro Stock Motorcycle on January 2/3.
The second round of the New Year Series on January 16/17 will see the 7000hp Nitro Top Fuel Dragsters and 1500hp Nitro Top Bikes hit the strip to complete the two-round hit-out and a combination that has not been seen in Australia for years.
USA Nitro Funny Car Legend Gary Densham will provide one of the international components to the USA vs AUST Nitro Funny Car Tour which will form the lynch-pin of the New Year Series, with his Chevrolet Nitro Funny Car exclusively booked at the Ipswich drag strip alongside a growing list of nitro funny cars from Australia and potentially New Zealand.
There is no doubt there will be a new performance standard set for Nitro Funny Cars in Australia when Densham arrives in this country and Australian teams will be stepping up to the mark with names that could surprise racefans.
From January the season then moves to the 2009 Tin Top Titles, where it is planned that the recently debuted 16 car fields for Top Doorslammer and Pro Stock will return to provide plenty of action ahead of the season-ending 2009 Castrol EDGE Winternationals.
The Castrol EDGE Winternationals is the largest drag racing event outside of the United States, and will continue to provide the closing curtain for the ANDRA Championship Drag Racing season as it has for the past 8 years.
Managing Director of Willowbank Raceway Steve Bettes said the 2008 / 2009 ANDRA Championship Drag Racing Season across Australia is set to be the biggest and best ever seen in this country.
“I am delighted that Willowbank Raceway is playing such a huge role in what will be an amazing season with some of the most outstanding events ever seen at our facility,” said Bettes.
“The new September Event, the massive twin-event New Year Series in January featuring the return to Australia of Gary Densham in his Nitro Funny Car, the ever-growing Tin Top Titles in April and the incredible Castrol EDGE Winternationals in June means race fans are going to see the best Championship Drag Racing ever seen at Willowbank Raceway – it is going to be a cracker season.”
