Crash Won’t Stop Top Fuel Hero Steve Read To Compete At Willowbank Raceway
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Sep 27, 2008
Luke Wormald
Local Top Fuel racer Steve Read may have been involved in a 300 mph crash when his throttle stuck open while competing in Sydney just 11 days ago, but that won’t stop him competing at this weekend’s Spring Top Fuel Championships at home-track Willowbank Raceway.
Due to the safety features of these sophisticated racing machines, Read not only survived but almost without a scratch - with a fractured pinky finger all the damage that was done, although the same could not be said for the dragster.
With a Top Fuel racer on loan from Sydney’s Santo Rapisarda, Read is currently on-route back from Sydney with the borrowed dragster which he will prepare for the Event which will run this Friday and Saturday.
“These cars are built extremely strong, and have all of the best safety gear and everything did exactly as it was supposed to do,” said Read following the incident.
“With my experience in racing I was able not to panic, instead dealing with the situation to minimize the damage and use the crumple zone of 15 foot of car you have in front to take the impact which is what I did.”
“I have been racing for 38 years, and that is the worst incident I have had, but the race car is built in a way to protect you and this just shows you that the safety elements in this sport are doing their job.”
The throttle on Read’s Top Fuel dragster jammed open during qualifying at Sydney’s Fuchs Australian Nationals on September 13, seeing it hurtle at over 480 kilometres per hour down the quarter-mile strip, fly through the air after hitting the sand trap, travel through the catch net and the tyre wall before coming to a stop when it hit the embankment behind the tyre wall.
Read estimates that his dragster, in the space of 7.45 seconds, traveled two standard drag strips (half a mile) and went from what he believes to have been close to top speed to a stop in less than four feet when it finally came to rest on the embankment.
The Spring Top Fuel Championships also host Top Alcohol, Top Bike and Pro Stock this weekend, while kicking off a new season for Queensland drag racing which will feature a bumper five major Professional Group One events, including the return of the International Nightfire New Year Series with two nitro spectaculars in January.
