Darrell Mathieson - winner of series 1 (Photo courtesy www.dragpix.net.au)The Australian Super Gas Racers will run a five-round Southern Super Gas Series this drag racing season, with four dates confirmed.

With the first round scheduled for Sydney Dragway's Australian Nationals in November 2012 and concludes with the 5th round at Fuchs South Coast Raceway in Portland on Sunday 2nd of March 2013.

Series spokesman Michael Bibby commented "For last season's inaugural series our aim was to get Super Gas racing re-established in Victoria as well as entice some race cars out of the shed. While entry levels were modest both objectives were achieved and that has given us the encouragement to go ahead with another season. A further aim was not to diminish ANDRA Championship racing by drawing Super Gas entries away from those events."

Matt Forbes - living the dream Drag racing isn’t a hobby and it certainly isn’t a past time. For many hard core fans and racers it’s not even a sport. It’s so much more than that.

For many it’s a way of life. From the minute you’re exposed to the sights, smells and sounds of drag racing you’re hooked. It’s gets in your bones and has an influence over many aspects of your life.

Ballarat born and bred, local sportsman racer Matt Forbes was bitten by the drag racing bug 30 years ago and it still plays a big part in both his personal and business life today.

Matt explains. “I don’t think I ever stood a chance of not being passionate about cars in some form. I was born into a family that had heavy involvement in hot rodding and muscle cars. However, strangely enough participating in drag racing was never on the agenda.”

Sixty year old Ian Ham knows a thing or two about drag racing – the father of Top Alcohol competitor Steven Ham, he has been around drag racing for decades and finally stepped into the drivers' seat himself 10 years ago when he bought himself a Sean Mullins built Modified dragster for his fiftieth birthday.

This weekend, the Beaudesert resident will head to his home-track of Warwick Dragway with that same racing machine to compete in round three of the 2012 JP Racing Eighth Mile Drag Racing Series, expected to host more than 100 competitors.

Fiona Reed (Photo courtesy www.dragphotos.com.au)When you think about drag racing and drag racers you tend to picture blokes, blowers and big burnouts.

However, when the smoke clears, sitting behind the wheel you'll sometimes find a woman who's putting a lot of these blokes on the trailer.

One of the great things about drag racing is it doesn't discriminate. If you can cut a light and run the number then you're in with a chance to go rounds. It doesn't matter how old you are, if you've eaten a few too many pies, or in this instance if you're of the fairer sex – drag racing just doesn't care.

Fowler Family Racing GXP (Photo courtesy www.cacklingpipes.com)Super Sedan racer Paul Partridge has a lot to answer for. Not because he drives a lime green Ford Mustang, but because Pardo is responsible for re-introducing Greg Fowler to drag racing.

Since getting back into the sport in 2001, Greg Fowler and the team at Fowler Family Racing have gone on to dominate the Super Sedan bracket in Australia, taking home more Gold Christmas Trees and trophies than can comfortably fit in the cabinet.

The team's success comes down to a number of factors, but most importantly it's commitment to the sport and taking every opportunity to go racing.

Aeroflow Performance Products and the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) are proud to announce that Aeroflow will be the new naming rights sponsor for the ANDRA Sportsman Drag Racing Series.

Formerly known as the Rocket Allstars Racing Series, the series will now be known as the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

The partnership with Rocket paid out some $300,000 to racers over six seasons and Aeroflow Performance Products managing director Graeme Cowin said he was thrilled about the announcement for the new branding of the series.

Drayton's Nathan Jannusch is looking to achieve a trio of 'three from three' results when he heads to his home-track of Warwick Dragway next weekend for round three of the JP Racing Queensland Eighth Mile Drag Racing Series.

JP Eighth Mile Racing Series rounds feature a 'round-robin' format which sees each racer able to compete in three races per event (plus qualifying). When Jannusch competed at his home-track for the 2010 and 2011 series outings, he was able to net victory in all three rounds of racing each time.

That would be two ANDRA Supercharged Outlaw Championships. And that’s exactly what Matt Watts was able to achieve with a runner-up finish at the 2012 ANDRA Winternationals.

Hailing from Alice Springs, Matt got his first taste of drag racing when his dad, Guy Watts, a 20 year veteran of the sport, gave his son the option of continuing to race dirt go-karts or lose the skirt (ED: I added that bit) and go drag racing in the families’ modified altered.

After a short stint of 3 races behind the wheel of the altered, Matt made the move to Brisbane to play professional Rugby League for the Redcliffe Dolphins after being spotted by a local talent scout.