ANDRA releases 2014 calendar
ANDRA has released its historic 2014 calendar for both the ANDRA Drag Racing Series and the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.
In response to racers, the season has transitioned into a calendar year for the first time since the nineties, running from January through to December.
There will be 14 events in the ANDRA Drag Racing Series which is comprised of the six professional Australian drag racing categories Top Fuel, Top Doorslammer, Top Alcohol, Pro Stock, Top Bike and Pro Stock Motorcycle.
The season will kick off with a nitro flavour at Perth Motorplex with rounds of Top Fuel and Top Bike. Australian's own version of the 'Western Swing' will make up the first part of the season, ensuring racers are not taxed with too many journeys across the Nullarbor plain.
In total eight tracks will be running rounds of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series including Sydney Dragway, Willowbank Raceway, Perth Motorplex, Calder Park, Adelaide International Raceway, Hidden Valley Drag Strip in Darwin and new venues Alice Springs Inland Dragway and Queensland's Benaraby Raceway.
ANDRA CEO Malcolm Bulley said the growth in championship venues from just three in 2011 to eight in 2014 showed the strengthening that has occurred with the sport nationally.
"Expanding the ANDRA Drag Racing Series to as many venues as we can gives our competitors more exposure and showcases the sport of drag racing to a much larger proportion of the Australian population," he said.
"This is a truly national series again and that's going to result in some tremendous growth in a lot of areas next year."
Hidden Valley and Alice Springs will form part of a unique 'Central Swing' aimed at reducing travel costs for racers for these exciting venues, before a two month mid-season break.
Bulley said that the expansion of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series to Darwin in August went very well and the Northern Territory Government continues to show a lot of support to bring championship level racing to the region.
"The round at Darwin this season was one of my favourites for sure and both the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association and the NT Government thought it was very successful," he said.
"Next season we will be able to expand this to include professional racing in Alice Springs and the prospect of a major week of motorsports in the Territory is very exciting for everyone."
Another unique element of the calendar occurring for the first time will be championship rounds of different categories run on the same weekend in different parts of the country when Adelaide hosts Top Fuel, Top
Alcohol and Top Bike on the same dates as Benaraby runs a non-televised Pro Stock round.
"With so many different categories and combinations it is rare that all of them end up at the same event and this October date is going to be a trial to see if it is possible to run a big event at one track and a roadshow style event at another track," he said.
"The Pro Stock racers were keen for a date at Benaraby and they wanted to use the same long weekend as Adelaide to help with travel so we listened and were open to the idea, even though it is definitely something a bit different to the norm."
The Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship will grow to 14 rounds in a 12 month period with Calder Park, Mildura and Warwick looking forward to hosting their first sportsman rounds under the Aeroflow banner.
The round at Benaraby will be run simultaneously with the round in Adelaide in a first for the series.
"This past season has been a fantastic one for the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship, with rounds in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory," Bulley said.
"The expansion we have seen will continue and bringing Melbourne back into this fold is going to be great for our strong Victorian contingent."
Click here to see the 2014 calendar.
