Stewart, Hunt Bring Classic Touch to Portland
The opening round of the 2014 Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship will be held at Portland's Fuchs South Coast Raceway on 4-5 January, with some exciting classic machines taking part.
New South Wales-based driver Allison Stewart and South Australian Mark Hunt have entered their old-school vehicles – Stewart, 24, will be driving the 'Oztin' Austin A40 in the Super Sedan category, a car she and her family race in memory of her father Doug.
"As a little kid, my sisters and I would frequently go to the track at Canberra to cheer dad on and I haven't looked back from there," Stewart said.
"Dad first built the 'Oztin' in 1983 and he continued to race at most tracks in eastern Australia until he passed away in 2007.
"Like everyone else racing at Portland it would be nice to win, but my main goal is to make sure everyone has a good time," Stewart said.
Hunt, 52, nicknamed "The Huntsman", will make his Supercharged Outlaws debut with a 1956 Ford Customline-bodied, tube chassis machine that should be capable of topping 250kmh in under five seconds at the eighth mile strip.
Hunt said the Customline has been completely rebuilt with a supercharged 380 cubic inch (6.2 litre) Ford engine using a two-speed Powerglide transmission, a far cry from its original cruising roots.
"This will be our first competition season in the car," Hunt said.
"Being a new car we are hoping to get an idea of its capability and times at Portland.
"My goal for the weekend is simply to be switched on. We're hoping to test this beast out properly, while enjoying some good quality racing and competition.
"I have not raced at Portland before but attended in 2013 as a spectator and found it to be a great track, with a great family environment and very friendly people. We stayed at the track for three days and had a fantastic time."
The Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship at Fuchs South Coast Raceway begins with qualifying from 11am to 5pm on Saturday, 4 January, with racing from 10am to 4pm on Sunday, 5 January.
