There must be something about Canadians and Australians that extends to some kind of kinship. Maybe it's both living on the fringe of the American cultural tide, maybe it's a common historical inheritence, maybe it's a similar geographic experience with just a change of weather so they can recognise the difference. Whatever it is, Australia has in the past couple of years received some serious interest in our racing from Canadian competitors.
This has resulted in Top Alcohol Dragster racer Bob Wilson freighting in his car, just missing the 1999 Konica Winternationals after delays in shipping, and now blown sedan racer Jim Grant hauling his 526 Keith Black Hemi-powered 69 Dodge Dart across the Pacific, just to race in our fields.
Both racers will be making the trek for this season's series of events, with Grant's being the more extensive tour, taking in races from Perth to Willowbank.
Grant is an old "muscle car" fan, which has extended out to the adaption of such a car as pure race machine.
"The completion of this car is, so far, the only achievement in my drag racing career," he admits.
Grant will be bringing his crew of Dick Foster, and ex-crew chief on a Trans Am team in the sixties and seventies, in January or February, along with his wife Else, and Les Arcand, an ex-crew chief on a Top Alcohol Funny Car with a lot of experience on aluminium Hemi engines. Arcand will come down just after the car lands and help with testing and tuning and then "pass it on" to Australian racer Grant Hogwood, who will be in charge after that.
Grant stumbled on the Australian racing scene through Bob Wilson's web site, and out of curiosity spoke to Wilson, and then began browsing on the web, where his enquiries were picked up by Sydney racer Grant Hogwood, of WTF Racing, who, curiously, used to campaign a 69 Valiant in Super Sedan. Hogwood gave him a contact and a base of information.
"After over one year of planning, rebuilding, and preparing, we are getting close to actually racing in Australia," said Grant. "It's hard to explain to a non-enthusiast why on earth I would spend a year (and God only knows how much money - I'm afraid to add it up) working to prepare for seven seconds of fun! But that's drag racing, you are either consumed by it or have no interest whatsoever.
"I have only been to Australia once and that was in February and March of this year. I spent some time in Melbourne, Sydney, and the Gold Coast. I visited Calder Park, the site of the proposed new NSW track, andW illowbank.
"Over the course of the last year I have talked to a few North American and Australian racers about fan support, and the support of drag racing enthusiasts in Australia is one of the major reasons we were able to commit to this trip. We have decided to give a little something back to the fans who we hope will support our efforts at the tracks.
"To show our appreciation to anyone who buys a piece of WTF Racing merchandise at any of the tracks we will be racing at, their names will be entered into a draw to win one of a series of prizes."
These prizes will be:
One of four rides in the Best Western 7 second Wild Bunch/Top Comp car:
"Contestants' names will remain in the pool until the final prize is awarded, so everyone gets five chances to win. Winners will be announced exclusively in DRAGSTER Australia magazine, so be sure to get your copy early and if you're not a subscriber, sign up now. Winners will be required to contact either DRAGSTER Australia magazine or any Best Western location throughout Australia, produce their half of their contest entry ticket and identify themselves to collect their prize.
"The car is basically brand new and we have never run the current combination," admits Grant. "The chassis, rear end, larger tubs and tyres, clutch, and transmission are all brand spanking new and combine this with a new helix supercharger and we don't know what to expect. Last year (with a worn out old standard roots 14-71 driven 25 percent over making 15 lb of boost) our best was 8.53 at 164 mph [264 kmh]. On this pass we were smoking the tyres at 1000 ft!
"We had a torque converter front end (Quickdrive) and a two-speed Lenco but it just did not work! With the three-disc clutch, three-speed Lenco, Top Fuel tyres, and new supercharger at 35-40 percent over (making actual boost!) we are looking for numbers in the very low sevens. The whole idea to me of a DYO class is that you don't have to hurt parts.
"The car will be based at Grant Hogwood's place near Sydney and, with no track there, we will kind of 'radius out' to the various events. We will use Grant's transporter which not only saves me a bundle on shipping, but fits in with the international team thing. He has a 44 ft trailer and prime mover that he will be using for his dragster when it's rebuilt, but for now it's available for us."
The car was bought as a roller, with just 10 passes on it and was then equipped, firstly with an injected 526 KB Hemi with Veney heads, Enderle Buzzard and a two-speed Lenco fronted by a Quick Drive converter, and after disappointing results the intake was switched to the 14-71.
"The car is currently certified NHRA Sportsman Chrome Moly but retains two mild steel frame rails which prevent it from being 25.1 certified," Grant stated. "We will, of course, undergo ANDRA tech scrutiny upon arrival and have toyed with the idea of applying for T/D certification and maybe (if all goes well throughout the season and we have some parts left) try to qualify at the Winternationals in the T/D category. Just to say we did it, you know? I am quite confident that the car is capable of high sixes, but whether or not it would be good enough to qualify is open to debate. We would need a little luck. I don't intend on burning up a motor just to say we ran T/D. The initial test and tune at Calder will give us a better idea of what the car likes and doesn't like. There are some very, very, tough competitors in the Australian T/D class and I know it would be a valuable experience just to try and qualify with them."
The car went into the container in Canada on October 27 and will be in Melbourne for the start of the tour on November 21. The car will undergo testing at Calder in early December before its first Australian race meeting.
Back on a freighter for the trip back to Canada. By the time we arrive home our new Top Doorslammer should be ready for running gear and track trials in preparation for the 2000/01 Australian Top Doorslammer tour. DA
Sidebar Where d'ya ged it . . . ?
THE tour by Jim Grant's Wild Bunch-cum-Top Comp 69 Dodge Dart will touch down at the following tracks:
"The Nationals is our ultimate aim," stated Grant. "This meeting rivals anything in the world."
Sidebar So, why did he do it?
"I don't personally know Bob Wilson, but have followed his exploits closely on the internet and he has been good enough to offer me bits of advice via e-mail on getting the car over there," related Grant. "It was not Bob, however, that convinced me to make the trip. It's hard to explain, but to me, the very fact that I have been asked this question so many times is what makes racing in Australia so appealing (besides the simple pleasure of touring your beautiful country doing what I love).
There are top notch competitors, avid fans, community and corporate support, and none of the overinflated ego NHRA travelling circus B.S. that I am getting away from. I want to race because I like it and I'm competing against real people who also like it, not against "mega buck corporate sponsored money hungry prima donas" who don't have the time of day for you. I am also tired of paying HUGE dollars for parts on my car that become SFI obsolete so that a certain person or persons un-named can line their own pockets with more of my money every year. Don't get me started!
"After that last little monologue, it's ironic that I should relate this story about the man who is probably regarded as the epitome of drag racing success, but because of his personality, I am forced to admit that not all of the big names in NHRA drag racing have lost sight of their roots and their respect for the average 'sport' racer.
"Grant Hogwood and Gordon Carlsen (the two Aussie 'gentlemen' who will be the bulk of the team while down under) came up to my home town of Vancouver this last September and from here we flew to Indianapolis to see the US Nationals which, as everyone knows, is the ultimate stop on the NHRA travelling circus tour. On the last day of the event we were desparate for some decent food after eating American 'cuisine' all week. Who should be at the same restaurant (some 10 miles from the track) but John Force and Phil Burkhart.
"Now I have never been a hero worshiper, but I do know of instances where John Force has gone out of his way to spend time with disabled kids who do worship him and he did this when there were no cameras or press around to witness it. This I respect. At the track we saw him spending many hours signing autographs and never once saw any sign of gratitude from the American drag racing public. It occured to us that maybe he and his wife might enjoy a bottle of wine with their spaghetti so we sent one over to him with instructions to not reveal who sent it. It was not our intention to solicit conversation or bother him while dining with his family.
"He appreciated this so much that he forced the waiter to bring him to our table where he reminisced with Grant and Gordon about his start in drag racing in Australia. He also invited us to return to the track the next day to watch their testing sessions, but I had made arrangements to see a racer in Chicago about a spare block (who obviously did not share John Force's courtesy because it was a waste of time) so we had to decline.
"I'm afraid that I am just an ordinary racer with few accomplishments so far to brag about and few stories that anyone might find interesting, so I related this one as my 'brush with greatness' story. The point is that while not all 'big time racers' are egomaniacs, generally speaking I find the atmosphere in drag racing in Australia more to my liking, and if John Force had a good time down under and remembers it fondly years later, that's good enough for me!
DA
Now this came into HH a while ago, but goes well with this story:
Larry, Just a note to tell you (or try to tell you) how great it is to be here. IMAGINE A PLACE....... where the head of the governing body gets involved with your licensing procedure after NHRA dropped the ball with a simple request from a member, a place where the track calls in the weather station operator after hours so you can have some info because your weather station is in the trailer 1000 kms away, a place where they give you a garage to get ready in with 240V-120V, air, lights, concrete floor and telephone, a place where they expect to draw 20,000 this weekend and actually tell you that you have some market impact, and that they appreciate it, a place where they deliver the fuel to your pit, a place where they appreciate the work and time invested in your car. Just imagine such a place. It's called Australia.
They have really been almost embarrassingly helpful. We missed out on getting a trial pass in last Friday night because we blew the o-ring out of the blower manifold on the stands and couldn't get it back together in time. We will be doing a promo thing at a local mall for the track on Thursday and then the race on Friday-Saturday. I will let you know what happens.
Just a note to all those guys loafing around Langley bwho seem to have little else to do except talk about me; if you're going to talk about someone at least get the story straight. Yes, I can hear you f..s down here. Strange how all of this escalated after I left and yet noone has ever phoned me to ask what the story is. The long and short of it is I am down here racing in Australia (with the full co-operation of all my true friends) and you backstabbing cowards are all freezing your street rods off up there.
Later, Jim Grant