Well Worth Waiting For

After seven agonizingly long years, New South Wales drag racing has been given a home once again. The 2004 Summernationals, hosted by the $20 million Western Sydney International Dragway, heralded in the rebirth for the sport that it so desperately needed. Not since October 1997's Premier State Nationals at Eastern Creek Raceway had Australia 's most populated city seen professional competition. The state of the art raceway, which was the result of a dedicated group of drag racing enthusiasts, headed by Australian drag racing legend Jim Read and former Dragster Australia Magazine publisher David Cook, produced an event that will forever remain firmly in Australian drag racing history. Records were smashed, crowd attendance was impressive, and the heat was on in Australia . Our Australian partners, Dragster.com.au, take a look back at Western Sydney 's historic opening.

Without Roy Smith making the trip to Sydney for his first meeting in some time, Top Fuel was reduced to seven competitors for the commencement of Friday qualifying. To unbolt that aforementioned first session, Top Fuel Series points leader John Cowin, took on Western Sydney International Dragway CEO Jim Read. After Read was forced to shut down following the burnout, Cowin blasted out a 5.063 at 291.26, an impressive feat on a track with the temperature hovering around 62 degrees C (143F). Cowin's time was enough to hold him in the top spot after the first session. Australian Nationals Runner-up Terry Sainty also graced the Sydney surface in the first session, and after having a fantastic first two rounds to the series, much anticipation surrounded what the all Australian team could produce. The first of the Gulf Western Oils backed dragsters didn't disappoint either, posting a 5.387 at 236.55 MPH, after an early shut off. With the remaining two Gulf Western entries of Bob and Luke Shepherd sitting out the first session, the two Santo's Cranes dragsters of American visitor Mike Dunn, and Queenslander Steve Read were left to complete qualifying. After a fantastic 0.899 60 foot time, Dunn went on to belt out a 5.193 at 269.24 MPH to move him into second behind Cowin, while Read managed a 5.397 at 257.33 MPH to place him in number four.

John Cowin and Jim Read paired up once again in Friday's second session, with both competitors side by side until just after half track, when the power went out in both lanes. Cowin began with a spectacular 0.863 60 foot time, but ended up with a 5.424 at only 185.59 MPH to rely on his earlier 5.06 to remain in number one. Read on the other hand had failed to place a pass in the first session, and would have been content with his 0.956 60 foot time, before posting a 5.865 at only 172.54 MPH to sit at the back of the field in number six. Bob Shepherd made his first pass of the weekend in session two, pairing up beside fellow Gulf Western Oils sponsored Terry Sainty. Sainty provided another great showing, leaving positively with a 0.922 60 foot time, and running an improving 5.288 at 247.69 MPH. In the opposite lane, Shepherd was also impressive, running a 5.436 at only 203.28 MPH to move ahead of Jim Read and sit in number five. Steve Read also fronted for the second qualifying session, with the car smoking the tyres hard just after 330 foot, not improving on his previous effort. In the second of the Rapisarda dragsters, Mike Dunn was on an astonishing pass, with a 0.869 60 foot time, but could only manage a 5.118 at 238.05 MPH after losing the supercharger belt well before the finish line. While improving on his previous 5.19, Dunn's position did not improve in position, remaining in number two.

As with Friday, Saturday produced two intense sessions of Top Fuel Qualifying. Already number one qualifier John Cowin once again lined up against fifteen-time Australian Champion Jim Read. Read was obviously disappointed with his Friday efforts netting a best of 5.86, and would have been impressed with the improvement from the Auto One Dragster, managing a 5.193 at 278.29 MPH with a cylinder out from half track. Cowin also impressively improved on his previous number one blast, with a 5.051 at 293.15 MPH. Mike Dunn and Terry Sainty paired up in the second pass of the third session, with Dunn looking firmly at the number one position. Dunn left with a Cowin equalling 0.876 60 foot time, and blasted his way to a 4.902 at 301.54 pass. The run marked the first sub five second run of the event, and the first run over 300 MPH at the facility. The near capacity crowd at the Western Sydney raceway were left on their feet after the pass, a fantastic achievement for the Dunn at Mikres at Rapisarda combination. Sainty on the other hand failed to improve on his session two efforts, with a 5.389 at 274.72 MPH. To round out qualifying for the second to last session, Steve Read once again smoked the tyres after 330 foot on his solo, only managing a 5.601 at 203.25 MPH, not improving on his previous 5.39.

The final qualifying session for Top Fuel produced some outstanding performances. Terry Sainty lined up against debutante Luke Shepherd, with Shepherd making his first appearance for the weekend after damaging an engine in Wednesday's testing session. Shepherd manages to post his personal best elapsed time, with a 5.311 at 287.78 MPH to complete qualifying in number six, while Sainty belts out yet another stellar run, a 5.224 at 276.86 MPH. The two Santo's Cranes entries of Mike Dunn and Steve Read were next to grace the track, with Dunn already firmly holding the number one spot. Dunn left with an event best 60 foot time of 0.858 and rocketed his way to yet another sub five second pass, a 4.821 at 307.57 MPH, to reset the National Record above 300 MPH for the first time in Australian history. Read also blasted his way up the field, moving into number three with a fantastic 5.132 at 278.35 MPH. John Cowin and Jim Read once again paired up for the final session, sitting in number two and four respectively. Cowin on this occasion steals the limelight, racing to the number one position with the quickest and fastest pass at the facility, an astonishing 4.813 at 309.42 MPH. Read also posted his quickest pass on the track, with a 5.062 at only 256.21 MPH enough to leapfrog Steve Read and move into number three. Once again the massive crowd at the Western Sydney facility were left on their feet, appreciating the efforts of the teams in 40 degree heat. Bob Shepherd was left the task of completing qualifying, needing a 5.30 to move ahead of nephew Luke in the qualifying order. On this occasion the Drag Racing veteran fell short, running a 5.368 at 267.59 MPH to remain in number seven.

After a stirring opening ceremony for the facility, Western Sydney International Dragway CEO Jim Read was given the honour of placing down the first competition pass for a Group One vehicle at the $20 million raceway. Read, the number three qualifier took on number six Luke Shepherd. Australian media magnate Allan Jones was given the honour of flicking the starters switch for the historic pass. After both leaving with fairly sluggish 0.2 reaction times, the dragsters were neck and neck until Read smoked the tyres after 330 foot, the engine exploding in the traps and the fairytale over, Shepherd taking the win a 5.36 to a 5.46. Read was left with no parachutes after they had been shredded from the intensity of the blaze, running straight into the sand trap and taking out the safety net. The Shepherd team were elated with the result, being Luke's first ever competition win. Australian Nationals Runner-up Terry Sainty took on former Australian Champion Steve Read in the second pairing. Sainty left first on this occasion, and held the lead the entire quarter, after the Read dragster falling away after half track. Sainty produced a personal best time for the team, a 5.112 at 271.13 MPH. With one member of the Shepherd family already through to the second round, it was left to Bob Shepherd to take on American and number two qualifiers Mike Dunn in the first round match up. Dunn, who also opted for the left lane, took the jump and ran away with the run, a 5.028 at 282.24 accounting for Shepherd's 5.903 at only 172.21 MPH. Number one qualifier John Cowin was looking to claim the national speed record from Mike Dunn on his solo, needing over 301 MPH. While Cowin was on yet another impressive pass, the rocketship managed a 5.033 at 293.79 MPH.

The Top Fuel semi-finals produced a repeat of the Australian Nationals final, with John Cowin taking on Terry Sainty. Cowin emerged the victor that time, and once again ran away from Sainty, running a 4.993 at 240.05 MPH to Sainty's 5.400 at 250.55 MPH. The Sainty team have produced a meteoric rise this season, and with yet another semi-finals berth, Terry moved his way up to number two in the Australian points, behind Jim Read. In the second of the semi-finals, Mike Dunn took on Luke Shepherd. The pass became a non-event, after the Shepherd team damaged the engine in the first round, and only opted to stage, hoping that Dunn would commit the unthinkable. Shepherd had no such luck though, with Dunn leaving on a 0.104 light and blasting his way to his quickest time for the weekend, a 4.817 at 289.45 MPH taking lane choice into the final.

Australia versus USA became the theme for the final round of Top Fuel. Fittingly, number one and two qualifiers John Cowin, and Mike Dunn went head to head. Dunn had already secured the National speed record, with Cowin still a chance of stealing that mantle. After a near equal start, Cowin took a slight lead before Dunn goes up in smoke, seemingly having lost the race. Cowin then lost the supercharger belt after half track, with Dunn nearly pulling off an upset, a 5.504 at a fast finishing 268.33 MPH just not enough to account for Cowin's 5.387 at 187.00 MPH. The event produced Cowin's third consecutive win in the 2004 Australian Top Fuel Championship, taking a near unbeatable lead into the fourth round also at the Western Sydney International Dragway.

Australian Top Alcohol has experienced a recent decline in competitor support over the last couple of years, however at Western Sydney 's Summernationals, the combined Dragster and Funny Car bracket experienced a resurgence in popularity, with thirteen competitors attempting to make the eight vehicle field.

Many competitors in Friday's first session of Top Alcohol struggled with tyre shake, with West Australian Damian Harris ending the round in number one with a 6.303 at 225.22 MPH. 1994 Australian Champion Steve Reed, and 2002 Champion Wayne Newby also took the opportunity to compete in the first session, recording a 7.46 and a 10.206 respectively. Mark Grima was last to round out the qualifying session, crossing the centreline but still posting a 6.663 at 204.14 MPH. Grima hadn't been disqualified from the seeding order at the close of qualifying, before intervention from observant Dragster.com.au and Australian Drag Racing Magazine reporters who pointed the fact out to race control. Session two began with Willowbank National Open winner Dean Oakey shooting to number one with a 5.994 at 228.96 MPH which impressed many in what was still incredible heat. Husband and wife duo Steve and Debbie Reed moved into number two and three respectively, with Steve posting a 6.201 at 229.82 MPH and Debbie a 6.299 at 217.77 MPH. Victorian Robert Ambrousi placed himself firmly in the field with a 6.505 at 223.69 MPH, while Damian Harris consolidated his 6.30 with a 6.386 at 221.02 MPH. Surprisingly, the winners of the last nine Australian Championships, Gary Phillips and Wayne Newby, had failed to post competitive times at Friday's close.

Saturday's first session began with the two aforementioned competitors, Phillips and Newby facing up. Newby, who has experienced some extreme tyre shake in recent times, was struggling to find the correct combination to place himself in the field. On this occasion Newby once again experienced severe shake, the wheelie bar piercing the right hand tyre, taking out the wing, with the dragster doing a full 180 degree turn heading straight back towards the startline. Pieces of the tyre were shredded that horrifically they cleared the spectator grandstands, heading into bushland. The accident was enough to put the Newby team out for the weekend, but are sure to return to competition in the near future. While this was taking place, Phillips, the most accomplished Alcohol competitor in Australian history blasted his way to a 5.823 at 242.63 MPH, and a number one birth. Damien Harris and Dean McClennan both improved on previous times, the pair of Funny Cars posting a 6.197 and 6.442 respectively. Unlike Harris and McClennan, Dean Oakey and Steve Reed both failed to improve on Friday times, while John Armour in the second of the American Auto Parts dragsters could only muster a 7.970 at 171.93 MPH. Mark Grima was once again disqualified in session three, after failing a fuel test. Queenslanders Steve Reed and Dean McClennan were the notable improvers in the final session of qualifying, Reed posting a 6.142 at 229.78 MPH to move into number three while McClennan managed a 6.342 at 221.52 MPH. Mark Grima ran a 7.206 at 202.73 MPH to make the field at the eleventh hour, while Harris (6.19) and Oakey (5.99) also impressed.

Number one qualifier Phillips took an easy first round win after Grima rolled through stage for a foul, with Phillips aborting the run after spotting Grima struggling to stay within his lane. Fellow Queenslanders and Funny Car competitors Dean McClennan and Steven Reed also paired up, and on this occasion it was Reed to go up in smoke off the startline, before getting all out of shape and handing McClennan the win, a 6.198 at 229.90 MPH to Reed's 7.035 at 196.36 MPH. With husband Steve out of competition, it was up to Debbie Reed to fly the family flag. Reed, pedalling the small block dragster, took on yet another funny-car competitor in the form of Damien Harris. Reed is notoriously quick off the startline, this first round proving no exception gaining nearly two tenths of a second, with Harris's quicker 6.316 at 225.00 MPH not enough to catch the 6.494 at 205.26 MPH for Reed. Margin of victory between the two competitors just one hundredth of a second. Another dragster versus funny car battle rounded out the first round, this time Dean Oakey taking on Robert Ambruosi. After Ambruosi this time picked up two tenths off the startline, Oakey had the speed to take the win comfortably, a 6.297 at 222.84 MPH to Ambruosi's 6.770 at 213.87 MPH.

A David and Goliath battle pursued between Debbie Reed and Gary Phillips in the semi final, with Reed having lane choice and selecting the favourable left side of the racetrack, leaving Phillips in unfamiliar territory. On this occasion, Phillips held the lead from start to finish, leaving with a 0.982 60 foot time and posting an event quickest 5.803 at 239.78 MPH to Reed's 7.377 at 131.24 MPH. On the flipside sole remaining funny car competitor Dean McClennan took on Dean Oakey. In what was a repeat of the January 3 final at Willowbank Raceway where Oakey took the win, McClennan emerged victor on this occasion, taking a 6.09 to 6.75 victory after Oakey struggled with extreme tyreshake.

Dean McClennan, running as part of the Team Bray Top Doorslammer outfit, returned for his second final in as many meetings, taking on Australian Nationals winner Gary Phillips. Phillips selected the right hand side of the racetrack, where he was to start favourite. Dean took the early jump, with Phillips with him until half track, before the dragster went all out of shape, McClennan taking the most unlikely of victories, a 6.032 at 234.00 MPH to Phillips's 7.247 at 129.49 MPH. It was McClennan's first event victory, and now moves him into number two in the points race behind Phillips.

As with what has become customary in Australian Top Doorslammer over recent years, making the exclusive eight car field at the 2004 Summernationals was an achievement in itself. With every Australian Top Doorslammer Champion entered for qualifying, the bracket is undoubtedly Australia 's toughest professional category.

Friday's first qualifying session proved to be a battle of the tyre shake, with only Grant O'Rourke, Steve Stanic and Ben Bray posting competitive numbers. West Australian O'Rourke was impressive, with a 1.072 60 foot time and a great 6.405 at 225.00 MPH to hold down number one after the first session. Stanic's 6.427 and Bray's 6.646 placed them in second and third respectively, with the rest of the field struggling in what was extreme Sydney heat. Friday's second session was slightly more fruitful for many competitors, with current Australian points leader Brett Stevens starting with a 1.056 60 foot time, and finishing with a 6.253 at 228.04 MPH to bolt his way up to number one. Sydney's own Maurice Fabietti also impressed in session two, posting a 6.495 to move up into number four, while nine time Australian Top Alcohol Champion Gary Phillips's 6.761 at 222.77 MPH was good enough for sixth. Former Australian Champions Peter Kapiris, Ben Bray and Victor Bray along with Shane Olive, Robin Judd, Joe Schembri, and Allan Sarkis all struggled in the session, making Saturday's last two qualifying sessions extremely important. Former number one qualifier Grant O'Rourke experienced a wild ride in his second dig, after blazing the tyres off the startline the Monaro turned hard left, smashing into the left hand wall, before moving onto the ride hand side, and then making its way back to rest against the left hand wall. O'Rourke suffered bruised ribs, elbow and foot in the incident, which follows wife Debbie's spectacular incident in a similar Monaro at last November's Australian Nationals.

Saturday qualifying was also no mean feat, with only Allan Sarkis, Peter Kapiris, Victor Bray and Maurice Fabietti posting times in the six second region in the third session. Sarkis produced the number one time for the session, after riding the centreline ran a 6.547 at 214.72 MPH, while 2002 Australian Champion Peter Kapiris managed a 6.749 at 222.91 MPH in the opposite lane. Fabietti, while running a 6.65 did not improve on his session two time, while Victor Bray battled through extreme tyre shake to post a 6.685 at 216.51 to place him in the field. Peter Kapiris was the first to impress in the final session, running a 1.105 short time and going through for a 6.455 at 223.95 MPH to move himself up a couple of positions within the field. Number one qualifier Brett Stevens consolidated his 6.253 at 228.04 MPH with a 6.274 at 226.32 MPH to look consistent come race day, while Victor Bray also improved, a 6.465 at 211.06 MPH moving himself from the dreaded number eight bump spot. Shane Olive and Allan Sarkis both moved into the sixes comfortably with a 6.790 and 6.535 respectively, however Olive's time was not enough to leapfrog Bray junior and didn't make the field. The story of the last session was the massive improvement from the Lucas Oils sponsored Studebaker of Gary Phillips, who after sitting on the bump spot, moved his way to number one with a stellar 6.236 at 217.14 MPH. It capped off a fantastic couple of days for the Lucas Oils Products team, who also top qualified in Top Alcohol.

Number one Gary Phillips faced up against number eight Ben Bray in a very tense first round. Phillips and Bray had raced each other in the final round of the Australian Nationals in both 2002 and 2003, with Bray the victor on both occasions. As with what has become customary for the defending Australian Champion, Bray got the startline jump and ran away with a 6.442 to a 6.46 win. The Castrol Bray team were elated with the upset result, with Phillips a major contender in the series points race. Defending Australian Nationals winner Steve Stanic took on Maurice Fabietti in the second of the first round pairings, Stanic borrowing an engine from Grant O'Rourkes Monaro and on this occasion ran away with a popular win, a 6.416 at 219.26 MPH from Fabietti's 6.802 at 214.08 MPH. Victor Bray and Peter Kapiris, two men who have dominated the bracket since its inception in 1994 faced off in an unusual first round match-up. Kapiris took the slightest of leads from the startline, and had enough to hold on with a 6.440 at 224.51 to Bray's 6.472 at 219.47 MPH, in what was the closest race of the opening round. Just three hundredths of a second separated the two in the deep end. To close out the first round, number two and seven qualifiers Brett Stevens and Allan Sarkis faced up. Sarkis is left napping on the startline in this battle, and gets all out of shape, narrowly missing the wall and heading across the centreline, handing Stevens a comfortable 6.406 at 224.58 win.

Stevens and Stanic faced off in the first of the Top Doorslammer semi-finals, with both competitors experiencing the joy of a round win this season. On this occasion, Stanic takes a slight jump off the startline, however Stevens had the power to drive around in the end, a 6.227 at 229.86 MPH enough to account for the Camaro's 6.439 at 221.23 MPH. Peter Kapiris was out on the flip side of the semi-final, attempting to make a clean sweep of Team Bray. The 2002 Australian Champion takes also took a startline jump, but once again it is the 2003 Champion of Bray who runs away with the win, a 6.224 at 228.46 MPH on this occasion taking out the 6.383 at a marginally faster 228.50 MPH for Kapiris. The pass from Bray junior secures lane choice by just three thousandths of a second for the final.

After Dean McClennan stole the win in Top Alcohol, Ben Bray had the opportunity to make it two from two with the Castrol team. The run is also significant for Bray to try and claw back some of the lead already accrued by Stevens this season. Bray once again steals the startline jump, and simply drives away from Stevens, a consistent 6.255 at 229.00 MPH taking the win from Stevens's 6.746 at 224.70 MPH. The entire Bray team are ecstatic with the achievement, moving Ben into number two behind Stevens in the Top Doorslammer Championship.

Another oversubscribed field of thirteen competitors entered for the two-wheeled kings of the sport, Top Bike Eliminator. Current Australian National Record holder Jay Upton on his amazing Triumph made his intentions very clear in the first session of qualifying, posting a fantastic 6.558 at 191.92 MPH to sit in number one by eight tenths of a second. Craig Bonwick and Dave Boreham on the turbo Suzuki were also relatively solid in the first session, posting a 7.321 and 7.732 respectively. Australian point score leader, Jack Daniels's Brett Stevens was disappointing, struggling after half track with an 8.074 at 163.99 MPH. Peter Allen, Chris Jackson, Phil Parker, Peter Pearce, and Kim Stevens all failed to post competitive times in the oppressive heat.

Jay Upton was once again the only competitor to excel in session two, after a 1.098 60 foot time, the Triumph rocketed away for a 6.455 at 198.44 MPH, resetting the National elapsed time record in the process. Craig Bonwick stayed within the mid-seven second region, with a 7.525 at 184.32 MPH consolidating his previous 7.32. Mark Ashelford in one half of the Attitude Racing team narrowly missed out on a seven, posting an 8.031 at 137.75 MPH, while Boreham could only manage an 8.455 at 117.26 MPH.

Upton sat out Saturday's first session, while the rest of the field struggled to improve on previous times. Craig Bonwick's 7.630 at 174.32 MPH remained the quickest for the session, followed by Craig Hartman's 8.188 at 132.75 MPH and Brett Stevens's 8.214 at 168.64 MPH. Many competitors entered Saturday's final qualifying sessions with a position in the field on the line. As always Jay Upton left the facility in shock, another 6.500 this time at over 207.75 MPH. Brett Stevens showed true form for the first time over the weekend with an impressive 7.186 at 184.52 MPH for number two. Jack Daniels team mate Troy McLean also dipped into the sevens with a 7.901 at 146.65 MPH, with Bonwick (7.513), and Mark Ashelford (7.848) also looking solid.

Come race day. number one qualifier Jay Upton took on newcomer Kim Stevens in the first round match-up, with Upton taking an easy win, after getting on and off the throttle on several occasions the bike went through for a 6.758 at 171.42 MPH to Stevens's 8.485 at 135.76 MPH. The turbo Suzuki of Dave Boreham lined up against West Australian Mark Ashelford in the second pairing, with only a tenth of a second separating the two competitors at the completion of qualifying. Boreham took a slight advantage off the startline, and turned it into a win with a 7.799 at 167.80 MPH to Ashelford's 9.700 at only 97.87 MPH. Brett Stevens took on the second of the Attitude racing Harley's, this time Ian Ashelford also from Western Australia . Ashelford had major problems in the burnout, deciding to only stage the bike and roll through, handing Stevens the win with a 7.659 at 170.13 MPH. To complete the first round, Stevens's team mate Troy McLean took on Craig Bonwick. McLean picked up nearly two tenths in reaction time difference, and ran away with an 8.357 at 144.64 MPH win.

Jay Upton faced up against Dave Boreham in the first of the Top Bike semi finals, with Boreham shutting the bike off after the burnout. Upton elected to ride the bike through the finish for his solo win, a 6.712 at 179.63 MPH still an overly impressive time. Jack Daniels racing invaded the startline for the second semi final, with Brett “The Boss” Stevens taking on Troy McLean. McLean was the first to leave the startline, with the bikes going side by side until Stevens ran away with the race, posting his first six second time of the weekend a 6.966 at 199.76 MPH, to McLean 's 7.692 at 159.95 MPH.

A common site in a final round saw Jay Upton take on Brett Stevens. The two competitors had met in the previous three Top Bike finals, with Stevens having a 3-0 win ratio. Upton had quite obviously been the form competitor of the event, and after giving away a startline advantage to Stevens, ran away with an Australian quickest and fastest 6.392 at 215.31 MPH, to Stevens's 6.997 at 187.99 MPH. The massive crowd at the Western Sydney International Dragway are left on their feet after an astonishing run from Upton, who now closes the gap in the Australian Championship.

Pro Stock bounced back from a disappointing Nationals with 10 competitors entered for qualifying. The factory hot rods where going to do it tough in the hot conditions, no doubt leaving the 400ci small blocks screaming for more air while not troubling the record writers this weekend.

Only seven cars fronted the first session in the heat, Tony Wedlock in the Pontiac ended the session in number 1 with a 7.506 at 181.94 MPH followed by hired gun Peter Ridgeway in his ex Oldsmobile Cutlass and a 7.560 at 182.87 MPH. Only Denis Whiting 7.606 at 180.50 MPH and Joe Polito 7.622 at 178.40 MPH had other passes representative of the class. Session two started off with the first passes of the weekend for Andrew Stavroulakis's Ford EL XR8 Falcon and Gavin Handley's beautiful Holden Commodore, Handley could not find reverse after the burnout and Stavroulakis spun the tyres to an 8.729 at 162.37 MPH. Dennis Whiting improved to a 7.556 at 180.65 in the Grand Prix, while Wedlock broke off the line opposite him. Ian Brown made his Pro Stock debut running his now ex Super Stock Camaro in the next pairing, Brown with the smaller 318 cubes on board allowed to run at lighter weight than the 400ci cars. Brown's hood scoop parts company with the car through the traps while on a 7.967 at 168.41 MPH run. On the next pass, Ridgeway steals back the number 1 position with a 7.494 at 183.69 MPH along side the Ford Probe of Jason Grima making his first full pass at 7.582 at 180.02 MPH. The final pairing of the second session saw John Barbagallo and Mike Tinney; Barbagallo finishing with a 7.690 at 179.97 to move solidly into the field, while Tinney had his second troubled pass.

In the third session, Stavroulakis improved to an 8.374 at 162.98 MPH keeping Handley's 8.451 at 158.13 MPH out of the 8 car field. Mike Tinney was the only other driver to improve with a 7.771 at 176.10 MPH to bump Stavroulakis out. Moving into the final round of qualifying, the Holden Commodore of Handley and Ford Falcon of Stavroulakis were on the outside looking in and needing to run quicker than a 7.96 to make the show. Brown is on the bump and is against Whiting in the first pass of the session but both fail to improve. Stavroulakis is next up and has not qualified, has troubles off the line and a 12.483 at 70.23 MPH was never going to get it done. Polito in the Probe matches up to current number 1 Peter Ridgeway, Ridgeway goes improved with an awesome 7.428 at 184.32 MPH to cement number 1, while Polito improves with a 7.545 at 179.22 MPH. Handley struggles with an 8.531 at 158.74 MPH in the next pair and fails to qualify while in the opposite lane Tony Wedlock runs 7.482 at 181.98 MPH which is only good enough for him to stay in number two. The final pass in qualifying saw Mike Tinney who improved again to a 7.627 at 177.84 MPH to move to number 6. After the four sessions Ridgeway was number 1 with a 7.428, followed by Wedlock 7.482, Polito 7.545, Whiting 7.556, Grima 7582, Tinney 7.627, Barbagallo 7.719, Brown 7.967 while Stavroulakis and Handley missed the cut.

Sunday was race day and the question was who could, if anyone catch Peter Ridgeway. Ridgeway was pedalling his ex Oldsmobile Cutlass who he sold to Dave Rogan last year. Peter has been driving the car until Rogan is ready to license it himself. John Barbagallo retired from the meeting overnight after suffering engine damage in qualifying, therefore moving a lucky Andrew Stavroulakis into the field as first alternate.

The first pairing in eliminations sees Grima's Probe against Whiting's Grand Prix, Grima leaving first .061 to .074 after a nice burn down, however it was Whiting barely in the top end taking the win with a 7.610 at 179.56 MPH to a 7.644 at 178.73 MPH. Polito then wastes a 7.674 at 178.21 MPH as the Probe leaves with a -0.014 red light against Tinney's Commodore which mustered a 7.729 at 176.77MPH run. The third pairing had newcomer Ian Brown facing veteran Tony Wedlock, a long burndown ensued however it was Pro Stock rookie Ian Brown with the .075 light to Wedlocks's .087. Wedlock had the horsepower stomping through the top end with a 7.599 at 180.07 MPH in the Pontiac to Brown's 7.955 at 170.92 MPH. In the final pairing top qualifier Ridgeway meets first alternate Stavroulakis, despite a huge holeshot to Stavroulakis .079 to Ridgeway's .140, it was all Ridgeway a 7.573 at 182.11 MPH blew past the 8.440 at 161.92 MPH of Stavroulakis's Falcon.

The Oldsmobile Cutless of Ridgeway takes on the Pontiac Grand Prix of Whiting in the first of the Pro Stock Semi Finals, after another classic burndown, Whiting takes the holeshot .066 over Ridgeway's 0.133 and holds onto it across the finish line in a major upset, Whiting's 7.533 at 181.91 MPH defeats the number 1 qualifier's 7.475 at 184.32 MPH. Mike Tinney's Commodore faced up against Tony Wedlock's Pontiac in the second semi final, Tinney is late off the line, and has troubles to coast to a 15.926 at 53.78 MPH while Wedlock takes the win with a 7.519 at 183.07 MPH.

Two Queenslanders faced off in the Pro Stock Final, Tony Wedlock, the winner of both the Winternationals and Nationals taking on Denis Whiting. A typical startline dual pursues in this final, the starter motioned to both competitors to go into stage. The burndown goes on for minutes, Wedlock in first, slight holeshot to Whiting, 0.64 to .080 but Wedlock will drive around for the win, the third win in a row for the team. The whole Wedlock team are absolutely ecstatic, with their 7.472 at 182.95 MPH, to Whiting's 7.559 at 181.72 MPH.

Pro Stock Motorcycle had a solid 10 entries, with many riders taking the opportunity to test the new surface in the event warm up which was held a few days prior. The warm up indicating there would be some close racing to come from the Pro Bikes. Australian Pro Stock Motorcycles run smaller capacity engines than their NHRA cousins, and the V Twins are currently not allowed to compete, this will change however after this season when the Harleys will be able to debut in Aussie Pro Stock Motorcycle.

The 40 degree Celsius (104F) temperatures and a reported corrected altitude of 4000ft wasn't ideal for any of the Pro Stock classes, however the performances proved very stout under the conditions. After the first session Sam Scerri was on top of sheets with an ultra impressive 7.685 at 173.05 MPH followed by Nevil Langleys 7.780 at 170.34 MPH. The second session saw Maurice Allen improve to a 7.775 to go to number 2, but was bumped back to number 3 by the next pass when Callam Godeassi went 7.759 at 167.80 MPH. Daniel Peatey and Damien Densmore both improved in the field with a 7.793 and 7.929 respectively.

Controversy rained overnight after Sam Scerri had realised he was not qualified in the number 1 spot. The computer log files failed to record Scerri's first run. The error was not picked up until later that night when Sam Scerri's wife, informed Sam he was number1 after following Dragster.com.au's live event coverage at home on the internet, much to Sam's shock. Following a next morning consultation between ANDRA stewards, Dragster.com.au reporters, Australian Drag Racing Magazine and the Scerri team, there was enough evidence to award Scerri the 7.685 run which held up as the number 1 position for the rest of qualifying. The number 2 position swapped between several racers in the final two sessions but ended up with Nevil Langley's 7.692, followed by Godeassi 7.759, Allen 7.770, Peatey 7.781, Lee 7.802, Densmore 7.864, Badcock 8.063 and Michael Gilbertson and Graeme Weston the non qualifiers, Weston failing to complete a pass over the weekend.

Number 1 qualifier Scerri met Andrew Badcock in the first round, Scerri with a .068 RT had the jump over Badcock's .090 and was never headed stopping the clocks at 7.791 at 169.68 MPH to Badcock's 8.059 at 161.04 MPH. Peatey put away Nationals winner Maurice Allen, 7.813 at 166.60 MPH to a 7.900 at 166.11 MPH. Langley stalled in the burnout against Densmore, with Langley refiring but was disqualified because he had already reached the burnout box, the rules stating he is not allowed any outside assistance once in the starters hands. Densmore receives the bye run and the number 2 qualifier was out of here. A great race rounded out round 1 when Godeassi had to ride around Jason Lee to record a 7.855 at 169.93 MPH to the quicker reacting 7.927 at 163.33 MPH run.

A huge upset pursued in the first semi final when Peatey out reacted .029 to a .058 and out ran number 1 qualifier Scerri, 7.718 at 171.31 MPH to the losing 7.782 at 169.40 MPH. The second semi was over on the start line as Godeassi threw away a 7.713 at 173.07 MPH with a -0.125 cherry letting Densmore run through for a 7.789 at 166.54 MPH win.

Damien Densmore faced up with fellow Queenslander Daniel Peatey in the final of Pro Stock Bike. Stunning reaction times by both competitors, .022 to .027 respectively, at the stripe it was Peatey running low ET of the meeting 7.665 at 165.42 MPH to Densmore's respectable 7.750 at 165.99 MPH. Daniel Peatey's win placed him in the equal lead of the championship with Maurice Allen.

To everyone that was involved with the inception of the Western Sydney International Dragway, the racers and fans of Australian Drag Racing salute you. The dedication and selflessness involved in bringing the facility to fruition was an inspiration to everyone, showing what a unified collective effort can achieve. The Summernationals of 2004 were an outraging success, and long after people forget who ran who and who won what, one memory will sustain forever, the time when Australian Drag Racing took one giant leap forward into the 21 st Century.


Western Sydney International Dragway – Cutting of the ribbon.	Jim Read – Top Fuel – 15 time Australian Champion – also WSID CEO.


Mark Ashelford – Top Bike – Harley Davidson	Peter Ridgeway – Oldsmobile Cutless – Pro Stock


Wayne Newby – Top Alcohol Dragster Crashed in qualifying	Mike Dunn – Top Fuel – RUNNER UP


Gary Phillips – Top Alcohol Dragster – RUNNER UP and TOP QUALIFIER	Troy McLean – Top Bike Harley Davidson


Maurice Fabietti – Holden Monaro – Top Doorslammer	Terry Sainty – Top Fuel Dragster


Mike Dunn – Top Fuel Dragster – RUNNER UP	Shane Olive – Holden Monaro – Top Doorslammer – NON QUALIFIER