TO slightly misquote the 1989 Kevin Costner-starring flick Field of Dreams, "if you build it, they will come". Such was the mantra for new Heathcote Park Raceway owner Lance Warren, who got the keys to the facility on 31 December last year. Not even six months later, the track was hosting the very first Victorian Summernats Slam, headlined by a six-car Top Fuel field.
Rather than closing the gates for a ground-up rebuild, Lance chose to make continual incremental improvements to the facility throughout the year, with racing only stopping three weeks prior to Summernats Slam to resurface the track.
"It is a massive property 116 acres - and it required a huge amount of work every single day," says Lance. "The asphalt was 45 years old with lumps and bumps, with Armco in the deep end. Now that is all fixed. We have a brand-new return road, 'chute-pack area, full lighting, concrete walls all the way, bigger staging lanes and much more.
"With the support of sponsors, racers and crew, we've managed to put every cent we've earned back into the track." The deal to run Summernats Slam at HPR was only announced very late in March, and Lance's team needed every moment until the start of Slam on 21 May to have the venue ready to rock.
The program for this event was different to the version of Summernats Slam we've seen at Sydney Dragway, which included a Grand Champion chase and Summernats-style Skid Row. At Heathcote, round five of the Australian Top Fuel Championship was the headline act, supported by Top Bike, a field of Sportsman racers, a Burnout Masters qualifying skid comp and a small show 'n' shine.
It had been 30-odd years since Heathcote Park had seen Top Fuel, and we decided we had to be part of the action, bringing our Barra-powered Mazda MX-5 to compete in Super Sedan.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2022-Ausgabe von Street Machine Australia.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der August 2022-Ausgabe von Street Machine Australia.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
ANIKA HODGES
THE CAR DROVE INTO OUR SHED AS A CREAM 202CI VC AND DROVE OUT AS A SILVER CAR WITH A 355 V8
STAGE FRIGHT
IT TOOK OWEN SCOTT MORE THAN 20 YEARS TO BUILD A TROPHY-WINING, 600HP EH HOLDEN UTE THAT WILL STAND THE TEST OF TIME
THE Ummmal SUSPECT
FORGET WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW ABOUT MINI-TRUCKS. THIS SUMMERNATS TOP 60 HILUX IS A PROPER STREET MACHINE
FULLY UTILISED
HARDWOOD ROD & CUSTOM TURNS DARREN ISON'S HAND-ME-DOWN HT INTO A SMOOTH OPERATOR
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
ARBY’S EFFORTS TO IMPROVE HIS VG VALIANT’S 60-FOOT TIMES YIELD PROMISING RESULTS IN THE RUN-UP TO STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE
PEOPLE POWER
WE TAKE A LOOK BACK AT 36 YEARS OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS - AND MOST DEMOCRATICALLY AWARDED - HONOUR IN OUR SPORT: STREET MACHINE OF THE YEAR
OUT-AND-OUT MAYHEM
STREET MACHINE DRAG CHALLENGE IS ALREADY A ROLLICKING GOOD TIME, BUT WHAT CAR EVENT CAN'T BE MADE EVEN BETTER BY ADDING A BURNOUT COMP? INTRODUCING OUR INAUGURAL RODS OUT!
BAD TO THE BONE
THANKS TO HIS SON, ANDY, THE LATE MARIO COLALILLO’S 39 PLYMOUTH COUPE IS BACK ON THE ROAD AND STILL ONE OF THE BADDEST HOT RODS IN THE COUNTRY
THE CHALLENGE IS REAL
FROM TRACK DRAMAS TO SOARING TEMPERATURES, DRAG CHALLENGE 2024 THREW US SOME OF ITS TOUGHEST TESTS YET, BUT IT ALSO BROUGHT SOME OF THE QUICKEST TIMES THE EVENT HAS EVER SEEN
