GUNSLINGERS

HUNDREDS BRAVED ONE OF SYDNEY'S COLDEST WINTER NIGHTS TO CATCH THE SECOND HIT-OUT OF THE NEW POWER CRUISE STREET OUTLAWS AUSTRALIA RACING AT SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK

-  ANDREW BROADLEY & MATT EVERINGHAM

IT'S been a bit of a torrid time for drag racing in Australia of late. Warring factions, shuttered tracks and multiple governing bodies with conflicting tech requirements have upped the degree of difficulty and taken the shine off the sport for competitors and spectators alike. But the tide seems to be turning.

New tracks are being built while others are being upgraded, and success stories like the well-attended Summernats Slam event at an impressively rejuvenated Heathcote Park Raceway, the vibrant Kenda 660 radial series and our own Drag Challenge events are all signs that the sport is emerging from the doldrums. And if the recent Powercruise Street Outlaws Australia meet at Sydney Motorsport Park is any indication, there is an increasingly hefty appetite for no-prep action Down Under, too.

No-prep is the hot new thing in drag racing, spawned at least in part by the popularity of the Street Outlaws and Street Outlaws: No-Prep Kings TV shows. It's designed to emulate street racing but in a controlled environment: heads-up, first-to-the-stripe, run-what-you-brung thrills on an unprepared, street-style surface, minus the risks associated with racing on public roads and, of course, Johnny Law.

The rules are: there are no rules. With no official sanctioning bodies to please, the tech requirements are pretty light, just as they are on the street. Entrants' cars must be two-wheel drive with swinging doors, and pass a basic safety check. From there, the aim is to progress up the Top 50 list by calling out the racer in front of you, knocking them off their perch and taking their spot. As you might expect, this spawns plenty of online trash talking, which seems to be half the fun!