3 Dec 2014 - posted by Nisa
New records set at Spring Nationals
Words by Peter S. Cooper. Pic by SE Photography.
Four new national records were set at the
recent Auckland Harley Davidson 2014 Spring Nationals, held at Meremere
Dragway.
In spite of mid-afternoon showers delaying some
of the rounds, ever-improving track conditions thanks to the tireless efforts of the Meremere Dragway crew saw a number of competitors
achieve personal bests, and more than a few racing in the Dial-Your-Own (DYO)
classes breaking out of their elected elapsed times (E.T.).
The meeting’s record-breakers included, Phil
Hurst, who piloted his 180 cubic inch, four cylinder Fontana speedway engine-powered
C/D machine to a new low E.T. class record of 9.235 @ 141.92 mph. He was also runner-up in the final of the NZ
Hot Rod Magazine-sponsored Competition Class, won by Waiuku’s Raymond Gubb
running a 7.047 @ 190.78mph in his monster 530 cubic inch Big-Block Chevy
dragster.
Traveling all the way from Whangarei was
worthwhile for Grant Little, who won the
VHT Top Street Class and set a new F/MS E.T. record of 9.693 @ 137.71mph in his strong-running XY Ford Falcon, beating
Featherston’s Gavin Green’s HK Holden Monaro in a classic all-Aussie Muscle
final.
Paul Dowdall from Palmerston North also tasted
victory in the V Energy Drinks Sport
Compact Class, beating Tauranga’s Chris Green in the final, but also setting a
new S/M top speed record, running 173.58 mph to beat out the existing top speed
record of 167.69mph in his immaculate 13B-powered RX8.
Darryl Benson drove all the way from Hastings,
to take his rapid 675cc Triumph motorbike to a new top speed record B/MB class
record, clocking at 128.02 mph on Meremere’s legendary quarter-mile course. He
was runner up in the final against Glen Eden’s Alaistair Galbraith’s Suzuki
Hayabusa, who won the Scrap Palace Modified Bike class.
And if we’re giving kudos on distance
traveled, then the combined efforts of Lower Hutt racer Graham Christison and
Motueka based Craig Griffiths is worth a top mention. Christison took out the Supercharged Outlaw
division in a strong eight car field with a 7.582 @ 165.54mph over Griffiths. Griffiths – having qualified with a 7.298 @
190.16mph – saw the final snatched away after lifting the wheels on his
dragster too high for his liking.
Closer to home in the Top Doorslammer division
is a tale of the comeback kids Ross Taylor of Pukekohe in his 1957 Chevy Sports
Coupe and Russell Lowe of Rotorua in his 1969 Camaro. Lowe would succumb to a tyre issue in the
final leaving Taylor running a 6.722 @ 217.84 with the win.
The Auckland Harley Davidson Spring Nationals
was a fitting place to have the Auckland Harley Davidson team of Greg Pratt and
Karl Fyn both on V-Rod Destroyers take first and second place respectively in
the hotly contested Competition Bike Division. Neither racers are strangers to
the podium, but wonderful to see the Auckland Harley Davidson team really make
this their event.
We’re not leaving without mention of our first side by side 5 second pass of the season. Chris Johnston in his 2004 Uyehara Chev powered dragster ran a 5.805 @ 246.89mph against Anthony Marsh’s 5.490 @ 265.38mph in a 1999 McKinney Hemi powered dragster. It was enough to whet the appetite nicely for the next big meeting…the ROCK FM 2015 Nitro Shootout. Book the weekend of Saturday 10th January 2015 race day and Sunday 11th January 2015 for a rain date if required and join the Facebook event page here for full details.
Auckland Harley Davidson 2014 Spring Nationals FULL RESULTS
By Peter S. Cooper
