ANDRA at Willowbank
5.9 SECONDS OVER WINTERLAND
As you read here last week the 41st running of the ANDRA Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway near Brisbane, Australia, produced some amazing Doorslammer (Pro Modified) times and speeds which to say the least had plenty of people in the northern hemisphere questioning their validity.
Unlike the undulating North American continent, Australia is reasonably flat and over the years the weather conditions experienced at the Winternationals have sometimes been “below” sea level. For most of the race the weather stations were reading air around a thousand feet, but at certain times over the weekend it dropped below 500 feet so the conditions were perfect for quick and fast racing.
In the end four cars went into the fives over the weekend with Robin Judd’s 5.907 ending up as top qualifier in the 17 car field, while both Gary Phillips and Brett Stevens ran unheard of speeds - 249.86 and 252.66 respectively. Judd’s time was the quickest ever pass in competition anywhere which ousted Ben Bray’s 5.924 off the top spot.
Whether it is Judd’s 5.90 at Willowbank or a 6.04 by Tommy D’Aprile at Budd’s Creek the week all fans want to see the closest racing possible. [Personally, I would love to see a universal set of rules across the board that would settle these arguments very quickly but with a difference between IHRA and NHRA, ANDRA Top Doorslammer and even nitro Pro Modifieds I am sure that isn’t going to happen.]
Top Doorslammer Final
The final to the most incredible Top Doorslammer bracket ever contested was a bit of an anti-climax as at this point Ford Falcon driver Brett Stevens (in the near lane) has already red lighted against Ben Bray’s GTO. Stevens would have had the win easily as Bray had problems and slowed to a 9.67 while the Jack Daniels’ car cut the finish-line beams exactly six seconds later. It was Stevens’ speed that was the shot heard around the world with that stunning 252.66 speed. Knowing Brett as I do (Jon Van Daal penned Steven’s biography ”The Boss”) he would be the first to say that the speed was bogus.
For Robin Judd it was the agony and the ecstasy as he ran two five second times in qualifying – a 5.94 and a number one position 5.90 times. In the first round he was paired with bottom qualifier, Brett Stevens who holeshotted the Westralian Studebaker driver and his quicker 6.09 was aced by a 6.10 to end his race early.
The awesome looking ’57 Nomad of Ray Barnard had some horrific shake off the line that was violent enough to turn the purple station wagon almost ninety degrees to the centreline – it was no surprise then that he didn’t make the field.