In response to this story ANDRA issued a reply through its regular "Motor Mail" publication that read:

ANDRA's RESPONSE

Welcome to Motor Mail!
13 February 2015

Dear Members,

As we move into the 2015/16 season ANDRA Drag Racing is well poised to enjoy additional growth with the foundations well cured and the building blocks starting to be laid. New sponsor Summit Racing Equipment is in place for Sportsman racing and discussions are underway for more financial support for racers. All last year's sponsors have also renewed as we continue to build Championship Drag Racing in Australia.

Drag racers from juniors right up to our Group 1 competitors know what a challenge it is to get a race car to the track, let alone compete at the top end. Funding, support crew, parts, transport, travel and a stack of other pieces form the puzzle of getting a competition vehicle to the track and getting it home again in one piece.

With the vast majority of racers, tracks and ANDRA all working extremely hard to get ANDRA Championship Drag Racing to where we all need it to be, it's once again disappointing to see the rumour mill shooting the sport down. We refer to a recent article by a motoring magazine stating 'ANDRA and the IHRA on collision course'. The article mentions Willowbank and an anonymous team owner who clearly doesn't have an understanding of the calendar changes which were called upon at a workshop some 3.5 years ago and then changed back due to member and track sentiment. The case to return to a financial year was supported by seasonal trends and track locations.

Without any parties acknowledging any negotiations, the written article can only be considered by ANDRA as a speculative, similar to what we have seen in the past. A similar action was tried in NZ which saw the sport suffer in New Zealand for many years.

Without doubt there have been some changes to the sport over the past few years and as with any change, not everyone will agree with every aspect. We are an old Motorsport and we have many opinions on what others are doing, we rarely look at what we are doing ourselves. A model that is based on returning to the past does not necessarily work in Sport or Business; in fact this approach will only force the sport to relive the mistakes of the past, something we must avoid at all cost.

For the last 2 years ANDRA has balanced inputs from all stakeholders and the sport itself. As the delegated authority from the FIA and CAMS, ANDRA believes all stakeholders have a vested interest in the success of the sport and its future health.

Very early in the piece ANDRA identified what stakeholders need out of the sport;

Events need competitors, crowds and trade to ensure the viability and success of the venue.
Racers need crowds and fans to support their racing efforts and ensure the competition continues into the future.
ANDRA need all stakeholders to succeed to ensure we have a successful sport for both current and future stakeholders.

Tracks are also a very important ingredient to make our sport work, it's not us and them but 'we'. ANDRA is committed to continuing its work with the tracks in order to better understand their issues and assist with finding business solutions where everyone benefits. Communication and empathy is required by all stakeholders as we battle adverse economic conditions together, as a team.

ANDRA is a Not For Profit member owned organisation, which at its core is made up of 3800 members. In order to support members and all stakeholders we need all beneficiaries of the sport to focus on their responsibilities to make this work AND respect the work others are doing for the sport. At the end of the day we all want the same thing in regards to success, prosperity and a healthy sport. Without this simple level of cooperation we will all suffer.

While ANDRA traditionally doesn't respond to rumours, the destructive nature of some are doing nothing but pushing us back down the hill. While we will always climb back up the effort to do so costs the sport valuable credibility, time and money.