You could not ask for better weather at this year's Round One of the ANDRA Pro Series at Willowbank Raceway!

  The  event was one that really put the Willowbank's safety crew to the test with not 1 but 2 insurgents in the field of Top Doorslamer! In both instances the safety crew, including Fire, Ambulance and track crew, were on site and beside the cars within moments helping the drivers to paramedics to be checked over.   We are so, so glad to say that both drivers walked away with the only thing hurt being their wallets for the upcoming repair bill! Incidents such as these just show the amount of safety the goes into these cars!

Maurice Fabietti takes the win in Doorslammer in the new year of ANDRA Pro Series Drag Racing!

Maurice was happy to take the win after a weekend of drama!  But it was not Maurice with the problems but his comparators, first with the Lucas Oil Products car of Gary Phillips blowing both rear tyres as he crossed the finish line at 206mph, sending him across into Fabiettis lane and into the wall (Gary was completely unhurt); then in the finals with the record holder John Zappia yet again flying across the track into Fabietti's lane before mounting the wall at 100mph then crashing back on to the track coming to a stop at the 1000ft mark! (John Zappia was also completely uninjured in the incident)

Only 24 hours before Phillips hit the wall in the Lucas Oil Products Doorslammer, but that didn't stop him coming back in Top Alcohol to face off against 08/09 championship runner-up Steve Reed, the fourteen time national champion never let up on the Lucas Oil Products Top Alcohol Funny Car for the entire quarter-mile and was estatic with the win and to reset the national mile elapsed time record to 5.524 seconds.

Also exciting everyone ontrack at Willowbank Raceway was Top Bike debut competitor Chris Matheson, who took the win after setting the second fastest time in qualifying yesterday. 6.554 @ 165.25

Matheson was to line up agents Ian Ashelford in the final, but to both teams Ashelfords Bike was damaged in the semi-finals so Matheson accepts the green light giving him the win. All though both teams were disappointed to not have the run, no doubt they will again meet each other at the next meeting in September!

Tony Defelice's Carmaro looked amazing on the track over the weekend, and despite not qualifying the Vicious Rumours Camaro managed to get some good track time over the weekend with exhibition runs - I am sure in the near future we will begin to see some great things out of this team.

Steven Carpenter, in his first pass of the weekend ran a 7.786 @ 185.46   Steve is a season racer in ranks off Super Sedan but he has now step up in to the fields of Supercharged Outlaws, in his father Max Carpenter's BA Ford Falcon.

Kelly Corbett took the win in Modified with a time of 7.57 at 175 mph.  This is Kelly's 3rd win and only 2nd time at Willowbank. Kelly started driving in the in the ranks of Junior Dragster, later returning to the sport after a 5 year “time out” to step straight into her Modified Dragster a year and a half ago, and has since become a well known force on the track.

Also taking wins this weekend at Willowbank Raceway were Graeme Frawley (Competition), Alex Panagiotidis (Super Stock), Geoff Kempe (Competition Bike), Bill Fletcher (wheelboyz.com.au Supercharged Outlaws), Darren Doeblien (Powercruise Super Sedan), Alex Buxton (Modified Bike), Lucas Holz (Speed Elec/Prime Signs Super Street), Dale Duffy (QLD Diesel Spares Junior Dragster) and Graeme Spencer (Super Gas).

Don't forget the next meeting will be Friday September 11, through to Sunday, September 13. For the first time at Western Sydney  ANDRA Pro Series Drag Racing action will reach epic heights for the 2009 Fuchs Australian Nationals at Western Sydney Dragway (visit www.wsid.com.au for more information on that event)

(Photos by: Daniel Ward : www.danielward.com.au )