A $100,000 bang robbed the Masterton Motorplex national drags meet of its star attraction at the weekend and blazing heat halved the spectator attendance, but organisers are still claiming the event as a great success.
National record-holder Mark Holland's Blue Thunder left a trail of oil and engine fragments on the track on Saturday, when a new engine blew, and the cleanup delayed the action for 40 minutes.
Holland's departure left the way clear for eventual winner Dave Green, of Wellington, who got into the low 7s at 180mph, event organiser Bob Wilton said.
He noted that even without Holland, there were six of the country's fastest "door-slammers" at Hood, which was gratifying. All up, there were about 140 entries, Wilton said,
He noted that when comp car entries were up, the sportsman entries tailed off, almost as though the meet was for the big boys only.
As far as the weather went, it was ironic that a club which has taken a financial beating in the past with rained-off meetings should have too much of a good thing this time.
Apart from the reduced numbers of spectators, the heat brought tuning problems for the racers, particularly on Saturday.
The event saw the first use of especially-imported start lights which, along with scales to weigh the cars, qualified Hood to record national records.
There was a prize of $500 for the first competitor to set an New Zealand record at Hood, and that went to drag bike rider Martin Peck. There were two other national records at the meeting, the other drivers being Garry Cawthra, from Wellington, and Masterton man Scott Miller.
Masterton Motorplex has one more meeting this season, next month, and it should be a beauty, featuring a jet car and some top Australian bikes.
A hot time at the drags
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