If anyone says Group three is not real racing they have no idea of what Drag Racing is about. Speed and times are what commentators love to talk about but winning rounds is what wins Championships and to do rounds in Supercharged Outlaws, Super Sedan, Modified, Super Street, Modified Bike and Junior Dragster it takes skill. Skill to cut the great reaction times needed to do rounds, the skill to keep your vehicle consistent even when track and weather conditions are all over the place and some of these vehicles are dam fast so the skill to get them to the other end! 

With the Supercharged Outlaws division relying on non qualifying Top Alcohol vehicles and Top Doorslammers to slot back into it you are always going to get the consistent supporters of the division near the top and Paul Sattler’s front engined digger and Jim Carroll’s rear engined machine where fighting all the way with Paul’s trip to the Trust House event in Masterton helping him retain the lead over Jim’s Supercharged Batteries entry. The dark horse in this division would have to be Bob Owens from Te Awamutu, after just missing the bump spot in Doorslammer at the finals he has shown he cannot just cut a light but can be very consistent too for a 7 second sedan. 

Super Sedan is the biggest division in NZDRA Championship events and the diversity of these street derived sedans great, The top points racer this year can’t be much more diverse, racing a Ford F100 John McGinty with the McGinty towing F100 did all but one round in the series and this surly kept him in the lead over the nearest rival the team of Chris Sherwin and Tony Massey in the Pro Drill Escort. With just 13 points behind and the abandonment of the finals could well have cost this team the number one spot. Just 31 points behind next nearest rival Phil Webber in the Action Tyres 38 Chev was still in with a chance but as they say that’s the way the rain falls.  

Modified is once again dominated by the likeable Andy Chapman in the Pub & Grub T Altered, in spite of his comments that the car is never running right he always seems to come out up front although this year nearest rival Gerald Smith from Fielding in another T Altered was giving the series a good go this year and was only 66 points behind the 3 time champ. If third place getter Scotty Landsbourough from Hawera in his Dragster had attended a south island round or two he could have been a major threat to both altered competitors.  

Modified Bike was dominated this year by Alan Thoresen in the Castrol Sponsored Black Thunder Kawasaki.This guy loves to ride his bike and has been up and down the country (and Bonneville) for the opportunity to go fast. His nearest rival was Bill Hamilton from Auckland on his Hayabusa with Ross Donaldson only 10 points behind Bill, if these guys decided to do a south island round a second championship would not be so easy for Alan. 

Super Street is the type of class that is really aimed at the local racers around each track and those that venture away from there local track generally stand out in the points chase and this is very evident with Rob Chesham and nearest rivals Dave Fishwick and Mike Coward. Rob resides in Tauranga so could call Taupo Int Dragway his home track but Fram Autolite is not that far away ether, on the other hand Dave Fishwick travelled to Fram twice from his home in Wellington and again if not for the abandonment of the Century event the outcome may have been very different for this racer as would have Mike Cowards tally if he had ventured farther south during the series. 

Junior Dragster was all Sean Binnema, not just from doing every round of the series but winning two of the events places him as one of the great racers in the Junior division and bodes him well when he moves up to race in other divisions. 282 points behind, Ryan Phillips also won two rounds but without doing more events had little chance of catching the Binnema Cylinder Head Services dragster. Just one round behind Ryan was the Upper Hutt Glass sponsored dragster of Aaron Davison, also showing that doing the rounds helps but winning a round or two will keep you at the pointy end of the point’s chase where he too won a series round. 

Super Gas being the only group four divisions is the last in our line up and not travelling cannot be said for the top three competitors. Taking home another NZ Championship is Shanelle Dobson from New Plymouth with the nearest track 4 hours away taking the Pertek sponsored Camaro racing is some undertaking, likewise the distances Russell Lorimer from Timaru must travel just to race. Sixty four points separated Russell from Shanelle and if not for the cost of crossing the ditch Russell would have surly closed the gap. Our third placed competitor in Super Gas Phil Hargreaves from Turangi was leading in the beginning of the series and had two straight wins to his credit proving he knows his car well but unable to venture south also cost this racer valuable points.

The NZ Drag Racing Championship Awards Night which will be held on 9^th May 2009 in Auckland.

Winners to third place

Junior Dragster                                  

1^st Sean Binnema

2^nd Ryan Phillips

3^rd Aaron Davison 

Super Street                                       

1^st Rob Chesham

2^nd David Fishwick

3^rd Mike Coward 

Modified Bike

1^st Alan Thoresen

2^nd  Bill Hamilton

3^rd Ross Donaldson 

Super Sedan                                       

1^st John McGinty

2^nd Massey/ Sherwin

3^rd Phil Webber 

Modified

1^st Andy Chapman

2^nd Gerald Smith

3^rd  Scotty Landsbourough 

Super Gas                                          

1^st Shanelle Dobson

2^nd Russel Lorimer

3^rd Phil Hargreaves 

Pro Import                                         

1^st Hayden Rowell

2^nd Simon Steffek