Australia's position on nitro multi-valve, overhead cam drag racing engines received broad support at the FIA Drag Racing Commission meeting, held in New Zealand on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24-25.

The issue arose in late 1997 when the NHRA released surprise regulations banning such engines from their "Group One" (PRO) brackets as part of a long term plan to slow the march of performance in these classes. The rule was later postponed for a year when it will be reviewed by the NHRA's regulatory body.

The NHRA's Vice President of Technical Administration, Carl Olson, who is president of the FIA board, explained the NHRA's position. From their viewpoint there isn't a lot to be gained from such engines at 500 cid, but in the event of a capacity limit, of say 400 cid, the advantages of the OHC, multi-valve format becomes much greater.

ANDRA CEO Tony Thornton put Australian drag racing's position, and received wide support from other delegates. Thornton had spent much time over the (Australian) Nationals weekend taking FIA representatives present at the event to the Top Fuel pit area and showing them the work involved in the engineering of the Sainty three-valve billet engine. The Sainty is currently one of only a handful of such engines in nitro racing in the world.

As a result of the FIA meeting there will be no ban on such engines applying in international Top Fuel/nitro Funny Car racing, and Thornton told DRAGSTER that he proposed to write to the NHRA to make some alternative suggestions for limiting performance with these vehicles.

The meeting in New Zealand was widely supported by member countries of the FIA Drag Racing Commission, with only Japan and Denmark not being represented.

Amongst other decisions reached at the meeting was a resolution that Top Alcohol will now be known in international competition as Top Methanol.

"It was a choice which doesn't sit easily with me," said Thornton, "but there are major concerns over the negative aspects of any motor racing category with the word "alcohol" as part of its name, and at the moment there is wide support for the government push in Europe, especially in the Scandanavian countries, for the use of methanol or ethanol in buses and similar vehicles."

There was also discussion over the creation of categories to suit front wheel drive four-cylinder vehicles, as these are widely perceived as the biggest potential market growth area for drag racing.