•     Wreckers Hot Line Top Comp: Robert McKiterick


•     VPW Mail Order Super Comp: Jon Sting


•     Morgan & Wacker Comp. Bike: Daniel Peatey


•     Ken Lowe Drag Race School: Graeme Frawley


•     Cragar Performance Super Sedan: Ricky Steffens


•     Redcliffe Dyno & Performance: Steve Sander


•     Whale's Motorcycle World: Andrew Le Dilly


•     Willowbank Junior Dragster: Kerstyn Dance


•     Willowbank Street Series: Matthew McKnight


•     Willowbank Junior Street Series: Guy Henry

At two events a season, we combine Super Sedan & Modified into "Super Eliminator". Previously, points were not earned towards the "Winters Smash Repairs Track Championships" at these events. Now, for the new series, points will be earned towards their respective eliminators. This occurs on March 3rd and May 12th. Indeed, the quality of racing when both Modified & Super Sedan battle in the same arena, it means any points earned are hard earned!

Willowbank installed scoreboards in the latter months of 1988 and in so doing, became the first track in the country to have such a feature.

But it didn’t take long before racers began pestering officials at the third loop as to whether they had won or lost. Eventually, rather than sending nuts the officials at the third loop, we installed additional win lights on the rear of the scoreboards, facing the braking area, enabling racers to determine their fate.

Problem solved, or so it seemed. No, not quite. Some bike riders then began twisting around in their seats in the braking area, looking for the win light. After some near misses of recent times, we decided to turn off the win lights behind the scoreboards.

But all is not lost. If it’s that important that you must know your fate before reaching the time slip booth, a journey of some 30 odd seconds, then a ten dollar radio, with an earpiece tuned to FM 88, will give you a live call of your race and its results, immediately.

Finally, we have plans to have a second set of win lights somewhere around the second return road exit. It’s not a cheap exercise, requiring not only power but also data cable. All we need is for it to stop raining on our major events!

It has been decided that once racing starts, there will be no further test runs. You can test during qualifying, but after that, you are a spectator. There are no exceptions to this.

In this year's "Winters Smash Repairs Track Championships", no points will be allotted to Super Stock racers at the Easter event. This is because this season, Super Stock has an additional round than does Competition, the other half of SuperComp eliminator.

Since the second major event at Willowbank, in February 1986, we adopted a policy of paying prizemoney in cash, on the night. After our experiences with Surfers Raceway, waiting for up to three weeks for payment, we thought it would be a nice touch for racers to go home with their earnings in their back pocket.

There was also a benefit for the raceway. The paperwork in the office was made much easier, with just one cheque to be deposited in the bank for the total prizemoney payout, saving much time.

That was then. This is now. After the Monty Python tax system inflicted on Australian business by the current government, change has been forced on us. Commencing from the November 25th season opener, all racers must supply us with their bank details, as detailed on the new entry form, supplied with this bulletin. Prizemoney will paid directly into your bank account by the Wednesday after the event. This will be the ONLY way we will be paying prizemoney.

Things are getting tougher in the Group 3 classes. Over the previous five or six months, we have been noticing a steady increase in race results showing time slips that show, at first glance, a dead heat. I have personally seen at least three time slips that show no win margin. But in drag racing, there is no such thing as a dead heat. When such a condition occurs, the system looks at the smaller fractions until a winner is determined.

However, to muddy the waters somewhat, the ANDRA rule book refers to an "identical break-out". This is an impossibility. The electronics will always make a call. This was easy in the infancy of drag racing electronics, when time cards were hand written on cardboard time slips.

The result of a race must always remain entirely on what comes up on the scoreboards and what is printed on the time slip.

from Willowbank's Latest News November 1, 2000 © Willowbank Raceway 2000