On November 5th, 1604, Guy Fawkes and a group of fellow conspirators set out to blow up the House of Lords in England. The plot was discovered and the plan was thwarted. Obscure political reasons were suspected, but never fully determined. Guy Fawkes was executed some time later. In the same fashion as Ned Kelly, the exploits of Guy Fawkes became legend, his deeds remembered from generation to generation and celebrated every November 5th, with exploding firecrackers throughout Britain and much later, in Australia.

I'm old enough to remember when "Cracker Night" was a big deal every November 5th. But after several bad injuries, fires and countless blown-up letter boxes, firecrackers were banned from the general public and left to licensed professionals. But over the last few months, illegal firecrackers have been let off after some events at Willowbank. Aside from the obvious fire danger to the paddock next door, there is also the risk of injury.

Enough is enough. It might be a lot fun for some, but we don't get the joke. This practice must stop immediately. We won't hesitate to ban any offending party and if needed we will call the police. Drag racing has a very good Public Risk record and we won't allow such dangerous practices to jeopardize this.

By now, most would have at least some knowledge of the outline of proposed changes to the structure of the sport. The comprehensive story in DRAGSTER Australia went a long way towards getting the message to the bulk of the drag racing community. After the magazine hit the streets, for weeks afterwards I received a barrage of e-mails, letters and phone calls from all over the country, in addition to many discussions at the raceway office and at the track. Some were from racers from all areas, with a significant number of high profile racers included. Others came from business people, as well as long-time supporters of the sport. AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM WAS IN TOTAL AGREEMENT ON THE NEED FOR CHANGE!

Many even offered their services. I didn't expect any calls extolling the virtues of the current system, simply because you cannot defend the indefensible. Indeed, I never received one call! When Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb in 1879, the candle makers of the day knew they were in serious trouble. No intellectual debate is possible on this subject, simply because the argument for "no change" is based totally on emotional hysteria, while our argument is that the system needs to be run on modern-day business principles. I have no doubt there is a huge groundswell in favour of changes, but this obviously would not show in the current, manipulated club-base system.

Ever wonder how this whole thing started? The catalyst was a letter to DRAGSTER Australia from the "malcontents" from North Queensland, touting that promoters should have no say at National Control Council level. I immediately sent a reply stating the tracks would "go it alone" if that were the case. They obviously had no knowledge of the famous "Boston Tea Party" and their catch-cry of "No taxation without representation!" For this, we owe them a debt of gratitude. The genie is out of the bottle and there's no putting it back. A "new dawn" for drag racing is now just around the corner!

With a continually increasing competitor base, the raceway board has decided to reduce qualifying sessions for the Castrol New Year Series in Group One, SuperComp and Top Comp to just two sessions.

An examination of the qualifying sessions from this year's events showed that very few of these racers took advantage of all sessions, particularly the first session in the hottest part of the afternoon.

All events this year have shown an increase in competitor entry numbers over the previous year. The figures from the '97 and '98 New Year Series are typical of the trend.

Recently, I had the privilege of seeing the design for the new dragstrip and speedway complex for Perth. This facility, at Kwinana, an outer suburb of Perth, will replace both Ravenswood Rcaeway and the Claremont Speedway, now owned by the Ravenswood management.

This represents a quantum leap from previous Australian drag racing facilities. From day one, the new facility will have all the amenities that befit a modern day outdoor entertainment venue. Paved and lit spectator car parking, full corporate facilities, scoreboards, big screen, paved pits, etc., etc. From the plans of this venue it will not only be the best drag racing facility in Australia but also one of the best in the world!

Drag racing's future, if it is to have one, rests with single purpose facilities in all capital cities. Sharing the straight of motor racing facilities is almost not an option these days. I often dream of how powerful drag racing would be now had Castlereagh not closed in 1984. I hope everybody appreciates and supports the work being done by Jim Read and David Cook toward a single purpose facility in Sydney. Success in their quest is vital for the future of drag racing in Australia.

Talk of a separate drag strip at Eastern Creek Raceway is nothing more than an impossible pipe dream. Back in 1981, we made a decision to take charge of our own destiny. The result of that decision is what you see at Willowbank today. If similar single purpose facilities were to exist in all capital cities, the future of drag racing will be unlimited.

As part of our ongoing campaign to lift spectator support of our smaller low-profile events, we are currently experimenting with a campaign that sees 5000 $5.00 discount vouchers handed out at five street based events - October 24 and 31, November 7, 14 and 21.

We are working on the basis that those already attending Willowbank are more likely to attend other events at the facility. All spectators and competitors get a $5.00 discount voucher towards the November 28th "Coca-Cola Wild Bunch Classic". Only one voucher per person is allowed. This applies only to spectator admissions.

Should this provide a satisfactory response, we will then extend it across the Castrol New Year Series, targeting the Nightfire Championships in April and the May Pro-Am. We may be whistling into the wind with this, but at least we won't die wondering!

In a major boost for the Top Alcohol category, the raceway has announced major backing for a new series to be conducted from January to July 1999. The "Lucar Cargo Vans Queensland Top Alcohol Championships" will be run over five events starting at Round One of the Castrol New Year Series on January 2nd. Others rounds are: Castrol New Year Series Round Two (January 30th), Coca-Cola Wild Bunch Classic (May 8th), Konica Winternationals (June 11th-13th), Winter's Smash Repairs Grand Finals (July 17th).

January 30th and the Konica Winternationals are rounds of the ANDRA Championships and will feature eight-car fields. The additional rounds of the series, Jan. 2nd, May 8th and July 17th will be four-car fields. Prize money will be the standard payout for Top Alcohol. The two quickest non-qualifiers will receive $1000 each, provided they contest the final qualifying session at 6:00 p.m. All rounds of the series are restricted to cars with a known performance potential of 6.40 seconds or quicker.

With this bulletin is a '98-'99 calendar of events at the raceway. With the ANDRA season closing at the Konica Winternationals in June and the Willowbank season closing in July with the Winter's Smash Repairs "Grand Finals" and the DP Auto Parts Street Series a week later, it makes sense that our racing calendar should mirror the racing season. The 1999-2000 event schedule will then be available in late August 1999.

The Wreckers Hotline Group of Auto Recyclers have renewed their marketing relationship with the Raceway for the coming year. This enables the raceway's Television campaign to continue at the same level as previously. Their support of Top Comp also continues unchanged.

Neilsen ratings figures from the October 10th event showed a Queensland-wide audience in excess of 100,000 viewers. Major events with high profile features often top the 200,000 mark. Add to this the additional national exposure from Foxtel and racers approaching prospective sponsors will find this to be a powerful persauder.

from Willowbank's Latest News November 10, 1998 © Willowbank Raceway 1998