In a major boost for the Top Alcohol category Willowbank 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.

The Raceway's General Manager, Dennis Syrmis made the announcement stating, "The majority of Australia's leading Top Alcohol Dragster and Funny Car racers are based in Queensland. Thanks to the strong support of Lucar Cargo Vans, they will be able to compete at their home track five times in 1999 rather than the two originally planned.

Interstate racers will be welcome but our primary concern is to provide our local drivers with more televised racing opportunities while presenting more attractive events for our spectators. I've no doubt at all that the Lucar Cargo Vans Queensland Top Alcohol Championship will be a fantastic addition to our already strong 1999 event program. Five second dragsters and funny cars certainly provide exciting racing."

Since the demise of Sydney's Eastern Creek Raceway as an active championship drag racing venue, professional category racers including Top Alcohol competitors have faced dwindling racing opportunities. Other than Willowbank Raceway events, the 1999 calendar only includes three southern state rounds for the Australian Top Alcohol Championship.

This left teams with too few racing opportunities to satisfy sponsors or even to justify the huge investment each has in their vehicles and racing equipment. The additional events provided by the staging of the Lucar Cargo Vans Queensland Top Alcohol Championships addresses this shortfall and will provide a valuable showcase for the category.

Melbourne based, Lucar Cargo Vans are a leading force in the heavy transport industry, manufacturing trailers including a large range of different pantech styles. Victor Bray is just one well known drag racer with a Lucar trailer for his Top Doorslammer team. Sponsorship of the Lucar Cargo Vans Queensland Top Alcohol Championships will be the company's first major involvement with championship drag racing.

News of the championship has been received with enthusiasm by Top Alcohol competitors. Reigning Australian Champion Gary Phillips said, "It's great that Lucar Cargo Vans and Willowbank have been able to put this series together. It'll be very good for the racers. We all want to race here more often because it's the best track in the country. My sponsor Lucas Oils will certainly be happy with the extra television coverage."

Other Queensland racers set to enter the series include Steve Harker, Mark Brew, Steven Reed and Paul Shackleton, while Stan Tindal and Wayne Newby from New South Wales are also expected to contest at least some of the rounds.

Rounds of the Lucar Cargo Vans Queensland Top Alcohol Championships will be held in conjunction with:

All rounds of the championship will gain television coverage through the Seven Network in Queensland and nationally via cable and satellite on Foxtel's Foxsports channel. Drivers will score points at all five rounds of the series with two events also doubling as rounds of the Australian Championships.

The other three rounds of the Lucar Cargo Vans series will be conducted as four car fields with prize money at the normal Top Alcohol level. The fifth and sixth qualifiers will receive a thousand dollars each.

The 1999 Lucar Cargo Vans Queensland Top Alcohol Championship trophy will be presented to the winner at Willowbank Raceway's prestigious awards banquet to be held on August 21st at the Brisbane Convention and Entertainment Centre.