TOP TEN TOP ALCOHOL
NOTE : This list is totally subjective. The rankings are not meant to
be interpreted as Fact and no slight (intended or otherwise)
is directed toward anyone on (or off) the list. Collectively,
these racers are ALL very tough competitors and a really
great bunch of blokes.
GARY PHILLIPS # 1
Hillcrest, Queensland
BEST: 5.703 - 243.64
93 Uyehara - 482 KB
Five time Australian Top Alcohol Champion, Gary has rightfully earned his
placing at the top of the list. To catalogue all his accomplishments from the
beginning of his career in 1968 would fill up this website. Suffice to say,
over the years, Gary has done and WON it all. Over the years he has driven
everything from front and rear engine dragsters, to funny cars and altereds.
And since nearly the beginning it's been blown alcohol (and fuel) hemis. For
the past seven years, since ANDRA's formation of the Top Alcohol (originally
named Pro Comp) category, Gary has dominated nearly every season and has won
the Championship four consecutive years. In that span he has top qualified,
set low ETs, track records and won most rounds of the championship series.
While not the first five second Top Alcohol car in Australia, he became the
first dragster in the fives at Melbourne's Calder Park in April 1994. Then
he became the first into the 5.80s at the 1996 Nationals, first into the 5.70s
at Calder again last year and is favoured to be the first to run a 5.60. For
30 years, its been pride, determination and perserverance that has seen Gary
Phillips climb to the top of his craft. With major sponsor Lucas Oils now
firmly onboard, the future of this dominating team seems very bright.
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DAVID GLENWRIGHT # 2
Mt. Ommaney, Queensland
BEST: 5.700 - 245.50
96 Meyer - 463 BAE
While holding the honours of the quickest and fastest pass ever by a Top Alcohol
car in Australia at the 97 Winternationals, David still has to rank second to
Gary Phillips. Car owner Bob Brackam has invested heavily in the best and latest
equipment that money can buy, but results, while spectacular at times, have
not been consistently successful. After three seasons, this team has yet to
travel from its Queensland base to any of the inter-state rounds of the Top
Alcohol series. The past season (97-98) saw several major engine dramas and
culminated in a first round crash at the season-ending Winternationals. The
heavily damaged Bob Meyer chassis still sits in Brackam's workshop and no
decision on its future or that of the team has been officially announced.
Rumours abound, but no sign of an early return to competition is in evidence.
STAN TINDAL # 3
Wyong Creek, New South Wales
BEST: 5.760 - 238.98
97 Meyer - 470 BAE
Stan charged up the rankings in 1997 with much early season success and ET's
matching those of the top runners, eventually topping out with a 5.76 at
Eastern Creek in April. Then, two months later at the Winternationals, he
launched into the highest wheelstand yet seen in Australia by an alcohol
dragster and the hard landing forced his veteran chassis into retirement.
Returning for the first race of the 97-98 season at Eastern Creek with a brand
new Bob Meyer car, Stan found himself struggling with all the changes built
into the new car. The season degenerated into a series of first round losses
and difficulty in putting together good back-to-back passes. Finally coming
to grips with the new car at the TAC Nationals in March, he laid down a best
of the season 5.83 for the # 1 qualifier position. Then lost in the first round
again. Finishing the season on a real downer, Stan was ordered by his doctor
to not compete at the Winternationals, due to medication he had been placed
on. Despite his advancing age, currently 62, he's looking forward with much
enthusiasm to the new season and hopes to regain the form of previous years.
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STEVE HARKER # 4
Greenbank, Queensland
BEST: 5.811 - 254.96
Dodge Avenger - 526 KB
The fastest Top Alcohol Funny Car in the world outside of the U.S. and the
fourth quickest alcohol car in Australia, has landed Steve in this position.
While not always among the quickest, his car definitely generates the most
horsepower as evidenced by his almost 255 mph best speed. Fielding a first-class
operation, Steve has been competitive almost from his first time out in a
Funny Car, early in 1991. And for the first three years that was with the
McGee quad-cam engine, the only one anywhere in the world ever run competitively
on alcohol. After switching to a Chrysler-style Hemi, Steve has steadily
advanced towards the front ranks of the class. Aiding him considerably are the
tuning and mechanical skills of his employee, Gary Phillips, who while competing
against him at the track, drives a truck for Steve during the work-week, plus
all the maintenance on the Funny Car. Steve has come close to winning the
Australian season championship once, in 1993, losing a very close chase in the
final round of the Grand Finals due to a broken blower belt. With the current
rules favouring the dragsters, he may never come that close again, but can
always be counted on for tough performances.
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WAYNE NEWBY # 5
Winston Hills, New South Wales
BEST: 5.850 - 233.00
Meyer - 496 KB
While still a relative newcomer to the sport, Wayne has quickly established
his team as one on the rise. Slowly acquiring the right parts and advice,
Wayne and his father Dave have carefully advanced in performance. Their high
point, so far, was winning the Top Alcohol National Open at Calder Park in
February '98. Consistently one of the top qualifiers and gaining more experience
with each event, Wayne will be a contender for the championship in the not so
distant future. Utilizing the talents of well-respected California tuner, "Doc"
Conroy, on a regular basis, the team is quickly learning how to adjust to track
and atmospheric conditions. Coupled with Wayne's quick reaction times and
driving ability, they could mount a serious challenge as early as this coming
season. Largely self-funded through their Newby Engineering company, this team
seems to have the right equipment and right attitude to succeed.
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STEVE REED # 6
Everton Park, Queensland
BEST: 5.881 - 244.30
Oldsmobile Cutlass - 540 KB
Literally born into drag racing, Steve began his career at a very tender age
working on father Jim's AA/A. Gaining his license at 16, he slowly moved up
into the driver's seat of the by-this-time Donovan powered AA/FA. They switched
to a funny car body in the early 80s and since then have campaigned very competitively
throughout the country. Their performances have continued to improve over the
years and while not currently the quickest, they are still tough competitors
and able to win at anytime. The switch from the early-style to late-model
hemi in 1992 moved them to the front ranks of the early Pro-Comp (now Top
Alcohol) competition, culminating with the Australian Championship in 1994.
Other major successes in the early 90's included back-to-back Australian
Nationals titles in '93 and '94 and the '94 Winternationals. Since then, they
have slipped down the standings somewhat, mainly due to a lack of funds to
update the chassis and engine. And, until very recently, they were the only
serious Top Alcohol car still running a rootes blower. At the final event of
the 97-98 season, the Winternationals, they showed they can still be a force
though, with Top Speed of the Meet (at 244 mph) and a semi-final finish.
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DAVID HAWKE # 7
Magill, South Australia
BEST: 5.918 - 240.51
Meyer - 463 BAE
Another long time competitor, David came back to Top Alcohol racing at the
start of the 97-98 season, after sitting out since 1992. One of the original
blown alcohol dragster racers in Australia, he had led the pack for many years
before the introduction of the heads-up Pro Comp category in 1991. Gradually
slipping off the pace with his older Rodeck-powered car, he waited until the
funds were available to mount an assault on the top ranks again. He returned
with a nearly new chassis with BAE hemi power and a screw blower and found
immediate gains, stepping up his personal best from 6.4 to 6.1 instantly. He
struck success immediately, finishing runner-up to Scott Ferguson at his first
competitive appearance in over 5 years at the Adelaide round of the Top Alcohol
championship series. Less than two months later at the Nationals he ran his
first five during qualifying with a 5.918. He followed that up at the recently
completed Winternationals, qualifying with another five at a career best 240.51
mph. Unfortunately, the success curve took a sudden dive during eliminations,
ending with a violent crash in the semi-finals that destroyed the car and left
David with a deep hole in his wallet. The engine and driveline survived pretty
much intact, but the chassis is scrap and the rebuilding process promises to
be lengthy. David's plans for the future are currently unknown, but this man
doesn't give up easily. Read the full crash story here.
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PAUL SHACKLETON # 8
Mackay, Queensland
BEST: 5.945 - 230.18
98 Meyer - 470 KB
Paul broke into the top ten list in a big way with his first five second passes
at the '98 Winternationals. Spending the past two seasons working his way up
this point, Paul repeatedly turned low 6.0 runs, but always failing to break
into the magic five second zone. The new Bob Meyer chassis and updated equipment
brought him into the fives and to the final round of the event where he fell
to the all-conquering Gary Phillips. Paul's steady progress to that point was
ironically aided considerably by Phillips' help, advice and used parts. Now
that he's learned his lessons well, Paul seems destined to present a very
serious challenge to Gary's supremacy for the '98-99 season championship. Despite
being based in North Queensland, Shackleton has shown the willingness to travel
to most rounds of the series. Now armed with the best of equipment, including
a new (debuted at the '98 Winternationals) Bob Meyer chassis and the latest
BAE heads and a Whipplecharger, Paul looks to close the gap to the top runners
on an event-by-event basis. This is one darkhorse that will bear close scrutiny
as the new season unfolds.
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MARK BREW # 9
Capalaba, Queensland
BEST: 5.879 - 231.48
97 Lowe - 388 Brodix
Mark has spent a career trying to prove that small block Chevrolets can be
competitive in Top Alcohol. Working his way up through a series of competition
eliminator blown alcohol altereds and dragsters, Mark began his Top Alcohol
career behind the wheel of Adrian Pozzebon's "Pro Force" car in 1995. The
combination of a new Bob Meyer chassis and input from America's George Santos
led to consistent five-second performances, topped with a pair of 5.87's and
a final round berth at the '97 Nationals. Following that season, Mark and Adrian
parted ways amicably and with engine and transporter in hand, Mark teamed with
Gold Coast chassis builder and fuel system expert Ken Lowe on a radical new
car. Completing the new car from scratch in just 20 days, the team made an
immediate impact at Eastern Creek's Premier State Nationals in October '97 and
ran 5.98 on the car's third pass to defeat Stan Tindal in the first round of
eliminations. Unfortunately, post race inspection revealed numerous cracks in
the veteran Rodeck block, but the season was rescued when David Glenwright's
car owner, Bob Brackam, lent Mark and Ken his 457 Rodeck big-block. With a
chassis designed around a small block the new engine proved difficult to adapt
to, and mindful of its "loaner" status, the team was limited to 6.0 performances
at the following races and while always qualifying, was never a real contender.
Only three days before the 1998 Winternationals, Mark landed a new Brodix
(small) block and after a marathon engine building session, qualified at the
event on his first pass. Still running conservatively with the new engine,
Mark went down to a narrow first round loss to eventual event winner Gary Phillips.
The winter break will see regular testing at Willowbank with large performance
gains expected for the 1998-99 season.
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STEVE READ # 10
Brisbane, Queensland
BEST: 6.01 - 232.80
91 Meyer - 452 BAE
Still clinging to a position on this list, " Pommie " Steve has seen his stock
sliding down the alcohol charts for the past three seasons. Some of that was
due to his parking his own car periodically to drive Santo Rapisarda's Top
Fueller. He definitely made his mark in that division with best marks of 4.94
and the fastest speed ever in Australia, 298.41, turned at the 1995 Grand Finals
at Eastern Creek. For the '97-98 season, Steve returned to regular Top Alcohol
competition with updated equipment in his aging Bob Meyer chassis, but was
continually plagued with an assortment of gremlins. First the mags, then the
blower, then "who knows what", confronted this veteran racer. Failing to improve
on a career best 6.01 at the first race of the season, Steve only qualified
for three of the five events he entered. At the end of the season his future
seemed very undecided, with rumours placing him in several different scenarios
for the '98-99 season. While we're not sure of the current status of his Top
Alcohol dragster, we do know that Steve is currently driving the Santo's Cranes
Top Fuel car again. He debuted at the Adelaide Springnationals with a top qualifying
5.01 and lost a close semi-final race to eventual runner-up Romeo Capitnaio.
Plans for his alcohol car are still not known.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
SCOTT FERGUSON
Morphett Vale, South Australia
BEST: 6.17 - 225
95 Anderson - 489 JP-1
The new cult figure of Australian drag racing, Scott has seen his fortunes
take a sharp rise in 1998, beginning with his January win at Adelaide's
Top Alcohol National Open. Following up this success with appearances at the
series rounds at Willowbank and Calder Park left Scott sitting in third place
in the points standings coming into the TAC Nationals. A nagging series of minor
oil leaks cost him dearly, and an early 6.32 was bumped out of the field in
the final qualifying session. Finishing out of the money curtailed Scott's
season at this point, as the cost of travelling to the final two rounds of
the series at Willowbank became financially impossible. Despite some valuable
input from South Australian sponsor Tonkin's Car Audio the cost of alcohol racing
has proven steep for Scott, and a lack of spare parts has kept the tuneup conservative
and limited performance. With a few more dollars behind him though, watch out!
As the '98-99 season prepares to start, Scott is still looking for those elusive
sponsorship dollars and appears very undecided about his immediate future. His
season debut will be at the second round of the five-race championship series,
at his home-track, Adelaide. Luckily, two more rounds are scheduled at Calder
Park, only 500 miles away, which should allow him to attend. At this point,
travelling to Willowbank for the other rounds seems out of the question. If
enthusiasm and dedication and desire count, this guy's already a winner. Find
out more about Scott by visiting his web page .
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MATT FEATON
Melbourne, Victoria
BEST: 6.25 - 221
Dragster - 463 KB
Debuting their new car at the start of the '97-98 season, the Featon family
made steady progress throughout the year. Starting with a semi-final finish at
the Adelaide round of the championship series and finishing by qualifying at
the TAC Nationals, the team showed marked improvement each time out. With
fresh equipment and a major sponsorship from "Sea-Doo" they plan to contest
all rounds of the series in the coming season. Advancing from a personal best
of 6.25 to something beginning with a 5 is their current priority.
DEAN OAKEY
Parramatta, New South Wales
BEST: 6.285 - 227.93
Swindahl - 470 KB
Grandson of one of the truly colourful characters of Australian drag racing,
"Wild Bill" Oakey, this third generation dragster driver has beem competing
in Top Alcohol for only 18 months. Debuting with an older ex-Frank Bradley
top fuel chassis that had room for only a two-speed transmission, Dean's initial
outings were limited to mid to high-six second times. Lengthening the chassis,
installing a three-speed Lenco and stepping up to a screw blower moved him
up the ladder quickly in the second half of the season. At the Winternationals,
Dean finished as second alternate in the tough field, but achieved personal
bests in elapsed time and speed. More seat time in the '98-99 season should
see this car move toward its expected potential of the five-second zone. The
biggest hurdle to clear is the lack of track time available locally, as Dean
has to travel a minimum of 600 miles to the nearest quarter mile track.
TOM EASTON
Bendigo, Victoria
BEST: 6.465 - 212.76
23 "T" Roadster - 511 KB
A fixture on the downunder drag scene for nearly 30 years, Tom has constantly
fought the hard fight with an underdog combination of Chevys and altereds.
Stepping up to a late-model Chrysler-type hemi three years ago has seen the
car moving forward in performance and backwards financially. Several expensive
and unfortunate engine failures have left this veteran scrambling to put the
car on the track on a regular basis. Despite a seemingly favourable weight
break in Top Alcohol, the altered cars seem almost doomed to extinction in the
category. Not willing to give up or switch horses though, Tom is determined
to keep on trying with his current combination. He doesn't plan to run the
full series this season and may restrict his efforts to Top Comp and Supercharged
Outlaw events at Calder Park and Adelaide.
WAYNE JONES
Coopers Plains, Queensland
BEST: 5.978 - 221.67
95 Weldwell - 361 Chev
The father-son team of Bill and Wayne Jones has achieved remarkable success
against all odds. Owners of the "world's quickest" designation for their
small-block Chevy, Powerglide transmission-equipped dragster, they've made
their mark already in Top Alcohol, despite running only one championship series
event ever, that coming in the '97 season at Willowbank. That one outing
proved their worth, as they won the event. Prior to that, they dominated the
Group Two category of Competition Eliminator for many years, with an assortment
of altereds and dragsters, regularly setting national records and forcing numerous
index changes. Tiring of the constantly shifting barriers of Comp, they've
made the decision to step up to Top Alcohol on a full-time basis in the '98-99
season. Their last outing, nearly a year ago, saw heavy engine damage and
without a current sponsor, their reappearance in the Top Alcohol wars still
doesn't have a firm date. At this writing, it's expected they will be competing
at the Castrol New Year Series at Willowbank, but that isn't certain.
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IAN BROWN
Perth, West Australia
BEST: 6.050 - 232.90
Chev Lumina - 542 BAE
Three years ago, the Lush Brothers imported this well-known American funny
car, the ex-"Boston Strangler" and immediately struck success. Confining their
efforts strictly to their local Ravenswood Raceway, the team has steadily
moved ahead in performance and are now poised on the verge of five-second times.
Having the opportunity for lots of seat-time running in Top Comp, Ian has
steadily improved and polished his performances. Their biggest drawback is
being based in Perth, necessitating a very long tow across the Nullarbor Plain
to compete at any rounds of the championship series and to this time, they
haven't indicated any desire to do so. For the '98-99 season they seem content
to stay on the west coast and run Top Comp on a regular basis.
JOHN ZAPPIA
Albany, West Australia
BEST: 6.167 - 226.81
Pontiac Firebird - 554 JP-1
From its debut in 1990 "Zap's Rat" has become almost a household name in Western
Australia. Starting with an ex-street driven Monaro and a supercharged big-block
Chevy, John quickly established his reputation for great showmanship and very
quick times and speeds. Reworking the Monaro several times and eventually
adding a late-model hemi for motivation, he was the quickest doorslammer in
the country for several years until Victor Bray's Castrol juggernaut usurped
his ranking. Finishing his doorslammer career at the '95 Winternationals with a
spectacular, fire-balling losing effort in the semi-finals, John left the
"doored" crowd after achieving personal bests of 6.45 and 217 mph. His debut
performance in an alcohol funny car was another spectacular, with the car
running off the end of the braking area at Ravenswood (due to a chute failure)
on its first full pass. A quick rebuild saw "Zap's Rat 3" steadily establish
itself as a force to be reckoned with at Perth's Ravenswood Raceway. The '97
season saw his only forays into the national championship series, qualifying
at the TAC Nationals and finishing as an alternate at the season-ending Winternationals.
As the '98-99 season approaches, rumours are making the rounds that he may
be back in a Top Doorslammer next year, so his current plans for Top Alcohol
appear to be undecided. If he does make the switch, Top Alcohol's loss will
be Top Doorslammer's gain, but in either event, the fans will be the winners.
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HAROLD CAMPBELL
Townsville, Queensland
BEST: 6.637 - 203.16
23 "T" Roadster - 526 KB
The original wild man from North Queensland, Harold has made a career and a
lifestyle with his series of " Insanity " altereds and funny cars. A true
bucks-down racer, he can't afford the latest equipment, but tries very hard
with what he's got. Some might say that he tries just too hard at times, as
evidenced by twice hitting the guardwall at this year's Winternationals
. . . on the burnout!! A stalwart competitor since the inception of Top
Alcohol, he's gradually slipped to the bottom of the chart mainly due to a
lack of funds and track time. Based in North Queensland, and without the track
facilities necessary to adequately test a Top Alcohol car, his infrequent
appearances at Willowbank have failed to match his enthusiasm for the sport.
But, just when you think you've seen the last of him, out he comes again. A
true "hard trier" in every sense of the word.
BOB WILSON
Oxenford, Queensland
BEST: 7.429 - 186.54
98 Hadman - 468 TFX
How did this guy sneak in here? A completely unknown quantity, and absolutely
the darkest of darkhorses, this combination of an old rookie and a lot of brand
new equipment has yet to turn a wheel in Australia. This all-new state-of-the-art
car is expected to arrive in Queensland in early April, with testing commencing
in May and a competition debut scheduled for the '98-99 season-ending Konica
Winternationals. Basing the car at Ken Lowe's shop on the Gold Coast, this
new team will make Willowbank Raceway their southern hemisphere home track.
Despite nearly fifteen years in the sport, Bob has never achieved any remotely
competitive performance numbers, so to rank this car anywhere but at the very
bottom of any list is unjustified. However, with Ken Lowe on board as a consultant,
the mechanical skills of crewchief Tom Mohan, and a total dedication to the
sport, Wilson could move up the rankings very quickly. Still, it all remains
to be seen. Talk is cheap, performance is not. Put up or shut up, eh, Bob?
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