34 fastlane
I have to thank Halpin Motors and give a special thanks to my brother
John Halpin for lending me the wheels for the bike,” he laughed.
“It was a good day on Saturday, I can’t complain about anything at all
– everything went well and it was smooth sailing really. The Summit
Racing Queensland Championship is a lot of fun – Roma is my local
track so I race there a lot but this year was my first trip to Mackay. I
loved it and it has been a really good time, there are heaps of good
people racing alongside you and I hope it all continues next year and
keeps getting bigger and better.”
BRETT KELLY
SUPER STREET
“After the second round I
ran through the points in
my head and I thought I was
too low down to take a win,
I thought I might be able to
get the runner-up sport,”
Kelly said.
“I have made a few changes to the car, switching over to running
methanol and I have a spare engine in it at the moment as I damaged
my proper race engine, but it ran pretty good and when I got the win
in the final I thought I might have locked out the runner-up result for
the series.
“Then at the presentations they called out Richard Dawe as runner-up
and I thought I had miscalculated and I wasn’t even in the running
– but then they called me out for the Champions’ trophy! I just went
‘wow’, it was a real shock! It is a good series, and I will be back next
year.”
NOEL BARTLEY
MODIFIED BIKE
“At the end, it was a surprise
just to win the final round –
not saying that I could never
do it of course,” Bartley
laughed.
“To get the big one though –
you could have knocked me
over with a feather when they called my name out for that big trophy!
“So I guess the series unfolded perfectly for us in the end – you more
or less could say we started up with a rusty crew and ended up a
shiny bunch!”
To hear more from Bartley, check out our special feature by click
here.
LAURIE BONATO
SUPER SEDAN
“We had a pretty good
season and there has been
a lot of really close racing,
a lot of good racers, and a
lot of true sportsmen too. I
had trouble at the second round with my car and it was a couple of
racers who were up there in the points right to the end that helped
me, which was greatly appreciated. I thank them for their help, and
also my great all-girl crew: my wife Kathy, daughter Alanna and good
friend Tracey,” Bonato said.
“It was a great feeling to win the championship – right down to the
end we all knew that it was anybody’s to win, and that is good in a
way I think. I had a bit of luck on my side as well. I am hoping to do
the full three rounds again next year and I encourage everyone else
to do it as well – it is a bit of an effort to do all three rounds but it is
definitely worth it.
“My thanks goes to ANDRA and Summit Racing Equipment for
getting together and making the Series possible, all of the tracks
and also all of the bracket sponsors and especially Grulke Concreting
for sponsoring the Super Sedan bracket. Thanks also must go to my
supporters Fix It Auto Wreckers and Mal’s Mechanical in Bundaberg.”
KATIE CUNNINGHAM
MODIFIED/
TOP SPORTSMAN
“Aside from some issues
with our oil pressure
dropping and blowing up
our engine, it was a good
season for us. Luckily we got
the issues sorted in time for
the last round,” Cunningham
said.
“It was a good last event and it was a good Series. We had a good run
in that last event and it was a really close final as well. That is the
best part about drag racing I think: having a close final.
“It felt really good to be awarded as the champion. We have been
aiming for it since the Series was started last year, so to finally get it
was a really big achievement.
“I have to say thank you to CFZ Racing and also my family for helping
run the event in Palmyra as well as supporting me throughout my 10
years of racing.”
RODNEY HANSEN
OUTLAWS
“We had a pretty good day (at the final) all in all
– it unfolded well, qualifying went pretty well and
we didn’t have any dramas, the car behaved and
the track was excellent,” Hansen explained.
“The racing went really well and to grab another
Tree is always great – it is a pretty good feeling
and to be able to do that in your own state and
travel for the Queensland series is great.
“My crew guys always do a fantastic job, so I
have to thank them – Jason Page and Cory Hess
– as well as Gilroy’s Automatic and Peter and
Helen, Paigepower Race Engines and Hansen’s
Automotive.
“The Summit Racing Queensland Championship
is definitely something I enjoy and I think eighth
mile racing is a lot more challenging than quarter-
mile racing – everything happens a lot quicker!”
For full results from the Summit Racing
Queensland Championships, please click here.
Images by Rogue Snapper Photography