Drag racers stomp in droves

Drag racers stomp in droves

More than 8000 motoring enthusiasts turned out for three days of drag racing excitement at Throttle Stomp at Gippsland Motorplex’s Bairnsdale Dragway last weekend.

Organisers described the event as one of their most successful meetings yet and pointed to a “bigger, better and badder” 2020 Throttle Stomp.

“Write it on the calendar, get out to the shed and start building because this is going to be epic,” organisers said in a Facebook post at the conclusion of Sunday’s racing.

The three-day event featured drag racing in pre 1969 cars and bikes on both the clean concrete dragway and also off-road in the more testing dirt.

All vehicles competing were required to undergo a safety check before racing.

Organiser, Tony Harvey, described Friday’s conditions as a scorcher and said racing did not begin until much later in the day and ended well after dark.

Those who camped onsite in tents cooled themselves down with ice blocks and cold drinks.

Two bands provided the entertainment for the weekend with the well-behaved crowd dancing “on the rocks” beside the racing track.

“Honestly, it was the best meeting we’ve had here, people were having so much fun,” Mr Harvey said.

“The atmosphere was amazing, everyone was happy, you couldn’t move out the back, there were campers everywhere.”

Those who attended the event came from across Gippsland as well as Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales.

The next event at Gippsland Motorplex is Drags and Skids on Australia Day.

The one-day event will feature racing in the morning and skids all afternoon until dark.

There’s a free sausage sizzle and a variety of vehicles coming from New South Wales and Victoria.

PICTURED: Willy’s Drop Shop crew came from Somerville on the Mornington Peninsula for the Throttle Stomp event at Bairnsdale Dragway last weekend, which attracted more than 8000 people.

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