31/08/2026
Planes, not quite trains but automobiles. What a weekend!
After taking the car out of Caneland Central Friday morning, it was a fairly routine start to race weekend. Weโd made a couple of changes, were prepared for a few curve balls, and planned to get some testing in Friday night.
Thatโs when it startedโฆ
Just prior to warm-up, a plane crash-landed with no landing gear about an hour before we were due to start. Then, needing to swap tunes โ something that could have been done earlier, but had been forgotten because itโs no longer part of the routine โ the laptop decided it didnโt want to connect to the ECU.
After trying almost everything, we were able to borrow another cable without the screw-in piece. Gave it a little wiggle and we were away, albeit later than intended. The track had its own set of technical gremlins too, so we didnโt miss a lot.
We headed out and spun the tyres hard. By the time we were ready to go again, the dew was coming in thick and others were having trouble getting down the track. The decision was made to park it and come back the next day.
With a new battery setup, the car fired up for warm-up without a problem. Then the voltage kept dropping the longer it ran. Went to check it and it had switched itself off! ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
Drivers briefing was called, so we put it on charge and hoped we could get enough into it for the first qualifier. It took a little while, but we got there.
Qualifying went to plan as we chased a setup we could use for racing โ right up until just before the MPH box at the finish line in the third session, when an oil pressure hose failed.
A little move to the left got everyone's attention, the chutes were out and then came the smoke. This was with a 182 mph trap speed.
The crew sprung into action, cleaned the car up and, thanks to the guys from the Aeroflow Nitro Funny Car team, they were able to make up a replacement hose and get us back on track.
Then came a very special pass.
We had the privilege of carrying the ashes of Jules Lamb, a person who gave her heart and soul to Palmyra Dragway, in the parachute for one final ride.
We took the burnout that little bit further and, while backing up, there was fluid on the track. ๐คฆโโ๏ธ
Another fitting had come loose.
As many commented on the day, Jules didn't mind a bit of drama. The crew jumped straight back in, got it sorted and sent her off.
Anyway, we arenโt repeating ourselves, so there was another frantic effort from the crew to sort out the suspect fitting and get us ready for first round.
Twenty-four racers in Super Modified and we drew Brett Fargher first round โ like we seem to do nearly every other round!
Unfortunately for Brett, he went red, and we were able to go A to B without spinning for a 7.06 on a 6.99 dial-in guess.
Second round was a scheduled bye run. We put a little more power in the car and dialled it up to 7.02. It felt good and we thought it was a decent number, backing it off early just in case of a breakout.
It ended up being well off, with a 7.122.
After all the different gremlins and carnage throughout the day โ sorry for doing it twice! โ the event was running late and the dew was setting in. The call was made to shorten the rest of the event to two rounds.
Unfortunately, we werenโt close enough for a countback, and that was the end of our night.
Despite everything, it was awesome to see the hill packed with fans. Some lucky kids even got to have a sit in Just Another Toy.
So remember, at the next event, come down to pits, say hello and have a look around.
A massive THANK YOU to all the crew and their families. We absolutely couldnโt have done it without you this weekend โ let alone the countless hours over the last few weeks getting everything ready.
Unreal effort from all the Palmyra Drag Racing Club Inc for putting the event on.
Overtaking Lane for the amazing coverage.
Dave Lovi Photography for these awesome images.
And finally, thank you to our sponsors for helping us get to the track and keeping us there. We couldnโt do it without your support.
Until the next oneโฆ
Light Vehicle Solutions
Paton Diesel Services Pty Ltd
DAMNphotographic
