It was a sad
day for Aussie drag racing when the fondly-remembered Castlereagh
International Dragway closed its gates for the last time in April
1984, but the 25 Year Memorial Reunion was anything but a somber
event. Organized by the NSW Hot Rod Association in honor of the
old World War 2 airstrip which became a home away from home for
so many, the reunion was held on April 25th at the Drag-ens Hot
Rod Club clubhouse and had around 210 nostalgic souls in attendance.
Castlereagh's
closure marked the end of a magnificent era in Australian drag
racing, which saw constant record-setting runs by the best racers
in the country, the emergence of racers who went on to become
legends of the sport, helped forge many lasting friendships and
played host to some of the toughest machinery in the hands of
the biggest names from the home of drag racing, the USA.
The night was
for reminiscing. Stories of both achievements and failures on
the track, tales of the fun had when 'bending the rules ever
so slightly' and the re-kindling of friendships with blokes you
hadn't seen for maybe a couple of decades or more. Racers, crew
members and track officials from the old track regaled one and
all with tales of their exploits, although some of the recounting
may not have been quite accurate, what with CRAFT setting in
for most of us, but the stories evoked memories of a time when
racing was simple, parts and cars were home-built, not bought
off the shelf and a day at the drags with your mates was more
fun than you could poke a stick at.
Lining the entry
to the reunion was a row of hot rods, some of which, like Ronnie
Williams' roadster pickup, have been around since before Castlereagh
closed. At the end of the row of rods Aussie drag racing history
was made that night. Nearing the end of the line-up you saw a
pair of chrome spokes coming into view, followed by the unmistakable
torsion bar suspension and chassis of a slingshot. Finally, a
magnificent blown, Enderle-injected 392 Hemi, devoid of modern
clutter, filled your vision and led you to the gleaming white
and green paintwork, the 3-point cage and the polished Halibrands
shod with big Goodyears. The stirrings of emotion that this sight
provoked could only be truly felt by those who had witnessed
this car, and others of its type, in action more that 30 years
ago. Standing there, proud as punch and grinning like a Cheshire
cat was the owner and restorer of this rolling showpiece, 70s
and 80s racer, Ross Preen.
The digger on
display is the car that was built and raced by Victorian, John
Maher back in the late 60s. At the time, it was powered by an
injected Hemi, then it was sold to Sydney racer Morrie Carlton,
who raced it with a blown Hemi in the early to mid 70s and it
was then sold to fellow Sydney racer Jim Kerr, who kept the blown
Hemi configuration.
Some new body
panels have been fabricated to clothe the original chassis and
Ross has had it painted and lettered as it was during Morrie's
ownership. Ross has rebuilt the car to cackle, not race and had
invited Morrie along to the reunion to witness the fire-up of
his old car on nitro and to say that Morrie was stunned by the
rebuilt beauty would be an understatement. In Morrie's own words,
"The car looks a lot better now than it ever did when I
raced it!"
Eighty-five percent
filled the original tank, Morrie was requested to don the aluminum
face mask and take his place at the butterfly tiller, the injectors
were primed, the starter was connected to the pulley and started
to spin. A couple of pops and silence. Another injector prime,
the spin of the starter, and history - Australia's first cackle
car on Aussie soil roared into life. The sight and sound of that
cackling 392 brought tears to the eyes of many a grown man crowded
around and it wasn't just from the nitro. I don't think anyone
knew how many minutes passed until the pop ran out and the big
mill fell silent once again, we were all too busy basking in
the thrill of the moment. The silence lasted not quite a full
second before it was shattered with cheers, whistles, clapping
and laughter. We had just witnessed history in the making and
the two biggest smiles belonged to Ross and Morrie.
Once the big
mill had cooled down sufficiently it was time for a second start-up,
this time with legend and Top Fuel racer Bob 'Quarter Mile Smile'
Shepherd at the helm. After a lifetime of larrikinism and smiling,
Bob is the only bloke I know who could have out-smiled Ross and
Morrie that night and he did just that as he squirmed his way
into the tight but plush confines of the cockpit. On with the
facemask, another 85% dose, prime the injectors, attach and turn
over the starter motor, then the ghastly sound of broken metal
as the starter's planetary gear shattered. Even the fact that
the car hadn't been able to cackle into life couldn't take the
smile off Bob's face.
The reunion itself
was a resounding success. Joseph Rodriquez was in charge of keeping
the vintage drag racing movies and photos on the overhead screen
for the night, while ex- and current-racers, ex-Castlereagh officials
and fans renewed friendships and acquaintances, swapping stories
with each other. Australia's two most knowledgeable drag racing
historians, Bob Honeybrook and Dave Cook were on hand and the
list of attendees read like a who's who of our early and current
history.
Everyone who attended the reunion is indebted to the efforts
of Ian Seckold and the NSWHRA and to the Drag-ens for supplying their clubhouse as the venue. A more appropriate venue
could not have been found. Thanks must also go out to everyone
who attended because you are the ones who keep Castlereagh and
our history alive.
