Major League drag racing in Australia has reached a critical crossroad. At issue is which direction Down Under drag racing goes. Should the sport continue as it is, a mutiny of epic proportions from within the ranks of the professional, or Group 1, racers has the potential of tearing organized competition apart.
By following the racers a precedent could be set which essentially devalues the image of the Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) as a sanctioning organization. Going in a different direction could empower the sanctioning body, with all parties placing the future of their sport in the hands of a management group whose own members admit they’re incapable of handling all aspects of the sport, from rules enforcement to marketing.
Right now the one common denominator is that all parties agree there’s an issue with the way drag racing is being run and organized at present. This comes at a time when the V8 Supercars, Australia’s most popular racing series, is grabbing market-share hand over fist in a motorsport industry once dominated by drag racing. Essentially the V8 Supercar series has become to Australian drag racing what NASCAR has become to the NHRA.
To understand the issues, you must understand how drag racing operates Down Under.
There are essentially three entities which control drag racing in Australia. ANDRA handles the enforcement of the rules and collects the fees and related taxes from the racers.
Drag Racing Australian Group [DRAG] Limited [Ltd.] serves as the marketing arm for organized drag racing within the country and is spearheaded by the owners of the country's three major tracks, Willowbank Raceway, Perth Kwinana Motorplex, and Western Sydney International.
Last but not least are the Group 1 racers who have banded together, although there’s no official group such as the American Professional Racer’s Owner Organization [PRO] to unify them.
As things now stand the racers are revolting, arguing ANDRA and DRAG Ltd. are doing little to advance the sport to the levels it enjoyed a decade ago.
ANDRA and DRAG Ltd. contend they are doing the best they can in a complex world economy.
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