27/02/2022
Top Fuel gets asked a lot about sanctioning. We don’t really want to talk about it, and our opinion isn’t worth any more than anyone else's. But it’s a hot topic on a rainy Sunday (rainy on the east coast anyway), so thought we’d address it just one time, and then we’ll leave it.
Sanctioning bodies have a very important role. They insure the tracks, events, competitors, crew, officials and spectators. They lobby government. They license drivers, and tech check cars. They manage the safety so that insurance companies will provide the cover we need to go racing.
Then there are the thousands of dedicated officials and technical experts around Australia who give up their time to put on racing. Those women and men are to be celebrated by everyone who races no matter what logo is on their uniform.
Because without all of this good stuff, racing would be a lot harder, if not impossible.
So we all get why sanctioning is important, but now there’s plenty of cooler things to talk about from our end. And like a lot of racers, Top Fuel got ourselves caught up in sanctioning issues in the past too.
But we’ve chosen to move forward so Top Fuel can run our own truly independent championship … and so we can race at ALL the good tracks that can fit us in.
Look at the Top Fuel championship calendar, see the tracks we’re racing at. Clearly, Top Fuel doesn’t mind who the sanctioning body is at each track, we only care that it’s sanctioned.
And next season’s calendar will be bigger and better and have more tracks.
At the moment, there are two bodies, so two licenses if you want to race everywhere. Tracks choose their sanctioning body, and that determines the license we need to race there. It’s a pain, but if someone wants to race at all the good tracks in Australia, that’s the deal.
The last two years have been ordinary enough with COVID, and there hasn’t been enough racing. So whether you’re running Junior Dragster, Top Fuel or anything else, it’s time we talk up Aussie drag racing and just go race … whether it’s in the Australian Drag Racing Championship, 400 Thunder, Jamboree, Kenda … or any other series or event, big or small, anywhere in Australia.
Race where you want to race. Choose a championship to run in, or run your own. Get a day license if that works better for you.
But whatever you do, support your local track, race your car … buy a ticket, grab a pie, and maybe a t-shirt 😊
If you want to reply to this post, share some pics of you and your car and your crew. See you at the track!