hey guys just a quick question to all the guys down hear in OZland regarding the cruzin nostalgia drags. are they worth goin to? the only reason i ask is if i wanted to go i'd have to weasle out of a family thing so it would have to be worth my while ya know what im sayin. and also do they have a rain date cos as im sitting hear its currently ******* down rain outside and IT'S MENT TO BE F@#%IN SUMMER
Put it this way.....the drags are on this weekend and I'm driving to Adelaide to see a hot rod show. They've just cancelled tonight's drags, so there's every chance they won't be on on Sunday either judging by the way the water seeps out of the track out there....but being Calder they'll probably wait until you're INSIDE the gate to tell you. A refund Mr.Jane? Not likely. I (and many mates) have given that rich old ***** too many dollars in the past to fall for that anymore! If you wanna watch XYs, Chargers and Monaros race, head to Dandenong on Friday night....it's free and you get what you'd expect to see.
To me, nostalgia drags means restored old race cars, especially fuel altereds, funny cars and diggers (plus super stocks). I get the impression this Cruzin thing is any race technology in a pre 72 body. ie. lots of tubbed falcons, monaros, toranas - what you'd see at a Wednesday night street meet. Of course, I could be wrong!
.....errr, pre-80 if it's a US-body. Figure this one in though.....race VW Beetles have been turned away!! Now, correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm not!) but VWs have a fairly significant history in 60s/70s drag racing (both here and the US).......unless you're a redneck, that is. Faux-stalgia.
I remember watchinh Peter Keegan's chopped blown and unblown bug, a**** others, race in the early 70's in various GAS cl***es. Back then, more than half any fuel bike field was bug powered too!
It all comes down to whose idea of Nostalgia we are talking about. We had this discussion on another (Oz) Forum and it become a slinging match. I have evidence of VW's running (very quick I might add) and I believe the style of event is targeted more towards Street Rod and Street Machine Drags, not Nostalgia. After all the majority of the paying public don't care, they just want their money's worth of racing (the quicker the better)..
I don't want to piss on your fireworks - sounds like the ****ty weather down there is doing that for you, but I've been to the Cruzin Nostalgia Drags up here at the WSID near Penrith for the last 3 events and I think it's the best event that I've been to since leaving the UK 5 1/2 years ago. I used to go to the Hot Rod Drags and Nostalgia Nationals every year back home and I loved the flathead Meltdown series. I don't think it'd work up here as there aren't enough Flattie powered cars to make it compe***ive/happen. Yes there are a few Monaros, Falcons and Toranas but there are also Wild Fuel Altereds, G***ers and a few front engined diggers getting about. There was even a 23-25 T modified with a DOHC Gallivan head on it from a 20's Indy car. There is a real mixture which makes to more worth while - for me anyway. I'm a car guy and while I may not like a particular type of car (Torana for instance) I can appreciate the work and engineering thats gone into a car. I've stopped going to the big Glitzy Hot Rod shows, as most of the cars have mile deep paintwork, billet everything and most parts are new. I enjoy the racing side of things - and I'd rather see a Hotted up 202 Torana tearing up the strip than a Plastic fantastic at a Hot Rod show that doesn't often see light of day. The weather for the last two events has been pretty bad, in Sptember the weather in Katoomba when we left was shocking but by the time we hit Penrith the weather had cleared up. We had about 4 good hours of racing before the ****ty weather stopped play. Its also a good social event and is good to catch up with people you haven't seen for a while. I don't know where i'm going with this but I'd say - don't mock it till you've tried it, you might be impressed. I'd recommend it any day
I recieved a text message around midday from my mate who went to run his car. Full street trim 1962 EK Holden mini tubbed, SBC running TA's reeled off his best time to date 10:98 @ 127mph. No trailer in sight! 3 Hour round trip to the strip only problem average fuel and a bit of pinging!... Sounded like it was a good day. Bobbed T you would have liked the Nostalgia Drags held pre-Cruizin (about 10yrs ago) more than this lot now. Norm Longfield dragged his Jocko's Streamliner out and around the country to run, Roly Leahy had a topfuel FED and plenty of emphasis on the entrant not spectator. Held at Heathcote, was well worth the trip. Plenty of Rods, FED's and a small amount of Oz and Yank Muscle.. I'm a car guy too, but when you promote it as Nostalgia Drags I would hope for more Nostalgia than everything else.....
Ask and you shall recieve...... This is more street car than race car. Regularly driven, in this setup it has done quite a few roadtrips minimum 4 hours one way.... *Edit* Forgot to mention 100% owner built, he has had it for 16 or so years!
Devil Rod, 10 years ago sounds cool, but then 10 years ago at this point in time for me,I was Freezing my nuts off in Bosnia in the Army. I suppose the bottom line is that its a money thing, more cars = more spectators which = more money, which allows the organisers to keep an event like this going
I thought it was a pretty good day. It didn't rain at all, but it sure was ****** windy! Not too many Rods racing, but plenty in the car park. It worked out pretty good for us - we were in Melbourne for the weekend and didn't even know it was on till we got there and bought the latest issue of Cruizin Here's some photo's ...
Only recognised one Hamb car (Flatoz), but there was no-one around when I took the pic. Next time I looked, it was driving out the gate so didn't get a change to say Hi. Here's a few more pics ...
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