DISAPPOINTED DRAG RACER

Hi Todd, I’m very disappointed in NZV8 coverage of the 50th NZDRA Nationals. As this is the biggest, with 220 members competing, and longest drag racing event running in New Zealand, and being the 50th, the coverage in your magazine was very disappointing to say the least. I hope you intend to address this problem in the future with your magazine as it seems very one-sided at present which is not what it is about.

Thanks, Paul Davison Hi Paul, Thanks for your email. You’re correct that we likely did not do the NZDRA Nationals justice. However, there’s a lot more to it than what you do — or, as the case may be — don’t see. Right from the formation of a second drag racing governing body in New Zealand, we’ve not taken a side in the drag racing split, instead choosing to focus on key events, regardless of sanctioning body. This year, with the timing of both bodies’ national finals and the timing of our print dates along with availability of staff, we needed to decide in advance what we could cover. Playing into this was the fact that we had run an event from Masterton in the preceding issue, so, along with the factors mentioned, we opted for the Waikato-based event, and arranged our staffing accordingly. However, we did try to run results and an overview from the NZDRA event in the issue that went to print just after it. Sadly, the NZDRA was unable to provide us with results for any classes, due to some driver protests, which meant that we were unable to offer any decent coverage in that issue. Even one month later, just before the following issue went to print, we were unable to get the information we’d hoped, so were unable to run any form of event report. While we did get the required information just before our last issue went to print, seeing that it was by now three months since the event, we felt that it was too out of date. So, while we’d love to have been able to give successful competitors, such as yourself, some more exposure, sadly, this time around, it couldn’t happen. In good news, going forward, the NZDRA and ourselves have agreed to try to work more closely together, so here’s hoping that that all falls into place as planned and we’re able to do the drivers more justice next season. Cheers, Todd