BATTLE OF THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
2017 BRISBANE JAMBOREE
In the two decades that the Brisbane Jamboree has been running at Willowbank Raceway, few events have carried the excitement and vigour that the 2017 fixture did. The reason was the international flavour brought by a four-car Puerto Rican (PR) team, a two-car Japanese team, and a handful of Kiwis, who all lined up against the best Australia has to offer.
Team Puerto Rico consisted of some of the heavyweights on the world stage — the Rafaelito RX-8 (world’s fastest two-rotor), the Mech-Tech Scion (the world number-three import), the ‘El Humilde’ AE86 ( the world’s fastest three-quarter-chassis import), and the ‘Loquito Killer’ 20B RX-8 (the world’s second-fastest rotary). These are cars that many consider to be heroes of the import world, and having them on local soil was an opportunity too good to pass up for hordes of Kiwis who crossed the ditch.
If anyone doubted they could do the business on foreign soil, all that went out the window early in the week when, during testing, they smashed PBs that were both world and Australian records, while still weighing in under Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) class minimums. The second day of testing saw El Humilde go 5.94 at 242mph (389kph) to reset its own world record for the second time, while Mech-Tech’s 2JZ Scion jumped up the world rankings to second place with the fastest import pass on Australian soil, running a 5.83 at 244mph ( 392.6kph). For the rotary boys, Rafaelito nabbed the Australian 13B record in testing; reset the world record it already held while at ANDRA weight; and, during Saturday night’s eliminations, was the only team to go faster while at this weight — 90kg heavier than it normally runs in Puerto Rico. And disaster struck fourth team Loquito Killer, when a carbon driveshaft failed on the line, causing a methanol fire and associated extensive damage. Thankfully, the car was repaired in time to run the weekend’s event.
But it was by no means an all-PR show. This is the biggest event of the year for Australian racers, and they came out in force, with the biggest entrant list in recent history. New cars from Ben Bray, Gina Bullian, and Sam Sadek, among others, also built the excitement. The event was split over two days and 11 classes, and the racers made the most of the impeccable track surface, although a strong head wind during racing hampered any record breaking. For the three Kiwis in attendance, it was a bit of a frustrating weekend. Gina Bullian’s RX-8, a brand-new car for the weekend, had a few wild rides while the team ‘tamed’ the chassis. But a PB of 6.90 at 198mph (318.6kph) and a string of 1.10 60-foots saw the team leave happy and excited about the car’s future potential.
As Curran Brothers Racing (CBR) has now opened up shop in Sydney, the RX-2 was shipped over, and Jambo was its debut. New tyres, new suspension, new gearbox, and a 13B single-turbo combo delivered a 7.1 at 181mph (291kph). After an oil leak plagued the car all Saturday, Sunday dawned with a new 13B in the hole, but a split rear counterweight destroyed that engine, but only after a highlight for many Kiwis when Brent beat the Pac RX-3 on its own turf.
The weekend was frustrating for our fastest, Rod Harvey, who was unable to run a five and show the PR guys what a 1090kg car can do. The team elected to test on Friday but couldn’t get a single pass in, as Rod explained: “We started off going to half-track to bed in the new rear tyres; I don’t like going out and doing a full pass on fresh rubber. The next pass, I then smashed the plantery out of the box on the start line, and it damaged the casing. We didn’t get it repaired and back into the car until 6pm, so that was our day done.”
Race day kicked off with a promising start straight off the trailer, and they ran a 6.0 to put them at number-one qualifier for the first round. But, during the second qualifier, the car just didn’t make enough boost to get the tyres spinning off the line, and, during the third qualifier, the computer didn’t disengage launch mode, so the car was unable to rev and Rod had to back out of it.
For the first round of racing on Sunday, Rod faced off against Rocky Rehayem from Pac Performance. “He did everything he could to mess me up on the start line,” Rod said. “He did a massive burnout, and then wouldn’t go into stage first. I ended up going in and putting a light on him. My car fell over on the start line again, but I managed to drive around it and get the win.”
Frustration really kicked in during the next round, when a snapped throttle shaft killed any chances of a clean pass: “It snapped in a way that would let me use the throttle until one or two PSI of boost would slam it shut.” This handed the win to Gina Bullian, in the Mazsport RX-8. Moving into the third round, which was a bye, all Rod needed to do was run a quick time to earn a place in the final. But sitting on the line too long resulted in too much boost and over-powered the car, shaking the tyres to a 6.8 — a fast run but not fast enough, spelling the end to a very frustrating weekend for the team. “Some weekends are not your weekend, and this just wasn’t mine. I really wanted to show the PR guys that we can run fives at 2400 pounds [1089kg], but it just wasn’t to be,” Rod said.
Rod’s exit set up a factory extreme final that could not be better, with a PR and Aussie car, El Humilde versus Joe Signorelli in the GAS Motorsports Celica. The three-quarter-chassis AE86 had been on form all weekend, running super quick and straight. The Willowbank track really agreed with the little car, and this showed all weekend. The final was no different, and it took the win over Joe. They came, they saw, and on this occasion they conquered.