DO WHAT YOU GOTTA
Who was it who said, “If you want it to rain, hold a drag race”? I guess it doesn’t really matter, but they sure were right. Of course, a further look into the climatology and meteorology shows us that we’ve just been given a wet and warm summer, and we're in for more of the same for autumn. I’m not really planning on talking about the weather, though, so much as the recent Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Cars exhibition at Meremere Dragway, which was cruelly put to rest by relentless rain in the middle of summer. The Meremere and Aeroflow teams pulled out all the stops to try to make it the best event they could, and, as you’ll also read in Morice McMillin’s column later on in this issue, it was very much a damned-if-you-do, damned-ifyou-don’t scenario — I, for one, certainly don’t envy their predicament, which was the definition of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. Was it disappointing? Hell yes, it was; I was about as keen as everyone else present to see it all. There’s another side to that coin, though, and that’s the size of the crowd that turned up. I’ve seen the photos from days gone by, taken by the likes of Allan Porter and Mike Ashton, showing enormous crowds trackside, but, being from the generation that never got to experience Thunderpark, I’ve never personally seen a crowd that big at a drag racing Omsparad.indd 3 event. Now, I don’t believe I am in a position to provide any sort of opinion on New Zealand drag racing in general, but I will say that it was certainly reassuring to see that a drag racing event of that scale can still happen in this day and age. The IHRA Auckland Invasion meet at Masterton Motorplex certainly can’t have hurt, with the Marsh boys taking Top Fuel to the region and showing even more people what nitro is all about in the big-boy league — again, drawing massive crowds in the process. As this little write-up started with a weather mention, it makes sense that it finish with one. I understand that people who know more about atmospheric conditions than I do reckon that we’re in for a wet and warm autumn. As you read this, we’ll be planning our expedition to Repco Beach Hop 18 — which, I can assure you, will not be based around beer and barbecues or general party shenanigans. Whether the weather gives us the hot sunnies or the wet miserables, we’re gonna be there busting arse to get the NZV8 Beach Hop Annual 2018 out for your viewing pleasure. It should also go without saying that we’ll also be be busting arse to make it the best annual yet. I just hope that big blue up above agrees.
Connal connal@v8.co.nz