*Updated 7 July 2021 re: AIR date

The Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) is pleased to announce the establishment of the Australian Drag Racing Championship which will launch with an action-packed 2021/2022 season from July 2021.

The Australian Drag Racing Championship (ADRC) will host competition for the National Title and the celebrated ANDRA Christmas Trees for the Group One categories of Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle.

For the 2021/2022 season ADRC events will be held across four states and five venues, visiting the Hidden Valley Drag Strip, Alice Springs Inland Dragway, Adelaide International Raceway, the Perth Motorplex and Calder Park Raceway.

The 2021/2022 season will be held across the following dates*, with each of the below ADRC events to also include a round of the 2021/2022 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series (full dates for the SRESS 2021/2022 season will be announced shortly):

  • Round one – Hidden Valley – July 16-17, 2021
  • Round two – Alice Springs Inland Dragway – July 24-25, 2021
  • Round three – Adelaide International Raceway – October 2-3, 2021
  • Round four – Perth Motorplex – November 27, 2021
  • Round five – Calder Park Raceway – February 5-6, 2022
  • Round six – Perth Motorplex – March 5-6, 2022

*All dates correct at time of writing, subject to change

Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association President and Top Doorslammer competitor, Matt Abel, welcomed the news.

Matt Abel in action (Credit: High Octane Photos)

“As both the President of the Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association and as a Top Doorslammer competitor, I am very excited about the establishment of this national-level Group One series,” Abel said.

“The entire Hidden Valley Drag Racing Association committee is thrilled, and we are very much looking forward to the challenge of hosting the first event of the inaugural season. It is going to be great to get the racing back on track and see it build bigger and better across the coming years.

“This is something that I think everyone will agree we have needed for a long time, and we are looking forward to being part of building a great Group One championship for Australian drag racing and its fans.”

Top Fuel Motorcycle Australia President and long-time competitor, Benny Stevens, is also looking forward to seeing the new national series grow.

Benny Stevens in action (Credit: High Octane Photos)

“The new Australian Drag Racing Championship is a great concept, and it will be brilliant to have a proper Australian series back on track,” Stevens said.

“We are looking forward to being part of building a successful championship for not only Top Fuel Motorcycle and Top Doorslammer competitors but also fans Australia-wide and we are going to be working hard to get a good, solid field of riders involved.

“The Top Fuel Motorcycle community have always been great supporters of Top Doorslammer and vice versa, so it will be fantastic to be back on the road travelling together with some solid fields around the country racing towards the ANDRA Gold Christmas Tree and Series honours.”

The establishment of the ADRC follows intensive consultation with ANDRA members and ANDRA member tracks.

“We have been listening to what our members and our member tracks want and there has been a lot of people doing a lot of work on this for a long time,” ANDRA Chief Executive Officer, Brett Stevens, said.

“It gives me great pride to now be able to announce the exciting new Australian Drag Racing Championship to provide a place for true national-level competition for Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle, and hopefully in the not-too-distant future, for additional Group One categories.

“We are very excited about the future and look forward to seeing the growth and success of both the Australian Drag Racing Championship and the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series over the coming season and into the future.”

The 2021/2022 ADRC and SRESS seasons will kick off with back-to-back events at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip and Alice Springs Inland Dragway on July 16-17 and July 24-25. For more information on those events, please visit www.hiddenvalleydrags.com and www.cadra.com.au. Further announcements around the ADRC will be released in due course.

For more from ANDRA, visit www.andra.com.au