3 June 2011
At the end of April, defending Modified national Champion Kelly Corbett suffered a heartbreaking blow – crashing her NSANE.net.au Modified dragster during qualifying for the penultimate round of the Rocket All Stars Racing Series chase.
While Corbett came out of it relatively unharmed, the car was severely damaged, leaving her on the sidelines for the event and her attempt at back to back championships seemingly over.
“After the crash, I couldn’t race at the Nitro Champs, and my place on the points table went from leading to equal second – by the end of the event, I thought it was all over for the season, and that was pretty upsetting,” said Kelly.
However, her brother Scott – also a competitor in the Modified bracket, was having none of it.
After losing out in the first round of racing at the Nitro Champs, meaning he was no longer in contention for the championship himself, Scott approached his sister with a big hug and a big offer – for his little sister to drive his NSANE.net.au dragster at the Castrol EDGE Winternationals so she could defend her title.
“It was a very special and emotional moment and such a shock, it is such an amazing opportunity for Scott to offer me,” said Kelly.
“I am still quite emotional about it to be honest, and I am just so grateful to him for his sacrifice so that I can race and hopefully take back to back championships for our team. I know it will mean the world to both of us!”
Kelly will be back on track for the first time since her Nitro Champs incident for the Winters Warm-up, the official testing event held on June 4 and 5 for entrants of the Castrol EDGE Winternationals – members of the public are able to come and watch for just $20 for adults, children 13 and under gain free entry.
“Once I knew I couldn’t win the championship, I just couldn’t bear the thought of her sitting on the sideline watching her chance for back to back titles slip away – so it just made sense and I can’t wait to help her to what will hopefully be a victorious Castrol EDGE Winternationals!”
The Castrol EDGE Winternationals is an entertainment extravaganza held annually across the Queen’s Birthday weekend and is expected to provide an economic injection of millions of dollars into the South East Queensland region.
Children aged 13 and under are able to gain free admission to the Raceway during the Castrol EDGE Winternationals, and students with ID are able to gain discounted entry. One-day, two-day and full-event passes are all available – for more information, to purchase tickets and for schedules, please visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au
Willowbank Raceway is Queensland’s premier drag racing facility, hosting year-round racing including four ANDRA Pro Series rounds per year including the Castrol EDGE Winternationals. For more information, please visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au