For Rob Ashman, chasing an ANDRA Christmas Tree was never really about the trophy, and when the South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Street racer finally claimed his first at the weekend’s Mildura City Council Sunset Nationals, it was his late father Dennis he was thinking of.

Ashman returned to drag racing after the passing of his father three years ago, buying a supercharged sedan almost by accident while searching for a replacement daily driver for his partner Arlette.

At the Davison Ford Sunset Strip for round three of the 2026/2027 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship, that car carried him through four rounds of eliminations from the 14th qualifying position in a 15-car field, past 2025 ANDRA Super Street Champion Michael Jennings in round one, then Michael Bridges, Chicka Waight, and finally Tony Antonino in the final.

“It is awesome – I have been chasing a Christmas Tree for a while now,” Ashman said.

“I started racing back in 1990, the first time I went down a track, then had some years off, then was lucky enough to get another ride in a car that belonged to Colin Will. Then family commitments came along, so I stepped away for a bit.

“It wasn’t until Dad sadly passed away three years ago – and not long after that a tree fell on my partner’s car and we were looking for a car for her – that this car turned up.

“She had found one in Perth and I found this one in Adelaide, and this one had a supercharger and the other didn’t, and she said, well that one isn’t really a daily driver,” he laughed.

“I knew I had to find something to get myself out of a bad mental space I was in after Dad passing, and I thought we would have some fun and chase a Tree. I didn’t think it would happen so soon. I am pretty happy about it.”

The win came at the end of an emotional weekend for Ashman, who was deeply affected by the passing of fellow racer Mark Jachmann.

“The day itself was a hard day with Mark passing away the day before the event. I had first met him a few years prior and we had pitted together a few times, so when they announced that, I was devastated,” he said.

“It was more of a reason, I thought to myself. For me, anyway.

“Qualifying went well and the car did what it should do, and then Sunday morning I looked at the seedings and had Michael Jennings in the first round and thought it was going to be a short day for me – but it ended up going the absolute opposite. I was really happy and blown away by the result.

“After every pass I was wondering, did I get it, did I get it? My partner is the only one in my pit crew, so each time as I was driving down towards her to get the time slip I was trying to read her expression, and she was trying to keep a straight face! It turned out every one was a good one. It was pretty overwhelming, but it was really good.”

Ashman was full of praise for the Sunset Nationals, an event he had not originally planned to attend.

“There was great weather, and it is a great track – I have always followed drag racing around even when I was not racing as such, and Mildura is such a lovely place to go to,” he said.

“The regional tracks like that are cool, you get looked after so well.

“I wasn’t even meant to go to Mildura, it was just a last-minute decision – and I came home with a big trophy.”

With the milestone now secured, Ashman says his focus remains on enjoying the sport, with the SPRY Spring Nationals a possibility and an eventual Drag Challenge tilt on the cards.

“I originally bought the car to try and do Drag Challenge as I have always wanted to do that, and I will probably end up doing it now the car is reliable and shouldn’t break anymore. That is something for down the track, but for now the plan is just to have some fun,” he said.

“I don’t really have any intention of chasing championships or anything like that, not at the moment anyway – I just wanted to have fun, and when you are on a race track, there is no time to think about bad things, so that helped.

“I didn’t expect to get a trophy so soon, but obviously it was my day. And to beat Michael Jennings in the first round, if I hadn’t won another race that day, I would have still been okay with that as he is a champion in himself.”

Ashman was quick to thank those who made the win possible, including the man who gave him his first taste of serious speed.

“Colin Will was a big inspiration for me. Luckily enough he offered me a ride in his AA/AP Thunderbird back in 1996, so that was really cool to run 7.2 at 174mph over the quarter mile. I would like to go that fast again, but that would cost a lot more money,” he laughed.

“I want to thank my partner, Arlette, and also my mate Mick and his partner Gayle. They are the ones who helped me out with the car when it came to pulling transmissions out and fixing stuff. Without them it probably wouldn’t have been a possible thing.

“It was a really good weekend, and it meant a lot to me to actually get it. For Dad for one, and for Mark as well.”

For full results from the Mildura City Council Sunset Nationals, please visit www.andra.com.au/series/results/

For SPRY Spring Nationals event information, visit www.thebend.com.au/dragway

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