General News
1 October, 2022
Thundering Sand-Drags are back
Spectacular, thundering racing-machines with two- three- and four-wheels will be ‘rooster tailing’ up the sand this weekend at Taylors Lake, as Sand Drags return after the two-year Covid break.
Spectacular, thundering racing-machines with two- three- and four-wheels will be ‘rooster tailing’ up the sand this weekend at Taylors Lake, as Sand Drags return after the two-year Covid break.
The event first began in 2017 and has been most successful in attracting good entries and crowds of spectators who enjoy the thrill of the one-on-one, non-handicapped racing action.
The race is hosted by the St Helens Plains Community Group,and committee member Keith Fisher said they are expecting some pretty impressive purpose-built racing machines on Saturday and Sunday.
“It looks like we now have over 50 competitors coming from far and wide, with entries from New South Wales, South Australia and, of course, across Victoria,” Mr Fisher said.
“We have quite a few V6 and V8 engined bikes, three- and four-wheelers, some of them turbo-charged and running ‘top fuel’ Nitromethane, which really hammer off the start of the 150 metre sand track.
‘They are fitted with special lugged tyres that give huge sand digging traction and launch the machines amazingly quickly over the course.”
The crowd can expect to witness some of the top-class machines accelerate from a standing start to 160 to 180 kilometres per hour over the short course distance in under nine seconds, so some pretty heart-pounding racing will be expected.
Mr Fisher said the recent rains will dampen down the fluffy sand, making for perfect conditions and improving traction for some super fast times, and with an excellent weather forecast, he expects an excellent weekend of racing.
“The last race meeting earlier in the year was held at Sandy Springs near Serviceton, but this event will be a prologue for a forthcoming national event at Kalgoorlie, so many enthusiasts will be using the Taylors Lake meet as a trial run and practice for the big Western Australian event.”
Mr Fisher also said that funds raised during the previous racing weekends have been donated to the Wimmera Cancer Centre, and they hope to do the same this year.
“We’re rather pleased to be able to run the event again after the break and have catering organised by the Little Desert Rodders Club in conjunction with the Northern Grampians Lions Club, so bring a chair and probably a hat as it looks like the sun will be shining over the weekend,” he said.
“The weather forecast looks great, so combined with some spectacular motor racing, a great weekend is assured.”