Sportsman Impress at South Coast Nationals

Much more favourable weather conditions greeted the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship racers on day two of the South Coast Nationals today at South Coast Raceway. The seaside track came alive on Sunday, 8 December, for a full day of racing to see who would take home ANDRA Christmas Trees.

It was celebrations all around at the end of today’s running for the winners in their respective brackets: Rob Cassar (Lectron Australia Competition Bike) and Peter Bartlett (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike).

Celebrations were also had for the event runners-up in each bracket: Edge Mallis (Lectron Australia Competition Bike) and Bryan Finn (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), .

Competition Bike

In Lectron Australia Competition Bike, four new national eighth mile records were set by three competitors, one by winner Rob Cassar, one by runner-up Edge Mallis and two by Top Qualifier Medallion, presented by New Gen Business Park winner, Joe Khoury. To get to the final, both Cassar and Mallis enjoyed wins in rounds one, two and three of the round-robin style racing. In round one, it was Cassar over Rob Church and Mallis over Nathan Stone. In round two, Cassar took the win over Stone while Mallis enjoyed a bye. In round three Malllis took the win over Walter Hosta, while Cassar enjoyed the bye. Top Qualifier Joe Khoury also took a win over Church in round three, after enjoying a bye in round one and being bested by Hosta in round two.

Cassar was lost for words after his win amongst a tough field of Competition Bike racers this weekend at the South Coast Nationals after also resetting the Competition Bike AA/CBN ET record to 4.534 seconds.

“It was a great result this weekend. The track was awesome and South Coast Raceway is always awesome, and we won,” Cassar said.

“We had two reasonable qualifiers yesterday, with one going under the record, and then today we won the first two rounds before the bye, so we knew we’d get into the final against Edge. I wanted to push Edge a little bit in the final and I couldn’t be happier with the result this weekend. “I love racing in the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series, they don’t just give these records and trophies away.

“Thank you to all the sponsors supporting the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship, including the Competition Bike bracket sponsor Lectron Australia and Top Qualifier Medallion sponsor Next Gen Business Park. I’d also like to thank my sponsors, Ballistic Performance Parts, Powerplus Race Fuel, Denso Auto Parts Australia, Shinko, and Lucas Oil, as well as Katie Cassar and ANDRA, for a wonderful weekend.”

Modified Bike

In Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike Peter Bartlett took the win over runner-up Bryan Finn. To get to the final pairing, Bartlett first got the better of Derryn McGregor in round one, before successfully lining up against Mathew Jones in round two. Meanwhile, Finn took wins over Lucas Neagoe in round one and Corey Gathercole in round two. Gathercole got the best of Saturday’s Top Qualifier, Dean Jamieson, in round one.

For the full race results from day two of the South Coast Nationals, please visit www.andra.com.au/series/results/

ANDRA thanks the South Coast Drag Racing Association Inc and all of its volunteers and sponsors as well as all of the ANDRA officials and volunteers for an outstanding racetrack and a well-run event.

The ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship will next be on track at Dragway at The Bend for round five of the 2024/2025 series across February 8-9. For event information, visit www.thebend.com.au

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

024/2025 ANDRA REGIONAL SPORTSMAN CHAMPIONSHIP DATES

Round five – February 8-9  – Dragway at The Bend
Round six – February 14-15 – Mildura’s Sunset Strip – Twilight Nationals
Round seven – March 15-16 – Whyalla’s Steel City Raceway – event name TBC
Round eight – TBC – Dragway at The Bend – ANDRA Grand Final

The Australian National Drag Racing Association Ltd, or ANDRA for short, is the drag racing sanctioning body of Australia. The organization was created in 1973 from a more drag racing oriented faction of the Australian Hot Rod Federation. Today ANDRA sanctions races throughout Australia and throughout the year at all levels, from Top Fuel to Junior Dragster, on everything from temporary regional tracks to international standard facilities in capital cities. ANDRA and its members make drag racing a family-friendly, safe sport. So come along as a spectator or bring your street car to an “off-street” event and enjoy the excitement that is Australian drag racing. www.andra.com.au