Roll racing is back at Sydney Dragway and this time, it’s a bit different. The venue hosted the first ever King of the Streets event back in April, with round two set down for 25 May (this Sunday) as part of the GT-R Festival.
Unlike traditional circuit based roll racing, this time round it’s a head-to-head battle as you approach the drag strip’s “Christmas tree” lights at around 50km/h, then as they switch to green, it’s flat out until the finish line, approximately 385m away.
A quick look in the mirror as you cross the line reveals you’ve won, but then it’s time to join the lineup and do it all again until the eliminations start at around 9pm. Then every shift, and every second counts as things get very serious.
All racing is carried out on a fully prepped drag strip, and that’s a key difference compared to other events that run on race tracks or street type circuits. It means the grip levels along the track are enhanced.
Not only does it make for faster racing, but it also increases safety as there is a reduced chance of cars spinning out. This is important with some competitors running cars capable of delivering in excess of 740kW of power.
But roll racing isn’t just about big horsepower, and while it helps, a well set up car with a good power to weight ratio stands as much chance of winning as the next person. It’s about how it all comes together on the strip that counts.
The event is open only to street-legal cars. That means no exotic race cars, and ensures most of the cars that take part arrive and leave under their own steam. In the words of one competitor, “there’s no trailer princesses here”.
We got along to the opening round and in a word, it was bloody awesome (actually that’s two words but you get the idea). It was a warm night with a slight breeze, so the track kept dry as the evening temperatures dropped.
Early rounds had a mix of Aussie muscle, golden era JDM, and Euro Exotica. Top speed runs in the high 200-300km/h range were becoming common as the big guns dialed in their maps and boost levels.
It’s a fine balance between power, traction and longevity. Not all got it right, with a couple of oil downs delaying the night’s entertainment. This had been taken into account though, and as soon as the track closed, the burnout boys hit the skid pan for some tyre shredding.
If that didn’t excite you, there was also a show and shine on the hill overlooking the strip. But back to the racing. As the eliminations progressed, the competitors were reduced down to the final two.
The final race saw Bill’s B2R Motorsports build R32 GT-R take on Tony’s Precision Motorsports built twin-turbo Lamborghini, with the latter getting the win and the prize money, in a great night of motorsport entertainment.
If the opening event is anything to go by, round two should be a cracker.
