Darren Morgan Racing is preparing to make an historic appearance at Calder Park this Saturday, with the Fuchs Shootout representing the first time that competitive Top Fuel racing will be showcased in Melbourne in over 10 years.
Whilst not an ANDRA Pro Series sanctioned event, it is potentially the most important drag racing event in Australia in the last 15 years. The governing body has made no secret of the fact it wants to be racing in Melbourne again and Morgan considers this event the ‘olive branch’ the sport has been looking for – hence his participation.
The Calder Park event will be conducted over the 300m (1000ft) distance, which is the standard for NHRA Top Fuel racing in America and has recently become eligible for Pro Series racing in Australia.
During the event Darren Morgan Racing and their primary sponsor – AEG Powertools will give lucky fans the chance to win – not only tools and other items, but a money-can’t-buy experience in standing on the startline as the Mildura Missile leaves the line in his 8,000 horsepower dragster! The AEG promotion will be running all day at the Darren Morgan Racing pit area, adjacent to the thunderdome.
Morgan also welcomes a new associate partner in renowned Australian company, Lovells Springs. Lovells has been providing Australians with the ride of their life since 1930 and Mike Davison – Sales and Marketing Manager at Lovells paid tribute to Morgan and his continual push to be the best presented Top Fuel team in the country:
“Lovells are proud to be once again associated with Darren Morgan and his team,” said Davison. “From our experience, Darren is the most tenacious and professional Top Fuel pilot in the country.”
Prior to the historic moment at Calder, Morgan and several other Drag Racing teams will be doing a display in Bendigo to promote the event. The display will take place between 12:00pm and 4:00pm THIS Wednesday in the Hargreaves Mall in Bendigo. Fans will be able to get up close and personal with the car and team, Darren and other drivers will be on hand to hand out posters and sign autographs.
Tickets for the Fuchs Shootout are available through Ticketmaster.com.au.
Darren Morgan Racing is proudly supported by AEG Powertools, Shannon’s Insurance and Kennard’s Hire as well as their many associate partners.
Following on from the Fuchs Shootout, Morgan and the AEG team will be present at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide, March 1-4, for a busy weekend. They will be operating the team’s Top Fuel Simulator, performing startups and will be doing burnouts on the track on Friday and Saturday.
In a further boost to Adelaide fans, the ANDRA Pro Series will return to the City of Churches with Top Fuel the key attraction between April 13-15 at Adelaide International Raceway.
“We’re absolutely ecstatic to be racing at Calder again,” said Morgan. “It’s an historic day for the sport and I think it’s going to be the platform that the sport needs to come back to Melbourne with an ANDRA Pro Series event. Melbourne’s one of the biggest markets in the country and many of our sponsors are based there, so it would make sense that we’re able to race in front of them.
“We’re expecting a huge crowd to come out and support drag racing in Melbourne. There’s a top field so the entertainment will be world class and many spectators will never have felt side-by-side Top Fuel passes before, so they are in for a real treat.
“Our team is pleased to unveil Lovells Springs as a new partner. They too have a big presence in Melbourne, so it will be good to fly the flag for them at Calder.
“First though, we’ll have our car on display up at Bendigo on Wednesday. AEG Powertools will be giving away plenty of cool prizes, the coolest of which is that we’ll give someone the opportunity to stand on the startline with the team.
“There’s nothing you can compare it to – I’m glad I’m in the car during the launch, because standing on the startline terrifies me!”
(Images / Fred Baker)