The Outlaws are riding into town this weekend for the first drag racing meet of the season at the Masterton Motorplex.
Although the meeting is primarily a Test and Tune event for drivers in other classes to ready their cars for the major meetings later in the season, the supercharged Outlaw 71s will contest the first
round of their national championship series.
The second round will be held in Tokoroa, and then Meremere, before the cars return to Masterton in March for the ‘Mayhem’ meeting, where they go head to head with the Wild Bunch cars.
The crowd-pleasing Outlaw 71s are exclusively supercharged cars, which cannot be carburetted, or alcohol powered.
There are tight time constraints around the class, and the cars must run quicker than eight seconds but slower than 6.5 seconds for the quarter mile.
Qualifying is based on reaction time, and the racing is Dial-Your-Own time format, where drivers nominate a time and try and get as close as possible to it. The class is
also racer return, so all cars come out and race in each round, win or lose. About 20 Outlaw 71s are expected for the meeting.
Another highlight of the weekend could be the debut appearance of Masterton driver Dwayne Garrett’s ‘new’ Chev Camaro, which he purchased from Steve Carlsen.
The car has been fitted with the engine that was previously in Garrett’s championship-winning rail. It will race in the Doorslammer class and is capable of speeds in excess of 200mph.
Masterton Motorplex manager Bob Wilton expects between 150 and 160 cars for this weekend’s meeting and said that there had already been about 80 cars pre-entered.
Racing starts at 10am tomorrow and 9am Sunday.
