2004 Fast Fours Sydney Jamboree at WSID

2004 Fast Fours Sydney Jamboree - West Sydney Dragway 27-28/03/04

Event Report and Pictures: Ben Winstone

The 2004 Fast Fours Sydney Jamboree was a significant event for a number of reasons. Firstly, a Jamboree event was being held in Sydney for the inaugural time at the new West Sydney International Dragway, secondly, the event was the first to be run under ANDRA's sport compact rules and last but not least, the event saw a number of cars debut, along with a large amount of racers setting personal best times. Thankfully the weather was more suitable for racing than it has been for previous big events with temperatures in the mid-20s.

The Sport Compact rules meant that cars were divided up into several classes. These include:

Pro RWD: Designed for purpose-built, Pro Stock-style race vehicles with minimal rules restrictions. Four, six and two/three rotor engines permitted, with weight limits dependant on the engine used. Eight cylinder and four-rotor engines are not permitted.

Sport Modified: Designed for 4WD or RWD cars. 4WD cars may utilize a full tube chassis, while RWD cars are limited to “back half” modifications. Engine swaps permitted, and four, six and two/three rotor engines are allowed, with different weight limits for cars depending on the engine and power adders used.
Sport RWD: Designed for four, six and two-rotor full-bodied, street legal cars, using original suspension, with valid department of transport (DOT) registration and licence plates mandatory. DOT-approved tyres only (no slicks).

All Motor: Designed for full-bodied cars with OEM floorpan and no power adders, four cylinder and two-rotor engines only.

ANDRA rules such as rollcages, parachutes, slicks etc. apply to all classes. There are also categories for FWD cars, and ET brackets, such as 0-10.99. For more information on the Sports Compact series, visit the ANDRA website and download the rulebook: www.andra.com.au.

In the Pro RWD category, the competition was fierce, with Joe Signorelli from Rotormaster racing the recently purchased ex-Abel Ibarra Series 6 RX-7 in an attempt to beat the current record holders Pac Performance with their MX-6. Saturday's qualifying saw the cars run into the mid to low seven second bracket a number of times, with Signorelli making the fastest pass of the event with a 7.36 @ 186.9mph. George Rehayem in the Pac MX-6 was not far behind with a 7.44 @ 188.7mph, however the team had mechanical trouble on Saturday night and rather than risk hurting the motor, they chose not to race on Sunday. On Sunday Signorelli continued his consistency with a string of 7.4 second passes throughout elimination and eventually won the event for the third time in as many years. The car uses the 20B TT setup out of his old Series 6 RX-7, and sounds very lumpy when staging, indicating that some very big ports are possibly being used inside the motor.

Next fastest in the Pro RWD bracket was Bill Nabhan, returning to the track with his awesome looking Series 8-fronted RX-7. On Sunday, Bill ran a PB of 8.00 at 165.5mph, coming ever so close to a seven-second pass. Slightly behind Bill was Marty Heard in the 13BTT 'AVENGE' Datsun 1200 coupe. Marty came out and ran a 8.4-second pass on Saturday before running 8.15 twice on Sunday with a best mph of 163.3, the car sounding very strong. It is interesting to point out that the car is now the fastest Pro-Street 13B in Australia (eclipsing the Maztech RX-7)

The ex-Dentist Pac Performance 20BT RX-3 was racing, now owned by Robert Stanbury, launching well all weekend, the car ran close to its PB, with a 8.23 @ 162.3mph pass, and was runner up to the Rotormaster RX-7 in the Pro RWD class.

Chris Dalton made the trip up from Geelong in his tough-looking black Series 6 RX-7. The team were still fine tuning the car, but managed to run several low 8-second passes, with a best of 8.27 @ 159.5mph, the car was a crowd favorite with its massive wheelstands. Also joining Dalton was fellow Victorian Grant Williams in his 13BT Ford Probe. Another stunning looking car, the Probe went 8.41 @ 160.5mph, but gearbox woes prevented Grant from running close to its best.

Vince Rigoli was also competing in the Pro RWD category with his 2lt Fiat four-cylinder turbo Datsun 1200 ute, pulling some decent launches, he ran a 8.72 @ 152.9mph.

There were a number of first-gen RX-7 drag cars in attendance including the Pac 20B-powered 'GASNGO', which had no problem smoking the tyres in the burnouts, running a 9.6 @ 136mph, while Rocco's distinctly painted RX-7 ran a 8.86 @ 148.7mph before the transmission let go.

Perhaps the most anticipated pro-dragcar to hit the strip for some time was Queen St. 'BARB' BMW 3-Series coupe, powered by a four-rotor twin-turboed engine. Coming out early on Saturday the car sounded rough, however later in the afternoon, the crowd was impressed when the car bounced and snaked its way down the track to run a 8.88 @ 153.7mph pass, and it was clear to see that once it is fully sorted the car will go a lot quicker.

The Sport Mod category was just as competitive as the Pro bracket, with a number of racers beating their personal bests. This category featured a number of untubbed cars, and the untubbed top 20 received a shake up after the event was finished.

Event report continued on Page Two...

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