ANDRA, Australian Top Fuel competitions to join forces

ANDRA’s Australian Drag Racing Championship (ADRC) will be run with the Burson Auto Parts Top Fuel Australia Championship in the 2022/23 season.

ANDRA has licenced the ADRC Top Doorslammer Championship and the ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle Championship to Top Fuel Racing Australia (TFRA), meaning the competitions will take place on the same calendar.

Their first event together will unfold next week with Nitro Up North, as part of Supercars’ Merlin Darwin Triple Crown, although that will be the final round of the 2021/22 Top Fuel season and the first of the 2022/23 ADRC season in order to facilitate the transition.

It means that Hidden Valley will bookend the latter campaign, given they are set to return to the Top End for their 2022/23 season finale.

Both competitions began in 2021, and ANDRA CEO Brett Stevens hailed the growth potential of the agreement.

“We are very pleased to announce this exciting new step for the ADRC Top Doorslammer and ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle categories,” said Stevens.

“The recently launched Top Fuel Racing Australia programme is proving to be very successful, and we are confident that it will provide the best environment possible to take the fledgling ADRC and grow it to a whole new level as a true National Championship alongside the national Top Fuel racing program.

“We are excited to see TFRA take ADRC onto its program and put it in front of bumper crowds all around the country as part of their recently announced 2022/2023 racing calendar – including fantastic events such as Nitro Up North in Darwin, Red CentreNATS at Alice Springs Inland Dragway, the Perth Motorplex’s Goldenstates, and Top Fuel Slam at the new Tailem Bend Drag Strip which will come online next year.

“Our racers want to compete in front of big crowds all over Australia and working with the Top Fuel Championship is the best way to achieve this.

“We’ve made this strategic decision with the best interests of the sport front of mind.”

TFRA Director, Andy Lopez, welcomed ADRC into the stable.

“We’re really excited to welcome Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle into our events as part of the Australian Drag Racing Championship,” remarked Lopez.

“It’s a great decision from ANDRA as it will mean truly national championships for competitors.

“The Top Fuel team is committed to more racing in front of more fans all around Australia.

“This is another big step in the right direction for drag racing.”

The 2022 Nitro Up North event takes place on June 16-17.

ADRC Top Doorslammer, ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle Championship 2022/23 calendar