Well, what can I say, that was not the result we went to Sydney for. The week-end for us started last Wednesday leaving Brisbane very confident that having tested at the Mopar event our gremlins had gone and we would be in good stead to contest the ANDRA Championship for the 08-09 season.

 We knew we needed to make this pass as the weather was not looking too good for the Saturday so we towed down with the plan to push the car back manually from the burn out as we should have forward drive. The car was started but unfortunately it didn't move so we went back to the pits. Thankfully Bob Shepherd's team found the gears we needed and came to our rescue. Saturday came with temperatures in the high 20s and not a cloud in the sky until sundown when the threat of a local storm was on the horizon and due in at the same time as the 3^rd qualifying session. As it happened the storm passed by and we were fortunate enough to put in a good strong pass of 4.88 giving us the No 4 spot on the ladder.

 Steve had a slight drama having to lift the throttle pedal up with his foot as the car didn't shut off straight away, added to this he suffered major chunking of the rear tyres at the top end. Back in the pits the crew got stuck in to turn the car around in readiness for the 4^th qualifier. Unfortunately the time slot was delayed till much later in the evening and I wasn't too keen on putting down another pass as I felt we wouldn't better our position but Steve said we would go down ready to run if necessary depending what the other guys ran. He was the last car and as no-one else had changed our position I assumed we would go back to the pit until I saw the starter being put onto the supercharger pulley and realised we were doing a pass for the huge crowd that had sat waiting to see the spectacle by the name of Top Fuel.

We stood behind the car and watched Steve take the green light and knew he was on an exceptional pass, not realising at that point how exceptional! We saw the car cross the finish line still under full power then the flash with the commentator shouting that he was in trouble, then came the huge explosion. Silence fell upon the WSID crowd as the crew raced to the van to get to Steve as quickly as possible. As soon as I was in an official car on route to the bottom end it came over the track speakers that Steve was out of the car and ok. At that point everybody in the crowd were up on their feet and applauding, many as I have now been told were also wiping away the tears having seen the impact and not believing he would get out let alone walk away.

Our crew behaved admirably at the scene making sure they were there if needed and taking care of the car with the WSID track and safety officials. Steve got the ok from the ambulance crew and we went back to the pit and were greeted by many friends and fellow racers offering help and support. We ended up going to the local hospital as he felt that his hand was damaged by the steering wheel and the result from the whole event was a fracture to his little finger. The one and only reason Steve was able to walk away from the horrific crash is down to the fact he was wearing a HANS device for the first time which kept his head and neck locked tight in the roll cage.

Sitting here and relaying this to you would have had a completely different ending if he wasn't wearing it so thanks must go to Mark Brew of Proforce Motorsport for making a new rollcage in time for last weekend. We set off for home in the truck and settled for an easy journey maybe getting home by mid morning Monday but the prime mover had other ideas by having us sit on the side of the pacific highway for 10 hours while it was repaired. We eventually got home by 2am Tuesday morning.Tuesday evening the guys met us at the workshop and the Spirit of Las Vegas was unloaded for the last time.

The car was stripped down and we had a more detailed look to see what was left. Considering the throttle was under full power for 7.34 seconds, glancing over the kitty litter at around 250mph then coming to a grinding stop through the safety fence and up the bank we could have lost a lot more than what we did. As you will see from the photos (which will be posted very soon) the front of the dragster did what it was supposed to do and crumpled, taking the full impact. Oddly enough the only body panel that has stayed reasonably in shape was the showgirl and she had started to climb the bank!

Anyway, that is my overview report on the weekend which will be followed up by a personal report from Steve next week and also reports from our team who witnessed their first serious accident and only made 1 crucial mistake, they left me behind when they went down the deep end!! Take care everyone and remember if you are racing wear a HANS!!!!!!!!

Regards, Heather.