Blogs from Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, Oceania
April 30th 2012
Hi guys, my overseas trip is due to start on 18th May (this month) so counting down. I have whole month to experience some of Europe. Hoping to walk, eat,talk and generally absorb the local culture. What I would like are any hints or tips to make my trip really memorable. So far I am travelling to Heidelberg, Innsbruck and Geneva, 3 days in each place. After that I have a week in Paris to amuse myself.... read more
I've got a real mongrel of a job if you want
Published: June 11th 2009Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Ipswich
June 11th 2009
Day 46 - Willowbank Raceway to Tweed Heads We really do need to get our arses out of here today, not that we want to but we need to! We’re up early, honest Jeff, and we pack up the caravan and the car. We’ve been here for 9 days now and it feels like home already. Nick’s up too so the three of us head up to Roger at the top of the pits so we can assist with the packing up. I think he’s a bit surprised to see us as he’s sitting on the tail lift at the back of the trailea'r eating grapes! So, what jobs can we do? Darryl gets the cleaning tank to wash down - pretty gross! Sarah, well Sarah gets the $$’$$$ clutch grinding machine to clean out - ... read more
June 10th 2009
Day 45 - Willowbank Raceway We just can’t drag ourselves out of here … get it …. drag ourselves! Ho ho ho! We heard what we thought was a fuel bike fire up last night but we must have got that wrong because we’re sure the teams have gone home already … we’ll have to double check!! Today is the Vicious Rumour teams second test day and they’re up and at it early this morning. They had problems yesterday, it’s difficult to write word for word what the problems were and get it spot on but the up shot is they were breaking springs on every run, which isn’t good, so they’ve rebuilt the engine overnight. New cam the lot and now they’re back chasing the 6 they did yesterday or, if the head wind would ... read more
June 9th 2009
Day 44 - Willowbank Raceway Well there was no early night for us last night as Allan our ‘next door neighbour’ at Willowbank came past rocking the caravan so we had a few jars before he headed back to his own pad after another hard day! He’s a great character and shows us snaps of his bar at home which is full of memorabilia ranging from a genuine, signed Queen guitar and lots of AFL and motorsports collectables to thousands and thousands of caps! Allan works with All Crowd Catering who provide the meals at Willowbank for the corporate and racer facilities, they do a really good job and we’ve enjoyed a few of their treats over the weekend! Today is another day of packing up for the hard working Willowbank team and everyone has jobs ... read more
June 8th 2009
Day 43 - Willowbank Raceway to Mermaid Beach (and back!) We wake up this morning all on our own, no 5.45am alarm call! We’re still at Willowbank but are off to see Daz before he flies back to NZ tomorrow. There’s been a hot rod show on at Coolangata on the Gold Coast so we’re going to meet up for lunch and check the show out if it’s still on by the time we get over there! It’s about an hour and 30 minute drive mainly on toll roads and it’s the Queens Birthday national holiday here today so we figure the roads might be quiet in the morning but busy later on. We start our journey towards Broadbeach and the Miami Surf Club where we’re meeting for lunch but just outside the track on the ... read more
June 7th 2009
Day 42 - We don’t need to tell you what time we got up this morning do we? You’re all with it now aren’t you?! Welcome to day 4 of the Castrol Edge 42nd Winter Nationals here at drag racing’s finest Willowbank Raceway! We have an appointment with a couple of Harley Davidson motorbikes this morning so we make sure we’re ready in good time and start our ritual walkabout of the pit area just after 7am! There’s quite a few racers about this morning as the strip is due to open at 8am. The familiar start up routines are present and we find plenty of beaut cars to gawk at! During our wander we also catch up with Kerstyn of Flashdance fame which was lovely. They’re such a friendly family and it’s great to see ... read more
If you can go round corners you're going too slow
Published: June 8th 2009Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Ipswich
June 6th 2009
Day 41 - Willowbank Raceway Wow, what a day it’s been at this the 42nd Castrol Edge Winternationals here at Willowbank Raceway, drag racing’s finest. Let’s do the family announcements first of all! Happy Birthday Ray! Sorry we’re not there to share the beer with you but we’ve sunk a few in your name over here! Happy 30TH Birthday to Lisa Rumble! Hope you survive your day without any dramas or surprises that you don't want! Congratulations Aubrey & Alison on your wedding day! Here’s to you both and many happy and adventurous years to come. When we got up at 5.45am it was really cold, damp and very foggy. At 8am when the schedule for the racing was due to start you still couldn’t see the timing lights from the burnout boxes! Undeterred, as you ... read more
In all the drag strips in all the world
Published: June 5th 2009Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Ipswich
June 5th 2009
Day 40 - Willowbank Raceway 5.45am and we’re up ready for a shower and the day ahead! The amenities block is right next to us but Dar finds a queue even at that time of the morning, they’re a clean bunch! There’s no queue in the ladies but there is a frog in the toilet! I’m told that the secret is to flush twice before you use the loo as frogs in the toilet is quite common! Something to remember! We head off in search of racing, it’s due to start at 8.30am but there’s a solid amount of fog covering the track when we get round there at just gone 7. As we wander in the direction of the top sheds we bump in to none other than Steve Werner, 2 seater dragster driver and ... read more
No standing, please consider those behind you
Published: June 5th 2009Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Ipswich
June 4th 2009
Day 39 - No standing, please consider those behind you. Willowbank Raceway Gone are the days of sleeping in, no-body sleeps when they’re this excited! No early morning call from the birds, just the glorious thunder from the 530 entrants in the pits! There’s nitro in the air and the dark grey clouds are being swept far away by the lovely white billowing ones! In fairness we could have slept in as they don’t start til 1pm today but to be in the atmosphere you need to be awake and we were! Willowbank is set in a wooded area which gives the place a completely different feel to the tracks back home especially when you’re out in the pits. Each ‘group’ has it’s allotted pit area, the groups climb up from the sportsman classes through to ... read more
June 3rd 2009
Day 38 - Warwick to Willowbank All quiet on the night shift front, both of us slept like logs having picked a pitch far away from the highway! Having power in the caravan gave us the opportunity to charge up the batteries for this, that and the other plus gives us the luxury of heating for what was another chilly night! We were heading off to the race track today to settle into a 4 day meeting starting tomorrow. We headed into Warwick early to get some supplies, usual assortment of kangaroo steak, seafood, pork chops, salad and beer! In Oz the alcohol isn’t sold in the main section of the supermarkets, it’s usually a separate area next to it or you need to seek out a drive through bottle shop. Regardless of which, the beer ... read more
