After what seems like a lifetime, what an awesome feeling it was to be back at the track for a race event! On Saturday we headed out to Sydney Dragway for the much-anticipated Grudge Kings event with a host of cars, drivers and crew members, all eager to make the most of the surprisingly-good weather and have some fun on the track!
Making it's first appearance in almost 2 years, the new-look Pac Mazda6 SP drew hordes of onlookers, keen to get a look and hear the iconic 20B with her new triple turbo combo.
Being the cars & George's first meet in some time, the main goal for the day was to do some shakedown passes to make sure everything is as it should be before setting the pair loose on the blacktop.
As the crew hoped, everything went well and after a handful of test launches and short passes George had the thumbs up to go the distance which resulted in an easy 6.91@172, cruising over the line with the chutes out.
The next run saw George line up against Sam in the Pac-prepped Queen St BMW which as expected, resulted in an exciting race between the two running side by side before the Mazda6 pulled away with a 6.58@210 beating a 6.92@194 for the Beemer.
George would then go on to reach the finals for the pro Elite class where he would race Rob Tarabay in his 2JZ Lexus in what would be one of the best races of the event. Both cars left the line strong and were door to door through the first half of the track before a peddle from George and the top-end charge of the Lexus resulted in a 6.62@211 for the Mazda6 behind a 6.23@232.
A disappointing result yes, but considering this was the first outing in 24 months for both the car and driver and with a completely new setup, coming away as runner-up to a proven 5-second car is certainly nothing to be down about!
Jason Both and his crew have been getting in as much testing as possible with 'The Joker' Mazda6 in recent weeks and making solid progress with the new car, so hopes were high going into the event.
After putting down some solid qualifying passes including a 6.87 against Sam Sadek in the RX3, lining up against Gina Bullians in the afternoon bad luck struck by way of heavy tyre shake off the line which saw the car get out of shape and turn hard right towards the opposite lane...
Thankfully Botha's quick reaction saw him able to avoid hitting the car in the other lane however, momentum and unfavourable weight transfer saw the car come into contact with the wall in his own lane which unfortunately spelled a disappointing end to the meet for the team.
Apart from a battered front and rear quarter on the car and a slightly bruised ego for Jason, it shouldn't be too long before we see the Both man and his purple piston eater back on track again!
Always a crowd favourite, Dom Perri's Pro Tourer RX2 was on the hunt again for that elusive 7-second time slip. Sticking to his guns and not looking to take any shortcuts, Dom is still campaigning the 20B coupe in full weight street/show trim which is just one of the reasons why you will struggle to find a car enthusiast that doesn't find this car super impressive, to say the least!
While Dom was able to put down another easy 8.10 pass early on in the day, unfortunately, the rest of the event would see the car struggle to get out of the hole without bombing the tyres.
With many other cars suffering similar start line strife and mechanical issues during the day, Dom still managed to make it into the finals of the 'Small Tyre Fighter' class for yet another 20B Vs 2J battle... Praying hard for traction on this pass, Dom got a little more than he asked for with the car heading for the sky off the line not once, but twice, handing the win to the other lane.
Sam Sadek is having an absolute ball behind the wheel of the Sadek Racing RX3, so much so that we don't know when we will see Simon get a chance to steer it...
Unfortunately, Sam's fun was cut short on the day thanks to a split intercooler tank, but that just meant it gave him more free time to cheer on and entertain his fellow Pac teammates on and off the track, in true Sadek style.
Running strong as ever after its recent rebuild, the Queen St 20B BMW, piloted by wheelman Sam Meindanis performed well throughout the day, putting down some strong and straight passes, including a gun-barrel 6.99@193 to end the night.
While the Beemer was impressing on the track, there was another Pac-prepped beast from the Queen St Group that was drawing a crowd - Mohummed's new 20B triple turbo RX8 - the ex PACMAN RX8 that was recently purchased from Andrew Zada before being given the Queen St touch involving plenty of gold plating over a sleek black base.
As hot as this car is standing still, we can't wait to see it being put to work on the track!
The stand out for the day though was a humble little yellow RX3 sedan, steered by Peter 'PBoost' Rehayem now known simply as 'PAC13B'.
This radial tyred, true street car managed to not only back up its impressive 8.33@164 record with an 8.34@164, Peter levelled up not once, but twice, improving on that time with an 8.32@167 before blowing everyone away with a crazy 8.19@167 run to further cement the car's title as the World's Quickest 13B streetcar by a long shot!
Still very much testing the boundaries on what is capable from a little 2 rotor street car, obviously, the team are impressed with both the car's and Peter's achievements in such a short time with the cars potential not even close to being reached yet, we are all eagerly awaiting the next chance to continue testing a pushing the setup.
Of course, in true street car form, Peter drove the car home after the event and tucked her away, ready for the next blast.
Overall the whole Pac team enjoyed the event and the chance to once again get out and enjoy the sport we love! bring on a BIG 2021!
