1966 Australian Drag Fest Tribute

Tony Nancy, George Schrieber, Ron Colson, Earl Poage, Bob Keith and Bob Mayer all came out for a three-event series held at Australia's main East Coast dragstrips: Sydney's Castlereagh; Melbourne's Calder Park (a late replacement for Riverside); and the newly-opened Surfers Paradise dragway in Queensland.

The American sextet were joined by some of the stars of Australian drag racing, like Ash Marshall, Ron Colson, Eddie Thomas and Des Leonard at the ground-breaking event that saw US drag racing stars compete in Australia for the first time.

Now, more than 40 years later, Sydney's Drag-ens Hot Rod Club, NSW are hosting a tribute night to celebrate the original tour - the "1966 Australian Drag Fest Tribute", which will be held at the Drag-Ens clubroom in Chipping Norton this December. The tribute will be a laid back social evening, with all Hot Rodders and their rods invited.

The Drag-Ens have secured the appearance of one of the stars of the '66 tour, Bob Keith, as a special guest. Bob will present two of his favourite rods with a special trophy, while a People's Choice Trophy will also be awarded. Ross Preen will be in attendance and fire up his AA/FD on the night.

Tickets are available from the New South Wales Hot Rod Association, but availability is limited, so get in early to secure your entry pass!

1966 AUSTRALIAN DRAG FEST TRIBUTE
DATE: Saturday, 12th December, 2009
VENUE: Drag-ens Hot Rod Club, 17 Childs Rd, Chipping Norton, NSW
ENTRY: $25 pre purchase (incl dinner), $15 on the night (no dinner). Pre-purchase tickets from NSWHRA, PO Box 3068, Liverpool, NSW, 2170
GATES: From 6:30PM
CONTACT: NSW Hot Rod Association. Ph: 0414 645 130

Image: Brier Thomas