NEWS

FIREBALL END TO JUDD's SEASON!

The 2001 Konica Winternationals finished early for Perth Doorslammer driver Robin Judd when his "Moonshine Bandit" erupted in flames during the first qualifier on Friday night.

Following a smooth launch and 1.01 second 60 foot time the car seemed like it was on a mission. Review of the video footage frame by frame indicates that about 100 feet out there was a brief flash at the front of the motor. Crew chief, Lee Brailsford said, "I believe it was caused by a fuel leak from a crack in the tank welding or a fuel line. The resultant vapor ignited somehow, perhaps electrically, as the car launched. Some racers told us it was probably the supercharger burst panel letting go however, after checking our datalogger and reviewing the Willowbank Raceway video footage closely, the burst panel appears to be in tact until the car was almost stopped".

The flash of flame seemed to go out momentarily then move underneath the front of the car. The force of air over the bonnet would have stopped it escaping out the top. It appears the flame was then sucked up the fuel tank breather pipe exploding the vapor in the top of the fuel tank causing a huge fireball.

Witnesses to the incident said it was one of the most spectacular drag car fires they had seen. Nearly all TV stations around Australia showed footage of the fire as lead story in the 6 o'clock news on the Saturday night.

Judd down played the seriousness of the fire, "At no stage did I think I was in any real danger. The only scary bit was when smoke came into the cab. As the car stopped the smoke became thicker and it was hard to breathe so I tried to get my head out of the car into fresh air. What I forgot is that you can't get out of these cars head - first. I was lucky Darryl (from Andrew Searle's crew) and an official were there to help me get out quickly."

The Moonshine Bandit was cleaned and checked for damage. The body looked surprisingly intact apart from two areas which need a little fibreglass work. The rest will need a rub down and repaint. The chassis and cab area was virtually untouched. Apart from the tank, the main damage was confined to wiring, engine nappy, breather hoses, windscreen and parachutes.

"I am pleased the damage was mainly superficial", Judd said. "My crew and I are very fussy so we will do a thorough job of rebuilding the car. It will come back next season in better condition than ever".

Judd went on to say, "Apart from the Adelaide round last December we have had a forgettable season. This has made us even hungrier for the Championship title. We want to win it in 2002 and be the first team to knock off Victor Bray. We still have the quickest Doorslammer in the country and will be out to prove a point."

Stay tuned ...