Heard the latest
Hot Gossip around the VDBC?

September 2006

NEW HYDRO ALMOST READY!

South Australia’s first TAH is nearing completion and should be seen in Melbourne, hopefully either in October or November. Owner Garry Wilson and driver Tim May, are looking to run some shakedown passes at the NWSC. The boat, named ‘VICOUS RUMOR’ is a Kurtis Kraft with a capsule, recently went through the wringer at the workshop of Paul Madill in NSW. Only waiting for some V-Drive parts now, the engine is ready to go and engine builder and tuner Darren Morgan will be keeping a watchful eye on proceedings.

NEW TOP FUELER READY?

Seems all is well up in NSW, with the Cook / Madill partnership, taking possession of their new Top Fuel Hydro in May this year. We can let you all in on a little secret that the hull is a Jim Dunn designed ‘outrigger’, design and it recently came out of the paint shop and is nearing completion. Adrian has worked his magic on the paint and sign job, so it’s sure to be something out of this world! The new ‘NITRO THUNDER’ will hopefully debut in November this year, and the boat will be pampered inside the new look transporter, also recently undergone a makeover with a brand new jet black paint job, to match the new prime mover. Check out the pictures HERE!

ANNIHILATION COMEBACK?

Alan Butcher who crashed his blown small block powered hydro ‘ANNIHILATION’ late in April this year is already looking for a new boat, this time with a capsule. Alan and his team have been scouring the USA looking for anything that might suit their needs, and will persist with the Bob Fisher built and developed killer small block Chevrolet power plant. It’s no secret the team are chasing some big numbers with the new outfit, so hull choice is vital to the teams plans. We have been told that Ron Braaksma has been spoken to as has a few race teams in the USA. Alan has certainly been active while in rehabilitation, ringing sponsors, friends and anyone else who can help them put the show back on the water. Alan recently was benefited by a fund raising campaign for medical cost assistance, the night was organised by David Bolton and a loyal band of helpers. The group rose over $4,000 on the night and was given to Alan to assist his pocket with what the doctors have taken out. We wish Alan all the best in his recovery and also hope that his plans of a return in the near future all come to fruition.

ANOTHER NEW TEAM!

David Bradford who purchased the ‘Dad’s Toy’ Hondo Flatbottom from Gary James earlier this year, has just about completed the transformation from BAF to Pro Comp. Our spies tell us the boat is fitted out with a blown carburetted big block Chevy and with some new paint on the boat to dress it up a bit, the boat will make its debut at the season opener in October. Dave will be a busy boy this coming season trying to juggle ‘GASSA’ and the newly named ‘Dave’s Toy’. Our spies tell us that the boat was recently fired up in the garage and all is well so we look forward to seeing the boat real soon!

DRAG BOAT SPECTACULAR DISPLAY

This is a must date to keep free if you are looking for a weekend away, will be October  21st and 22nd at the Golden Trout Hotel at Eildon, will see a drag boat spectacular display with the VDBC joining the celebrations for the ‘Back to the Wall’ party. Look out for many of the top teams to be on show, including, ‘Energy’, ‘Trippa’, ‘Armageddon’, ‘Under Siege’, ‘Stone Cold’, ‘Altered Image’,  the new ‘Distant Thunder’ BAH, ‘Cocaine’, ‘Flat Broke’, another new boat ‘Bad Medicine’, ‘Fierce’, David Bradford’s new ‘Dave’s Toy’, Michael Trewin’s brand new Pro Comp Flatbottom ‘Moisture Missile’ and the new look ‘Silver Bullet’, of Alan Muir, plus many, many others! Book your rooms now or make a day trip and be a part of the show, just one week prior to the season opener. This will be a huge opportunity to see the boats up close and personal and talk to the drivers and their crews and there hopes for the coming race season!

UNDER THE KNIFE!

It seems that quite a few club members have used the off season to get work on themselves, with ‘WHITE HEAT’ owner and driver, Rowan White undergoing surgery on a troublesome back injury that has caused ‘Skid’ plenty of pain and problems over the last 10 years. The surgery was an outstanding success and Rowan should be back to normal within 12 months. Rob Alexander who campaigns the Flatbottom ‘FLAT BROKE’ has also gone under the knife, again the surgery was successful. A bit of recuperating by Rob should see him up and about real soon. Best wishes to both in your recoveries and look forward to seeing you both on the liquid quarter mile real soon!

VDBC SPIES DO IT AGAIN!

SPOTTED 1 – The long awaited new revamped ‘VIBRATOR’ was recently spotted on the road, complete with the awesome paint job that Mark and Shawn Potter have been applying for some time. The boat looks amazing, and we can’t really describe what it looks like, you have to see it to believe it! We can give you a hint though…..when you see it, look real close to the silver paint work on the deck and sides and what you can spot hidden in there. It’s, like we said, amazing!!!

SPOTTED 2 – The new ‘DISTANT THUNDER’ BAH of Gary & Kathy James was also spotted on a new road trailer near where Gary & Kathy live! The trailer looked real familiar, bright red guards, galvanised finish, some new wheels. Our spies tell us that the trailer was once under ‘ANNIHILATION’ and now, at least the ‘DISTANT THUNDER’ team can get the boat around, rather than on the smaller dolly trailer it was on. Expect to see the boat out and about now and it’s worth the trip to Eildon just to check it out! Check out the picture HERE!

SPOTTED 3 – A dark purple Flatbottom with pink highlights was seen in an outer eastern suburb around Bayswater way, parked at a paint shop. Seems the owner has arranged for paint repairs and some other things. Our spy also tells us the boat is nearing completion, the engine seen at a workshop in Moorabbin, ready to be assembled and the owner of the boat will hopefully display it soon at Eildon in October!

CHECK OUT FEATURED WEB SITES

Here’s a couple of new web site links to add to your collection and worth spending some time in. www.revheadsreview.com is a community radio station heard on Monday evenings from 5.00pm – 7.00pm on 3MDR 97.1 FM and is dedicated to all types of racing, cars, bikes and boats and anything else that you can race! Join Peter Lyons and his weekly guests, as the team talk racing for 2 hours non stop!

When you have had fun exploring that one get onto www.onthewater.com.au for extreme drag boat action, you can even download the clips that have shown on TV and save them. On the water is a great TV show that has finished its first 13 trial shows, so we look forward to seeing more real soon. Join Caveman and his team as they venture into the wild and sometimes wacky world of boats!
Both of these new sites are being added to our links site.

NEW RACE VENUES TAKING SHAPE!

As the club looks to secure new venues in which to highlight drag boat racing, one venue is a step closer, and another two are being considered. Nagambie Lakes is looking good for November 2007, with club members again meeting the powers that be within the Strathbogie Shire and Rowing Victoria to outline the blueprint for racing at the Rowing Victoria site. This strip of water is sensational and the spectator area is ideal for drag boat racing. Keep all your fingers crossed that the club can get this one over the line. Check out the HERE!

Another 2 venues were recently looked at, that being Lake Hamilton and Lake Colac west of Melbourne. Bothe venues have great facilities to utilise, leaning towards Lake Hamilton and probably the better site. The club, at this stage, has not made any formal approaches to these sites so once contacts have been made the club can then move to the next stage. Again, we have some photos posted up for you to check out HERE and HERE.