August was a massive month for the Australian Drag Car communities with the 2022 Garrett Advancing Motion Brisbane Jamboree taking place under glorious blue skies at Willowbank Raceway, and there was action a plenty from the Australian Sport Compact Drag Racing category.
The crowds came out in solid numbers to enjoy the very best of our Australian competitors and they weren’t disappointed as the category’s winners claimed their place in Jamboree history.
Garrett Advancing Motion is now in its sixth year this year as the naming rights partner for the event and in its seventh year of involvement with Jamboree.
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Garrett’s support over the last few years during the challenging COVID environment has been unwavering, and you only need to watch the interaction with the Garrett Advancing Motion team at events like Jamboree to experience the passion and commitment they have for the Australian Sport Compact Scene.
GARRETT G SERIES
The introduction last year of the Garrett Advancing Motion G series has been huge, with last November seeing the release of the new G40-900 (62mm) and G40-1150
(71mm). These two turbochargers have been engineered for 2.0 litre up to 6.0 litre engine displacements and can support up to 1150 horsepower.
The new G series turbochargers are more advanced than previous generations like the GT, GTX, and GTX Gen ll. The G Series 40 turbochargers are designed to replace the GTX4088R and to be the step between the G35 and G42 Turbos.
JET RACINGS COLLIN WILLSHIRE
Collin Willshire is a man of many talents and manages to wear several hats very successfully as both the team owner of Jet Racing (Australia’s largest and fastest four-cylinder drag racing team), as well as being the Jamboree owner and event organiser after taking the reins from Ray Box back in 2015.
But Collin is the first to sing the praises of his family and team that works tirelessly to make both Jet Racing and Jamboree a success. Chatting with Collin in between runs at the Brisbane Jamboree he shared:
“We have been struggling after COVID to get the drag scene back happening and this event has been a testament to people wanting to get back to racing and for spectators turning up to events.
Sport Compact racing is still strong and it’s going to get stronger again, and we have had a big international following that has been enjoying our live streaming.
So, as well as having thousands of spectators in the stands enjoying the racing and amazing Queensland weather this weekend, we have also had thousands of viewers from around the world enjoying the live stream.”
Collin continued: “The rivalry in the Sport Compact scene between our international friends and partners globally is huge.
“The racing fraternity in places like the USA, Brazil, and particularly with the Puerto Ricans is massive for the Sport Compact scene.
“It’s not just about trophies it’s about breaking world records.
“It’s about going the fastest and quickest regardless of if you’re driving a 20B, a four cylinder, a 13B or a V8.”
Jet racing is named after Collin’s eldest boy, who was only a baby when Collin and wife Katie Willshire first set up Jet Racing.
“It was a very different set up, initially we were only a small team and over the years it’s evolved and grown to our three-car set up today.”
“The 1200 was our first car and Kelly drives that now as well as helping me run the Jamboree events as well. Then, we wanted to step it up a little bit, so we went to the Eclipse.
“As we decided to go faster with that, we went back and forth with our friends in the US becoming the fastest four cylinder in the world.
“In 2018 we went to Orlando, and we actually took that record at 6.200. We have since lost that record which we are working on taking back again.”
PLENTY OF THRILLS AND A FEW UNFORTUNATE SPILLS
The 2022 Brisbane Jamboree saw a number of crashes which we are happy to say didn’t end in any injuries with the cars safety systems doing what they were designed to do.
Tony Wedlock had a big accident at the 1000ft mark which saw him hit the wall and roll the car in his first major accident. He was released from hospital that same night quite sore but in one piece.
Another competitor who had a close call after making a record run was George Josevski.
After having a few small issues at testing before the event, George and his team managed their first full clean pass and ran a single Cam VL record of 7.26, then following day they went back out and ran 7.21 at 193.5MPH – breaking their own record.
It was on the next run that George blew his converter which erupted into a significant fireball, which I managed to film in pretty amazing slow-motion footage, but again, thankfully, both George and the VL came out shaken but otherwise in good shape.
George has recently just put the Garrett G55 91mm on his VL which has replaced the GTX55 88mm on the car initially and after stepping up to the G55 has seen substantial numbers in different revs, as they are picking up power very early.
“In equal pound for pound we are making around 100 more horsepower at 9000 rpm but in the early stages at around 7200-7400 we are seeing massive number changes.
“The reliability of the Garrett product is amazing, we believe in the product and that’s why we buy them,” says George.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS
Congratulations to the winners from all categories and we hope to see you in Melbourne at Heathcote Park Raceway on October 13, 14 and 15 for another massive Garrett Advancing Motion Jamboree event.
RESULTS:
- Street Compact Champion: Simon Isherwood (BMW),
- Runner Up: Michael Osborne (Hilux)
- All Motor Champion: Jason Stoodley (Cortina),
- Runner Up: Connor Fakinos (Mazda)
- Street 289 Champion: Teejay Graham (RX8),
- Runner Up: Scott Hoffman (Corolla)
- Modified Compact Champion: Ben Clark (VL)
- Runner Up: Nathan Peters (Valliant)
- Modified 10.5 Champion: Adam Popovic (Holden)
- Runner Up: Giovanni Inturrisi (Holden)
- J275 Champion: Steve Bezzina (XW),
- Runner Up: Ryan Holz
- Pro Mod Champion: Paul Cannuli (Mustang),
- Runner Up: Neil Murphy (Camero)
- Pro Compact Champion: Steve Barnett (Mazda),
- Runner Up: Rodney Rehayem (RX8)
- Pro Turbo Champion: Anthony Maatouk (3.2),
- Runner Up: Gary Halpin (Nissan)
- Factory Xtreme Champion: Collin Willshire (Mitsubishi)
See Garrett Advancing Motion at Garrett Melbourne Jamboree 2022 on October 13-15, 2022. For more info visit garrettmotion.com.au and jamboree.com.au.