Start your engines!

The asphalt luminaries will once again descend upon their old stomping grounds at Tarlton International Raceway as the venue hosts the second round of the 2015 SA National Drag Racing Championship on Friday, 1 May.

Their agenda is dual in purpose, firstly to pay homage to the oldest and finest track in South Africa and secondly to set a whole lot of speed records whilst hopefully creating a little bit of history themselves.

With these goals in mind, topping the ladder will be the iconic ground-pounding conflict of Tarlton’s Top Eliminator category.  These stunning cars generate speeds in excess of 340kph.  They are prose in motion and come complete with a deafening sting in the tail.

Leading the Top Eliminator mine field is 2014 National and Regional Champion, Deon Swanepoel.  Racing alongside him in this fibreglass forest is Nico van Rensburg (Top Alcohol Funny car “Lethal Weapon”) and Dalmain Hattingh who has switched his allegiance from his A-Dragster to the wilder side of Funny car racing.

Reaching speeds of 260+kph over the quarter mile within a bracket of 6.90 to 8.40 seconds, the Senior Eliminator category stands apart showcasing the most awesome hard-core altered cars in the country.  The only recognizable features of these vehicles are their production bodies although even they have been tweaked to max out their performance.  Entrants include 2014 National and Regional Champion, Gavin Wilkins (Speed and Sound/SKF Mustang), Nico van Rensburg’s (Ford Thunderbird “Adrenalize”) and Marius Oosthuizen (Budler BMW) to name a few.

The Super Competition Eliminator category consists of a field of the most dazzling altereds and top pro-street cars that jam the traps at anything between 8.20 and 11.20 seconds with consummate ease.  That equates to around 230kph over the quarter mile.

Competition Eliminator showcases the turbulent brilliance of altered and pro-street action.  Vehicles accepted in this field run between 9.00 and 13.50 seconds and spectators will be treated to some serious savage straight line racing.

Leading the street scene are the jaw dropping 8, 6 and 4 cylinder street modified and normally aspirated cars and for die-hard bike fanatics, there will be a host of exquisite speed equipment ridden by the likes of 2014 National and Regional title holder, Peter de la Rey along with Wayne Heasman, Zafar Hoosen, Yusuf Patel and many others.

A day at Tarlton would not be complete without their J34 Westinghouse Jet Dragster lining up to blast the crowd out of the grandstands.

In addition, Marius Coetzee in the Leyland Matador, 12litre Twin Turbo V8 Drag Truck along with Deon Swanepoel in the Twin Turbocharged Ford Cargo V8 Drag Truck cannot be missed while they fight it out on the black top.

Gates open at 07h00 and tickets are available for purchase at the venue.  Entry for adults is R110 p/p and R50 for kids between the ages of 6-12. Tarlton has take-away food and refreshments from their restaurants, bars and lots of free parking, so bring the family for one of the most explosive days on the motorsport calendar.