400 THUNDER STORMS THE WINTERNATIONALS!
9 June 2016
One of Australia’s newest and most exciting Drag Racing Series, 400 Thunder, has the 2016 City of Ipswich Winternationals fixed firmly in their sights for an all-out assault on one of Australia’s most iconic race tracks, and the biggest Drag Racing event on the national calendar!
The 400 Thunder series comprises of ten events in three states around Australia, taking in three of Australia’s best Drag Racing venues, with a combined prize pool of $750,000 making it one of the richest events on the Australian Drag Racing calendar. That hefty kitty is attracting talent from all over the nation, and bringing the spectacle back to Australian Drag Racing.
“400 Thunder is a series based around Professional and Sportsman racers, and what’s most exciting for us is that at the Winternationals we’ll be crowning our very first National Champions,” explains 400 Thunder CEO, Maurice Allen. Allen’s appointment to the position is certainly no accident, himself a racer for 25 years and the multiple Australian Pro Bike Champion.
Allen goes on to discuss that one of the key benefits of the 400 Thunder series is more affordable access to the sport for Australian Drag Racers. “With what we’ve managed to set up with IHRA we’ve reduced the costs associated with racing for a lot of racers, and the result is more cars in every field across the board,” he explains, his passion for the sport seeping through.
“The diversity is what makes 400 Thunder so unique. At every 400 Thunder event you’ll see the Group 1 professional field, everything from Pro Stock Bike through to Top Fuellers, sup-ported by varying Sportsman classes at different events… the racing this season has been some of the best we’ve seen in Australia in a long time; we’ve put on an incredible show in terms of performance and consistency,” Allen continues.
The Winters won’t be 400 Thunder’s first time at Willowbank, however as Allen explains it’ll be an event where they’ll be looking to leave a lasting impression on the massive crowds the event attracts. “Winters is now in its rightful place on the Drag Racing calendar with big crowds, and in conjunction with Willowbank we’ll be looking to help them smash their pre-vious attendance records this year, to really show what 400 Thunder is worth as a series.”
But it’s not just a big bank that 400 Thunder brings to the table, the team have also inked a deal with FOX Sports TV to secure ongoing televised coverage for the series, helping make Australian Drag Racing a household name once more.
“The Fox Sports deal is ticking along really well,” explains Allen, rightly proud of what the team have managed to achieve. “In recent discussions Fox have actually been surprised how well the programs have been received. This is no doubt due to the strength of the passion of the people behind 400 Thunder; we’re ticking the right boxes and setting ourselves up for a better second season,” he continues, positive about the future of the Series and the in-creased media attention.
400 Thunder is also to thank for the market-leading live-streaming video coverage that fans can enjoy from the 2016 City of Ipswich Winternationals. “With platforms like live-streaming that we've introduced, we’re taking Australian Drag Racing around the world. For this weekend we’re hoping to tap in to a huge global market, and show them the strength of Australian Drag Racing.”
“There are over 400 of the best teams in Australian Drag Racing at Willowbank right now ahead of todays first day of the Winters and we’ve already got a great atmosphere!” exclaims Allen in closing.
You can catch all the ground-shaking, pulse-racing 400 Thunder action live at the 2016 City of Ipswich Winternationals. Racing starts today and runs through to Sunday, tickets are available at the gates, or online at www.willowbankraceway.com.au.