GRUNT MACHINES: Straight shooters Arron Wood (left) and Craig Wilson are geared up for a quick trip along Taupo Quay on Saturday at the 30th annual Wanganui Road Rodders Street Drags.PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY
GRUNT MACHINES: Straight shooters Arron Wood (left) and Craig Wilson are geared up for a quick trip along Taupo Quay on Saturday at the 30th annual Wanganui Road Rodders Street Drags.PHOTO/BEVAN CONLEY
SELF-CONFESSED motorhead freaks Craig Wilson and Arron Wood are gearing up for yet another helping of their favourite food - adrenalin.
The Whanganui born and bred blokes are typical backyard mechanics who have a love affair with Holdens, in particular, and both will be racing at this weekend's Wanganui RoadRodders Street Drags on Taupo Quay. The meeting marks the 30th anniversary.
Wilson will be racing his home-built methanol-injected 383 V8 small block Chev-powered HT Holden Sedan with 871 super charger, while Wood lines up his 1973 Holden Monaro fitted with a 350 V8 Chev and 671 super charger.
Both grew up around cars and concede they take up almost all their spare time.
"Craig has built his car, mine and Aaron Jackson's and we will all be racing at the weekend," Wood said. "Graig, operating out of his backyard as RC Automotive, does a lot of the work on the cars."
Wilson, who works at Windy Point Quarry in Maxwell, said he began building his latest Holden using parts leftover after writing off his Holden Monaro ute at a drag meeting in Masterton.
"There were bits and pieces of the motor left after writing off the ute and that's what I started with to build this car. I grew up around Holdens. In fact, my first car at 18 was the old family stationwagon. I bought it off the old man and did it up," Wilson said.
"They're a bit of a bogan magnet, whether are guys or chicks, people can relate to Holdens because they or their family have all owned one at some stage."
Wilson's machine has only raced over the quarter mile six times since being built, with the quickest a 9.6 second run. However, the Whanganui street dargs are only over an eighth of a mile since moving from the Heads Rd track to Taupo Quay.
Wood said his car clocks around 10.9 over the quarter mile and 7 seconds flat on his home track.
"My car is a constant work in progress, but all I need to do in the lead weekend is give it a wash. It's built using everyone else's secondhand parts - literally. I work at Swartz Tyres which is on the track in Taupo Quay and that certainly helps when I'm doing burnouts," Wood said.
