History will show New Zealand’s Morice McMillin as the first and last Aeroflow 400 Thunder Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion.

At Australia’s Willowbank Raceway (June 9-11th) that sanctioning held it’s final chapter. The 56th running of the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals did mark the end of an era for the Aeroflow 400 Thunder Drag Racing Series. That sanction name will cease to exist as Australia’s drag racing community has mutually agreed to move forward instead while embracing the newly formed *NDRC (National Drag Racing Championship) series.

(*NDRC is designed to “finally” unify Australian drag racing under one national championship chase for both Group One (Professional) and (Group 2) Sportsman competitors under the guiding principle of ‘One Way, Forward.’)

It’s inaugural season will begin next October featuring an 11-race Group One event calendar.

The Aeroflow 400 Thunder Drag Racing Series “Swan Song” event was a performance laden one with both of Graeme Cowin’s Aeroflow/Rocket Industries cars making some jaw-dropping laps.

Morice McMillin was consistently quick while winning the very last Fuel FC event and with that also the season series title. His best time came in the final round running a superb 4.702 secs at 322.50 mph driving Graeme Cowin’s Aeroflow Toyota.

McMillin’s teammate Brandon Gosbell (driver of the Rocket Industries Ford Mustang) was runner-up. Gosbell recorded the quickest time in Australia FC history while qualifying on the pole — at record smashing 4.693 secs!

That math is pretty impressive by any/all standards. Remember folks – Fuel FC racing for 400 Thunder Drag Racing Series in Australia last season was still full 1/4 mile!

We did some checking with the NHRA and the 1/4 mile times at Willowbank are on par with the last recorded NHRA national FC records for 1/4 mile racing (prior to their evolution to 1000′ racing in 2008):

> At the end of the 1/4 era (2007) the national records for FC were 4.659 secs (Tony Pedregon) and 333.66 mph (Jack Beckman).

Post and photos by Bruce Biegler