In a previous incarnation I was talking to this site's editor/ringmaster about the softball match played by the drag racers to help out Darrell Gwynn and family after his crash in England in 1990, and Burk made the comment, "Oh, I'm sorry, you guys probably don't play baseball in Australia." Well, for the record, we do. I'm the scoring manager for the biggest baseball club in the nation, and both my sons play AAA-level baseball, as catcher and pitcher/short stop.

And just a couple of weeks ago the family and I were in attendance at Sydney's Olympic Park baseball venue to watch Australia beat Cuba 4-3 in the 11th inning of the final of the Intercontinental Cup. It was one of the best sporting events I've seen, a real cliff hanger that had the crowd on their feet in the last half. You see, Australia is only a little nation — not geographically, because we have over three million square miles — in terms of population, with just 18 million people, but we sure take our sport seriously. A recent radio story listed 48 games or events at which Australia is the current world champion (and not some domestic competition called a "world championship") or record holder.

I guess you can say we're very competitive. We do suffer from a lack of cash in terms of keeping up with nations like the USA, and it seems that almost every time a company gets off the ground here with a good product or idea it suffers from an instant takeover from overseas, increasingly the States. But hey, in a world of global financial markets that's reality, and there's not much we can do about it except learn to live with it. However, we don't take things lightly when we get into the sporting arena, and dollars don't count for much when it comes to hitting a ball or tuning an engine.

Well, I suppose the latter comment is open to argument, but it still requires some experience and talent that you don't learn in business college. And just to show we are serious, Australia is taking on the best in the world in the biggest arena in the world with an increasing flow of talent into the US drag racing world.

Right now you have the Cowin family in Top Fuel, Peter Russo in nitro Funny Car, Steve Harker in Federal-Mogul Funny Car, Troy Critchley in Pro Modified, as well as "Aussie Dave" Grubnic in the "Montana Express" fueller, and Bernie Cunningham in Stock.

The senior Cowin, father Graeme, demonstrated his talent for taking a bare-arsed budget to the front in 1985 and 1987, when he ran the third fastest speed in the history of the sport (266.27 mph) and ultimately went to Funny Car runner-up at the ’87 Winternationals, behind Kenny Bernstein, being beaten by a backfire because a rushed rebuild put a fuel fitting on backwards more than by Bernstein.

Now Cowin's two sons, Andrew and John, are being given a hell of a launching shot at the biggest of the big time after cutting their teeth in Australia. Graeme's no longer up to driving, but, as he says, "Drag racing's been good to me, and if that's what I can leave to my boys, then I'll do everything I can to open the right doors for them."

Nineteen year-old Andrew's been handling the driving chores, and done it in style. He only had a handful of passes to his credit when the team flew to the States earlier this year, but he took the team's car to a runner-up at the US Nationals. The Cowins were just blown away by the reception they got. Before they flew out Graeme said to me, "Hey, I have no illusions. Just qualifying is going to be a big ask, and if we can make a few fields towards the end of this season I'll be happy. We really can't afford to push it too hard, so I suppose if we run a high 4.60 we'll be doing well."

After that US Nats runner-up Andrew told me he and the crew headed to a restaurant near Indy for a feed, and as they walked in everyone stood up and began applauding. "I thought John Force or someone famous was walking in behind us, so I stepped aside and looked around, but they were clapping us. I couldn't believe it," said Andrew.

Andrew and the team went on to run a 4.588 at Topeka to become the quickest teenager in the world and really opened a few eyes, including their own. They promise to be back next year, for more and better.

Steve Harker has been a serious racer in Australia for several decades, starting out with street bikes and moving through nitro cycles before stepping into alcohol Funny Cars in the early ’90s as his trucking business got on its feet. He's now taken over doing his own engines, and finally decided he wanted to chance his arm in the best fields around, and his runner-up at Memphis and 5.70s showed he is no slouch.

Troy Critchley was a laconic wrench for the Australia version of Scotty Cannon, Victor Bray, and was offered the drive of Bray's second Top Doorslammer (our version of Pro Mod) and performed with style and class. When Johnny Rocca toured here in 1996 he established a contact with Critchley, which was used in 1997 to lure Troy to the US where he took on the driving of Rocca's "Iron Horse" 48 Mercury, and he's really begun to kick some doorslammer butt in the IHRA. In fact, he ran a 6.22 to set an IHRA record in October at Maryland.

Grubnic used to crew for some Top Fuel teams here, then took off overseas with dreams of one day driving himself, and look where he's gone. He's become something of a local but semi-anonymous hero, as his profile here hardly existed when he flew out. Now at the wheel of the "Montana Express" car, he has proven himself many times over.

Russo is a three-time Australian Funny Car Champion but decided to park his operation two years ago with decreasing interest in the plastic fantastics by promoters here. So far he has yet to hit his potential in what is a much tougher pond than anything he ever encountered in Australia, but he loves what he's doing and figures that while he has to fly to the US every time he wants to race, what he pays out in tickets he saves in freight and other charges on parts, and gets as many or more laps on better tracks, so he has to be ahead.

It's likely to be a while before we — or you — see an Australian claiming a title like Winston Champion at something, but there's a long background in the idea of taking the show up to the top and testing your mettle. There have been Aussies doing it for decades, from the McGees with their quad cam engine in the ’70s and ’80s, to Top Fuel racer Jim Read who top qualified with a then event record 5.69 at the Winternationals in 1982, to Gary Phillips and Jeff Burnett, who both drove in the US in the ’80s in Funny Cars, and on and on.

While researching an article recently I was browsing in a 1966 edition of Car Craft and came across an article by Tony Nancy, who toured here with a team of racers in March and April of that year. In concluding his column Nancy wrote, "I am sure the U.S. Drag Team will always be welcome on their (Australian) shores and that in the not too distant future, you will find Australian cars participating in Stateside championship races."

Don't expect to see us breaking records too soon yet, even 33 years after Tony Nancy's predictions, but don't ever take us lightly. Aussies just love to win.

If anyone has anything particularly worthwhile to say or ask about things here, drop me an email at dragster_oz@hotmail.com and I'll see if I can answer you.

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