Classic conditions for Albany Classic

The sound of roaring engines could be heard kilometres away as drivers engaged high speed and plenty of g-force to race against each other and the clock at the annual Albany Classic on Sunday.

Perfect dry track conditions made for some tight racing, with overnight transformation of Albany into a temporary 1.5km race circuit, thrilling spectators who lined the streets throughout the day.

Local driver Glenn Badger in his 1970 XW Ford Falcon GT started the day with a stroke of bad luck, losing his rear axle in the first pre-1970 touring car regularity trial, requiring immediate mechanical attention.

He managed to rectify the problem, made it back to record some smart lap times until the final race when he dropped an exhaust.

But it didn’t disenchant Badger, who pleased the crowd with some of his driving antics.

“I had a ball,” he said. “The crowd was getting into it and they gave me a holler when I spun my wheels all the way up Aberdeen Street, just for a bit of fun.”

The eventual winner was Perth driver Andrew Murray in his 1969 Ford Cortina 440, who accumulated 210 points racing against his nominated lap time of one minute, 18 seconds.

Among the fantastic and eclectic range of cars on the track was a horse power-packed 1979 Ford Falcon XD driven by Bill Claize, who ripped his beast around the track in times as quick as one minute, five seconds. Local driver Kevin Organ also put in a sterling effort to finish fourth overall in his class, driving his crowd favourite Monaro HK GTS against his nominated time of one minute, eight seconds.

Race caller Rod Nation said his favourite car of the day was John Webb’s dusty black 1977 Porsche Carerra, which brought memories flooding back from his own time racing the sports cars.

josh.nyman@albanyadvertiser.com