THE biggest drag race meeting to hit the south-west will fire its engines at Portland next week.
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South Coast Drag Racing Association (SCDRA) is touting the fourth round of the Australian Eighth Mile Doorslammer Championship as a history-making event for the region.
The modified sedans or coupes can accelerate from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 0.9 of a second.
SCDRA secretary Scott Cleary said the cars could reach 300km/h over 200m in four seconds.
"They are the quickest sedans in the world," he said.
"All the top drivers from across Australia will be here."
Cleary said the calibre of the meeting was unrivalled in the south-west.
He said 14 drivers in the doorslammers series would race at Portland's custom track.
"This is huge for us and the area," he said.
"It's a pretty big deal.
"It's the biggest-ever drag racing event in the south-west."
The show will double as the second round of the 2011 Slamfest Series, which opened at Calder Park earlier this month.
Portland has worked overtime to prepare South Coast Raceway for the anticipated 120 drivers and crowd of more than 3000.
It has installed concrete barriers and extra run-off for the speed machines.
"We did a heap of upgrades," Cleary said.
"Only a few tracks in Australia meet the requirements."
Action will start of Friday, February 4, with two rounds of qualifiers and testing, followed by a full program of racing on Saturday, February 5.
The top doorslammers will be backed by support classes and other entertainment. Australian champions Victor Bray and Peter Kapris will race in the feature class, with local hope Marcus Chambers.
