THE second running of Calder Park’s King Of The Hill racing for 2019 took place on 13 April. The eighth-mile shootout competition saw three classes duking it out for thousands of dollars in prize money.

The Calder Park officials went to town on the surface in preparation for the event, and it showed. Competitors were beaming from ear to ear about the much-improved track quality; when Drag Challenge 2018 winner Frank Marchese pulled a monster wheelstand in his 2000hp XW Falcon, the level of grip available to drivers on the night was clear for all to see.

The track also managed to claim some victims, though. Defending Radial Class champion Danko Knezevic snapped the pinion gear in his 1600+hp Mk1 Capri, but in typical Danko fashion, he was still upbeat, saying the surface was in top condition. “I have not felt a startline like that in a long time, and we have raced at a lot of tracks around Australia,” he said. “That was the best track I’ve raced on. Well done to Peter and the Calder Park team.”

The night was going well, with some awesome times being laid down and killer racing, until Tony Cusolito in his Mk1 Capri lost control and smashed hard into both walls. Tony was taken to hospital and thankfully has made a solid recovery, but it brought a premature end to proceedings as the officials weren’t able to get racing resumed before their 11pm curfew.

Regardless, if the track prep is as good for Calder’s next King Of The Hill meet on 7 December, we should be in for some more red-hot competition and some seriously quick times.