Story Michele Beresford, Photos: Chele_Bero Images

North Queensland’s favourite street car shootout returned to Townsville after a 13 year break in September. The previous King of the Ville was held in 2012 at the now-defunct Townsville Dragway, with the track forced to shut due to encroaching real estate development.

So it was with much excitement that the Northern Drag Racers Club Inc announced the return of King of The Ville, to be held on the front straight of the new racetrack managed by DriveIt NQ. With entries limited to 120 racers, the meeting was held over a no-prep eighth-mile course. Cars were divided up into three index classes, with another class for bikes and with over $7000 prize money up for grabs.

The not-for-profit committee and club members had a dream and with the incredible commitment of a dedicated team of volunteers planning scrutineering, a temporary light system preparation and time keeping, the vision was given the green light.

Currently, the DriveIt NQ team are in the middle of ongoing work on the international drag strip, with final surface grinding recently completed. A highly anticipated bitumen road into the motorsport precinct is said to be close to completion, which will be a welcome improvement on the temporary dirt access road.

The dream for the Northern Drag Racers Club is that the motorsport facility will not be encroached by any future housing developments, but rather the precinct will attract local, regional and international drag events for many generations to come.

In the meantime, events like King of the Ville are a fantastic way to keep the fires burning! Let’s check out some of the racers who competed in this year’s event, with the results and some Townsville drag racing history below.

Lee Maloney, LX Torana

In 2012 the Townsville Dragway hosted the last King of the Ville, however, on that night the racing was sadly cut short due to an unexpected fog rolling in and ceasing most classes running their finals. Townsville born Lee Maloney, in his 1977 LX Torana competed on that historical night. Lee has an enviable drag racing history having been Rookie of the Year in 2001 and Racer of the Year in 2002.

Lee remembers the 2012 King of the Ville night, which had over 80 entrants, and how he was chuffed to have made it into the finals. He recalls the unusual thick fog rolling in, making it impossible to see past halfway down the strip, it was enough to make any diehard racer a bit nervous. Lee described how the committee members halted racing, rounded up the entrants for a driver’s brief to discuss the inclement weather conditions, with the faster classes declining to race their finals.

However, Lee and his other class finalist chose to race, resulting in two Toranas in the only final to race at 2.00am through the heavy fog. Lee described being door to door with the other Torana down the quarter mile but was beaten by a bumper over the line. However, surprisingly Lee was awarded the win, due to the other Torana unfortunately red lighting. Lee had dialled in a 11.70 and he ran a 11.707, beaut!

Lee also shared that after the two Toranas crossed the finish line, Police cars with lights and sirens entered the dragway facility and followed Lee and his competitor back to the pits, due to noise complaints. Henceforth, Lee was known as the defending champ from the 2012 King of the Ville.

Lee said when the 2025 King of the Ville event was announced he was prompted by a mate to compete and he excitedly got the orange and black Torana ready within a three week period. Lee was thrilled to win his first race but sadly lost his second run. He described how amazing it was to see over one hundred entrants lining up in the staging lanes and vowed he will have his beloved Torana ready for the new international drag strip currently being constructed on the DriveIt NQ site.

Brian Blank, RA40 Toyota Celica

Towering over his quirky Ferrari Enzo red RA40 Celica, New Zealand born Brian Blank exudes pride with his backyard project build, which he affectionately calls “my Toyota Supra”.  He reported having bought his current Celica in 2010 after losing his first in a three car pile-up, which used to get him to school and helped with pizza delivery pocket money.

Brian discussed that whilst deployed to the Middle East with the RAAF he began research on engine swaps, which led to the current 1UZ 4.0 V8 a major step up from the original 18RG engine. Brian described shipping the car to Darwin whilst he was stationed there and how shockingly the Celica was stolen due to being parked on the street after some oil dripping engine work that day. Unbelievably, the car was found the very next morning following social media detective work. However, damage to the engine was done and Brian was devasted.

Brian then discharged from the RAAF, and with his wife and daughter, they travelled interstate to settle in Townsville, with the Celica being shipped across the border as well. Brian then described how he whipped out a tape measure against Guy Knapp’s Toyota Soarer’s engine and said, “that should fit”, after little research. The engine swap was completed in his carport using the factory ECU, until this was swapped with New Zealand Cartune Company Link ECU before being tuned by Elite Performance & Tuning. Brian reports his best E.T. is 13.89secs and he looks forward to improving this time slip by competing during the 2026 drag season.

Robert & Katherine Larsen, XT Fairmont

Robert and Katherine Larsen epitomise introducing a saying “that couples that drag together, stay together”. And from all reports the competitive spirit runs high between them both and once they line up, well, it’s on like Donkey Kong. Robert owns a 1968 XT Fairmont which is currently running the original 302 engine with a C4 and 9 inch diff. He found the stunning Falcon in Melbourne in 2023 and with support of his father Pat and son Ryan they began a ground up build, which was only completed two months prior to the King of the Ville.

Robert has further plans for an impressive upgrade with a new engine to be installed next year. “I used to race at the old King of the Villes with one of my other Falcons, it was nostalgic reasons being back out on the dragstrip again”. Robert praised the drag club for hosting the event and his wife Katherine for her support and ongoing rivalry.

Katherine Larsen, Ford Capri GT

Katherine Larsen moved from Innisfail to Townsville in 2006, she has numerous memories of drag racing at the old Townsville Raceway. Katherine characterises a true lady driver who loves the whole atmosphere, from the fumes, the adrenaline rush whilst driving fast (legally of course), and being part of the female crew, who can totally hold their own against the blokes.

Katherine showed off her 1969 Ford GT Capri with its golden exterior and white leather interior down the strip, taking out the best presented car on the night. The Capri is powered by a 332 stroked Windsor and customised with a full chassis kit, 4 link, 9 inch diff and manualised C4.  Katherine gave credit to her father in law Pat for his highly valued input on the current build, but shared a dream to “trick the Capri a bit more soon”.

Aron Valinoti, 1933 Plymouth

Aron Valinoti is another Townsville bloke who loves all things motorsport and remembers being a regular spectator at the local drags as a young wide-eyed kid until the dragway closed. Aron reported back in the 1990’ he used race a Monaro HQ before purchasing his 1933 Plymouth Delivery in 2024, from local hot rod builder Cyril Johnston. The unique Plymouth build was the only hot rod at the King of the Ville, and she definitely was a crowd favourite.

Aron described how a no prep drag event earlier in the year, had hurt his original 350 Chev engine, so, literally the day before the event he fitted a 283 Chev with the blower. Aron’s mean green machine graces multiple events around North Queensland and he reckons his best E.T is 8.24secs, not too shabby for this modified old classic girl.

Nathan Skelly, Mitsubishi EVO 9

Nathan Skelly raced his stunning black Evo 9 for its maiden drag race at the King of the Ville. He shared that himself and a mate were in Sydney the Monday before the event, fitting the 1000hp engine before leaving Tuesday to be back in Townsville ready for weekend racing. The impressive engine was built for roll racing by Osmans Racing, but was yet to be tested with stationary starts on a no prep surface. Nathan reports the car has a solid race history with winning two roll racing events in Sydney and he looks forward to next year’s drag events to improve his time slip. He described the reason for entering as “loving to drive the car and racing with his mates whilst supporting the local motorsport community”.  

Luke Rosadi, HSV Maloo

Luke Rosadi lives north of Townsville in the seaside township of Halifax, with the wonderful support of his parents Merle and Laurie. Luke is a well-known drag racer around Queensland in his stunning 2012 red HSV Maloo ute, affectionately called Legless. This powerhouse of a Holden ute is fully hand controlled and a testament to Luke’s prowess and cool composure in the driver’s seat, being the quickest rear wheel drive on the track. Merle described how Luke lost the use of his legs from a motorcross accident in 2010 and after rehabilitation had to sadly swap the motorbikes for a wheelchair.

Luke had a dream to own a Maloo and after finding one in a Brisbane dealership he began the journey of building a drag car to quench his need for speed. Merle reports the build has been steady with assistance from Brinks Performance and John Ryan from Just Race Automotive, whilst being sponsored long-term by Dawsons Engineering of Cairns.

The Maloo runs on E85, making a blistering 1500HP, with a 427 Dart Pro block supported by twin G35 Garrett turbos. Luke’s time slips are impressive with his best quarter-mile being 8.36secs at 171.8mph and best eighth-mile being 5.3secs at 132.5mph. Luke entered the 2025 King of the Ville to support a local event, which hopefully assists the Northern Drag Racers Club to hold future drag events on the highly anticipated drag strip under construction. Luke and his wonderful support team went home on the night with massive smiles all around and the winner’s cheque for the 6.50 class.

Jarrod Herrmann, R33 Nissan GT-R

Jarrod Herrmann described how he loves racing either his Lancer GSR or his Nissan R33 GT-R due to his competitive nature, “loving side by side action down the straight and good banter with fellow competitors”. He shared how the GT-R has undergone a full engine rebuild, with upgraded suspension, new ECU and a full rewire with a bigger turbo and gearbox upgrade, making a blistering 1200hp. Jarrod was impressively consistent during the no prep drag events for 2025 and spent time as number one on the Top 10 list for quickest E.T of 6.370 secs. Jarrod went home with the winner’s cheque for quickest car on the day at the King of the Ville 2025. Jarrod will be one to watch during the 2026 season as he decides closer to the race day, which high powered race car to bring out of the garage, as both have shown their ability on the track and local competitors having duly taken notice.

Barry Moore, TE Ford Cortina

Local legend Barry Moore competed at his first drag race meet in 1990, which coincidentally was a running of a King of the Ville. He proudly shared that in 1996; he raced his 4.0L turbo Ford Escort and secured an Australian record for his impressive 9.00 second time slip. He described having owned multiple performance cars since that memorable race, however, eight years ago he bought his current racer a 1979 TE Ford Cortina. The dark green Cortina has evolved over the years to its current setup of running a 428ci small block Ford engine, with twin 850 E85 carburettors, making 755hp through a C4 gear box, 6000rpm converter, a 9-inch diff with 4.11 gears. Barry reported the custom exhaust was built by Bud Fab fabrications, engine built by Matt Scala, with transmission by Dave Ball.

Joshua Moore, BF Falcon

Joshua Moore raced along his father Barry at King of the Ville 2025 and shared that he was introduced to adrenalin fuelled motorsports from an early age. Joshua developed his racing know-how whilst competing in junior dragsters from eight years old and after a short break as a young teenager, he competed in burnout events for a year. Joshua then raced Barry’s previously owned blue Cortina at seventeen years old and gained a 9.84secs at 139mph time slip down the quarter mile. Showing this family’s blood runs blue Joshua has also raced a Ford BF Falcon ute at Brisbane Jamboree winning in 2023 and runner up in 2024, in the modified class with best E.T. of 8.07secs at 176mph. Joshua’s current racer is 2012 Ford Falcon FG running an ever faithful turbo barra and he looks forward to competing alongside the old boy in 2026.

Liam Schafer, WB Holden ute

In 2009, as a young apprentice Liam Schafer saved his hard earnt dollars and bought a1984 WB Holden utility with the original styleside rear tub. He shared how this classic ute was his very first car, bought in Townsville and rebuilt to be his daily driver whilst completing his apprenticeship. However, Liam had plans for his old faithful work horse and in 2014, she was upgraded from the 202 red motor to an LS1 Pavtek motor. After purchasing the LS1, Liam built the car from ground up whilst adding a nitrous oxide kit for a bit more spice. Liam ran a best of 10.29-secs at 132mph, which was achieved at Springmount Raceway in 2024. He looks forward to the 2026 drag racing season and says, “Loves supporting the local club giving him every chance to legally race his beloved ute”.

Dale Marshall, Suzuki GSX 750F

Dale Marshall takes the accolade for the furthest travelled entrant, driving over one thousand kilometres from Maryborough, to attend this nostalgic one day event. Dale’s determination to attend was linked to his history with Townsville Dragway having raced an XC Falcon in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, although he reports never winning a prize it fuelled his love of all things racing. Dale portrayed how those past mateships formed racing at Townsville Dragway were among the best and he said, “I loved the opportunity to rekindle the old stories and see old mates again”.

Today Dale’s races a 2002 Suzuki GSX 750F with his best eighth-mile being 7.56-secs at 77mph and eighth-mile being 11.78secs at 113mph. Dale’s street bike has collected some wins after campaigning the bike at Benaraby Raceway between 2021-2024, with more recently taking out runner up in 2024 at Winter Nationals. At the end of the night Dale loaded his beloved bike into the back of his ute, along with a winner’s cheque for the bike class before the long drive home.

Jayden Bakonyi, VZ SS Commodore

Jayden Bakonyi, represents the next generation of racers and spoke from the heart by saying, “it’s not only my passion, but it’s in my blood”. He feels driven to continue to support the local drag club, “to bring back drag racing to Townsville”. Jayden grew up in Townsville and kick started his love of drag racing by coming up through the ranks as a junior dragster from the age of eleven to seventeen years, with his best pass being 7.89secs over the eighth-mile.

Jayden displayed unruffled and consistent runs at King of the Ville and was duly rewarded with winning the 9.00 class winner’s cheque on the day. Jayden raced his 2005 VZ SS Commodore which has a cammed LS1, bought in September 2024. He reports having done a few modifications, including spending his hard earned money on his favourite set of wheels. Jayden shared his latest news that over the next couple of years his money will pour into a new project having recently bought a rear engine full size dragster, destined for the international dragstrip being constructed. He is already eager for the 2026 season and is hoping to beat his current no prep eighth-mile E.T. of 8.54secs in his cherished silver commie.

Results: King of the Ville 2025

Nick Dametto MP 9.00 class

• Winner: Jayden Bakonyi
• Runner up: Steve Brennan

TMS (Townsville Mechanical Services) 7.75 class

• Winner: Ramon Gross
• Runner up: Mark Peachey

Pro Speed Performance 6.50 class

• Winner: Luke Rosadi
• Runner up: Shane Redi

Predator Engine Mounts Australia Bike class

• Winner: Dale Marshall
• Runner up: Scott Brown

Dingle Smash Repairs Best Presented

• Katherine Larsen

Aces & Eights Barber Shop and Shave Parlor Best Reaction Time

• Kirk Purtill (.008)

Brake Force Plus Townsville Fastest H Pattern Manual

• Brad Acton

Brinks Performance Quickest N/A

• Toby Green

Just Race Automotive Quickest 60ft

• Michael Sloggett

Just Race Automotive Highest MPH

• Dan Di Bella

ETyreStore Townsville Quickest 2WD Hard Tyre

• Chris Gofton

ETyreStore Townsville Quickest ET

• Jarrod Herrman

Townsville Drag Racing History

Townsville is situated in sultry North Queensland and has a long standing drag racing history with two historical locations prior to the recent construction of the DriveIt NQ motorsport precinct west of the city.

The Savanna Raceway located 6kms south of Townsville, was founded by Keith Williams and in 1969 hosted Leland Kolb an American top fuel drag racer contracted to star at the very first drag meeting. The site went through various owners and in 1976 the drag strip was reduced to B grade racing after its sanction was reduced, resulting in smaller crowds and eventual closure.

The drag racing dream was rekindled in 1977 when private land north of the city was found, which had been the Bohle River aerodrome and originally a WWII RAAF dispersal airfield. This drag strip held its first meeting in 1984 supported by a local steering committee, which funded a visit by US funny car pilot Gary Densham, who reportedly entertained a sell-out crowd that night.

Eventually Townsville’s population expanded north of the city and housing development encroached on the drag strip, inevitably the drag events were deemed high noise pollution, forcing a closure in 2012.