Flashback: Interview with legendary drag racer Ben Gatt

Ben Gatt's been there, done that but he'd still do it again. We caught up with him for a chat back in 2004 and he was busier than ever

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Photographers: Simon Davidson

First published in the September 2004 issue of Street Machine

Ben Gatt doesn’t need much introduction to Street Machine readers. Most people interested in drag racing and street machining have heard of Superflow Heads and a fair few have seen his sinister, black, XA coupe blast down the track. After the sad passing of his wife Christine a few years ago, Ben sold his house and his share in the business to brother Joe and found a five-acre plot.

When a bloke like Ben has space, he has a really big shed full of really cool stuff. We caught the man at home to find out a little more about his long journey in drag racing.

How long have been involved in this caper, Ben?

This’ll be my 40th year. Back in 1965 I went down to Riverside Raceway in Victoria for the first Nationals. I went with my brother Joe who had a ’34 Ford coupe at the time. We flat towed it behind a Cusso.

That must have been some trip back then.

Yeah, it took 30 hours. I spent the whole trip in the coupe but I wasn’t allowed to touch the steering wheel. When you’re towing with an A-bar the car steers itself, so Joe said ‘Don’t touch anything!’ I don’t even think I had my licence then.

What was the first car you raced?

A Model A bucket. It was lucky if it would do an 18 second quarter. Then I had an FJ with a Y-block in it, then I got an Anglia and put the Y-block in that. Had an XY ute, then we had a Nitro Funny Car, a Capri, then the XA and finally the EA.

FJ Holden? What was going on there?

Back then you could pick them up for next to nothing. It ran low 12s. This was the late 60s — they were pretty good times back then.

I heard you may have headed out to Brickies on the odd occasion …

I had the XY ute. We made a few quick getaways, that’s for sure.

There was a movie made years ago called The FJ Holden

Yeah, I was in that. You can see me in the XY, racing down at Brickies.

So after all these street cars you decided to build a Funny Car?

We built a Capri, made the body and everything. It started off running an injected 427 big-block Ford, then we put in a 392 Hemi that was blown and running a 50 per cent mix of Nitro. That was a bit of fun.

But then you built another Capri?

We built a car to run in C/Gas. There’s nothing better than to run a record, open the door and hop out — that’s why I love Doorslammers. We set a couple of records in that car and won the championship in 1982. In C/Gas we were running a 302 Cleveland with a standard crank. For C/Gas you had to weigh 10lbs for every cubic inch, so the car weighed 3020lbs. That’s pretty heavy. We set the record. I can’t remember exactly but it was a low 10.

You then stepped the car up in to B/Gas?

Yeah, we put a 351 Cleveland in it and set the record with a 9.50. That was a really well-known car that Capri. We did the lot with that car.

Then the XA, the car you’re probably most remembered for?

We went everywhere in that car — the only track I haven’t raced at is Darwin. We even got invited to New Zealand — apparently the car was very popular over there. It was in magazines and the people wanted to see it, so all six of the track owners got together, put the car and bus on the boat and then flew me and Christine, and Joe and his wife, over there. That was early ’91. We had to race at all six tracks and I just about wrote the car off at the first event. I got out of shape and hit the embankment but we fixed up the car and kept racing.

You mentioned you’d only been to the States once.

Yeah, people think I go over there all the time but I’ve only been once. That was in ’91 too. Christine and I went for six weeks. We did four weeks of car stuff and two of holiday stuff. I’d been saving up for a long time so I bought a lot of parts. We went to the US Nationals at Indy and I got to stand on the start line. Buster Couch [chief starter for the NHRA] invited me down there and told the crowd who I was. I met Don Prudhomme, Don Garlits, Ed McCulloch and Bob Glidden, my hero. I’ve got photos of him all over the place.

What was your impression of the state of drag racing in the US compared to the scene here in Oz?

We were a little bit behind them, not a great deal but. Our cars were going just as fast as theirs. They’ve got an advantage getting their hands on things. They can just drive down the road and get parts. We’ve got to get them imported and pay double. Considering all that, we were pretty good. Right now I reckon we’re right on par with them. We’ve got the Brays, Gary Phillips in his Top Alcohol dragster, Andrew Cowin, all running as quick as anyone.

Back to your cars, why did you build the EA?

I wanted to have the fastest Ford-powered sedan in the world and I did it. When I set the world record, Victor Bray was in the other lane. That car’s still running, in Supercharged Outlaws.

So it’s back to the XA?

When I stopped racing the XA I got phone calls and letters begging me not to sell it so I kept it in the shed. It was brand new when it was put on the track. It had two owners before me and it was the old story — only driven on Sundays by an elderly gentleman! The car was built 20 years ago and it’s been really good. We took it out recently and ran a 7.30 at around 190mph. It pulled a 1.08 60ft time but hooked up so hard it twisted the chassis so Alan Odgers is building a chrome-moly frame. It’s going to sit low and be a couple of hundred pounds lighter. Hopefully it’ll run a bit quicker. A six-second pass, even if it’s only a 6.99 at over 200mph, would make me really happy.

Why did your cars always have Superflow Heads logos on them?

The business revolved around the racing and the racing revolved around the business. I’ve never had big corporate sponsorship but not because I couldn’t get it. Victor and I got the Castrol deal at the same time but I wanted to make my own decisions on where and when to race. Victor has done really well at it and is probably the best thing that has happened to drag racing in this country.

A few years ago you stepped away from the business.

After Christine passed away I sold my share of the business to Joe and moved out here. All the properties are five acres and I love it. It’s quiet, not too far from town and I’ve got room to do what I want.

So you’re keeping busy?

Busier than ever. I build clutches for some of the drag racers — not put them together but get all the pieces profile-cut and build the thing from scratch. They’re a centrifugal clutch like a Crowerglide. It’s just like driving an auto. Take your foot off the brake and nail it. I still put together a few engines for blokes too — there’s a blown and injected Windsor that’s going into a chopped ’36 Ford coupe. I’m putting that whole car together.

And what about the flathead I saw?

That’s going into a restored tank! The guy asked if I could do it and I said: ‘yeah, might even have a few parts floating around’. I found rings and bearings, adjustable rockers and other stuff I’ve had lying around for 30 years. The guy couldn’t believe it. I’ve got a couple of Chevs too — a small-block going into a young guy’s Monaro and a Gen V big-block I’m doing.

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