Strong winds force Wayne Quinnell out of drag race finals

Veteran drag racer Wayne Quinnell of Minchinbury was knocked out of finals contention at the National Drag Racing Championships by strong winds.

The wind caused more than a few problems on Saturday, managing to blow away any chance of Minchinbury’s Wayne Quinnell competing in the National Drag Race ­finals at Sydney Dragway.

After a sticky track surface caused a disappointing stall in the qualifying heat, Quinnell’s first elimination round attempt was thwarted when Saturday’s wild wind pushed him one tenth of a second too fast knocking him out of finals contention.

Drag races are won on the consistency and skill rather than just speed.

Wayne Quinnell gets ready for the heats at the National Drag Racing Championships. Picture: Christian Gilles.

Quinnell’s bike is owned by Richard Welch and has seen thousands of races. Picture: Christian Gilles.

The winner is the rider who can win a race without breaking their qualifying time.

The 43-year-old racer, of more than 20 years experience, said he tried to compensate for the strong winds by reducing his best time, but it wasn’t enough.

“I didn’t realise the wind was that fast,” ­Quinnell, who races as a hobby, said.

Wayne Quinnell rides a 1975 Kawasaki Z650, 810cc, fully worked.

The bike is a 1975 Kawasaki Z650, 810cc and is one of the oldest bikes in the competition. Picture: Christian Gilles.

The bike itself has seen its fair share of races – owner Richard Welch, of Rooty Hill, estimated its race count is in the thousands.

“It’s a bike that doesn’t get rebuilt quite often because it doesn’t need to. It’s reliable,” Mr Welch said.

The Welch family has enjoyed three generations of racing, Mr Welch’s father, his two sons, and daughter-in-law all have fuel in their veins.

“Being part of a family team I really do enjoy that,” Quinnell said.

Quinnell‘s career highlight is reaching the semi finals at the Day of the Drags in 2008 with his 1978 V8 Ford Cortina

Wayne Quinnell's 1978 V8 Ford Cortina that he stripped and rebuilt from scratch. Picture: Supplied.

Wayne Quinnell in is first ever sidecar race and he made it to the semi finals. Picture: Supplied.