What's The Benefit Of Joining Andra?

[9krpm]

I am planning to take the car for a few runs at Willobank for fun. I used to have a superstreet license and used to take the car out to the drag 2-3 times per year but I have not done that for 1-2 years now. The membership was around $150 per year and it wasn't too bad for a few runs a year. I just checked Andra website and it looks like they have raised the bar in everything! It say that I will have to get the Unlimited license $491 or $341 (not sure of the difference either), a log book for the car $30 and a cage inspection more $$$. I also need a medical exam...this wont cost me a thing coz I have access to free medical check up...but other people that will be another $100+

This sort of licensing fee is getting ridiculous for an enthusiast like me.....I am sure others would feel the pinch too. I track the car as well so that's $120 for CAMS and another $50+ for an AASA licence The total cost of these fees is more than an oversea trip these days I take my cars to the circuit more often than the drag strip and 1-200 bucks a year is not too bad but the Andra one is not good to support atm. I can foresee that I will get a call from a Jamboree organiser again and my only excuse for not racing any of my cars will be "I can't afford the Andra licence Ray"

Can anyone enlighten me with the prospect of changing my mind on how to spend my hard earned dosh with the benefits of joining Andra? Why is it so expensive compare to the others membership?

Also is there a full 1/4 mile drag strip track near/in QLD that is not Andra sanctioned?

[zebra]

May I ask why you would need an Unlimited license?

Im getting the Street Series one soon but It doesnt say how long they last, Cause 149 bucks for a years license and a sticker is a bit rich, when its only $5 extra to get a day license at a street series meet.

Can sombody explain?

Kthx

Andrew

[Swiper the Fox]

I have to fork out for a UDL and its bordering on criminal...especially because in my opinion ANDRA don't give a sh1t about Sport Compact cars. With Stacey and i both UDL licence holders its almost cost effective to send the car permanantly to N.Z. and fly over there to race it. They run a better format over there and the stands are packed at events.

Waiting for 2rismo to post...

Edited July 19, 2008 by DiRTgarage

[9krpm]

May I ask why you would need an Unlimited license?

I am asking myself, everyone else on this forum and Andra the same question too mate?

Without even trying to kill the gearbox I did 11.4 @126mph two years ago. This was with worn RE55 and agressive ciruit camber. The rear axle snapped on the 2nd run. I've been too busy and have not been back. The car has 100hp more and 100kg less than last time. I like to go back but I am going to get kick off after one run. I am asking why should I be banned and only allowed to return to the track after I can cough up more $$$ to Andra? I have 4 points roll cage, built to Andra spec. I have 6 points harness, also a good enough helmet and personal protective equipment to pass higher speed events on the circuit. What's the UDL going to offer that my last license super street couldn't?

r35 owners going to share the same faith with their cars soon too. Imagine after an ecu mod and some light weight diet, the r35 owner will get kick off the track until he/she get a full cage, ballistic blankets (in the rear of the car this time ) etc etc to be able to come back to the track

I am hearing you Pauly. Beside Heathcote, is there any drag strip closer to QLD that is not Andra sanctioned?

[2rismo]

From the ANDRA site:

With ANDRA Membership You Get-

ANDRA Membership Free Licencing (11.99 et 1/4 mile and slower) at Off-Street Meetings

ANDRA Personal Accident cover at Off Street Meetings

Current ANDRA Rule Book

ANDRA Drag Racing Stickers

Discounts on Centra Hotels

Discounts on Best Western Motels

Discounts on Hertz Rental Cars

ANDRA Membership wallet

Access to ANDRA Unlimited or Group One Licence

Quarterly ANDRA Fastlane newsletter

ANDRA Membership Card

Opportunity to nominate for the ANDRA Divisional Council and vote in ANDRA Elections in your state. (Full membership only)

DIVISIONAL DRAG LICENCE Event Only Vehicles slower than 11.99 Total Cost Cover $5.00 inc GST, including Category Two PA add $5.00 inc GST.

JUNIOR COMPETITION LICENCE Ages between 8-16. Includes Licence, Log Book, Vehicle Name Registration and Subscription to Fast Lane. Consent of parent or guardian required who must be a full member of ANDRA. Total cost with ANDRA Associate Membership, Injured Drivers Fund Levy, ANDRA Log Book, ANDRA Rule Book $125.00 inc. GST.

SUPER STREET LICENCE PACKAGE Cars 11.00 seconds and slower and Motorcycles slower than 10.50 seconds with an unmodified swing arm. Total cost with ANDRA Associate Membership, Injured Drivers Fund Levy, ANDRA Rule Book $149.00 inc GST.

UNLIMITED DRAG LICENCE (UDL) Cars quicker than 11.00 and Motorcycles 10.50. Total cost UDL Licence with Full ANDRA Membership, Injured Drivers Fund Levy, ANDRA Rule Book $341.00 inc. GST or $491.00 inc. GST depending on your class requirements. Plus if required Log Book including GST is $30.00 for 2 years. A Medical Examination is required every two years.

GROUP ONE LICENCE (GOL) Total cost Group One Licence with Full ANDRA Membership, Injured Drivers Fund Levy, ANDRA Rule Book $1471.00 inc. GST. Plus if required Log Book $30.00 for 2 years. A Medical Examination is required every two years.

LOG BOOK ISSUE/UPDATE Required by: All Dragsters, Altereds, Funny Cars, and Sedans Quicker than 10.99 ET. Motorcycles quicker than 10.50 ET, Motorcycles with Modified Swing arm, Frames or Brakes and Exhibition vehicles and any vehicle deemed necessary by ANDRA Officials. ANDRA Vehicle Log Book will only be issued to the Bona Fide owner of a vehicle that is a Full ANDRA member, for a period of two years. Only one current ANDRA logbook is permitted for each Vehicle. Total cost for the Log Book is $30.00 for 2 years or free with a Junior Competition Licence.

[Sydneykid]

When was the last time ANDRA updated the performance index for licences? Standard cars get faster and it seems logical to me that licences should move with them. My memory is not so perfect, but I seem ot recall that when 10.99 was the licence limit most stock standard road cars did 16's or so. So a 10.99 was pretty damn fast in comparison. These days it's not such a big deal.

Cheers

Gary

[2rismo]

When was the last time ANDRA updated the performance index for licences? Standard cars get faster and it seems logical to me that licences should move with them. My memory is not so perfect, but I seem ot recall that when 10.99 was the licence limit most stock standard road cars did 16's or so. So a 10.99 was pretty damn fast in comparison. These days it's not such a big deal.

Cheers

Gary

It's a valid point, Gary and one that several people have raised with ANDRA that I know of. One of them ran a 10.1 on his 100% completely stock standard bike (ZX12R) and if he goes quicker than a 10.000 (which is highly likely given his inexperience), he'll need to front big dollars to race - even at street meets. And this is before it even gets a can or an ECU!!!

[2rismo]

Received a text last night saying that the NHRA requires a 4-point cage quicker than 12.000. Nasty!

[JAS-25T]

Having faster cars standard doesn't mean more experienced or safer drivers automatically.

[2rismo]

That's true, Jas, but paying more for a licence doesn't mean more experienced or safer drivers automatically either.

[Beer Baron]

holy moly. what a load of codswallop. they need to get with the times. a 35 GTR can run a low 11 stock on standard issue road rubber. as adrian pointed out with just some boost, ecu and maybe some sticky tyres you are looking at 10s in a car that is perfectly safe, road legal and still has all it's original safety and emissions equipment. and yet they want you to cage it, pay big money for a licence etc, just so you can test it's performance in the safety of a drag strip. no wonder we'll end up with people doing their 10 second passes on the local industrial estate...

they need to have a good hard look at this. there is a whole lot of normal street cars now that can run in the 11s. and a few that are in the 10s. making people go through all this rubbish is why drag racing is not going so well. unless you want to make your car a dedicated drag car then it's not worth racing it at all. which is a shame as this kind of all or nothing system means a lot of folk like me wont bother and will just stick to circuit.

it's funny to think that if I have a 700hp GTR that has no cage or whatever and I have little experience. now this car is capable of 10.5 qtr mile.if I want to drive it in a straight line for 10 seconds reaching a fair speed then braking at the end I need to spend $500 on a licence, a couple grand on safety gear (cage, blanket etc) then I can race. OR if I want to race it on a circuit where I can reach even higher top speed, and have the added danger of cornering, braking, and other cars on the track with me all I need is a $100 licence and no safety mods to the car. makes you think.

[2rismo]

Drag Racing as a whole is going gang-busters but this is because the vast majority of vehicles (notice I didn't say 'cars') are dedicated drag animals and not street or pseudo-street cars. One of the issues I can see arising from dropping the ET limits for a cage/safety gear/licence to, say, 10.000 from 11.000 is that what happens to those who have just spent several thousand dollars on this gear?

Factory bikes can run high 9's (and for $20-ish-thousand dollars brand new) and some cars are running 11's with little to no work. Something's gotta give or the tens WILL be run with a GTech on a public road.

[Swiper the Fox]

it's funny to think that if I have a 700hp GTR that has no cage or whatever and I have little experience. now this car is capable of 10.5 qtr mile.if I want to drive it in a straight line for 10 seconds reaching a fair speed then braking at the end I need to spend $500 on a licence, a couple grand on safety gear (cage, blanket etc) then I can race. OR if I want to race it on a circuit where I can reach even higher top speed, and have the added danger of cornering, braking, and other cars on the track with me all I need is a $100 licence and no safety mods to the car. makes you think.

It costs around $6000 minimum for a car to comply with all ANDRA regs for 10's and lower. This includes fire suit Helmut etc as well as the cars mods req.

We now have to fork out more money for a parachute that ill never use.

[JAS-25T]

So maybe some changes to the rules in regards to the change of spec from original would be more suited.

I still think it's kinda ok seen as though someone without so much as a drive to the event can take their stock vehicle and run a 9-11sec pass without anymore vehicle safety than comes from factory.

Note: "Kinda" in regards to the time being the classifier as it stands now.

[Beer Baron]

yeah it's a crazy situation. I guess they just don't cater to guys with fast street cars. but the problem is street cars are getting faster and faster and lots of those owners want to race. I can understand in the past the group of part time racers with 10second and 11 second street cars would have been pretty small, but that group has certainly grown heaps in the last few years.

It's amazing to see the disparity between drag and circuit. I would argue circuit is infinitely more dangerous as you have higher speeds, corners, and many other participants of varying speed and skill on the track at once. yet I can roll up in even a 1000hp GTR and race with just my $100 licence and a helmet and a pair of jeans. don't need cage, or fancy licence, or even fireproof gear. and I can go out there and run as quick as a V8 supercar. I'm not saying that's the way it should be either. circuit racing need to consider this too. years ago most cars at amatuer sprints were comparitively slow. these days the times and speeds street cars can achieve at the circuit is scary and some guys are approaching v8 super car times and doing it without the benefit of top level safety gear. hopefully we can find a happy medium between the two current systems.

[2rismo]

We now have to fork out more money for a parachute that ill never use.

You'll use it if you get logged for not using it enough times or they'll kick your arse.

It is silly though. A parachute for a car that has massive four-wheel disc brakes that could stop from 160mph with no dramas whatsoever.

I guess it's a question of one rule for everyone being easier to enforce than rules for every different car combo out there. The flip side of the above is the Chev Torana that struggles to stop from 135mph with its upgraded brakes alone.

[JAS-25T]

ANDRA Personal Accident cover at Off Street Meetings

Also - dependant on what that covers, and how much coverage is given, alone, if required would be worth ALOT more than the $$$ you paid to get the licence.

I can promise you that.

[1JZ.747]

interesting points, if we all lived in a world where nothing goes wrong, then yea licenses, cages, harnesses, fire proof gear, its not needed.

how many times do we see guys in late model cars hit the wall, not many, but it has happened. how many late model cars can drive through someone elses trans fluid they dropped on the last pass and hit the wall? doesn't matter a fugg whether your in a torana or a R34, if the car climbs the wall and barrell rolls on the section of car where the driver sits, your dead.

ANDRA, the promoter, the entrant cant guarantee that an accident wont happen, that accident may be out of your control. And some times it wont matter if your sitting in a R35 GTR or a old torana, some accidents are going to have death or severe disability result. When that happens the same person on here pissing and whinging about having to have a harness or a roll cage or fire proof suit, will be praising the safety standards for saving them from having 3rd degree burns on their body, or being paralysed, or their parents whinging cause your dead and ANDRA didnt have enough safety in place.

its there to save your ass, not just so ANDRA can sit back and laugh at you for spending money.

i have personally seen TWOOGLE get go jacked pushed off the line with a line locker issue, i have driven through another competitors oil and gone wall to wall (lucky not to hit them) at half track 170 kmph. ive seen jacobsen get way out of shape at bigger MPH than that, not to mention a heap of other late model cars i have seen have issues at the track.

now if i had hit the wall at 170 even in a late model car (same age as a R32 R33) if paul had an electical issue with his line lock at half track and hit the wall or jacobsen had hit the wall, we would have been it a whole world of trouble and i am sure would be glad we have the safety gear.

Troy critchley and the local police also never thought an accident would happen, and look at the result there.

accidents happen folks, doesnt matter if your peter brock or in a R35 GTR you can still still or get hurt. if you dont like the rules that are there for your and your competitors safety, dont park you ass in a car at an ANDRA track.

sits back and waits for the flaming

[2rismo]

Good points. It's also worth noting that the variation in the licence fee (UDL is $491 OR $341) is to do with something called the DRDF - Drag Racing Development Fund. If you're racing at national meetings, you're paying a share of the expense to run the shows on SBS/Nine/Fox etc.

[9krpm]

interesting points, if we all lived in a world where nothing goes wrong, then yea licenses, cages, harnesses, fire proof gear, its not needed.

how many times do we see guys in late model cars hit the wall, not many, but it has happened. how many late model cars can drive through someone elses trans fluid they dropped on the last pass and hit the wall? doesn't matter a fugg whether your in a torana or a R34, if the car climbs the wall and barrell rolls on the section of car where the driver sits, your dead.

ANDRA, the promoter, the entrant cant guarantee that an accident wont happen, that accident may be out of your control. And some times it wont matter if your sitting in a R35 GTR or a old torana, some accidents are going to have death or severe disability result. When that happens the same person on here pissing and whinging about having to have a harness or a roll cage or fire proof suit, will be praising the safety standards for saving them from having 3rd degree burns on their body, or being paralysed, or their parents whinging cause your dead and ANDRA didnt have enough safety in place.

its there to save your ass, not just so ANDRA can sit back and laugh at you for spending money.

i have personally seen TWOOGLE get go jacked pushed off the line with a line locker issue, i have driven through another competitors oil and gone wall to wall (lucky not to hit them) at half track 170 kmph. ive seen jacobsen get way out of shape at bigger MPH than that, not to mention a heap of other late model cars i have seen have issues at the track.

now if i had hit the wall at 170 even in a late model car (same age as a R32 R33) if paul had an electical issue with his line lock at half track and hit the wall or jacobsen had hit the wall, we would have been it a whole world of trouble and i am sure would be glad we have the safety gear.

Troy critchley and the local police also never thought an accident would happen, and look at the result there.

accidents happen folks, doesnt matter if your peter brock or in a R35 GTR you can still still or get hurt. if you dont like the rules that are there for your and your competitors safety, dont park you ass in a car at an ANDRA track.

sits back and waits for the flaming

Thanks for reiterating that. Certainly safety is the foremost important aspect of any sport. I have no problem with the safety requirements at all.

However, how does enthusiasts like me benefit from paying the full UDL? What does the personal protection cover? Why is this cover higher than the guys, with superstreet licence, that don't have as much personal protective equipment or safety equipment in their slower vehicle? As you rightly said they can still roll their cars and kill themselves at lower speed too...if they don't have the full roll cage.