Merchant Family Racing

Yesterday we were back at Willowbank Raceway | Drag Racing's Finest for Round 2 of the QDRC.

It turned into a pretty trying day all round — the car wasn’t quite where it should be, and to be fair, neither was the driver.

We still managed to qualify 4th in a stacked 19-car field, just missing out on a bye run. The car showed some consistency early, running 11.55, 11.50, and 11.57, which gave us a decent baseline heading into racing.

First round, I put an 11.50 dial-in on it… but that didn’t matter when I turned on the red light. Rather than park it, I ran it out the back door to check the number — 11.44 on an 11.50, so we knew an adjustment was needed.

After watching the weather and data, I went into round two with an 11.40 dial-in. Unfortunately, this is where things went sideways. The early start must’ve caught up with me — I had a bit of a snooze on the line with a 0.240 reaction, and the car didn’t help either, running a lazy 11.61.

After a bit of frustration (and a few choice words…), I started piecing it together — it looked like the boost control issues from earlier had crept back in.

With that in mind, and after reviewing the data again, I dialled it back to 11.65 for the next pass.

I cut a 0.148 light — nothing special — but I ran down Paul quickly in the other lane. Thinking he was in trouble, I got in front and got on the brakes… only to find out the car had decided to behave again, running an 11.40 while I was hard on the brake pedal.

Got the timeslip and saw Paul had gone dead-on with a perfect 0.000 light and only two hundredths off his dial-in. Hard to beat that — massive congrats to Paul on a quality pass.

All up, not the result we were chasing, but still a great day at the track with a top group of people.

We’ve got a three-week break before Round 3 of the QDRC, then the Street Series the week after — last chance to get some seat time before the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals 2026 in June.

Big thanks as always to Signaco and Eye For Detail Brisbane for the continued support. We are proud to have your signage on the car.

Signaco
Eye For Detail Brisbane

Pool Equipment Brisbane
Real Street Drag Racers Australia

Round 2 of the Archer’s Street Series at Willowbank Raceway last night — and it turned into a pretty interesting one.

The afternoon kicked off with some unseasonal heat, which had both the car and driver well outside their comfort zones. Qualifying was slow but consistent, and it was shaping up like it might be an early night for the FG.

Once racing started, things got a bit unpredictable.

Karalee was razor sharp in the first round, running dead-on her 15.66 dial-in, but a tough second round saw her caught napping on the line and unfortunately out for the night.

Nathan and I as well as Caleb from O’Brien Racing lined up in Newskool Eliminations.

Caleb gave away a tenth on the tree in the first round — never ideal against a tough field and ending his night.

Nathan showed incredible consistency in the BA, running a perfect 15.27 on a 15.27 dial-in. Same car, different drivers — that level of consistency is something you don’t see every day. A slower light in round two ended his run.

I drew Craig Collis in round one — a fellow Real Street racer in a seriously quick Jeep. Fortunately for me, he was a touch off his dial-in which gave me the win.

Round two I got through, but it was clear the FG was picking up pace. I had it dialled at 11.95 and had to get on the brakes to avoid breaking out.

A bye run in round three gave me the chance to check things — 11.76 on an 11.95 dial confirmed the car was getting quicker.

With a quick turnaround and no time to check the weather, I expected the heat soak to slow the car slightly and adjusted the dial to 11.83 for the semi-final… but the FG had other ideas. It ran an 11.72 — on the brakes again — handing the win to the other lane.

I’ve never seen this car get faster the more heat soak goes into it, but it’s a great sign moving forward and should make things very interesting as we head into the cooler months.

This result is solid for the points tally, and we’ll be back out next Saturday at QDRC with an 18-car Real Street field — come out and have a look.

Huge thanks as always to Signaco and Eye For Detail Brisbane for their ongoing support.

I also have to give a mention to Drag Photos for consistently capturing amazing images from every meeting.

Signaco
Eye For Detail Brisbane

Real Street Drag Racers Australia

Willowbank Raceway | Drag Racing's Finest

Dear all valued customers,

As you are aware I take a huge amount of pride in providing the best detailing possible, at a competitive rate and ensuring that every customer walks away happy and more than satisfied with their service.

Recently we have all experienced a rapid increase in fuel costs which has affected everyone’s back pocket. As a business, this has slightly increased the supply costs and, more notably, the cost of travel. To compensate for this, mobile detailing will costs will now have a price increase to cover the price of fuel. With my customers in mind, exisiting and new, I will be covering the increased cost of the supplies.

These price adjustments will not affect in-house pricing. To provide an alternative, I’ m happy to announce that I will be discounting my in house services by 10% and encourage you all to bring your vehicles in at the discounted rate. For the customers who do live far away I am happy to work with you to ensure you continue to receive quality detailing and am open to discussing multi-vehicle discounts, whether owned by yourself or shared with family and friends.

I assure you that I will continue to provide the best service I can and will always be to the highest of standards. I know that all customers will understand that this cost is only to compensate for the increased fuel costs and to maintain the viability of my small business.

I appreciate all my customer’s and am looking forward to continuing to restore your vehicle's shine and keep them looking immaculate

We’ve made it home after a huge weekend road trip to Sydney for Round 2 of the NSW Championship Series at Sydney Dragway which became an unofficial State of Origin battle.

Six teams from Real Street Drag Racers Australia made the trip from Queensland to take on NSW.

After a navigation mistake and the experience of towing a 3-tonne trailer through Parramatta in Friday afternoon peak hour traffic, things could only get better for us— and thankfully they did.

Qualifying went my way and I grabbed the number 1 spot with a 0.044 reaction time, which gave me a bye run in the first round. That extra pass was perfect for testing the car and keeping up with the rapidly changing weather conditions.

Round two saw me up against Tony Rogers. Tony unfortunately struck some technical issues which allowed me to take the win.

Round three was one I had really been looking forward to — lining up against Rodney Balgowan, who won the last round of the NSW Championship. It turned into a proper QLD vs NSW battle, and after a tough race I managed to come away with the win and move into the final with three wins on the board.

The final was another interstate showdown, this time against Christina Hunter in her Commodore. It was one of the closest races I’ve had in a long time, with Christina getting to the line first by about three feet. We both ran under our dial-ins — Christina trying to stay in front and me trying to go around her.

This time NSW took the honours, but there will definitely be a next time and I’ll be chasing redemption.

I’m still very happy with the runner-up finish, and full credit to Christina — she out-drove me when it counted.

Overall, it was a fantastic weekend with great people and an awesome drag racing facility.

Huge thanks to the QLD Real Street drivers and their crews who made the trip — you all helped make the weekend as enjoyable as it was.

Thanks also to Steven Warren for your help over the weekend. Especially suggesting fuel stops that were backed up onto the highway.

And a special thank you to Nicole Merchant who agreed to sleep in a tent for two nights so I could go racing.

I also have to thank my amazing sponsors who help make this possible.

Daniel from Signaco made our QLD stickers with our race numbers on them. I messaged him to ask if it was possible — three days later they were done.

Kane from Eye For Detail Brisbane is always encouraging and constantly sharing photos and posts on social media. We love having him on board.

Finally, thank you to everyone who sent messages over the weekend — whether through Facebook, text, or a phone call wishing me luck or congratulating me after a race. It’s incredibly humbling to have that level of support.

We’ll be back at Willowbank Raceway | Drag Racing's Finest in April for the Street Series and the QDRC. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Eye For Detail Brisbane
Signaco

Real Street Drag Racers Australia

More details to follow when we get home but this happened tonight.

Signaco
Eye For Detail Brisbane

1st round of qualifying done.

Managed an 11.4 but only 123 mph. Slight issue with the handbrake not releasing properly.

More importantly my reaction time was 0.044. Enough to secure first place in the qualifying order.

Good start to the day. Hopefully we can continue.

Signaco
Eye For Detail Brisbane

NSW Championship Round 2 - Sydney Dragway March 14th 2026 The NSW Championship series at Sydney Dragway is one of Australia premier drag racing competitons, showcasing the nation's top sportsman racers. The NSW Cham...

We made it.

13 and a half hours, pouring rain, and only took one wrong turn.

Eye For Detail Brisbane
Signaco

Real Street Drag Racers Australia

Loaded up and ready to head to Sydney Dragway with the Real Street Drag Racers Australia for Round 2 of the NSW Championship.

Looking forward to a great weekend of racing and hopefully bringing home a win for QLD, the team, and our supporters Signaco and Eye For Detail Brisbane.

Thanks to everyone who continues to support what we do. Let’s see what the weekend brings.

Nice little addition just before we head into enemy territory.

Daniel from Signaco has provided these QLD stickers with our race numbers for the 6 of us heading to Sydney on the 14th.

Signaco
Eye For Detail Brisbane

We’ve refreshed the look of the FG, moving to a cleaner, more subtle style — and we couldn’t be happier with the result. A huge thank you to Daniel from Signaco for delivering a sharp, professional finish that gives the car a real business-like presence on track.

We’re also proud to have the continued support of Kane from Eye For Detail Brisbane again this year. Be sure to check out his incredible bike when it’s on display in the pits later this season — it’s something special.

Next stop, we’re heading to Sydney for Round 2 of the NSW Championship Series at Sydney Dragway on 14 March. There are at least 5 of us from Queensland making the trek and we will be meeting up with Steve Warren on the way. If you can’t make it trackside, keep an eye on the Sydney Dragway page for the live stream.

We appreciate all the support and look forward to the season ahead.

Eye For Detail Brisbane
Signaco

Real Street Drag Racers Australia