The Australian National Drag Racing Association (ANDRA) is pleased to announce that quarter-mile drag racing is returning to the menu at Swan Hill, with not-for-profit Skid City Inc. officially signing on to revitalise the Swan Hill Dragway facility.
After much work behind the scenes over the past two years, the Skid City Inc consortium of Alec Berias and Mark Humphrey has now officially been granted a three-year lease agreement with Swan Hill Rural City Council to rehabilitate and operate the site, which will run under exclusive ANDRA sanctioning.
Berias will coordinate the rehabilitation of the dragstrip and braking area, while Humphrey will coordinate the site’s development and manage the operations.
“We are so pleased to announce that we now have the lease in place, and work will begin revitalising this important racing facility immediately,” Humphrey said.
“While Alec coordinates the rehabilitation of the existing dragstrip, I am working on some grant applications and sponsorship possibilities so that we can eventually build additional infrastructure on the grounds, but in the meantime, we will bring in facilities as necessary to ensure we can go racing as soon as possible.”
Berias said work will begin in late January, with the aim of having racers on-track as soon as October 2025.
“Our aim is to have one of the flattest drag racing strips in Australia,” Berias explained.
“We are using fresh technology when it comes to rehabilitating concrete drag racing surfaces, with Dion Marsh from Slab Jack Industries having been instrumental in providing a solution which leaves us confident of meeting and possibly exceeding ANDRA expectations.
“I personally would like to thank Dion for the support he has given not only to the rehabilitation of the drag strip, but also to me personally in the pursuit of this project.
“We expect Dion to set up at the complex in late January and have the works on the concrete section completed in two to three weeks.
“From there, we will concentrate on the bitumen area, which will need extensive work to rehabilitate it. The plan is to have the dragstrip ready for several tests and tunes in October 2025.”
“We absolutely want to be ready for the 2025/2026 racing season, offering a local track championship and emphasising street cars and radial racing,” Humphrey added.
“We also hope to be a part of the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship in the future.
“As anyone involved in drag racing in this country would know, I am a big supporter of sportsman racing and have been for a very long time, as is Alec. So, I hope we will see teams from all over Australia coming here to compete and support our efforts to bring this important quarter-mile facility for Victoria back online.”
“Our not-for-profit Skid City will be a country racetrack with a family feel about it. We are not taking any profits out of the place and plan to reinvest in the facility and, in good times, assist local organisations in Swan Hill,” explained Berias.
“In my short time here, I have made some good friendships within the business community and I hope that we can bring prosperity to all the local businesses in town.”
All events will be run under ANDRA sanction, with Humphrey quickly pointing out the support he and Berias have enjoyed from ANDRA as they have lobbied for this new project.
“ANDRA Chair Katie Cassar, ANDRA Board Member Trish Crossin AM, and ANDRA CEO Tim McAvaney have all provided valuable assistance to us, and I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge their support and the support of the ANDRA organisation as we have worked tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this dream into reality,” Humphrey said.
“Additionally, I would also like to join Alec in recognising Slab Jack Industries Principal Dion Marsh, who has been so supportive of the concept over the past two years – I am so happy we can now give the go-ahead to Dion and his team.
“Alec and I would also like to thank Swan Hill Rural City Council Mayor Stuart King and councillors Bill Moar, Ann Young and Chris Jeffery for believing in our dream to rehabilitate the dragstrip, and the Swan Hill Rural City Council for their support moving forward, and also our families for their support.
“This has been a team effort by many people to finally get the green light on this project.”
ANDRA CEO Tim McAvaney said he was excited for the future of Swan Hill Dragway.
“Both Alec and Mark are well-known for their passion for not only the sport of drag racing overall, but for sportsman racing in particular, and we are excited about their plans for Swan Hill Dragway,” ANDRA Chief Executive Officer Tim McAvaney said.
“No one has been pleased about the situation at Swan Hill over the past few years with this facility sitting dormant.
“The potential of this track and for quarter-mile ANDRA drag racing in Victoria is immense, and we are proud to have played a part in bringing this facility back online.
“We look forward to what lies ahead and to seeing plenty of great ANDRA drag racing in Swan Hill starting in late 2025!”
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