Edge Mallis heads to this weekend’s Twilight Nationals at the Atlantic Oils Sunset Strip fresh from a performance at Dragway at The Bend that saw him walk away with not only the ANDRA Christmas Tree, but also two new national records.
On his way to the Lectron Australia Competition Bike victory for what was round five of the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship, Mallis reset the DD/CB ET and MPH records from 7.793 seconds to 7.627 and 178.52mph to 178.64mph.
Mallis was one of three racers who set new national records at the weekend, alongside Top Alcohol racer Daniel Reed and Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Luke Crowley who each rewrote their own MPH records (193.58 to 193.59 for Crowley and 265.85 to 271.36mph for Reed.
While it was another record-breaking weekend for veteran drag racer Mallis, the road to victory wasn’t without its challenges – both on and off the track.
“We went 1.1s under the Index in qualifying and honestly, the thing will go faster, but the engine doesn’t like it. We tried that in October, and we ended up losing the (NDRC sportsman) championship by pushing the engine beyond what it likes. So, we’ve learned – we’ve got to calm it down and just keep on going the rounds,” Mallis said.
During qualifying, Edge encountered mechanical issues that forced him to miss one session, with the fly-by-wire bike not wanting to open the throttle in the second qualifier, but the real drama struck just as he was being called to the staging lanes.
“My crew member got stung by a bee, and he’s anaphylactic,” he explained. “We had to give him three shots with an EpiPen before calling an ambulance. All of a sudden, I had to find a new crew because without a crew, I cannot run.”
Thankfully, the crew member is now doing well but will be away from the track for a couple of weeks.
Despite the unexpected hurdles, Mallis secured another victory and strengthened his championship standing ahead of this weekend’s Twilight Nationals at the Atlantic Oils Sunset Strip.
“I’m currently leading the John Storm in the most points of any bracket. I’m also leading Comp Bike in the ANDRA championship and the NDRC as well. It’s been an absolute stellar season,” he said.
“Heading into this weekend, I’ve got track records nearly everywhere I race now. So, let’s go for the win, get maximum points, and give myself a buffer for the Grand Final!”
It’s a remarkable turnaround for a bike that once gave him endless headaches.
“We built it back in 2019, and it was the biggest hair-tearing-out thing. No one had ever run this type of bike before, so we had to reinvent the wheel when it came to the clutch. But now, we’ve got it sorted. Blaze Hansen from Blazecraft is a huge part of this, he built the bike and tunes it from wherever he is in the world.”
Mallis acknowledges his success wouldn’t be possible without the camaraderie of the racing community. After his crew member’s emergency, crews from other racers stepped up to help.
“I had to borrow two crew members from the guy beside me. Then, for the final, I had to borrow another team. If it wasn’t for the other Comp Bike riders crewing for me, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere,” he explained.
“I would rather help an opposition rider get in the lane beside me than win by default. I don’t believe in ‘win at all costs.’ I want to win fair and square, so no one can say, ‘Oh, the other guy wasn’t there – that’s the only reason you won.’”
Round six of the 2024/2025 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship takes place this weekend at Mildura’s Atlantic Oils Sunset Strip across February 14 and 15.
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