The ANDRA Grand Final at Dragway at The Bend across April 25 and 26 will bring to a close the 2024/2025 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship in spectacular style at what is shaping up as THE sportsman event of the year.
Gold ANDRA Christmas Tree trophies will be on offer at the event for both championship wins and event victories across 11 brackets, including Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike.
As the popular bracket on two-wheels heads to Dragway at The Bend, Bryan Finn leads the way on 270 points, with Dean Jamieson and Derryn McGregor nipping at his heels on 240 points apiece. Peter Bartlett is also in the mix on 200 points, with 100 points on offer for an event victory.
If Finn can take out the title, it will be his third ANDRA title after taking out the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series in both 2016 and 2017.
“Heading into the Grand Final with the slightest points lead I know I’ll need to be as consistent as possible to have a chance of winning,” Finn said.
“It has been a great championship racing with outstanding competitors across the countryside this season, and to win would mean the world to this old bugger.
“I’ve been lucky enough to take the Grand Final win and the championship win twice, so to do that again would be what dreams are made of.
“I am full of confidence that I can take the win or lose it – one of them is a definite!” he laughed.
“As far as preparation, we are going to New Zealand for my daughter’s wedding and some RnR, and I kicked the back tyre twice,” he grinned.
“In all seriousness, everyone knows that you can’t do this without the help and support from great people, so I would like to thank ProSmith Overhauling, Deon McHugh Signs, NDMA, and Butlers Mechanical Service. I would also like to thank ANDRA and all the tracks for running the championship series.”
For Dean Jamieson, the Tailem Bend venue is a happy hunting ground, which he hopes will play in his favour at the Grand Final.
“We are in the hunt for the ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship but heading into the Grand Final I feel that we are up against it a bit – Bryan has a small margin and has an extra race meeting and travel bonus to his name, and Derryn is right there too, so there will be some tough racing at the Grand Final to decide it all.
“Dragway at The Bend has been good to me and I have a fairly good strike rate there. But Finny is really in the box seat, and Derryn is always a tough racer. A lot will have to go right for us, and we will need to go a couple of rounds further than Finn to make it happen.
“It would be great if we could take out the championship trophy – as racers we invest a lot of time and money, so to achieve something like that is a great reward for the effort we put in.
“Gold ANDRA Christmas Trees are what we race for, and it will take something special to be the one carrying it home.”
Derryn McGregor has been taking the season one step at a time – an approach which has set him up to challenge for the title.
“To be honest I haven’t been looking at the points, I have just been taking it round by round and trying to win races,” McGregor said.
“It would be an excellent achievement to win the title and a great way to top off a busy year, it sure would be a great outcome – and to win the event and the championship on the same day would be the ultimate outcome!
“I am not overly confident; I am just taking it race by race and we will see where things end up.
“There are a lot of seasoned, tough competitors and everyone is out there for the same goal.
“We haven’t done any special preparation on the bike, it hasn’t been out of the trailer since the last meeting so we will kick the tyres, throw some fuel in it, and send it!” he smiled.
“Thank you to my wife Michelle and my boys for all their support, and I want to also wish all of the other competitors the best of luck and happy racing – as they say, a bad weekend of racing is still better than a good day at work!”
The ANDRA Grand Final for the 2024/2025 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship at Dragway at The Bend will be held across April 25 and 26. For event information, visit www.thebend.com.au/dragway
The ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship is proud to have the support of series bracket sponsors Gallagher (Modified), the South Australian Drag Racers Association (Super Gas), Top Sportsman Competitors Group (Top Sportsman), the Super Sedan Competitors Group (Super Sedan), Lectron Australia (Competition Bike), Goodyear Racing (Super Street), Langtree’s Machinery Services (Junior Dragster), Huntsman Racing (Supercharged Outlaws); Ballistic Performance Parts (Modified Bike), and Jackie Watt Consultancy / Fardella and Watt Racing (Super Stock); as well as Top Qualifier Medallion sponsor, New Gen Business Park.
