Media and Articles 

The West Australian 
Written by Luke Nieuwhof   
Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Gardner gunning for results

Drag racer Peter Gardner competed with his newly built Genie Exhaust Monaro this season in the Super Sedan category and while he achieved some quick times, he would have liked a few more rounds wins to go with them.
Next season that will be his aim, with the car proving a consistent runner, an all important factor in the Super Sedan category where racers are required to predict their times to set a handicap for racing.
 
"I am confident the car has got the consistency, it's a matter of seat time for me and getting my own driving consistent as well," Gardner said.
"We don't want to go any faster, we need the reliability factor."
Gardner built the Monaro himself over the course of 18 months, looking on the internet at how cars that performed well were built and taking on a concoction of ideas he thought would work.
It has so far proved a successful strategy with only minor tweaks to the four-link suspension system needed to make the car behave on track, as it was getting loose in the second half of the track at over 200kmh.
The only other teething problem was with the cylinder heads but otherwise Gardner said the car reached his expectations.
So far the 427 cubic inch big block Chev motor has produced a best time of 8.43sec., reaching 257kmh in that time.

Gardner's backyard build no slouch

Wednesday, 24 February 2010 11:48

Drags News Australia

With Western Australia's biggest ever drag racing event coming up at Perth Motorplex this weekend, Port Kennedy drag racer Peter Gardner is keen to come back to form in the Stone Racing Transmission Super Sedan category.

The 48 year old sales manager currently sits third in the state championship and after two first round losses in a row he is keen to improve at the 39th annual Westernationals, this Saturday and Sunday.


It will not be easy, with 68 cars in total vying for the win in Super Sedan alone.

“I want to keep on evolving my racing and be the best I can be in Super Sedan,” Gardner said.


“We've had a runner up already this season so a few more finals would be nice.”

Uniquely, Gardner built his own Holden Monaro and engine to compete in Super Sedan.The 7.1 litre V8 motor propels Gardner to speeds of 260kmh in just eight and a half seconds, proving more than the equal to any other Super Sedan at the track.

“It gives me a sense of pride to go racing; building my own car was a great experience and one I'd love to do again,” he said.

Gardner also assists other teams with their engines at drag racing events, saying his skills have evolved over the years since he first started tinkering with cars in his teenage years.

“I liked pulling things apart and putting them back together again, other than a short time as an earthmoving fitter I'm self taught,” he said.

The speed of racing still amazes Gardner even after two seasons of racing his Monaro.

“Compared to any kind of street car it's a thrill, it's at the pointy end of the field and it's good fun,” he said.

The Westernationals event has a total of 352 entries, making it the biggest drag racing event ever to be staged in WA and is the second biggest Drag Racing event in the Country. Seventy three of those teams have come from interstate providing a massive boost to the local economy and giving race fans a chance to see vehicles they have never witnessed on the track before.Qualifying starts from 11am on both Saturday and Sunday, with eliminations racing getting started at 2pm on Sunday for sportsman divisions and 6pm for the ANDRA Pro Series categories Top Doorslammer and Top Bike.