Left: Chris Buhagiar, pictured with his children Meg, 2, and Tom, 9, is preparing to reach speeds of up to 160 miles per hour in his new blown alcohol hydro drag boat at the National Water Sports Centre at Patterson Lakes next month.By Marc McGowan
NARRE Warren South adrenalin junkie Chris Buhagiar has a serious need for speed.
After competing in a drag boat racing class that restricted him to travelling 95.99 miles per hour (154.48 kilometres per hour) for several years, Buhagiar, 32, yearned for more.
The qualified mechanic’s needs were met after stumbling across a blown alcohol hydro drag boat in the United States.
Buhagiar will now step up to the unlimited class and hopes to reach speeds of up to 160 mph (257.5 km/h) when it makes its Australian race debut at the National Water Sports Centre at Patterson Lakes on 17 February.
And it will all be over in roughly eight seconds across the quarter-mile (just over 400 metres) course.
“I love drag racing, but drag racing on water is different. It’s good to watch and great to be involved in,” he said.
“I was sick of bracket racing. In bracket boats you’re not allowed to exceed certain speeds and if you go too fast you lose – this boat is unlimited.”
While Buhagiar was keen to upgrade his speed boat, it was largely by accident that he came across his new sleek machine.
“A mate of mine told me about it and I rang the guy who owned it in America and got talking to him,” he said.
“He turned out to be a really nice bloke, and he told me a lot about the boat and what it’s done.
“At one stage in America it was a top fuel boat and competed in the highest class (of drag boat racing), where they do speeds in excess of 250 mph (402.34 km/h).”
Buhagiar contests the High Points Championship, which covers the season’s seven race meetings, and the Victorian and Australian titles.
But it is not as simple as putting the hydro drag boat on the water and cutting it loose.
Buhagiar’s Trippa Drag Boat Team is made up of seven members, each with their own role, and it is an expensive pursuit.
“All up in Australian dollars, (the hydro drag boat) cost me $65,000,” he said.
“The sponsorship I have had has been fantastic. Without their help we couldn’t do what we do.
“Because of the speed we’re going, it only takes something very small for things to go wrong.”
Next month’s Summer Drag Boat Championships is the fourth round of the High Points Championship and despite being the hydro drag boat’s first run, Buhagiar has no intention of easing it in.
“There has been a lot of work involved in preparing it,” he said. “I’ll be going as hard as I possibly can.”
For more information on drag boat racing, visit www.vdbc.com.
