About Us

  After spending 2 years re-building the XA to make it his own, Josh finally hit the track at what was then known as Western Sydney International Dragway (WSID) in June 2004 the same year the race track opened, bearing the race number 551 that belonged to his late father John. Getting the car to the track on an open car trailer being towed with an old 1982 red XE Falcon. The car came out with a 358 Cleveland 4V naturally aspirated tunnel ram running a T400 transmission competing in the Super Sedan bracket. 

A few years later we eventually moved from the tunnel ram to a mechanically injected 383 Cleveland with a Top Loader manual transmission for a little fun. After doing some monster wheel stands and coming down hard on the transmission we moved back to the T400 to keep her controllable and knuckle down to chase an 8sec pass.

Whilst learning the art of engine building, we unfortunately trusted in a few people that may not have had the knowledge we thought they did on our particular combo, so Josh took the risk as a newly fully qualified automotive mechanic (engine building is not taught as part of the trade) and started researching and querying other engine builders/tuners all over the world running a similar combo to him and the direction he wanted to take the car. He had some great help from Mike Canter in The USA who was more than happy to answer the thousands of questions Josh had and gave him the confidence and help he needed to take over every aspect of his own car. To find someone in this sport that is happy to hand over information/knowledge just to help someone else is not common and we are forever grateful to Mike.

As most racers do, Josh eventually wanted to go faster which led to a tame nitrous system being installed on the motor.

We had been one of the few cars in the country running a Mechanically injected nitrous setup so finding someone with the knowledge that wanted to share it, has always been a challenge. This forced Josh to slowly chip away at various tune-ups to find that sweet spot which has always been a work in progress. Josh always wants to push things that little bit harder to find out what works and what doesn't. Many people think when you make a change on the car that it should come out and instantly run quicker and faster, but Josh likes to have a base line to start from and a comparison from one change to the next.

The car as it was then, had been featured in magazines such as Street Machine and Extreme Fords and various YouTube and smaller production TV shows such as Man vs Machine and Gasolene. When time allows, we take the car to various car shows, Charity Events and had attended Summernats a few times in the early days.

In 2015 we had a small sponsorship by Diecast Mania and upgraded our nitrous system to include a Nitrous plate. This helped us to finally surpass that elusive 8sec pass we had been chasing for so long.

In 2017 we were privileged to be given a major sponsorship by Fabre Australia and were able to upgrade some engine internals and the engine size to a 393 to produce a stronger engine for the power we were making. 

In 2018 we decided to add a Lenco 4 speed manually shifted dump clutch transmission and went on to win the Nostalgia Super Stock bracket at the annual Nostalgia Drags. Not only was this our first win in the car ever, but it also happened to be Fathers Day which made it even more special for a few different reasons.

After running in Super Sedan for the majority of his racing career and on occasion Top Qualifying in that bracket, we were getting a little too fast so decided to step up to the Top Sportsman category in 2022 to allow us room to move with our tune-ups. Some people spend an exorbitant amount of money on their cars, pay and rely on engine tuners/builders to keep them fast and consistent, but Josh likes to know his own car inside out and how to fix things then and there when something isn't right. We have always had the attitude, when time and money allows, we'll keep doing this which keeps it fun and affordable for us. 

Our beloved XA Coupe was given a new look and power plant in 2019 which began just before the 19/20 Summer bushfires. After evacuating our property and moving our family, pets and dearest possessions to where we thought they were safest, it turned out our XA which was in a million bits at this point had to be moved again with how widespread the bushfires were. Thankfully after a few weeks we were able to get everyone and everything back home and work started again on getting her ready to debut in 2020. The body work was perfected by Josh and good mate Robbie Clarke, with Robbie completing the immaculate paint job in his make shift spray booth in his home garage. We can't thank Robbie enough for all the time and effort he put into this beauty.

The new power plant that was expertly machined by good friend, the late Sam Fenech from Westend Performance and meticulously pieced back together by Josh himself has made for a new beast. The 410cu" Fontana has made drag racing even more exciting with the pure power that comes from nailing that throttle. Coupled with the 4 speed dump clutch Lenco transmission and the newest addition of a Nitrous Fogger system, Josh definitely has his hands full getting this Silver Bullet down the 1/4 mile.

 In 2021 we were runner up in the Outlaw class at Grudge Kings. As well as runner up, we PB'd all day which was an achievement in itself. 

In 2022 we were approached by Wild Ink Motorsport Merchandise to sponsor us for all of the polo shirts and jackets you might see our crew wearing around the race track. We also had both designs of our t-shirt and hoodie merchandise you might see us selling at the race track and online designed by these guys and they have always gone above and beyond for us. We are forever grateful to them for keeping us looking professional in whatever you see us in at the track.

Both Josh and the car have always been a crowd favourite due to the humble nature of Josh and how he is always happy to answer any questions anyone has about the car or engine combo. The car has this ear piercingly loud cackle coming out of the exhaust and supporters love to hear the gears being manually shifted through the long burnouts and 1/4 mile runs.

In March 2023 we were excited to be selected to race in the Discovery Channels, Street Outlaws vs The World and raced against Kye Kelley in his Shocker Camaro. It was such an experience just to be on the track with some of these guys we had been watching for years on TV. We would have been thrilled just to line up next to them without all of the TV cameras. For a bracket car to come up against a wicked quick NPK car was an experience we'll definitely remember as it was an honour just to be invited to be part of the Sydney Team to represent Australia.

In May 2023 at The Nitro Champs & Round 4 Track Champs, we took home the Winners trophy which was a huge achievement for our small family team. After 3 qualifying runs and 4 rounds of racing, we were beyond ecstatic with this win. It was won by pure racing. No round wins from red lights, break outs or anything else others might see as being an easy win. Every car we raced was on song which made for some pure competitive racing and we did it. No electronics, no delay boxes, no data loggers, just dumping the clutch and knowing the car. After 19 years of racing it was the one we had worked for. Sure we had won a few accolades in the past, but none in our bracket and none with such a competitive field of fellow racers. This car really is a drivers car.

In September 2023 at Round 6 Track Champs we again took home the winners trophy that came off the back of a .008 reaction time in the Final round. We had gone from never winning an event to our second event win in the same season and at that time, had a 10 point lead in the Track Championship.

If Josh's story so far can teach anyone anything, it's that perseverance, patience, determination and staying humble will show progress. The progress may not come as quickly as you would like, but with small steps you will reach your goal and continue to move the goal post to see what else you're capable of achieving. It hasn't been an overnight success or at times, successful at all, we have won some and lost lots, it can show you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but that is the sport and it teaches you many things especially resilience.

Some people see the sport as selfish and dangerous and this is particularly true if you don't understand the sport. They see the end result, and not the blood, sweat and tears to get to where we are. It is definitely a stress reliever for Josh and at times a cause of stress. Our twin daughters have been around the sport since they were 8 weeks old. One of them is now racing Junior Dragsters and the other is heavily involved with making sure her sister and Dad have all of their safety gear on correctly and anything else that needs help on both cars. Unfortunately they are not old enough to go on to the start line with Dad just yet, but Mum can't wait for the extra help when that day arrives. For us, it is definitely a family sport and one that connects us and creates lifelong memories and friendships. Friendships that become family.

The car has travelled the East Coast of the country to race at various tracks such as Willowbank Raceway for the annual Winter Nationals and Heathcote Raceway for the Ford Powered Nationals when not at home at Sydney Dragway. 

There is a lot that goes in to getting this car ready for a single pass down the track from tyre pressures, wheelie bar heights, rpm settings, nitrous and fuel pressures, packing the parachute the list goes on. Everything needs to be on point. At the moment and for a long time it has been Josh with the help of wife, Nicole getting all of this done at home and at the track. It can be exhausting and rewarding.

The hope for this car with its current setup is to surpass that 7sec mark. The car definitely has the potential to get there, but with nitrous being one of the more difficult engines to tune, this is where patience comes in to it. Blocking out the white noise from the outside will help us to keep chipping away at it like we did to get our first 8sec pass. To keep the tune safe for both Josh and the engine plays a key part any time you're looking for that quicker pass down the track.