27 JUN 2012 - Oh what a year it was

Oh what a year it was
Wednesday, 27th June 2012

2012 was an eventful season for the Newby Team and the JBS Jet, taking them from the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows and back again.

Hot off last seasons Championship Title win, Newby was more than ready to take to the track again for the 2012 season of the ADNRA Pro Series Top Alcohol Championship.

With twenty cars competing this season for the chance at the title, competition was always going to be fierce . Every racer and team needed their A game and the Newby Team was no exception. After the first two rounds of racing in Sydney and Perth, Wayne was in a strong position with only 37 points separating him from the leader in the series.

Round 3 in South Australia proved to be both a high and low for the team, with Wayne competing in the final, with the chance to take the Championship lead. He knew he had to give it everything he had if he was to beat the on form Cannuli funny car, and give it he did. Wayne drove the JBS Jet with determination; however the 20 year old car had run its last race, coming to grief at the finish line, giving Cannuli the win.

With only 1 point separating the Wayne from the lead, the pressure was on for the team to obtain and get race ready a new car in only two weeks. Always willing to give it their all, the guys and girls that make up the Newby Team worked around the clock to make sure they had a car to enter the Nitro Champs in Sydney, and do it they did.

Wayne took to the track for the Nitro Champs, despite only having had three test passes in the car, and qualified in the extremely  tight  field. The crew did a fantastic job to turn the car around in time for the first round of eliminations; however, a failed kill  switch prevented the car from starting on the line, handing the race to Phillips. Unfortunately, this served to give Phillips the additional lead he desperately needed in the championship points, almost ensuring his victory for the season.

Despite it all, Wayne still managed to finish a very respectable third in the  ANDRA Pro Series Top Alcohol
Championship, all in all, congratulations on a great result.

There are races we win and races we lose, but there has never been a race that Wayne and the Newby Team have not suited up for. They give it their all, despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and this season they showed us just what they are made of. We take our hat off to all those who made such a monumental effort to ensure Wayne had a car to finish out the season. “We are happy to be in the funny car and are trailing setups to get it right for next season” Wayne said, so be warned, next year is another  matter, and watch out, when Wayne has had some more seat time, he will again be a major force to reckon with.

Wayne Newby would like to  sincerely thank the entire team  and our valued sponsors JBS Tools, Fabre Australia, Smithfield  Diff and Gear, Coldy's Tow & Bullbars, Redline Oils, VP Racing Fuels, Mick's Metal Craft, CRC Industries and Newby Engineering for their continued support, without whom racing would not be possible.