HARDCORE drivers battled head-to-head for bragging rights, cash prizes and trophies at Jamwest Speedway in Westmoreland on Sunday.

The event, dubbed See the Lights, was the first drag meet for the 2012 season and saw over 50 drivers competing on the quarter-mile tarmac, much to the delight of the hundreds of spectators on hand. Drivers squared off for bracket racing supremacy with designated times ranging from eight to 16 seconds.

Bracket racing is a form of drag racing in which each competing car is placed in a class before the race, predicting the elapsed time the driver estimates will take him across the finish line.

“There’s no room for error in drag racing. Reaction time is very important and the first 60 feet of the race, or what we call ‘the launch’, is crucial,” said Windsor Young, track manager and event organiser.

“For instance, you’re placed in the 16-second class and if you run the course in less time, you ‘break out’ of that time and are, therefore, disqualified,” he said.

Young went on to explain further: “For example, if you have two cars running in the 16-second category and one clocks 15 seconds and the other 16:01, it is the slower car that wins.”

Taking the first-place trophy in the 10-second category, (with a time of 10:05) was supermarket owner and overall winner Kingsley Depass in his Toyota MR2.

This is the first time Depass, who has been competing in drag meets for nearly five years, entered the 10-second class.

“This was a picnic outing for me. Some people took it very seriously, but I must admit, I was just having fun on a Sunday afternoon with my family,” he told Auto.

“The victory feels good. But to be honest, I was a little disappointed that there weren’t more cars to compete with me. A number of them broke down or were disqualified. The ones which entered, I beat with no difficulty. But this is how drag meets are; you can never really know what’s going to happen,” he continued.

Depass said he was currently making improvements to his vehicle and expects to do much better at the next outing. He said he is aiming for a time of 10:01 seconds but hopes the clock stops at 10 seconds flat.

Herbie Edwards in his Nissan Pulsar GTI-R posted the second fastest time of the day, winning the 11-second category, while Andre Kerr, driving a Toyota Corolla, was victorious in the 12-second class.

Andrew Palmer, driving a Honda Integra Type R, defeated Bryan Chambers in his Subaru Impreza WRX in the 13-second class while Damion Scott in a Fiat Uno dominated the 14-second group.

Joel Patman around the steering wheel of his Nissan Sunny took the top spot in the 15-second group, while Andre Parkin in his Toyota Starlet defeated his opposition to claim the 16-second title.

In between races, spectators were treated to gravity-defying displays from daredevil stunt bikers as well as high-flying antics from remote-controlled helicopters.

The next meet for the Jamwest calendar is set for April 29.