DATE: 05/21/2008 00:11:54 / MOOD: other

As i wander up through the staging lanes passing pair after pair of Junior Dragsters i spot a young man of 17 casually leaning up against a 4.6m long dragster. He's wearing a clean blue drivers suit, race boots and resting his arm over the helmet on top of the cockpit. He spots and greets me with a "Hey Stace". He then hugs me, muttering something about 'sister love', a private joke.
This young man happens to be Aaron Phillips, New Zealand Junior Dragster Championship winner for the '07/'08 season and it's no wonder why. Aaron was born into Drag Racing, his mum a racer, his dad a former area steward, he has practically breathed, lived and worn the sport. Six weeks after being conceived he was taking his first ride down a drag strip in his mothers Altered, by age 10 he was driving his own Junior Dragsters. After outgrowing his second car Aaron was forced to sit out for about three quarters of the season until "Greg rang and offered me a one off drive in February 2006 when his other driver was unavailable". Aaron smiles, "Shortly later i was given a shared drive at the Outlaws in Easter that year".
These drives resulted in a conversation with Greg on how Aaron would go about competing in the National Drag Racing series. Greg was obviously impressed and knew that he had a talented and keen driver that would be worth the effort assisting his Drag Racing career.
from here greg purchased another engine and Aaron made the trip to Cambridge at every opportunity possible to assist and help with the build of a third Price Motorsport Junior Dragster. This car became the compilation of knowledge to create the fastest New Zealand made competition vehicle of this nature.
This they achieved however, the display of this is somewhat limited now as the new 8.5 second rule was brought in last year. this meant that any cars running faster than this, Aaron included, were now banned from doing so in competition. Speaking on the topic, Aaron comments, "It's f***ing stupid, we have all the safety requirements met and still, we get punished for it!".
Aaron a born and bred Aucklander, left school last year and has just started a course building race cars at the Manukau Institute of Technology. he is all too aware that this is his last year in Junior Dragsters but happily says "I've won the Championship now, that was mt aim this season".
When asked about his future in Drag Racing, the natural next step would be to progress to an Altered which has the same chassis as a Funnycar, but a smaller engine, then to go onto race Funnycars like his idol John Force. So will we see this talent put to further use?..only time will tell.
After watching him race at Drag strips across New Zealand, it is fair to say that on track you will only see the most determined look of seriousness on his face but if you are one of the few who get to know him off track, you'll find you're friends with the socialite of teen racing. He's ever so slightly arrogant, always cheeky and suggestive, just your typical 17yr old guy with a three track mind-girls, cars and having fun!

By Stacey Price
March 2008

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