STEVENS WINS NITRO CHAMPS AND McLEAN TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP FOR JACK DANIEL’S RACING

Jack Daniel’s Racing Top Bike pilot Brett ‘The Boss’ Stevens took home the winner trophy at the Nitro Champs contested over the weekend (2nd-3rd May), but it was team mate Troy McLean who stole the show as he wrapped up the Australian Top Bike Championship with one round to spare.

The penultimate round of the series was held in front of a huge crowd at the Western Sydney International Dragway, and despite being eliminated by ‘The Boss’ in an all JD Racing semi-final, McLean’s superior form throughout the year handed him his first title after four years of top 3 finishes.

“It has been great to be able to reward Brett (Stevens), my crew and my sponsors with the Championship after they have all worked so hard to keep me on track and I would like to thank them all for their support,” McLean said.

“After being in the top group of racers for a number of years against the quickest bikes to ever compete in the bracket, the feeling of winning is indescribable.”

“Despite me not being able to challenge for the event win at the Nitro’s, Brett getting one of the Jack Daniel’s Racing bikes into the winners' circle this weekend has capped off a great night for the team.”

Stevens was also competing in the Top Alcohol bracket at the Nitro Champs and was on the verge of making his own history by becoming the first person in the world to win three different professional Drag Racing brackets but was a shock quarter-final exit.

After setting the pace all weekend and Top Qualifying in his Kitten Car Care Products Funny Car with a 5.6 second quarter mile pass at well over 400 kph, Stevens entered the elimination rounds as favourite to win the event and, like McLean in Top Bike, take home the Championship trophy with a round of the series spare.

However this came undone after an uncharacteristic slow reaction time in his quarter-final that allowed fellow Queenslander Aaron Lynch in his Brett Stevens Racing constructed Funny Car to sneak past for the win.

“Despite not winning the Top Alcohol Championship here in Sydney I still have a handy 90 point lead with just Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway left to run in the 2007/2008 season,” Stevens said.

“It would have been good to go home to Brisbane with the pressure off, but we were still able to prove why we are on top the table with some great runs over the weekend.”

“I won’t be leaving anything to chance come the Winters though, my team (Brett Stevens Racing) competes in four different Group 1 Drag Racing categories and Top Alcohol is the only one that we haven’t won yet.”

“I would also like to give a huge congratulations to Troy McLean who rides my second Jack Daniel’s Racing Nitro Harley for his 2008 Top Bike Championship victory, it has been a thoroughly deserved win, well done mate!”