Crail Raceway remembers Willie Robertson with The Big One, a day of hard action and tyre smoke…

Since the Crail daddy Willie Robertson sadly passed away in 2013, this annual show The Big One has been dedicated to the big man. It was Willie who gave us Crail Raceway and over the past couple of decades, its helped fill many of our pages with some awesome action.Thankfully, it continues to do so as this visit proved with a full-on event from start to finish.

To kick it all off we had father and son drifters Alan and Ben Dryburgh who lit up the start line with some smoky burnouts in a big power Supra and a cool mx5. This is the kind of tribute Willie would have loved! Following this was Grant Butlers crazy 834bhp Focus going for its first ever drag strip launch. The purple monster had teething troubles but still lookedstunning in motion. From here on, the 1/4mile and drift oval was rammed constantly so plenty for people to see on track.

In the Show n Shine area, club stands lined the way looking impressive in the sun! Yes, a nice dry sunny start to the season was enjoyed by all. It surely helped encourage many to come out and play as this was one of the busiest events here for years. Six trophies were up for grabs for the static stuff, which included a Top 5 and Best Club Display. There are no strict rules for Top 5, its just five cars that impress most in the eyes of the independent judges. That means cars can win by being standard and spotless, a bit rough with tasty mods. Its a good way of doing things as it opens the competition up and encourages a fair variety.

With so much going on between the drift oval, drag strip and show area, the day flew by quickly. But, as always up here, it was a cracking day full of good atmosphere, banter and enthusiasm. Here, are some of the highlights.

Words and photos Steve McCann