BUSHLAND BRAWLERS

WILBY PARK RACEWAY IN RURAL VICTORIA PLAYED HOST TO THE INAUGURAL WAR IN THE STICKS, ONE OF THE WILDEST NO-PREP DRAG EVENTS WE'VE EVER SEEN

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W’E'LL admit it; we raised an eyebrow when Johnny Habib and his No-Prep Racers Australia (NPRA) crew announced their War in the Sticks event at Wilby Motorsport Park's quiet, grassroots eighth-mile track in northern Victoria.

Don't get us wrong - Wilby is an awesome track and the staff there are one of the best-drilled crews in the country, but the thought of big-tyre, sub-five-second cars hurtling down Wilby's narrow, grass-lined track had us all a bit nervous. But for the racers themselves, that was half the thrill.

"I loved seeing the videos from War in the Woods that they do in the States, so I wanted to bring some of that here," Johnny explains. "I stopped in at Wilby and was blown away with how they go about it; their professionalism is a cut above."

Those of you who've been big into the Sydney drag racing scene will know Johnny from his Australian Pro Street Association (APSA) days.

"I ran those events around 10 years ago, and people in the scene were pressuring me to start something else, so that's where NPRA came from," he says. "Unlike APSA, it's low stress - you just show up and run with what you have on the street-like surface! It keeps it fun, simple, and nimble for me to take anywhere."

War in the Sticks was NPRA's second event and the first at Wilby. Johnny used his pull in the Sydney scene to entice a bunch of NSW heavy-hitters to make the trip down the Hume to Wilby, challenging the Victorians to bring their best in a State of Origin-style showdown.