They’re at it again. Months of peace… but now they’re at it again. The crowds. The tire smell. The noise… oh the noise. They’re back… the Outlaws.
After months of inactivity the car community closed off the year of 2022 right by having not one, but two events back to back. Fresh off the heels of Revive we stop talking the talk of show cars and go right to walking the walk of the 1320 as drivers face the clock once more at Drag Outlaws: No Prep Edition.
After such a long hiatus no one could blame you if you’d imagine just a few racers throwing down with the seemingly unbeatable entity that is time, but also you’d be dead wrong. Evidently the racers of Saint Lucia were ready and waiting to kick things back off with everything from bone stock luxury barges to dedicated drag cars screaming off the line in the age old test of acceleration down the quarter mile.
Even with a chunk of our beloved airstrip cordoned off we still have more than enough room to scratch the itch that only speed and competition can scratch. An itch that is evident from the number of racers and the mass of onlookers and has been plaguing the motorsports community for far too long. Not even mother nature could dampen this long awaited day despite her best efforts by, well, dampening the day with man and machine flooding back onto the track the second the track has dried to a safe degree.
Where are the lights? You may be asking as you skim through the event’s crisp photos. Well plain and simple, there were none. For reasons that shall be spoken of even less than the name of Lord Voldermort, timing equipment was unable to join us in this long needed reunion of base and racers. Instead, we take a step to the age of “digital racers” and utilise Dragy technology to keep tabs on numbers this time round. If you’re waiting to hear from Lucian Streets about what a Dragy is, that is a review article for another time.
While crowd immersion may have been hampered by the lack of traditional lights, and the racing not quite what we’re used to with the inability to detect a false start or feel the tension rise as electricity hits the Tree’s bulbs from top to bottom the event was still a breath of fresh air and a signal to the world that we are back and we’re here to stay.
