THERE aren’t many grandmothers who list drag racing as their top hobby, but Tamworth’s Debbie Robb is a notable exception.
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Mrs Robb, 57, who only started her love of the high-adrenalin motor sport 12 years ago during a trip to Queensland to see a race when she and her husband, Mark, started dating, now regularly takes to the tracks at Sydney and Gunnedah to put the pedal to the metal.
Unsure about whether she would enjoy the experience at that first Queensland race, she nevertheless soon fell in love with the sport. Not long after, Mr Robb bought a 1974 Ford XB Coupe for his own drag-
racing activities, but his wife soon took over the wheel for good – she was well and truly hooked.
The car is jokingly nicknamed “The Verandah”, as Mr Robb gave his wife a choice between getting a new verandah for their house or buying a car. The XB Coupe, naturally, was the end result.
“We actually bought it for Mark, and he started campaigning it. And then he gave me a go at Gunnedah, and then said ‘Get your (drag racing) licence in Sydney’, and he’s never been allowed back in it,” Mrs Robb said.
“It’s a full drag car. A lot of it’s fibreglass now, instead of solid steel. It’s got a big block 460 engine in it that’s been brought out to a 500, so it’s about 900 horsepower.
“I learnt how to drive it in Gunnedah, at the drag-racing track near the airport there.”
These days she also races at Willowbank in Queensland, and last year was part of a group that drove for 10 days to Perth from Tamworth to race in the Western Australian capital, stopping over in towns such as Whyalla in South Australia on the way to show off their vehicles.
She said apart from the high-octane adrenalin rush that came with drag racing, she loved the camaraderie of the people in the motor sport’s community and the local drag racing club.
“The people are really, really nice. I’ve met so many nice people,” Mrs Robb said. On Sunday she helped out the Tamworth Drag Racing Association at its Performance Motor Show at the Tamworth City Prestige showroom. The Verandah won’t be there, unfortunately, as it’s being worked on at the moment and is lacking an engine.
“The association’s really good – they’re helping a lot of kids get off the roads. And the Gunnedah meets are excellent. If anyone wants to have a go out there, they’ll have a really good day,” she said.
