Athol is a well respected Director and owner of Stud Welding New Zealand Ltd. Athol entered the Navy in 1972 as an Artificer and left the Navy in 1980 as an Engineering Chief Petty Officer. At the time he was the youngest CPO. In Feb 1977 he married Sharon and has two children Byron born 1985 and Rachael born 1986.

This is Athol's second drag bike, he once owned New Zealand's fastest road bike, a modified 1975 Kawasaki 900, run as a AA/PRO stock drag bike. The bike held the New Zealand class record of 10.74 sec.  (see Hot Rod Magazine photo below taken in 1978 - the 1st dragbike Athol owned)

He hadn't been back in the racing seat until the purchase of the Stud Racing machine. Has speed totally in his blood, and nitro fumes are an addiction.

Crewed on Mike Gearings dragster during the 1980's until Mike stopped racing.

Navy Engineer by trade, now owns and operates Stud Welding NZ Ltd.  See the crew articles in our photo gallery

Team Mother - keeps the team fuelled up and tries to keep the family unity.  Has even been given a "Can of  MOTHER" by Trevor, Bruce and Roger - an energy drink that you can buy in OZ - "THE NEW AND ULTIMATE MOTHER" - "TASTES BETTER THAN THE OLD ONE!" or so it says - so that says a lot.  Thanks guys - you're all treasures.

My job involves any basics that doesn't involve getting my hands on a motor - still gets greasy but only from the barbecue and man that gets a lot of use!  I don't  like to not be there when Athol is racing, but stopped holding my breath when he goes down the track some time ago.  I organise any admininstration bits and pieces, travel, accommodation, uniforms, teeshirts and the general essentials - what some men would term as "female stuff" - not sounding sexist!

That's little old me!

Fitter Welder by trade.  Previously a speedway sidecar racer and champion, has always been passionate about motorsport.  As crew chief on the Stud Racing team he has excelled, his personal management skills in keeping the team buoyed and positive cannot be left unspoken, let alone his supreme engineering skills and standards.  He has personally created a motor that the rest of the team consider so easy to work with and so user friendly, that they are stunned by Roger's workmanship and expertise.  Rogers business is precisely that - building customised bike motors and components - R B Performance Ltd - email Roger at RBP@vodafone.net.nz

Won NZDRA Crew Chief of the Year Award 2007/08

Got to know Bruce through a motorbike club and then he maintained our trucks, through Trucks & Trailers.  He is always a fastidious and patient person, and never seems to get flustered.  Between he and Roger, they assembled the bike and then trained the other team members on the new configeration.  Bruce had the huge task of configering and installing all the metres of wiring required for the electronics on the bike.  He especially takes charge of the on board data logger and any bike computer/electronics stuff. Our electrics and pneumatics specialist.

Couldn't resist putting this photo of Mike on this page.  Lovely ginger wig and scottie hat - that's his humour.  Always a gentleman, with a polite humorous aplomb, absolutely adores a good stew....pun, pun.  A lot of people will know Mike from the 80's when he used to race a Top Fuel Dragster and Athol crewed for him, now the roles have been reversed.  A well known man in the drag racing fraternity for his meticulous motor workmanship (Gearing Engines).  Loves the nitro buzz - top fuel is the be and end all of drag racing according to Mike, no other fuel is worth sniffing.  A man who will never put down his tools.

See our crew articles in our photo gallery

Fitter and Turner by trade, Revhead by nature and has a few streetmachines on the go. Owns and runs Spinefex Pty Ltd. Team spanner man, Loves that Nitro.

A great big 6ft 4" character with broad shoulders in more ways than one.  Pushes the bike back after burnout and pushes the rest of the team around with funny antics and orations at all the other times. Our only Aussie - (one is enough) - on the team and handy with electrical stuff in the container as well as being a total racenut.  Spinefex Pty Ltd is the Australian distributor for Jackson Electrical Ltd.

An avid bike drag race competitor himself, we became acquainted when he competed in the 2006 Transtasman Dragbike Challenge in Australia, that we were organising. His bike was one of six, in our container. Prior to that he had never been out of NZ, let alone on an aeroplane.  He became hooked with the Aussie racing grandeur and fun and every time we were over there to race, he wanted to go and watch.  He took up residence in our pit, displayed a lot of initiative with the bike, created a lot of pit humour and eventually became one of the team.  He is never without a grin and a quip.  Owner of Used Quad Bikes Ltd.  If you want to buy a quad bike, Trevor is your man to contact.

See also the crew articles in our photo gallery

Athol and Sharon's daughter, born Dec 1986.  Has her fathers engineering type of mind, quick on giving jip back and goes racing once a year with the team.  Left school and started Engineering, but is now a succesful duty free sales supervisor.  Would be at the track all the time if she could.