fastlane
26
engin
best
At the MacTrack Westernationals and the
racers were recognised with prestigiou
DEAN DAWES
13B-powered Mazda RX3 – CROW CAMS BEST
ENGINEERED, MACTRACK WESTERNATIONALS
Dean Dawes was blown away when he was
announced as the Crow Cams Best Engineered
Award winner for this popular 13B-powered
Mazda RX3.
“To receive the Crow Cams Best Engineered
award was just massive for me,” said Dawes,
who hopes to see his impressive machine
become one of the top 13B drag cars in
Australia.
“I was taken by surprise that the car actually
got it, the rotaries are sometimes frowned
upon in what can be a very V8-centric world, so
it was really quite humbling to be picked out of
the pack and awarded in that way.
“I always knew the car was well built and
was capable of getting awards, but we never
thought it would actually happen and we feel
really honoured – honestly it will stay with me
for the rest of my life, it really rewarded me for
taking the time and effort and money to put
the car together.
“It started out as what I like to call an ‘Ikea’ car
– it was a chassis with a body draped over it and
nothing more. I was in the process of having a
chassis built by someone else and when that
was delayed, I bought this one to speed up the
process and get us on track a bit quicker.
“I gave it to Clint Digiovanni at SRM in Wangara
and he let me work in his workshop just piecing
the car together. He was a real driving force in
getting that car started and finished. It took us
six months to get the car ready for its motor,
and then probably the better part of the year
getting the motor, box, diff and everything
fabricated in there and running.
“Michael Buckley And John Clements from
Rotomotion also let me live in their workshop
to get the car finished and are very much
considered part of my family. Michael is one of
Australia’s Top EFI Tuners and spent countless
hours wiring our untried Motec Package
together – it has come out and been reliable
straight away.
“Todd Stacy at Rotomotion did all of the
driveline fabrication in the car and while it
is a pretty car and it is well put together, the
engineering side of what went into the motor
and getting everything to fit in there is part
of the reason we got this award I believe and
that is a credit to them all. Having Terry and
Todd Stacy’s guidance on setting up the chassis
through the season was also critical to its
progress and is much appreciated.
“I also must thank my wife Janine – she has
allowed me to spend a heck of a lot of our
retirement money to go and do this and has
thrown her support behind me chasing this
dream. Thanks also must go to Glenn Baker for
helping me set up the Motec and of course my
entire crew, Shane Brown who was there all
year helping us get it sorted, and everyone else
who supplied quality parts along the way.”