The NDRC Aeroflow Sportsman Series has entered its home stretch of events as the championship powers towards the Spring Nats Grandfinal in October and firmly in contention once again will be Bailey Hawke. The 14-year-old South Australian has already built a drag racing résumé that many competitors would be proud of, and as she prepares for the Pro Stock Nationals, the young gun has her sights firmly set on an NDRC championship.
Hawke’s introduction to drag racing came through her family, with her father Adam having raced Competition Eliminator in the early 2000s. Like many South Australian racers, the return of championship drag racing to the state sparked renewed interest, and after the family attended the grand opening of Dragway At The Bend in 2023, Bailey’s own passion for the sport was ignited.
Just a few months later, in March 2024, she began her own drag racing career.
“I just fell in love with drag racing from there,” Hawke explained.
Now a Year 9 student at Kadina Memorial School, Hawke has quickly established herself as one of the rising talents of the NDRC Aeroflow Sportsman Series Junior Dragster ranks.
Her weapon of choice is a 2025 Mike Bos Junior Dragster, equipped with FuelTech electronics, and she has already recorded a personal best of 7.921 seconds at 81 mph, with a best speed of 83 mph. But in just her second season, it is Hawke’s results in the championship arena that have really put her name on the radar.
Her 2025 season delivered an NDRC Aeroflow Sportsman Championship runner-up result, and an ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series championship win.
Now, she is chasing the one result that remains at the top of her wish list.
“Before I finish my Junior career I would like to win the NDRC championship,” Hawke said. “That keeps me going because it is something I would really like to accomplish.”
After finishing runner-up in last year’s NDRC championship, Hawke currently sits fifth in the 2026 standings, but her determination to chase the title has driven a committed travel schedule that has seen the team contest every Aeroflow Sportsman Series event this season in the pursuit of every valuable championship point.
That makes the upcoming Pro Stock Nationals an important opportunity.
“Yes, because it can put me more into contention for the championship,” she said.
The 2026 campaign has already seen Hawke and her family put plenty of kilometres behind them, including a recent trip to Alice Springs and now the journey back to Queensland.
While the travelling can become challenging when events are scheduled close together, Hawke says the family embraces the opportunity to travel and race together.
“For our family, we really enjoy travelling so it is not so bad, but with many far-distance tracks the travelling gets a lot when races are close together,” she said.
That family element is a major part of what makes drag racing special for Hawke.
“I love being with my family and friends and working with my family as a team,” she said. “I love making memories with my friends.”
And while there is undoubtedly a competitive side to her racing, Hawke has also learned an important lesson about handling the pressure of competition.
One of the best pieces of advice she has received has come from fellow racer Anthony Raschella.
“He tells me that I am just racing myself,” Hawke explained.
It is advice that helps keep the focus where it belongs — on her own performance, rather than worrying about what the competition is doing.
There is also a very personal motivation behind Hawke’s racing.
Her biggest inspiration is her father, Adam, who introduced her family to drag racing through his own racing career.
“My dad, because he used to race, and my main goal is to make him proud,” she said.
With the Pro Stock Nationals approaching, Hawke’s immediate objective is clear: keep building her championship position and chase more NDRC event victories.
Longer term, the ambitions are even bigger.
Hawke has a Modified Dragster that she hopes to move into around the middle of next year, but her ultimate goal is to progress into Pro Alcohol.
Behind every young racer is a team, and Bailey is quick to recognise the people who have helped her reach this point.
“I would like to thank my mum and my dad for all that they do for me, Lachlan Walker for his incredible support over the past three years, the McDougall family, Schultz family, Cannuli family, Brodie Zappia and family and the Raschella family who have given me so much love and support throughout my racing career so far.”
For Bailey Hawke, the journey from a family trip to The Bend in 2023 to becoming an NDRC championship contender has happened remarkably quickly. With the Pro Stock Nationals next on the agenda, Hawke has another opportunity to add an NDRC Christmas Tree trophy to the cabinet and, more importantly, strengthen her championship position as an end-of-season title charge beckons.
The Pro Stock Nationals – 11-12 September at Willowbank Raceway. Tickets on sale now from: https://www.willowbankraceway.com.au/
