The Victorian Drag Boat Club has been drag boat racing since 1986 and caters for ALL types of boats from the family ski boat
to the purpose built capsule hydro's capable of over 200mph!
Based at the National water sports centre in carrum the club has invested in a new state of the art dual lane timing
system, much like our asphalt cousins that allows for genuine E.T racing in all classes and also gives the racer the
much needed information on each run to allow each boat to be tuned to the conditions on the day.
With E.T racing you are able to use any type of hull and engine combination to compete in your chosen bracket.
Racing generally starts at 10:30am and continues until 5:00pm.
We encourage a family environment with free entry for the kids with catering on site at very reasonable prices.
Please feel free to check this website regularly for race dates and other events as they develop.
We look forward to your company soon on the "Liquid Quarter Mile".
Note: The VDBC website has been renewed, please refresh the webpage with the f5 key on the keyboard or the circle arrow
next to the House Icon in the top menu of the address bar on the browser, this is to refresh the cache on your computer to the
latest updates, thank you.
Parks Victoria as the declared waterway manager for the Patterson River, upstream of the Nepean Highway Bridge to Eumemmering Creek (including the National Water Sports Centre), makes the following declaration under section 203(3) of the Marine Safety Act 2010 (Vic).
For the purposes of boating activity conducted by the Victorian Drag Boat Club Inc (VDBC), persons and vessels involved in the Victorian Drag Boat Series 2024-25 are exempt from the following requirements:
State Rules made under the Marine Act 1988
Clause 2(a) – must not exceed 5 knots within 50 metres of a person in the water
Clause 2(c) – must not exceed 5 knots within 50 meters of another vessel
Clause 3(a) – must not exceed 5 knots within 50 metres of the water's edge
Clause 3(b) – must not exceed 5 knots within 50 metres of a fixed or floating structure
Marine Safety Regulations 2023
5. Regulations 61(5) & 62(1) – Master requirement to carry listed safety equipment on vessel on inland waters (bucket with lanyard, waterproof buoyant torch and paddle) and carry suitable portable fire extinguisher(s) on board.
Modification
For the purpose of boating activities conducted by Victorian Drag Boat Club (VDBC) involving enclosed cockpit and capsule vessel drivers, a lifejacket of a type described in Parts 2 to 5 of "Schedule 1 - Types of Lifejackets", of the Marine Safety Regulations 2023 (MSRs) is modified to include a lifejacket is deemed a Level 100 plus, Level 50 or Level 50S lifejacket if competitor complies with rule 9.8 of the current VDBC Official Racing Rule Book.
Subject to the conditions detailed below:
Masters of rescue vessels are only exempt from items 1 to 4 when undertaking a rescue operation to retrieve persons in distress, provide for their initial medical or other needs and deliver them to a place of safety.
Masters of competing vessels are only exempt from items 2 to 5 for the duration of the events.
Masters of course vessels must adhere to speed and distance rules at all times, including during course sweeps.
Masters of competing enclosed cockpit and capsule vessels must wear suitable buoyancy and personal safety equipment that complies with item 6 Modification and rule 9.8 of the current VDBC Official Racing Rule Book.
Persons on all other vessels, including course and rescue vessels involved with the event must always wear a Lifejacket during the event, excluding rescue divers.
Course and rescue vessels must carry all prescribed safety equipment.
In the event of any incident that results in hospitalisation or fatality involving a person or vessel directly or indirectly involved in the event, these must be immediately reported to Victoria Police and Safe Transport Victoria.
In the case of all other incidents, Safe Transport Victoria requires notification within seven days and a finalised incident report within 30 days.
The exemptions are active for the times stated below apply to persons and vessels registered to participate in the Victorian Drag Boat Racing Series 2024-2025 within the waters of the National Water Sport Centre.
16th February 2025, 16th March 2025, 13th April 2025 and 18th May 2025
The exemptions apply provided the stated safety controls and undertakings detailed in the application form and associated documentation are adhered to.
It's unfortunate for us to announce our December 8th race meeting is not going ahead, however we are all set to go for February 16th!.
To put on a race meeting is not an easy task.
It requires organisation of divers, paramedics rescue boat and operators, bar⁄barbecue staff, tower and race control operators.
This all takes time.
We put our event application in December last year.
Unfortunately we only received our permits a few days ago, which was not enough time for us to meet our legal requirements to race, leaving us with no choice but to cancel this meeting.
My apologies go out to all VDBC members, race teams, committee members and spectators.
As you could imagine this decision has not been made lightly as it was out of our hands.
The great news is we have our permits for the remainder of the season.
We look forward to seeing you all in February!
VDBC President: Rowie Crundwell
Note: The National Titles are on Sunday March 16th 2025
