Speed overload for v8 v jet showdown

A MAXIMUM combined speed of more than 1000kmh gives you some idea of what these two machines are capable of, but to really appreciate the raw power on display in Saturday's V8 v L39 jet showdown, you have got to be there.

In what will be the first ever occurrence of the feat on Australian soil, the Bundaberg Red Holden V8 Commodore supercar will go head-to-head with an L39 high performance jet trainer in a full-throttle 3km sprint.

Finished in a blink of an eye, the jet will take off alongside the supercar and each will do three laps of the runway, with both pilot and driver executing slick turning moves to minimise their times.

“I'll be doing a wing over at either end of the runway, and probably taking off at around 200kmh,” pilot Phil Frawley said.

The jet can reach speeds of 750kmh and revs at 17,600rpm, while the supercar will cruise along the Bundaberg Airport runway at 300kmh before driver David Reynolds executes a tight handbreak turn and puts the foot down once more.

Wide Bay Australia International Airshow flight operations manager Ray Vuillermin acknowledged there was a lot of paperwork to go through to enable the amazing spectacle to go ahead, but assured everything was set to go.

“CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) has been questioning everything in regards to safety, but we have supplied all the answers,” he said.

Forty years of flying experience stands Frawley in good stead, but neither operator is confident of taking out the sprint.

“It'll be tight, I honestly don't know who will get up though,” supercar driver Mr Reynolds said.

“I've won a lot of races and achieved a lot, but this will definitely be a novelty.”

Reynolds has earned his stripes through excelling in go-karts, Formula Ford and Porsche Carrera Cup - and after limited opportunities in the big time he will get his moment to shine in 2009 on the supercar grid.

Reynolds will appear at the Bondstore on Whittred Street at 8.30am Saturday morning, where a limited collector's edition Bundaberg Red Racing bottle is on sale, before the race takes place at 11.30am on Saturday at the airshow.