"VAN" (Sports Desk - 05.06.2025) :: In recognition of Dennis Syrmis’s enormous contribution to the sport of drag racing in Australia, the National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) is pleased to announce that the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship top national point scorer will be recognised with the Dennis Syrmis Award.
Few individuals have contributed as much to the advancement of Australian drag racing as Dennis and his endeavours stretched across the three main areas of the sport – racing, national governing organisation, and track manager/promoter – prior to his passing in 2013.
Swayn summarises the role Syrmis has played in the Australian drag racing landscape with the following, “Dennis lived and breathed drag racing, and his great passion was to see the sport provide a variety of racing formats to attract competitors and provide entertainment for the public. He was a fierce and respected racer, but then modernised and Australian-ised drag racing through his roles as both national director of ANDRA and Willowbank Raceway manager.
“Dennis never hesitated to initiate change when change was due and often did so in the face of intimidating opposition. In almost every instance, Dennis was proved to be correct.”
Dennis came up with the concept for one of the drag racing world’s most enduring and recognised awards, the Christmas tree trophy. He also championed dial-your-own racing, and was an early adopter of any technology that improved the experience for both the racer and the fan.
In 2010 the Willowbank Raceway quarter mile was named Dennis Syrmis Way in recognition of his achievements.
Andy Lopez from NDRC said “The NDRC is proud to launch the Dennis Syrmis Award for the National Top Point Scorer in national sportsman racing. I want to thank Dennis’s long-term partner Sue for allowing us to honour Dennis in this way, and Grant Stephens for being the proponent of creating this award. Lex Swayn’s story reminds us that any success Australian drag racing has today only exists thanks to the efforts of people like Dennis who unselfishly blazed the trail before.”
As the season finale of the 2024/2025 Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship aproaches, two racers are in the running for this prestigious award: Junior Dragster racer Zayne Condello and Performance Bike racer Edge Mallis.
The inaugural Dennis Syrmis Award will be won at the conclusion of this weekend’s Gulf Western Oil Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway. The Dennis Syrmis Perpetual Trophy is in the design stage and will be presented to the recipient at the beginning of next season.
The Gulf Western Oil Winternationals will be held at Willowbank Raceway across June 5-8.
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