Profile: Janelle Mannix

Janelle in the Tower at AIR

Name:         Janelle Mannix
Sport:          Drag Racing
Activity:      Timing System Operator - Adelaide International Raceway



Janelle Mannix is a self-confessed drag racing addict. If you ask her friends they'd say she has an insane level of excitement for the sport, but ask her son or granddaughter and they just reckon she's the coolest.

View from the Tower

Initially just heading to the track (AIR) as a spectator, and moral support for her partner Craig (the starter), she soon found her own volunteer position on race day from up in the tower. in 1992, Janelle found almost the best seat in the house as the Timing System Operator. She's very casual about the position and what it entails, "it's keying in numbers and printing out qualifying reports and seeding sheets", she says, but all drag racers know that if she couldn't hold her bladder - which apparently is a very important part of the job - or the computer decides to play up, it would be kaos down in the pits.

But since this is mostly just an "on race day" role, and also because she lives fairly central to the other states, Janelle jumps at every opportunity to visit the other tracks to see how they run their meetings, and to catch up in person with her extensive list of drag racing contacts. Her aim is to visit every drag strip in Australia, not just as a spectator, but as a guest of the tower too. In fact at the time of putting this profile together, Janelle said she's off to Darwin and Alice Springs.

Grand Finals

So what makes Janelle love what she does so much. What drives that enthusiasm and keeps her going even on bad days when she sees a member of her extended racing family crash?

"It's the people," she tells us quite simply.
"It's an awesome sport with awesome like-minded people."

So we had to ask Janelle, what is her best memory about Drag Racing so far?

"Standing on the start line at AIR (Adelaide International Raceway) in between two top fuel cars. Was an awesome experience. Even though my partner Craig gets to do it all the time being starter."

I think I'd have to agree with Janelle, that would be a pretty hard experience to top.

So if you happen to be at Adelaide International Raceway (AIR) for a drag racing meet, make sure you wave to Janelle up in the tower, but don't distract her or you'll be answering to a lot of angry racers.