Wanneroo stonemason, Allen Puglia etched his name even deeper into Australian Motorsport history last weekend by claiming his third Perth Motorplex Track Championship, and his third “Driver of the Year” title in the process.
In a season that served the Puglia Family Racing team an unprecedented list of logistical challenges, the Nuford Ford Probe pilot set out at the start of the season with the aim of competing in both the hard fought domestic “Super Comp” category as well as stepping up to the nationally syndicated Pro Stock class as part of ANDRA Pro Series Drag Racing.
“We really had no idea what we were in for this year,” said a typically smiling Allen Puglia.
“We would never have dreamed that we could take a hat trick in both Super Comp and the Driver of the Year, but when you have the amazing level of support from racing partners like Nuford, Big Rock Toyota, AHG and Stone Civil and, you can’t help but have success, so I owe this season to their amazing belief in me and our team’s vision. Add to that my fantastic wife and boys and you can’t get better support than that!”
“The Puglia family name has had connections with AHG back many years in a very unique way, with father previously owning the land where Nuford now stands in Wangara, and my uncle the former owner of the block where Big Rock Toyota sits, so it’s a huge privilege to continue our partnership in the family racing,” he said, tapping into his nostalgic side.
But with the local season run and won, Puglia now turns his attention back eastside, where the team will pick up their Pro Stock ambitions again at Willowbanks’ Winternationals in June, to round out the national season.
“Our plans to run the ANDRA Pro Series were crushed with rainouts, so from a Pro Stock perspective, we’ll have to put this year down to a “dressed rehearsal” for next season, but these setbacks have just made us even hungrier” he said with a quiet confidence.
“I really think we have what it takes to give this series a shake, and despite the logistical nightmare of racing on the opposite side of the country to where we live, that just makes the challenge harder and the taste of success sweeter.”
