Fastest billy cart down the hill

On Saturday, the former sports sedan racer, who won last year’s senior’s division at 45km/h, clocked a top speed of 46km/h which was the fastest across all divisions.

He used the same three-wheel cart as last year, but modified the steering mechanisms and the adaptation paid off with a quicker speed.

“I spent quite a few hours moving my front-end steering inboard,” he said.

“I moved it inside the front nose cone to clean up the air flow, going over the frame, so there was less disturbance.

“I knew it would make a difference and was happy with the one kilometre improvement.”

For Abela, winning is the cherry on top in that “you feel you have achieved your goal” of building and designing a cart faster than any other competitor.

“I like the fabrication work and all that comes into it. Everything has to be streamlined,” he said.

His next event will be the Port Kembla Billy Cart Derby on November 28 and he will test out his four-wheel cart on his first attempt at the event.

“I did not feel I was competitive enough to race there (in the past),” he said. 

“I don’t think I’ll win there, but I’ll be competitive.”