KELLY BETTES FIRST WOMAN TO CRACK 500KM/H IN AUSTRALIA

Kelly Bettes cracked the 500km/h mark at Willowbank over the weekend – Photo: Supplied

Kelly Bettes became the first Australian woman to crack the 500km/h mark in Australia over the weekend.

Running at a test and tune day Willowbank Raceway in Queensland over the weekend, Bettes was completing runs to earn her license to compete in Top Fuel dragsters when she stopped the clocks 4.66 seconds.

During the run she reached a whopping 526 kilometres per hour (326 miles per hour) at the finish line.

Bettes accomplishment comes just weeks after her idol Rachelle Splatt also attempted to achieved the same feat at the Winternationals, however was hampered with car issues.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think my name would go into the history books as Australia’s fastest woman driver,” Bettes said.

“It’s all a little surreal and I need time to sit down and digest it all.”

The record breaking run comes as Bettes gets ready to make her Top Fuel competition debut at Hidden Valley’s 400 Thunder Nitro Up North in Darwin in a months time.

“I’ve been thinking about Hidden Valley throughout the whole licensing process and I am really excited about racing in Darwin,” Bettes said.

“I’ve heard the people are great, the track is one of the smoothest in the country, and I’m told the whole event is just awesome, so I am really looking forward to it.”

Prior to stepping up to Top Fuel Dragsters with Phil Lamattina, Bettes had raced for 22 years, starting in the Junior Dragster category where she won a national championship as a 13-year-old in 1998.

Auto Action will have more details in the next issue of the magazine. In the meantime, make sure you follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the latest updates between issues.