Alice Heats Up On Finals Day

Alice Heats Up On Finals Day

By Mark Humphrey

Alice Springs, NT/Aus. 18^th July 2016.  Round 2 of the 2016/17 ANDRA Championship Drag Racing series fired up at the Alice Springs Inland Dragway (ASID) over the weekend with the Summit Sportsman Series supporting the heavyweight group 1 bracket of Top Doorslammer.

Having just recently resurfaced the ¼ mile racing surface the Alice Springs Inland Dragway staff were faced with an unrealistic track preparation schedule to get the surface ready for Top Doorslammer. The fact that the club’s racing schedule had been thin prior to the Doorslammer round didn’t help the ASID track staff or Craig Plummer who had arrived at the track from Adelaide last Monday. Although the team worked diligently over the 5-day period the track was deemed unsafe for the ¼ mile distance by the Top Doorslammer representatives in conjunction with ANDRA officials. It was decided that Top Doorslammer would run over the 1/8 mile distance along with a number of high powered sportsman categories. Feeling around the venue was of disappointment that the racing surface wasn’t there which seemed to reflect the mood throughout most of Saturday.

The very first Doorslammer qualifying run had local Andrew Sutton up against Victorian Rob Taylor. Sutton got out of the groove mid track and put the Chevy Corvette into the wall before careering into Taylor’s lane. Taylor lost his car in fluid that had been dropped by the Sutton car and gently slid into the opposite lane’s wall and come to a stop just behind Sutton’s car which had bounced back into his original lane. The mood around the start line was very sombre with Top Doorslammer teams electing to cancel round 1 of qualifying. Rounds 2 & 3 would consist of single lane passes for the category with round 1 winner from Darwin Gary Phillips missing the cut along with Bill Goonan and Rob Taylor. Taylor did manage to get the Chevy Camaro repaired in time for round 2 but didn’t do enough to make the 8 car field. That was 2 weeks in a row that the Taylor s Motorsport entry had failed to make the cut. Considering the team had travelled up from Melbourne to compete in the first 2 rounds of the ANDRA Championship the outcome would have been tough to swallow. So at the end of day 1 you could be forgiven for thinking that the round would be a flop. It was bloody cold, the atmosphere in the pits was non-existent and teams were struggling with the racing surface.

Well what a difference a bit of sunshine makes. Fans rolling into the track on race day were greeted with bright sunshine, a hive of activity in the pits and race teams itching to get out amongst it. The Junior Dragsters were the first to go out and as per usual with the category had plenty of entries. Luke Veersma picked up the win over Alanah Cope in the final with an 8.14 pass @ 79.65mph to Cope’s 8.23 pass @ 78.53mph. Veersma got past Donnelly in the semi while Cope rounded up Spadaro in her semi. Kelly Donnelly had looked really strong throughout eliminations and a semi-final placing was the reward for her hard driving. A lot of West Aussies in the field which is very encouraging for the category. Current Australian Champion Mikey Naylor was a first round victim of Cope’s with another of last year’s stars Daniel Carranza going out in round 2 at the hands of Veersma.

Junior Dragster Time Sheet

The hard luck story of the event must go to Modified Bike runner Shane Walker who after travelling up from Melbourne made just 1 qualifying pass before packing up and heading home due to mechanical issues. The category was well catered for entries from across the nation. Current Australian Champion Bryan Finn managed to take out local Brian Moore in round 2 reversing the roles from last year’s final where Moore enjoyed the win. Finn would finish runner up for the 3^rd year in a row at Alice this time to Leith Darrach. Finn got away early at the line with a .084 reaction to Darrach’s .489 and looked to have the race in hand as Darrach tried to make up ground on the slow start. Unfortunately for Finn the focus was on the finish line as he comfortably beat home Darrach only to break out by .014. Darrach pulled a 10.095 on a 9.85 dial in to take the win after a similar situation in the semi-final. Up against Gordon Crawford, Darrach had some work to do leaving the line a fraction behind Crawford. Crawford looked to have a clear lead going over the line but also broke out handing the win to Darrach. Top qualifier Colin Sainsbury was a round 2 victim of Crawford.

Modified Bike Time Sheet

Modified Eliminator had the regulars lining up for a shot at the win with last season’s powerhouses Matt Forbes and Simon Barlow electing to sit out the round. Leanne Braggs was in great touch all weekend securing the #1 qualifying spot with the new Sunset Performance big block on board. Her qualy times were all consistent as were her early heat rounds. This was shaping up as the round for her until a water leak on the start line put paid to her day in the semi-final. Although there was disappointment around the Braggs camp the group of Victorians that had travelled up together were getting exciting about youngster Zac Shepherd out of the South Coast Raceway club who was competing in his very first Summit round. After taking care of Darwin’s #1 qualifier in Bradley Hicks, Shepherd picked up a win in round 2 against David Hutchen followed by a solo run in the semi to reach the final. Waiting for Shepherd in the final was Queenslander Gavin Chisnell who had picked up a win in round 1 against Chris Farrell followed by a solo pass and then Braggs in the semi. Unfortunately for Shepherd he pulled a cherry in the final to hand the win to Chisnell on the line. Shepherd had been fine on the start line throughout the day with a .016 in round 1 followed by .075 in round 2. Maybe nerves started to take over as he got to the pointy end as he cherried his solo semi-final run as well as the final. A .013 red in the semi followed by a .008 red in the final suggests the modified peddler has all the makings of being a tough competitor in the coming years. For Chisnell it was a good win posting a 5.395 on a 5.30 dial in @ 129.68mph. Great to see a Queenslander competing in a Summit round.

Modified Eliminator Time Sheet

Super Street had competitors from 4 states and the Territory duking it out for the silver xmas tree. Harry Harris who was one of last year’s powerhouse movers in the bracket and runner up to Australian Champion Kylie Tanner was a surprising first round loser and would sit out the round. West Aussie Matt Jarvis was another surprise first round loser and like Harris would sit out the remainder of the event. Another West Aussie in Jacob Mills driving an old school Mustang kept the flag flying taking out the win in the final over Queenslander Allan Hutchen driving an immaculate XY Falcon. Mills posted a 12.211pass @ 93.39mph on a 12.10 dial in to Hutchen’s 11.451 @ 110.62mph on a 11.30 dial in.

Super Street Time Sheet

Super Sedan was a battle of the South Aussies with Peter Tzokas getting the win over George Tipouikidis in the final. Tzokas posted a 9.859 @ 136.55mph on a 9.80 dial in to Tipouikidis’ 10.238 @ 129.40mph on a 10.25 dial in. Top qualifier Vlado Turic went out in round 2 as did Australian Champ John Kapiris. Kapiris was pushed away from the line with electrical issues which is very uncommon for the usually reliable HQ runner. Tipouikidis had a tough half of the draw having to get past Brett Mathew in round 1 followed by Ned Karanovic in round 2 and Steve Hunt in the semi.

Super Sedan Time Sheet

Top Sportsman can add another heavy hitter to the winner’s list with Matt Forbes driving the Nichele Racing Chevy taking out the win over Australian Champion Jason Stares in the Lucas Oils Corvette. Already solid with the likes of Paul Russo, Stu McBain, Jason Arbery and Darren Saliba, Forbes has just added as another potential championship winner to the bracket with the round 2 win over Stares. Co-owner of the Nichele Racing Chevy in Gil Nichele was chuffed about the win and full of praise for Forbes who didn’t put a foot wrong all weekend. Already looked upon as a professionally presented team, Forbes has added that extra touch to the team. Gilbert’s plan for drag racing and the team is to take the best presented show to the fans and to interact with the fans. The first thing Gil said to me on the start line after the win was “have a look at the crowd. This is what it’s all about”. Forbes posted a 5.001 @ 134.33mph on a 5.00 dial in to Stares 4.796 @ 146.10mph on a 4.78 dial in. Top qualifier Darren Saliba lost to Forbes in the semi while Stares got over Greg Daiani in his semi. Frank Oliveri driving a tough little LJ Torana went down to Forbes in round 1 with other 1^st round losers being Julian Carafa against Saliba, Graham Hargrave against Greg Damaini and Rick Smith against Stares. Rick Smith who hails from the South Coast Raceway club debuted his wild HQ Monaro for the 1^st time in Top Sportsman. Having recently purchased the car from Michael Braggs, the Monaro was a standout with the crowd and no doubt will roll out for more Summit rounds this series especially down south.

Top Sportsman Time Sheet

Mark Hunt from Huntsman Racing wrote the fairy-tale for the weekend in Supercharged Outlaws with an ending scripted by none. Having competed in Darwin after a several year break with limited success, the Customline runner was trekking down south to the Alice Springs Inland Dragway when he threw a rod out the side of the block of his mobile race transporter. Requiring a heavy haulage tow into the pits Hunt put the dramas behind him and got to work on the set-up with crew chief Dave Baines. Hunt has been a solid supporter of drag racing over the years and was responsible for funding the recent ANDRA Grand Finals at the Adelaide International Raceway. His generosity to the sport stretches far beyond the Grand Finals bale out and is well known for his patriotism towards ANDRA Championship Drag Racing. That aside, when it comes time to go racing all bets are off and 1^st up for Hunt was the clash with former Australian Champion Doina Day. Day has had the wood over Hunt taking the last dozen or so wins against Hunt so the ask was great for Hunt. Hunt picked up the win over Day which started a remarkable day for the Ford Customline runner. Top qualifier and current Australian Champion Adam Murrihy had a solo in round 1 after Matt Able wasn’t able to make the start line. Justin Russell in the ex-Belleri Camaro got the round 1 win over West Aussie Alan Mahnkoph driving one very tough EH Holden ute. Unfortunately for Mahnkoph the car was dripping fluid after the burnout and finished his Alice Springs campaign. Round 2 had Russell with the solo and Hunt up against the Aussie champ. A 5.001 on a 4.92 was enough to give Hunt the win over Murrihy who posted a 4.306 on a 4.28 dial in. Murrihy didn’t help his cause with a slower .124 get away to Hunt’s .019 start. So the final was set between to fresh cars to the category from last year. Russell had upgraded to the Belleri Camaro after tipping over his Camaro at the Rowe Memorial last year and Hunt had the Customline sidelined for the year. Once again Hunt got the start with a .101 take off to Russell’s .162 get away. Hunt managed to hold the advantage crossing the line with a 4.981 @ 142.41mph on a 4.95 dial in to Russell’s 4.439 @ 160.14 on a 4.40 dial in. Great effort by the bracket with Spud Russell signalling his return to the bracket in a big way. The Dandy Engines powered Camaro looks and sounds tough and is real fast. For Hunt it was a dream return to the bracket one which he has his heart and soul in. Hunt has recently become the promoter of the Wild Bunch bracket and has big plans for the category. Watch this space for some exciting news.

Supercharged Outlaws Time Sheet

The last of the sportsman brackets is the all-conquering group 2 Super Comp which was taken out by Graeme Simms over Louis Svingos. Simms posted a5.935 et @ 100.90mph on a 5.87 index to take the win over a cruising Svingos who stopped the beams at 7.993 on a 6.34 index. The final was a bit of a fizzer but certainly didn’t reflect the day’s competition. Two current Australian Champions in Craig Geddes and Kim Fardella were in Alice to contest round 2 of the series but found the going tough with both going out in round 1. Geddes went down to David Dequin by 2 thousands of a second while Fardella was bundled out by round winner Simms. Top qualifier Jamie Chaisty was also a 1^st round victim going down to Louis Svingos.

Super Comp Time Sheets

The headline act for the round was undoubtedly Top Doorslammer. It’s been a while since we have witnessed the likes of Ben and Victor Bray, Gary Phillips, Bill Goonan, Matt Able, Sam Fenech and Mark Chapman running under the ANDRA banner and what a treat it was. Unfortunately, Phillips, Taylor and Goonan failed to make the cut which put an end to their weekends. Goonan did appear twice throughout the day for exhibition runs which thrilled the good crowd that had assembled on the hill. Down to business and the man to beat was that man John Zappia. The 9-time Australian Champion had top qualified and was up against Matt Able in round 1. Zappia selected lane 2 which seemed to be the quicker lane all day. A 4.008 @ 189.87mph was good enough to get the job done with Able putting down a creditable 4.245 @ 180mph. The Zappia run would set a new mph track record. Fenech got the scalp of Victor Bray in one of the closest contest of the day with Ben Bray taking out Mark Belleri and Mark Chapman going down to Grant O’Rourke. Every round 1 scrap was quicker than 170mph over the 1/8 distance bar one, with the slowest ET being a 4.489 by Victor. Amazing what a bit of rubber and a sunny day would do for the racing. Qualifying was a grey sombre affair that captured nothing yet 24 hours later the fans were treated to one of the greatest spectacles you would want to see. Ben Bray had the Chevy Corvette on song and was a real chance to knock off the highly rated Zappia. No doubt about it, the presence of the Brays gave something special to the meeting and Ben was doing his best to take no prisoners.

Round 2 had more to come for the fans. Zappia went up against Fenech and took the win equalling his newly set mph track record posting a 4.009 @ 189.87mph to Fenech’s 4.274 @ 179.28mph. Bray was going about his business in the same dominating fashion taking out O’Rourke with a blistering 4.089 @ 185.95mph to O’Rourke’s 4.367 @ 172.41mph. That was the last time we will see the O’Rourke Doorslammer for some time as the team has decided to park up until the sanctioning body rubbish is sorted out. Let’s hope things get back to normal as the sport needs the likes of O’Rourke Racing on the dragstrip.

Into the much anticipated final between John Zappia and Ben Bray. Zappia having lane choice decided to run lane 2 which had been the quicker lane all day. Ben Bray was the only driver to run 4.0’s in lane 1 and was facing an uphill battle against the king. Bray got the start with a .064 get away to Zappia’s .144 but Zappia mowed him down crossing the line with a new track mph record of 193.97mph. Zappia’s ET of 3.966 was the only run into the 3’s all weekend. Bray poste a very respectable 4.073 @ 187.50mph which was his best ET and mph for the weekend. You can’t ask for much more than that and it may well have been a different story if Bray had lane choice. But then again Zapp most likely would have had the reply.

Top Doorslammer Time Sheets

Any way you look at it the final encapsulated the spirit of the day with fast and loud racing. The event finished on a massive high with many punters saying it was the best days racing they had seen at the Alice. With the state government tipping in $1.6 million over the next 12 months for upgrades to the facilities round 2 of the 2017/18 series should be a cracker.

Great work by Yak, Dan and all the ASID staff, Craig Plummer and his track staff, race directors/coordinators Ray Treasure and Tim Reidy and of course ANDRA Championship Drag Racing. We have a short break with round 3 of the Summit Sportsman Series heading to Mildura’s Sunset Strip on the 22^nd &23^rd of October. Prior to that Mildura will be hosting an Australian Nostalgia Drag Racing event in August which should be huge. Also just around the corner from Mildura is the grand opening of Swan Hill Dragway scheduled for the 8^th and 9^th of October. This meet will be huge with racers expected to travel from all parts of the country to take part in what will be a memorable weekends racing on Australia’s newest and flattest drag racing strip. Keep an eye on the Swan Hill and Mildura websites for more info.

Full bracket videos to follow over the next 2 weeks.

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