LISA GREGORINI AND TEAM MAKE HISTORY WITH TOP DOORSLAMMER SEASON OPENER WIN

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Lisa Gregorini has earned a world-first Top Doorslammer win, defeating Ronnie Palumbo in the final of the Springnationals at The Bend Motorsports Park.

Lisa and her pit crew are believed to be the first all-female team to win an event in professional drag racing history anywhere in the world. The massive achievement was not lost on Lisa as she reflected on her victory after the event.

“Over the weekend and since our win we have had so many positive comments and messages from people about how the whole team are inspiring others to achieve their goals,” she said. “When I received my congratulations message from NDRC promoter Andy Lopez he said we were the ‘Matildas of Motorsport. That meant a lot and shows what we are doing is making an impact.”

The final round against Palumbo was a case of deja vu, repeating last season’s final match-up at the same event. There a bizarre set of circumstances led to the race being re-run weeks later (finishing in Palumbo’s favour), but this time it was run and done on the night, with Lisa’s 5.71 pass taking down a red-light start from her opponent.

“What happened last year played on my mind to begin with, but I just had to push the thought to the side,” she said. “To be honest I was more nervous during the previous two rounds of racing than I was in the final. I just had to think of it as another race and not put too much pressure on myself. As we went through the finish line side-by-side I had no idea I had even won the race because my radio headset wasn’t working. It wasn’t until I got out of the car at the other end and found out Ronnie had red lit that I knew I won.”

Lisa’s Camaro was certainly in race-winning form. After overcoming some electrical dramas, she qualified fourth with a 5.75 and then raced to 5.72, 5.71 and 5.71 passes in the race rounds, demonstrating consistency that will go a long way towards earning more championship points this season.
Daniel Gregorini also enjoyed a positive event, top qualifying with a personal best 5.601-second pass. Overpowering the track in the first round proved costly, but Daniel was able to recover for a B Final runner-up.

“We changed to the bigger rims for more footprint on the racing surface, something we were 4-5 years behind the other teams in changing,” he said. “We were very quick to the 60 foot mark, with three 0.937 times and a best of 0.921. The data doesn’t show that it was working hard, so it still has more in the tank there.

“We are still having electrical issues on the shifting side of the auto-shift, so the 5.601 run short-shifted third gear by over 400rpm, which kills the next gear when we have the lock-up applied. I think there’s a couple of numbers there that would see us get into the 5.5-zone.

“On race day we had a big wait before we ran and the tune-up I had in for the 92F track didn’t work on a 110F track during our solo pass. We changed back to our trusty mid-5.6 tune-up for the next round and the car instantly responded for our second win light. In the final against John Zappia we had an oil line come off and on a pedalling, skating run a 5.73 wasn’t quite enough for the win.”

As well as the on-track success, Scratch & Match Motorsport was also impressing in the pits, with a new marquee and corporate area adding to the professionalism of the West Australian team.

“We hosted the first Top Doorslammer Association BBQ for our fellow racers and crews which went well and we had a great response to our presentation,” Lisa said. “The Adelaide fans were once again amazing and we sold out of merchandise.”

Now the twin Camaros will be transported back to Perth on behalf of Consolidated Group to be prepared for three home rounds back at the Motorplex.

“A general rebuild will take place and we will try to resolve our electrical issues in both cars,” Daniel said. “After the Goldenstates my plan is to start making carbon panels so we can try to lose some of the 60 pounds the cars are overweight by. I know there are some one-percenters on Lisa’s car that could result in consistent 5.6s very soon.”

Major sponsors :
Scratch & Match Autocolour, Consolidated Group, Oil & Energy Pty Ltd, Kerb Doctor, Westcoast Siteworks, S&S Industries, Dalisa Estate Winery

Supporting sponsors :
Applied Automotive Performance Engines, Signbiz WA, RACIN, JC Race Stuff, G-Force Race Cars, Resolution Racing Services Inc, Dirty Detailing, Final Drive Engineering, DMPE INC, Kinetic Engineering

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