For a few heart-pounding seconds, the Dananni Hotshots/FUCHS Monaro looked unstoppable in the A Final of the Summer Slam on Saturday, December 7th at Perth Motorplex.
John Zappia had the lead, the car was pulling away incrementally, and the crowd was ready to erupt. But just past 1,000 feet—boom—the burst panels let go, cutting short what could have been a statement win. In the other lane, Lisa Gregorini edged through with a 5.74-second run to John’s coasting 5.97, taking the victory.
Meanwhile, in the B Final, Brodie Zappia was crafting his own comeback story behind the wheel of the MAX Plant Monaro. After a challenging start to the night, the young driver delivered a composed and gritty performance, closing out the night with a confident pass and a well-earned victory.
John Zappia started the night true to form. His 5.78-second pass at 246 mph during qualifying set the bar high, locking in the number one spot.
“It was a good, clean, safe run,” John said. “We put down a strong number to start, and that gave us a great foundation for the rest of the event.”
On the other side of the pits, Brodie’s start to the night was anything but straightforward. The team opted to skip the non-compulsory qualifier, knowing the hot track heat would not give us any valuable data.
“The track was quite hot (120 degrees F) for that early session,” Brodie explained. “If we had gone out, we might’ve overpowered the track and not seen what it really had in the later session. So we left the car alone and came out for the compulsory qualifier at 5:30PM.”
But when the MAX Plant Monaro finally hit the strip, trouble struck almost immediately.
“Unfortunately, we banged a blower as soon as it shifted into second,” Brodie recounted. “We came back to the pits and found out that one of the cylinders gained 250 degrees in 0.2 of a second, which caused it to go bang. We fixed the problem, richened up a few cylinders, and came out for E1.”
“We found a couple of spark plugs that looked a little hot—like they could’ve been glowing,” John added. “A glowing spark plug ignites the incoming charge, and that’s what makes the supercharger go bang. It doesn’t take much.”
The Zappia Racing crew, never one to back down, sprang into action. Bearings were replaced, cylinders were checked, and aluminum blower studs (Thanks to High Speed Engineering) were swapped out. “We didn’t find melted pistons, but Brodie’s car had a few bearings that were squashed, so they were replaced and re-torqued the caps,” John said. “We also replaced the aluminum blower studs, which are designed to break in such situations to prevent further damage. After checking the cylinders with a leak-down test, we made sure everything was healthy before heading back out.”
John’s first elimination pass was the statement run the team was looking for. The FUCHS/Dananni Hotshots Monaro launched hard and charged down the track to a 5.70-second pass at 249 mph, the quickest run of the night.
“We tweaked the tune-up and put more in off the line to get the car to leave harder,” John said. “The first run had a 0.990 60-foot time, but this one was a 0.953—considerably faster. The front wheels were up, and it felt really good.”
Meanwhile, Brodie lined up against Daniel Gregorini for his first elimination round, knowing the challenge ahead.
“I asked John if I could turn it up a little, and I turned it up a lot,” Brodie admitted. “It worked up until 60 feet, but then it started shaking the tires at about 1.2 seconds because it had too much wheel speed and was trying to drive over itself. I pedaled it and went through for a 6.05 at only 238 mph, which showed just how rich we made it to prevent it from hurting itself again. Fortunately, we got the win, as Daniel had electrical gremlins.”
The A Final pitted John Zappia against Lisa Gregorini in a matchup the crowd had been waiting for. When the tree dropped, John was razor-sharp, cutting a 0.004-second reaction time and taking the early lead.
“We were a hundredth quicker at every increment,” John recalled. But just past 1,000 feet, disaster struck. “Boom—the burst panels blew, and I coasted through for a 5.97, while Lisa ran a 5.74 to take the win,” he said.
For Brodie, the B Final against Matt Abel brought its own kind of drama.
“This was our third time matching up,” Brodie said. “After I did my burnout, I started backing up and saw he wasn’t moving. I thought, ‘That’s not good.’ I just saw him idle down the track, and at that point, I knew I’d won. I wanted to make a clean pass and give the tree a red-hot go. I went double-0-seven red and went through for a 5.91 at 242 mph.”
Even with a small spark issue keeping the car on seven cylinders for part of the run, Brodie still took home the B Final win.
“Reviewing the data showed we were on seven cylinders for one and a half seconds before the eighth cylinder kicked in,” he explained. “It’s nothing major, and we still came away with the win.”
Reflecting on the race, John said, “In hindsight, maybe a touch less would’ve made the difference. You’re always walking that fine line between improving and overstepping the mark.”
Despite the setback, the team remains in a strong position in the Direct Mining and Industrial Summer Slam Series points standings.
For Brodie, the B Final win was a testament to his rapid development as a driver.
“He’s learning a lot,” John said. “He’s getting the car down the track, pushing the boundaries, and figuring out when to pedal, when to back off, and how to manage tyre shake. The results are speaking for themselves.”
John also highlighted the challenges of fine-tuning the MAX Plant Monaro’s handling. “Right-hand-drive cars can sometimes want to turn right if the suspension isn’t dialed in perfectly,” he explained. “But Brodie’s handling it well and hasn’t had to abort a run because of it. He’s eager, he puts the hours in, and he’s improving every time out.”
For Brodie, the Summer Slam was another important step in his growth as a driver. “I feel like I’ve adapted to the car pretty well,” he said. “I’m reacting to what the car needs and wants at the right times on track and pedaling the car just before it blows the tyres off when it’s shaking.”
His crew, including his father and uncle, have been quick to recognise his progress. “Dad, Uncle John and Aaron (Deery) watched the video of my run against Daniel and said, ‘Oh, you could’ve driven through that.’ But I caught it before they even saw the tyres start to chatter. It turns out it wasn’t going to drive through it whatsoever,” Brodie said.
With the Summer Slam in the books, Zappia Racing now prepares for 2025. The Dananni Hotshots / FUCHS Monaro will undergo a motor refresh at Applied Automotives, while the A1 motor is being readied for its return at the NDRC Doorslammer round on January 4th at the Perth Motorplex. Brodie will also compete in a blown alcohol event on December 27th, continuing his rapid development.
“We’re constantly learning and pushing forward,” John concluded. “The goal is to stay ahead of the pack, and we’re ready to bring everything we’ve got into the next round.”
For more information, visit Zappia Racing’s official website and follow their social media for updates and behind-the-scenes action.
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