It was twenty years ago this September that John Zappia stormed into the record books with the first-ever five-second Doorslammer pass on Australian soil — a 5.967 at Sydney Dragway that lit the fuse on a new era. Fast forward to the 2025 Nitro Champs, and Zappia was once again strapping into the Dananni Hotshots/Fuchs Monaro, ready to add another chapter.
Now in his 45th year of competition, Zappia knows the legacy he’s built — but he’s not done yet. In Round One, ‘Zap’ uncorked a 5.591 at 256mph, resetting the national record and reminding everyone the veteran still has teeth. Still fast. Still dangerous. Still chasing championships.
All done in a 17 year old Australian Built Monaro muscle car, weighing 2754lbs after the run, with the best engine components from the best Manufacturers, running through a Ty- drive and a lock up converter
But this time, he wasn’t alone.
He’s now got a teammate. His 19-year-old nephew, Brodie Zappia — not even 3 weeks old when Uncle John made that historic five-second pass — made his Nitro Champs Doorslammer debut in the MAXPlant Monaro and delivered a cold-blooded takedown, winning the B-Final thanks to three straight holeshot victories.
It was a weekend where both Zappias had to dig deep. With 15 Doorslammers on the property and a field tighter than ever, nothing came easy. John was chasing points, trying to close the gap on Lisa Gregorini. Brodie was looking to prove he belonged — and he did.
Q1 was aggressive — John rattled the tyres when he hit the green track too hard, requiring a quick pedal and then broke the spline in the converter, going into high gear, and coasted to a 5.828 to get a number on the board. John and crew went off to Al’s Race Glides Friday night and had the convertor rebuilt with new parts.
Brodie was trying some new parts to see if they made a difference to his performance, so when he smoked the tyres twice on the startline, Brodie and crew were excited to see what difference these changes made and just needed to tame the MAXPlant Monaro down a little.
But in Q2, the gloves came off. John ripped off a 5.630 at 256mph, launching the Dananni Hotshots/Fuchs Monaro into second place on the ladder behind Russell Taylor. Brodie answered with a career-best 5.813, slotting the MAXPlant Monaro into 10th and showing the kid was ready to play.
In round one, John squared up against Peter Kapiris, a name that needs no introduction in the Doorslammer world. The match-up felt like a rewind to the early 2000s Doorslammer wars. Zappia hiked the wheels and charged to a 5.591 — straight as a die and officially setting a new NDRC record, with the 5.630 from earlier backing it up. The crew erupted into celebration back on the starting line.
As Wade Aunger put it over the commentary: “59! Holy Cow! John freakin’ Zappia!”
Meanwhile, Brodie faced Emilio Spinozzi — and did what he’d do all weekend: beat him at the tree. A .010 reaction time and a 5.784 at 248mph held off Emilio’s 5.744 at 251mph by just fifty-three ten-thousandths of a second (0.0053). Brodie’s first 5.7 second pass, the first time that the 23 year old ZapsRat Chassis has been into the 5.70s, and a huge confidence booster for the MAXPlant rookie.
Round Two had Brodie meet Peter Lovering in a run that looked like it could go either way. The MAXPlant Monaro hooked up clean and Brodie sailed down the track to a 5.793 at 246mph, sneaking by Lovering’s 5.788 with another holeshot — his second straight.
John lined up opposite Nasser Matta with a 5.6-something loaded up after watching Russell Taylor lay down a 5.602 moments earlier. But the Dananni Hotshots/Fuchs Monaro cut out twice in first gear. Zappia held the throttle flat, a 5.735 at 253mph was stout but not enough to chase down Matta’s 5.720.
The B-Final delivered one of those classic Doorslammer races — Brodie vs. Matt Abel. On paper, Abel had the quicker car. But at the tree? Brodie slammed the door on Abel with a .032 light, muscling the MAXPlant Monaro to a 5.801 at 247mph, enough to get there first over Abel’s 5.758.
“I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the car, getting a better feel for what it wants and how it reacts. Honestly, we’ve been so close to the 5.70s this season, and I’m glad we’ve got this MAXPlant Monaro to that next level,” Brodie said.
“I was happy with the way I drove this weekend — I’ve got my reaction times on lock, and those holeshots saved my butt from a loss on every occasion,” Brodie laughed. “Good momentum to take into Willowbank for the Winternationals now, and Uncle John and I are separated by just 4 points, so this could get very interesting in the Zappia camp, especially considering I missed the first round in Adelaide due to the car not being finished, and I hadn’t even driven a Doorslammer yet!”
John would take the C-Final victory on a solo after Ronnie Palumbo couldn’t front. The Monaro was hopped up, and launched quicker than previous runs, but out to the left with the wheels in the air, but he got off the throttle, and carefully reeled it back in and ran a conservative 5.843 at 247mph — taking the long way to the finish line.
“We’ve been creeping up on the set-up of the Dananni Hotshots/Fuchs Monaro all season. We saw what the car was capable of at Tailem Bend, and with the good air and fast tracks over here on the east coast this time of year, we were confident we could get close to the 5.50s again if it all came together. Overall a good weekend, and more to take away as we prepare for the Winternationals at Willowbank,” John said.
The team now heads to Willowbank Raceway for the 2025 Winternationals on June 5–8, the 7th round of the NDRC championship. The final round being run at Darwin at the End of August. It’ll be Brodie’s first Top Doorslammer appearance at the iconic event, and both Zappias are locked in a tight points battle for third.
Points After the Nitro Champs: John Zappia — 3rd (484 points)Brodie Zappia — 4th (480 points)
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