The Sydney Dragway NSW Championship has been powering along, with rounds five and six wrapped up over the past couple of months — now it’s all building toward the big finish, with the penultimate round set to hit the track this weekend.
In the headlining Boosted Outlaws category, it’s consistency that has third-generation racer Kurtis Read sitting atop the championship standings after back-to-back final-round appearances.
But victory has narrowly slipped through his fingers both times — first with a heartbreaking 1-thou breakout against Jeff Sargent in Round 5, and then in Round 6 when Jamie Robertson’s sharp .012 light in his altered set the tone for a winning run over the Read dragster.
The no-fear Extreme Bike bracket continues to deliver, with David Franks still out front in the championship chase. He grabbed a runner-up finish in Round 5, where brother Ryan Franks powered through for the win.
Round 6 welcomed back Alex Borg aboard one of the quickest turbo Hayabusas in the country, and he wasted no time making a statement — blasting his way to the event victory over a determined Ryan Franks, who now has back-to-back final-round appearances.
At his first outing of the season, Hercules Kazanzidis was razor sharp in the Round 5 Top Sportsman final, laying down a 7.764 on a 7.76 dial in his Commodore and forcing Tony Huysmans into a breakout.
In Round 6, James Barnes kept the momentum rolling. Cutting a killer .002 light in his Mustang, he edged out Paul Sabato in the final — a clutch win that further strengthened Barnes’ grip on the championship lead.
Another nail-biter is brewing in Modified, but Round 5 belonged to Zac Palm, who jumped into partner Danielle MacCaskell’s dragster for a one-off run and stole the show — lighting up the win light in the final against championship hopeful George Bukureshliev.
Bukureshliev bounced back with a semi-final finish in Round 6 to hold onto second in the standings, but the points lead has now shifted to Jess Turner, who clinched maximum points with a holeshot victory over Peter Brown in the final.
Riding the momentum from an early-season win streak, Victorian Michael Milasiewicz is still clinging to the Super Sedan championship lead. But the last two rounds have been all about the local powerhouses. In Round 5, Michael Little’s Torana edged out Jim Denaro’s Cortina at the stripe thanks to a monster holeshot. Then in Round 6, Joe Zammit returned to the winner’s circle, taking an easy final after Chevy Taylor lit the red.
The Modified Bike championship has become a two-rider showdown between the dominant Sean Ricketts and rising star Jesse Barnes. Ricketts claimed the Round 5 final over Michael Borg, but Barnes answered back in Round 6 with a win over Lucas Neagoe to sneak ahead in the points.
A Round 5 victory for Richard Matosevic kept his XY Ute at the top of the Super Street standings, outperforming Denis Plessas—now tied for second—in the final. Round 6 delivered a fan favourite moment when former Women’s Big Bash cricket standout Sammy Jo Johnson took home the trophy after Robert Gullotta went red. The win was crucial, lifting Johnson into second in the title chase.
Joe Catanzariti is on a tear in Super Gas, sweeping Rounds 5 and 6 to take command of the track championship. The Round 5 final was a nail-biter, Catanzariti’s .008 light and 9.907 just eclipsing Joe Polito Jr’s .009 and 9.919. Round 6 ended at the tree when Luke Romeo red-lit.
Junior Dragster also saw a clean sweep, with Riley Eato taking both rounds to seize the championship lead. A red from Chloe Raikko ended the Round 5 final early, while a holeshot over Jayden Bounassif sealed the deal in Round 6.
Junior Drag Bike followed the trend, with Lincon Delios scoring back-to-back wins over Adam Jordan, who finished runner-up on both occasions. Delios now leads the standings by 20 points.
In the Street classes, Shaun Dartnell continues to look strong in the Street Fighter title hunt. He finished runner-up in Round 6, but is under pressure from the crafty Danny Stadelmaier, who grabbed the win and moved into second. The previous round belonged to wagon loyalists, with Shane McGregor steering his XW longroof to victory over Michael Zahra’s Commodore.
And finally, in Street Bike, Robert Gielb became yet another double-round winner, dominating Rounds 5 and 6. His Kawasaki ZZR1100 has propelled him to a commanding, almost unreachable championship lead after defeating Joe Borg and Colin Northcott in the respective finals.
NEWS & NOTES
FIRST SEVEN!
Deanne Azzopardi chalked up her first seven second pass aboard her striking no-bar Hayabusa in Extreme Bike. Azzopardi rode to a 7.930 at 180mph in qualifying to check off the long time achievement goal.
TURBO MONSTER
We finally have had the debut of the all new MSCN turbo piloted by Chris Manks. The team are still trying to wrangle all that horsepower into a useable form, but the potential is already on show with sub-second sixties and a half track in just 4.02s on only half the boost the engine has been tested on. Look out when that bad boy is unleashed.
Photo action from rounds 5 and 6 by Cackling Pipes
