John Zappia took out the first round of the Australian Top Doorslammer Championship over the weekend in wild and dramatic conditions at the 2026 NDRC Riverbend Nationals at Dragway at the Bend.
The eleven times national champion edged out Sydney veteran and first time A-Final combatant Peter Lovering to claim the gold Christmas tree and Round One points as the Championship kicked off with a field of fourteen cars.
The Friday afternoon presented a unique promotional opportunity for the category with all cars lined up on the adjacent ‘mother ship’ Shell V Power Motorsport Park where the Supercars normally line-up. Over 30,000 collective horsepower (though silent) sat on the Supercar grid for some super cool photos and videos shot for promo for the category in a stunning visual juxtaposition.
Another off-track highlight was a synchronised all-car engine start in the pits at 2pm that literally shook the ground and attracted a crowd of hundreds crammed into “Slammer Alley” with their phones at the ready.
Remarkable weather conditions on Day One prevented a single pass for Doorslammer and Top Fuel (and most of Nitro Funny Car) on the Saturday which made Race Day for all Slammer teams somewhat of a crap shoot with a number of new faces for The Bend and many established teams trying out new packages.
Round One in particular on the Sunday morning after the fog lifted saw Zappia return the only memorable pass of the session with a 5.80 despite the car not engaging fifth gear and running the pass on the chip in fourth.
Defending Riverbend Nationals champion Jeremy Callaghan managed a 6.47 and there was Pete Lovering’s 6.95 but that was all anyone could manage under the seven second barrier as the lack of laps to build traction on the track (and no qualifying or track time for each team) meaning it was a major combination of overpowering and under-powering the normally sublime DATB surface.
Round One winners with nothing really to smile about were:
Zappia over Danaher (who spat a brake pad out on the burnout in the immaculate Corvette and subsequently couldn’t take the light).
Callaghan over Salim Matta. Lovering over Gregorini (who was literally a ‘door slammer’). Brodie Zappia inheriting the win despite a gearbox issue when Emilio Spinozzi crossed the centre line and took out the timing boxes in a big ‘woo up’ moment.
Frank Taylor and Lisa Gregorini had their own issues with Taylor getting the win as both cars limped across the line – Lisa smoking the tyres at the lights. Ronnie Palumbo winning with an 8.29 against Catalano who sheared every bolt on the crank pulley in the Hemi. Russell Taylor narrowly defeated Scott Ferguson with an unrepresentative 8.70 against the 9.37 as the defending champ struggled to get it glued down.
Everyone eagerly looked forward to the next go to improve.
Round Two saw West Aussie Frank Taylor on a solo in the Chev running a 6.96. Salim Matta in his rookie fulltime NDRC debut in the Aaron Hambridge tuned A-Civil Shelby and ran a stout 5.79 (second quickest ET for him) to beat an ailing AC Delco Monaro in the left hand lane of Brodie Zappia who limped home with a battery connector that shook loose.
Pete Lovering ripped home with a 5.92 in the Shoebox Chev against West Aussie Shane Catalano’s impressive looking “Panther Pink” (as American announcer Alan Reinhart put it) Charger with a problematic 8.43.
Russell Taylor and Daniel Gregorini fought out a pedal fest and although two time and defending champ got the win his 6.27 was anything but representative of the OGL’s SS potential on any other run whilst Gregorini hurt his motor and shortly thereafter wife Lisa would also.
Ronnie Palumbo saddled up in the A-Civil 37’ with Kiwi Bronson Dunne on the tune but struggled although victorious with a 7.00 over engine issues for Lisa Gregorini in the Scratch and Match Camaro.
Spinozzi found some better speed after the first run centre line issue and went to a still pedestrian 6.63 whilst Callaghan hung a red cherry on the tree in the lane alongside him.
The final pairing saw Zappia have issues on the burnout and require assistance to get back to the start line whilst Queensland Corvette pilot Jack Danaher patiently waited. Sadly the Vette’s gearbox boiled and he red lit whilst Zappia made it home with an unrepresentative 6.66 where he would change the head after the run in time for the A-Final.
Catalano, Zappia and Danaher all ran before the D, C, B and A-Finals to allow them some much needed track time and improved their markers to give them at least some confidence heading home or to the Nitro Champs in May.
The D Final saw Jeremy Callaghan record speed and ET for the weekend but couldn’y convert it to the win over a holeshotting Emilio Spinozzi Chevelle with a 5.76 (Callaghan) over the 5.87 alongside him.
C-Final saw Salim Matta clock another 5.7 this time with a 5.77 (to top his previous ’79) alongside Frank Taylor’s 8.70. Incredibly previous Bend winners Ronnie Palumbo and Russell Taylor battled the B-Final with Taylor clocking a much more respectable by his own standards 5.78 against Palumbo’s 6.16 to get Taylor the win.
It was Peter Lovering’s first A-Final appearance since 2006 in a USA v Australia battle in Sydney but he wasn’t overawed by the experience of facing the eleven time national champ and previous Bend winner John Zappia. Zap went on to clock a 5.79 enroute to victory over Lovering’s respectable 5.87 in an A-Final that was one for the veterans in front of an excellent crowd of over 14,000 over the two days.
It started off wild and unpredictably with no qualifying on the Saturday, a troublesome series of battles in Round One, a much more spectacular Round Two (despite some major upsets) and then by the finals it was typical Doorslammer dynamite in front of an appreciative and large crowd.
The second round of the 2026 Top Doorslammer Championship is locked and loaded at Sydney Dragway on May 1-3 for the annual Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs.
