The traditional Winter Warm Ups have provided an early glimpse at some of the action and new machinery set to feature at the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, while also giving racers a final opportunity to test and refine their combinations before championship racing gets underway.
Looking purely at the numbers, testing was relatively conservative in elapsed time terms, with most teams focused on setup programs and data gathering rather than chasing outright performance.
Among the NDRC professional ranks, Pro Alcohol has the most at stake with the Winternationals serving as the penultimate round of the championship. Luke Marsden topped the performance charts with a 5.51-second pass, debuting a striking new Ford Mustang body on his funny car. Andrew Searle continued his search for consistency after an up-and-down season, recording a 5.60, while John Cannuli is still working through the teething issues of his new funny car package and ran a best of 5.84 during testing.
In Top Doorslammer, Pete Lovering was the only team to make a serious full pass, laying down a 5.80-second run. The number was just two hundredths shy of the team’s 5.78 personal best and suggests they have successfully overcome the transmission and electrical gremlins that plagued them at the Nitro Champs.
A similar story unfolded in Pro Stock, where John Barbagallo’s shut-off 7.03-second run was the standout performance. The North Queensland racer missed the opening championship round due to personal circumstances but appears ready to make his presence felt at Willowbank.
There were also some encouraging signs in Top Fuel Motorcycle. Damian Martini continues to unlock the potential of his nitro-powered machine, running a 6.49 despite melting a piston during the pass. Martini rolled out of the throttle early and crossed the finish line at just 193mph, but onboard data revealed the bike had already reached 229mph by the 1000-foot mark. Meanwhile, Neville Smith dipped into the six-second zone with a 6.97 aboard his nitro Harley-Davidson.
The Winternationals will also host round two of the IHRA Pro Mod 660 Series. Among those testing, Steve Smith set the benchmark with a 3.76-second pass in the eye-catching green twin-turbo Corvette, while Rod Harvey demonstrated that his imported Toyota Camry will be a genuine contender, clocking a strong 3.99-second run from the 2J-powered machine.
Stew Walsh also unveiled his new blown and EFI injected Camaro for the class.
Check out this photo gallery courtesy of Drag Photos.
