Top Fuel Australia (TFA) is looking forward to the opening round of the 400 Thunder season this Friday and Saturday at Sydney Dragway for East Coast Thunder.
Australian Top Fuel teams recently met to discuss their plans for the future and are happy with some of the practical steps being taken by the 400 Thunder Series management to improve support for the category and build a better working relationship.
Top Fuel Australia chairman Angelo Lamattina explained both race tracks and racers have their own individual challenges and an improved relationship was the key to understanding the issues both sides faced.
“By having the opportunity to work closer with 400 Thunder it has given both sides the opportunity to look at what we are contributing and how we can work together to achieve a better result for everybody,” he said.
“The main challenge is to get people in the gate – and that is not easy. By putting on a good show we have the potential to achieve a better outcome. Everyone needs to go home happy.
“We still have a long way to go but by working together we believe that we can achieve all that we want to achieve. It’s a matter of listening and then taking the correct action.”
Top Fuel Australia manager Bruce Read echoed Lamattina’s thoughts on collaboration, highlighting the benefits of the 400 Thunder Group 1 Racer Commission for relationship building in the category.
“There is a good working relationship developing and our discussions have been positive with series management,” he said.
“We have strong racer support for the opening round and with a couple of other teams returning very shortly, full fields for future events look more likely.
“Four rounds of this year’s series are ‘All Run Events’, which was trialled at the successful Nitro Champs earlier this year. This means Top Fuel fans will get to see every car run every round of racing in a three round format in a one day event.”
IHRA Australia managing director Maurice Allen said he had appreciated the opportunity to engage with teams directly recently at the Top Fuel Australia AGM.
“The opportunity to work closely with the group and generate positive outcomes for the class is exciting,” he said. “The ability to engage one on one in a room where there is transparency in our outcomes and what both sides want to achieve is valuable. It’s through that direct contact we get the clarity to see what the decisions are that we need to be making.”
Seven Top Fuel dragsters will take to the track this weekend in Sydney. Top Fuel Australia wishes all a safe and fast event.
-Top Fuel Australia media release
