Regular updates are the order of the day. Check back here often for the latest news from the 2010 Winternationals.
5:38 – Pro FX:
The stand-out pass for the bracket was Ben Bray 6.74 at a massive 215.86 mph, Signorelli also runs a nice 6.88/200.80
5pm – Top Fuel
The sun is setting and the crowd is looking forward to the spectacular vision that Top Fuel racing can provide at this time of night, Nitro Flames!
Darren Morgan is taking on Steve Read. Both looking for strong numbers. Steve Read needs a good pass to get into the field. Morgan gets the pass he wanted 4.677/310 mph. Read in the meantime continues to be ravaged with Clutch/Magneto issues. We are seeing flames from the rear of the engine from the launch. He will be sitting out tomorrow at this stage
Mark Mariani in the Rocket Lane and Bob Shepherd in the Hoosier Lane. Both drivers abort their respective runs soon after they launch, Shepherd first after both suffered shake and then got loose.
Phil Lamattina and Phil Read take their last shot at Qualifying. Read gets pushed back from the starting area with a problem. The lead was shorting across to the rocker cover and they did not want to risk a detonation , so Lamattina is on a solo. Throws the belt at ½ track for a 6.7 pass.
Stamatis is next up. Solid run to ½ track then shut off for a 5.7 pass.
If Terry Sainty can leap frog Lamatinna it will set up an interesting championship clash in the first round. Strong launch, but again is off the throttle at 330 ft for an 11 second pass.
3:57pm – Top Doorslammer : Q4
Bishop looks for a 5 but doesn’t get it with both he and Wilson suffering severe tyre shake. Bishop drives out of it for a 6.46/235. Wilson runs a 7.812 and doesn’t make the field.
Gary Phillips and Peter Kapiris are out next. Kapris needs a good run to get into the field. Kapiris does it for the moment! 6.013/237. Phillips in the meantime runs a strong 5.99/244.
Pavey is also on the outside looking to get in a wheels up out of shape pass. A .996 60ft does not assist his 9 second pass.
Robin Judd needs a big pass to keep him in the run for the championship. Belleri is looking to get in. Judd runs a 5.828/249 and Belleri is in 6.08/249 on the bump.
Tynan is looking for some Kiwi Pride to get him into the field. Misfud ‘s 6.156 to Tynans 6.301/229. Neither are in the field. Reports for the deep end is a small fire in Tynans car.
John Zappia has another shot at a 5.7 on his last qualifying attempt. Bernard is looking to get into the field. Both cars launch hard and shake themselves to pieces. Both coast through the traps with unrepresentative times.
Ben Bray on a solo, pedals on 6.157/233 pass. Ben had a drive job on his hand as the car wanted to go everyway but straight.
Skaramuca and Bray both looking to get into the field. Skaramuca drives it down the centreline to a PB 6.16/230 mph pass. Bray shuts off at ½ track. Both drivers fail to make the field.
Another two cars looking for a start tomorrow are Tony DeFelices Camaro and Andrew Suttons Holden. DeFelices engine lets go nearing the traps for a 6.904/141 whilst Sutton was on a wild ride with a wheels up 6.54. Again, two more non-starters tomorrow.
Matt Abel needs another final qualifier like last year. He needs a five to get him strongly into the field. He is currently last in the field. He has to pedal for a 6.33/246.
This is the second quickest Top Doorslammer field in history. Missing the record by just 0.02 second.
Top Alcohol Qualifying Rnd 4:
Marchant storms out for a PB 5.662/245 whilst Price is skatey and takes out some timing blocks in the top end earning himself a DQ.
Next up John Cannuli in his Wash it Funny Car takes on Dennis Byth. Byth with trouble off the line and shuts it down. Cannuli struggles with a 5.941/245 pass.
Sichter with a strong burnout. She is looking at getting into the field. Hambridge is our number one qualifier and he is looking to improve. Sichter still has problems off the line and rolls through for a 29 second pass. Hambridge runs a pace setting 5.51/256.75!
Wayne Newby doesn’t improve his position with a 5.74/247 and Ham is not good enough to crack the top 8 5.75/248 mph.
Another Dragster V Funny car encounter. This time Oakey takes on Madill. Maddill doesn’t get in either 5.73/246 . Oakey runs a strong 5.63/247 mph.
Pro Stock Elimination Round 1:
Big news: Bektash is out unable to repair an engine. He has withdrawn as a result. Brown is also out.
Shane Tucker takes on Dennis Whiting in the first paring. Whiting on a hole-shot putting Tucker 0.84 rt 7.09/182 out with a 7.131/191.
Barbagello takes on Michael ALI and another hole-shot win. Barbagello out reacts Ali with a 0.30 rt and runs a 7.114/193.21 over Ali’s quicker 7.10/192.91
Newcombe takes the solo with a bracket like 7.04/192.91. A trouble free run.
Aaron Tremayne takes on Demizio. Tremayne far too strong 0.28 rt 7.06/193 over Demizio sleep like 1.16 rt 7.31/186
Tyrone Tremayne takes on Bill Perdikaris. Tremayne too strong 7.08 over Perdikaris 7.21/191.
Ridgeway takes on American Patterson in a must see match up. Ridgeway in the Hoosier lane looks to get one up on Patterson. Patterson takes it with a strong 7.191 whilst Ridgeway has a gearbox failure at ½ track and coasts through for a 9.40.
Wayne Daley is next up taking on Brian Pursell. Pursell tries too hard on the lights leaving a cherry. Daley runs a 7.07/193.27 over Pursell 7.975.
In the final pairing Scott Porter issues a warning running a 0.77 rt 7.114/192.69 over Kotsias better reacting 0.30 7.18/192.14.
2:45pm- Top Bike
Mick Murray runs a cylinder dropping PB 7.48/183 whilst Mark Drew lays down an impressive 6.77/198 pass.
The Nitro Voodoo bike of Matheson takes on the Pirate Nev Smith. A jaw dropping 6.07 at only 186.95. The pirate bucking all the way for a 7.57/171
Grant struggles to keep it off the centre line but hits the finish line cone 7.73 over Redgrave’s 9.54
Upton looks for a number and runs a 7.99 struggling to keep it off the centreline . Herriman in the other lane struggles to a 9.68.
Ian Ashelford has a solo pass for a 7.21/185 with fire out of the engine pushing out a head gasket from the 100 foot mark.
Troy McLean has a strong launch but drops a cylinder on the top end. 7.65/148 is the result.
Gavin Span runs an engine hurting 7.83/127 over Barrett 9.93/97mph.
Chris Porter burns out stronglybut the bike lays over. Good enough to get into the field however 7.10/197
2:37pm – Pro Stock Bike:
Howard runs a strong 7.442/181 unlike Badcock who had trouble in keeping the bike off the centre line, shutting off for a 13 second pass.
Wooster is up next but fails to impress with a 9.73/44 mph pass. In the other lane Cochraneblasts out a 7.26/183.
A couple of solo’s to follow. Mark Hancock runs a 7.83/175 and then Ireland barrels down the strip for a 7.52/183
2:25pm- Pro Fx
The stand-out pass for the bracket was Signorelli’s 6.817 at a whopping 207.91 mph
2:00pm-Top Fuel
Steve Read has problems from the hit. Has several stabs at the throttle but fails to hook up motoring through for a 12 second pass. No such problems for Stamatis in the other lane 4.619/315mph, just dropping a cylinder on in the top end.
Next up Mark Mariani attempts to overcome some engine issues plaguing the car in the first two qualifiers. The car had been damaging pistons in the burnout! No improvement in the issue stake 6.31/125. Morgan was in the other lane and leaves strongly but goes off in the top end to run a 5.02/241.
Phil Read looks to up the ante. A strong pass from Phil but he fireballs it through the lights on a 4.804/246 pass. Bob Shepherd in the other lane drops a cylinder from 330ft but manages to keep the engine in one piece.
Terry Sainty and Alan Dobson burnout strongly . Dobbo leaves with an strong .851 60 ft time but tosses the belt at ½ track to run a 5.804/143. Sainty in the other lane leaves strongly with an .889 60ft but then strikes the tyres rolling through for a 9.903 pass.
Phil Lamattina rounds out the session. Phil burns out strongly with the car sounding super strong.The car leaves strong but strikes the tyres at 330ft. He shuts it off and rolls through for a 7.07 second pass.
1:07pm- Top Doorslammer
Matt Abel and Stuart Bishop take aim to cement a spot in this tough field. Bishop is pumped as he runs a 6.08/243 to get him into the field at this stage. Matt Abel has shake and go’s anything but straight, rolling it through for a 11 second pass. He has one more attempt to make the field.
Mark Beleri takes on Phillips next up with both cars shaking hard at the hit of the throttle. Phillips is in the field so he rolls through, but Belleri has a stab at it again and lifts the nose for a 6.69/22 pass.
Jeff Wilson shows how to shake the tyres whilst Sean Misfud pedals it for a 6.27/237 not improving his position.
Judd attempts to take away that number one spot from Zappia but suffers massive tyre shake and rolls it through for a 14 second pass. Russel Pavey in the other lane steps out about 330 ft and runs a 6.332/231.
Ben Bray runs a .996 60ft time but encounters massive tyre shake too getting off it for a 7.3 second pass. Fortunately Bray did back off as Tony DeFelice got out of shape in the other lane taking out the timing blocks from ½ track crossing into Brays lane.
We are down for a small clean up
Victor Bray is next up looking to get into the field. He makes it for now 6.137/226 but all eyes are on Maurice Fabietti in the other lane as he steps up to a 5.89/252.71 pass. That mph is a speed record.
Andrew Sutton lays down a PB 6.19/230 but it is not good enough to get into the field. He has one last shot. Ray Bernard in the other lane shakes hard then gets back onto it but gets skatey at the top end and takes out the blocks.
Peter Kapris looks to qualify strong. He is up against Territorian Scott McLean. Both shake hard with McLean going hard right and hits the wall. The damage doesn’t look too bad. Kapris motors through for a 9 second pass.
Chis Tynan shakes hard on a 6.26/218 over Brijeski’s 6.398/227. Both fail to make the field so far.
John Zappia up next looking for that 5.7 pass. He is going to throw everything at this pass as the weather conditions are perfect. Just misses.. runs a record 5.810/247.02 over Skaramuca who runs a 6.738/229.
12:50- Top Alcohol
First up Wayne Newby and Steve Ham . Newby runs a 5.64/253 over Ham’s 5.76/243. Clean passes from both cars.
Debbie Read runs a bracket like 6.62/250 while Rick Gauci attacked the startline and came off second best, spinning the tryes on the hit and rolling through for a 10.75 time
Marchant steps it up for a 5.72/235 while Oakey in the other lane runs a 5.67/248/248.
Aaron Hambridge sets the class standard so far… 5.53/253 over Paul Madill’s 5.96/229. Madill drags the beams costing him ET.
Wayne Price runs a 6.46 whilst Katherine Sichter just doesn’t have enough power to overcome shake and rolls through with a 19 second pass.
John Cannuli needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat to get into this tough field. He does and sneaks in with a 5.66/250 which is good enough for 8th. Blyth in the other lane has problems and rolls through for a 14 second pass.
That is a record Top Alcohol bump.. quickest field ever and we still have another round!
12:25pm: Pro Stock
First up Enzo Demizio solos to a 8.23/123
Bill Perdikaris runs a strong 7.21 but Bill Kotsias ups the ante 7.14.
Scott Porter and Barbagello next up.Barbagello’s rooster is not crowing yet at this is his last attempt to get into the field. Boy does Barbagello do it! 7.09 at 194.24 fastest ever speed! Porter runs a very strong 7.08/192 in the other lane.
This Pro stock session is a barnstormer. Everyone is turning it on. Whiting 7.11/190 with Pursell strutting it for a 7.14/191.
Ridgeway shows he has the stuff running a record 194.24 mph and that should give him the record from his speed yesterday. Ridgeway runs a 7.07 over Tyronne Tremaynes7.061/192.
Newcombe then comes out and blasts a 7.03/193 over the South Aussie Ali’s 7.12/192. This field is tough.
Aaron Tremayne 7.05/192 over Shane Tucker’s 7.113/192.
Bektash then shows everyone how it is done. Quickest ever and number one qualifier 7.023/193.93 . Daley in the other lane runs a 7.08/193.
Rounding out the session American Todd Patterson attempts to up the ante but doesn’t match the Aussie. 7.18/187 over Browns 7.34/185
12:11pm – Top Bike
Murray v Smith first up. Nev Smith Breaks in the burnout area and pushes it back dejected. Murray does a strong but flat at the top end 7.86/168.
Chris Porter and Mark Drew next up. Drew runs a 6.96 and moves up the field over Porters problematic 9.45/135 run.
Redgrave runs a 7.212/187 while Grant breaks before staging.
Mathesonis on a solo . He launches and smokes the tyres for at least ½ the track and goes over the centreline. So that run won’t count. 7.83/123.
Jay Upton leaves a cloud of clutch dust running a disappointing 7.58/122 over Gavin Span problem filled run 8.59/100 with lots of engine smoke through the traps.
Alan Herriman ‘s turbo bike just doesn’t perform, with problems off the line9.95/172.
Troy Mclean with a strong launch launch and
11:24am – Group one racing is about to get underway here at Willowbank. Onced again mother nature has turned on a glorious day for racing. Stay tuned for updates shortly.
Pro Stock Bike:
12 noon: Andrew Badcock takes on Mark Hancock first up. All Badcock has to do is stage to pick up the championship. Badcock 7.79/164 over Hancocks 12.29/165. Not what Badcock wanted as he is still off pace
Phil Howard lays down a 7.53 over Limbergs 8.339. Strong straight pass from Howard
Gilbertson storms to a 7.43/179 over Ireland’s dissapointing 7.84 164.
Welcome to day 3 of racing at Willowbank raceway and the final day of qualifying. We will be bringing you updates through-out the day in what is set to be two action packed qualifying sessions for the Pro Series competitors
