When brothers Emilio and Adamo Spinozzi announced their intentions to compete in the 400 Thunder Pro Slammer class, not even they would have expected to be in the top five of the points at the halfway point of the season.
With eyes on further improvement at this weekend’s Santo’s Summer Thunder event at Sydney Dragway, the Speedmaster team may finish even higher in the rankings. But there are some big names in pursuit including legendary Pro Slammer racers Victor and Ben Bray, who between them have over five decades of supercharged doorslammer experience and currently occupy sixth and seventh places in the championship.
“While our performances haven’t set the world on fire, we seem to be in the right races at the right times,” Spinozzi said.
“Victor and Ben Bray have accumulated decades of Pro Slammer experience between them and they demand the best results, so we know the target is going to be on our back.”
With warm weather predicted for Santo’s Summer Thunder, conditions may suit the Speedmaster Chevelle’s smooth style, which has so far yielded dividends for the season.
“While we are still trying to find the best way to make this race car launch, it does seem to get down tricky race tracks well. The first round is in the heat at 4.30pm so we will be hoping for plenty of sun on that track which will even the playing field.”
Spinozzi’s preparation for Santo’s Summer Thunder has included more testing, hopefully giving the team an edge come race day.
“We are still learning with every run. Some people have asked us why we haven’t been in the fives yet, and the answer is that we don’t want to just run a number and not know why the car performed the way it did. We want to know how each section of the car relates to the next. That’s why you see guys like Paul Mouhayet and John Zappia testing even after the amount of wins they have had – because there is always something to learn with these 3000 horsepower Pro Slammers.”
Santo’s Summer Thunder begins with pro testing on Friday night from 5.30pm, before race day on Saturday. There will be a ‘shakedown session’ for testing at midday, before rounds of racing at 4.30pm, 6.30pm and 8.40pm.
Fans will be able to watch the event live on Ovo Play.
Spinozzi thanked team sponsors Speedmaster, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Nicsons Concrete, Torco Oils, LJ Hooker Commercial Macarthur, Soligo Concrete, Sloanebuilt Trailers, Pasta Italia, Optimum Fire, Planned Signs, Kemps Creek Mitre 10, Western Filters, Speedflow, Al’s Race Glides, Smithfield Diff and Gearbox, Race Teknix and Corfield Media Solutions for their continued support.
– Spinozzi Racing Media Release
