Hydraulink Jim Read Racing will have to wait until November to find out if it will be crowned as the victors of the opening round of the 2022 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, with unseasonably cold conditions at Alice Springs Inland Dragway on Friday evening forcing the postponement of the final runs to November’s Goldenstates event at the Perth Motorplex.
Phil Read and the Hydraulink Jim Read Racing Top Fuel Dragster will face off against Damien Harris in the battle for the round one victory at the November 11/12 event, after Read took two victories from two races in Alice Springs despite difficult conditions.
In both rounds one and two, the Reads were matched up against Phil Lamattina and also in both outings, the pairing were faced with delays on the startline with adjustments required to the timing system following their burnouts.
In round one, both cars were pushed back so the teams could re-prepare while the next match-up took to the track, and in that instance Read blazed to the win with a 4.069s/481.93kph pass over Lamattina’s 4.249s/463.01kph effort.
In round two, the teams were required to do their best on the actual startline while the required timing system adjustments were made. This time, both dragsters went up in smoke off the hit, but Read was determined to ensure he claimed the win light, pedalling the Hydraulink Top Fuel Dragster all the way down the track to ensure he got the win, the points, and the spot in the A-Final.
Now, the team must wait until November to find out who will take out the victory, but before they do, they will race a whole other event with round two of the season scheduled to be held at Heathcote Park Raceway across October 1 and 2.
“It was certainly an interesting day at Alice Springs Inland Dragway, and no matter how we made it happen, two wins and a spot in the A-Final is fantastic,” Hydraulink Jim Read Racing driver, Phil Read, said.
“We had everything thrown at us, from a shortened program to the the timing system issues which we were hit with not once, but twice, and the super cold conditions.
“But we were determined to make the most of it and in that second round in particular, I wasn’t giving it up for anything, I was staying in it and making sure we turned on the win light to give us the best possible chance of going to the A-Final, and it worked!
“It does feel a little strange having to wait a couple of months to actually have the A-Final, but it has been done before and with the weather as it was, it could not be avoided. By the time we would have towed out for the final, it would have been much, much too cold and dewy for us to run the Top Fuelers down the track.
“So for now, we turn our attentions to Heathcote – hopefully we can secure a win there to boost our momentum for heading to Perth where hopefully we can come away with two event victories,” he grinned.
As part of the Red CentreNATs, the opening round of the 2022 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship was a huge event for Alice Springs Inland Dragway, with the venue packed with spectators.
“The atmosphere was just amazing, the place was absolutely packed with enthusiastic and appreciative race fans and while we know they would have been disappointed by the postponement of the finals, I really hope they enjoyed the show that we were able to put on,” Hydraulink Jim Read Racing Crew Chief, Bruce Read, said.
“Top Fuel is all about the show and we really enjoy seeing the smiles on the faces of the fans, especially at events like this where they haven’t seen Top Fuel for quite some time.
“We can’t wait to come back again in the future and in the meantime, we just want to say thank you not only to our sponsors and our hard-working crew, but also to all the fans who stopped by the pits and who showed their support for us this weekend, it was greatly appreciated.”
Hydraulink Jim Read Racing will next be on-track with the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship at the Heathcote Park Raceway Summer Slam event on October 1-2. For more information about the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, visit www.topfuelaustralia.com.au
Hydraulink Jim Read Racing is supported on track by Hydraulink, McDonalds, Valvoline, FXD Workwear, PremiAir Hire, Odyssey Batteries, PMP Motorsport Products, Kalitta Motorsports USA, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance Wrist Pins, Oasis Aquatics, Speed Gas, Spa Electric Pool Lighting and Pacific Pools. To learn more about Hydraulink Jim Read Racing, visit https://www.facebook.com/JimReadRacing
