Almost every racer to have won an Australian Top Doorslammer drag racing championship will headline an outstanding field or drivers contesting Slamfest Mildura at the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association’s Sunset Strip this weekend.
Six time champion Victor Bray, former champs Ben Bray, Peter Kapiris, Gary Phillips along with three time and reigning champion John Zappia are all aiming to not only win the prestigious race but also reset the track record in the process. The Slamfest series is contested by sedan based vehicles with huge supercharged engines producing over 3000 horsepower capable of covering the eighth mile racing distance in under four seconds while reaching speeds over 300 kph.
For West Australia’s John Zappia it will be his first Slamfest event having previously concentrated on the traditional quarter mile series. Despite his lack of familiarity with racing over the shorter distance Zappia is still expected to be one of the front runners on Saturday.
Long time rival Victor Bray said “It’ll be great to have Zap here in Mildura. I’ve raced against John all over Australia over the last couple of decades and you know when he pulls into the pits he’s going to throw everything he’s got at the track and never take a backward step.
This weekend he’ll be facing a dozen equally ferocious drivers determined to beat him. Last year’s winner Matt Abel has been particularly strong at regional tracks and will be a big threat again but really when you have a look at the field just about anyone could win this thing so I think it sets the scene for a really good event for the fans.”
One notable absentee this weekend is Slamfest Series leader Peter Blake who has elected to sacrifice his points position and stay in Sydney where his wife Katie is due to give birth to their first child this week. Second placed Peter Kapiris and Ben Bray in third are both very well positioned to take over the series lead this weekend if the cards fall their way.
The Doorslammers will hit the track for a test session at 11.00am Saturday morning followed by their qualifying and racing rounds from 2.00pm with the final expected around 8.00pm.
The Top Doorslammers will be backed up by strong fields in the Pro Street and Supercharged Outlaws categories along with a full range of the usual sportsman classes.
The Slamfest event will receive extensive television coverage with one hour shows on Speedweek on SBS and Inside Speed on Speed Channel. An additional 30 minute Full Noise show will also appear on Foxsports. The first broadcast will be SBS Speedweek on Sunday May 1st.
2011 Slamfest Series Points
Position Driver Rd1-CPR Rd2-SCR Total
1 Peter Blake 30 95(ET) 125
2 Peter Kapiris 90 10 100
3 Ben Bray 30 60 90
Maurice Fabietti 60 30 90
5 Scott McLean 10 70 80
6 Sean Mifsud 40 30 70
7 Mat Abel 30 35(S) 65
8 Deno Brijeski 50(ET-S) 10 60
9 Victor Bray 10 30 40
10 Reece Mellenewycz 30 0 30
11 Dale Clothier 10 10 20
Phil Glendenning 10 10 20
Peter Lovering 10 10 20
Frank Mamone 10 10 20
15 Marcus Chambers 0 10 10
Tony Defelice 10 0 10
Points allocation Winner 90
Runner Up 70
Semi Final 40
Elim Rd win 30
Elim Rd lose 10
Low ET 5
High Speed 5
