Just two weeks ago at a small eighth mile strip in Victoria, John Cannuli’s hopes of competing at Perth’s Westernationals seemed dashed after his Big Lift Cranes sponsored Top Doorslammer suffered extensive damage in a racing accident. To make matters worse, Cannuli wasn’t even in the driver’s seat at the time as he had lent the car to fellow racer and good friend Sean Mifsud.
At the request of Cannuli, Mifsud was competing at round two of the Slamfest Top Doorslammer Series at Southcoast Raceway in Portland Victoria and during his one and only qualifying run, the 3,000 horsepower Camaro went into severe wheel spin on the gearshift which sent the NSW racer on the wildest ride of his life.
The Chevy Camaro veered left and Mifsud tried everything to keep the borrowed Doorslammer off the wall but before he knew it the car had snapped hard right and it careered across the track smashing into the safety barrier head on with a huge impact. The Camaro then pin-balled back across the track and into the opposite safety barrier causing a second blow before coming to rest in the middle of the track a smouldering mess.
“I just about had to beg Sean to race my car at Slamfest as I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some extra exposure for my sponsors and after some persistence he agreed. I wasn’t at Slamfest when the accident happened because I was in QLD supporting my wife Kirsten as she prepared her Pro Stocker with testing at Willowbank Raceway. My first reaction was devastation at the thought of my car being destroyed and not competing in Perth but then my immediate thoughts went to how Sean was” Cannuli said.
Considering the severity of the accident and the force of the impact Mifsud hobbled away with bruising and a broken leg once again proving just how safe drag racing vehicles are.
“The car can be repaired but at the end of the day I was just so relieved that Sean was ok and after seeing the accident on TV, I realised the full extent of how lucky he was to sustain such minor injuries compared to how serious the accident was” John added.
With the Cannuli sitting sixth in the ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship, John and his Crossroads team went about trying to organise a replacement ride so he could compete at the Perth Motorplex this weekend.
After a heap of phone calls to arrange a replacement car and then the logistics of getting it to Western Australia on such short notice, John’s dream was reborn after being given the opportunity to steer the Paul Cannuli driven 67 Chev Camaro. A car that has proved itself as being one of the quicker in the country having gone 5.87 seconds ironically in the hands of Sean Mifsud.
Today saw John lay down some test launches in “version two” of the Crossroads Racing Camaro prior to this weekend’s 42nd Westernationals at the Perth Motorplex and the team are confident that they can get the job done with the ‘rent-a-ride’.
John has experienced success in Perth in recent years winning the competitive field of Top Alcohol in his Crossroads Racing Funny Car and he would love to make it a double by winning two different categories in two years. Cannuli has in the past run consistent six zero’s in his Big Lift Cranes Camaro and this weekend he is hoping to run his first 5 second Top Doorslammer pass in the west.
Crossroads Racing will take to the track three times for qualifying on Saturday March 2nd at 6pm, 8pm and 9.45pm and round one of racing is scheduled for 6pm Sunday March 3rd.
Crossroads Racing would like to thank all their sponsors for the continued support throughout the 2012/2013 ANDRA Drag Racing Season.
