This weekend’s Goldenstates at the Perth Motorplex will host not only the latest round of the Australian Drag Racing Championship (ADRC) for Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle, but also the postponed finals from Alice Springs for the ADRC Top Doorslammers.
The action-packed event will be held at the West Australian venue across November 11 and 12, with Rob Cassar, Kelvin Lyle and John Zappia just some of the star names on the docket to compete at the event.
Rob Cassar was the round one winner for ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip in June, and will be travelling to Perth from Victoria to compete this weekend.
“It was a long drive to Darwin, and we had a great outcome – I didn’t expect to win as there are some pretty tough customers in the ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle field, but it was our day and it was great to come away with the trophy to start the season,” Cassar said.
“Any one of our field can take it out on the day, it just comes down to how the planets align on that day, but we are feeling pretty confident that we can challenge for more event wins and the ADRC Top Fuel Motorcycle championship even, but for now we are just taking it one day at a time.
“Heading into the Goldenstates, our big aim, aside from an event victory, is to nail down our first six second pass. We came so close in the final in Darwin and looking at the data, that run should have been a six, but it seems I lifted off at the last moment!
“I won’t be doing that this time around,” he grinned. “We will be doing all we can to run that six. I want to skip the 6.90s and go straight into the 6.80s and if the weather conditions are good, I don’t think we will have a problem.
“The Perth Motorplex is a great place to race, this will be my first Goldenstates, but I have raced in Perth a few times before and I love the atmosphere and the facilities. It should be a great weekend,” Cassar concluded, while thanking Ballistic Performance Parts, Shinko Tyres Australia, Lucas Oils Australia, Denso Auto Parts Australia, Powerplus Fuels and Zak at ABS Auto Moorabbin for their support.
Like Cassar, Kelvin Lyle got his season off to a winning start in Darwin, and he heads to the Goldenstates this weekend ready to do battle not only for the local victory, but also in the postponed Alice Springs final against fellow West Australian, John Zappia.
Lyle has been having a fantastic run of late in his Direct Mining International ’67 Ford Mustang Doorslammer, winning not only in Darwin and performing to the level of securing an A-Final berth in Alice Springs, but also taking a win at the Perth Motorplex’s recent PowerPalooza event.
“We have some good momentum going at the moment and after our last few performances, we are definitely feeling confident,” said the Director of Direct Mining International, who also sponsors the Motorplex’s Summer Slam Series.
“We are starting to get faster and faster, which is what we needed now the car is running straight, which is something we were having big issues with. But now we have sorted all that out, we can start putting more power into the car.
“I know the track is going to be great for the Goldenstates, it was really, really good at PowerPalooza which was the first event for the track after the off-season and it was already great, so it is going to be a lot better again for the Goldenstates.
“All of the team are feeling really enthused, everyone is excited again about racing after the shocking year we had last year. Having the Alice Springs final during Goldenstates qualifying is interesting too. Zappia is a really hard person to beat in Perth, it probably would have been better for us to run the final in Alice Springs as it would have been a bit more equal ground for us – but anything can happen and I have beaten him here before, so we can do it again and we will be doing our best to do so!
“Having that final in qualifying doesn’t really change our approach, we will be doing our usual preparation. Everyone wants to go fast in qualifying anyway, so really it is about going as fast as we can, while factoring in more of a focus on reaction times than we would for normal qualifying.
“It will be a huge double bonus if someone can walk away with a win in both the Alice Springs and Goldenstates finals, that would be the ultimate really, and hopefully we can be the ones to do it,” Lyle concluded, while thanking his crew, stating “they have stuck with me even when we were having a hard time – they were probably more enthused than me at times but it is now all starting to come back together and we are all feeling great!”
Local hero and 11-time national champion John Zappia and his Dananni Hot Shots/Fuchs Lubricants Monaro Doorslammer is always an intimidating force any time he rolls out on track, and this weekend at his home track is sure to be no different.
“I am excited heading into the Goldenstates. The car has been running well, we ran a 5.69 second pass at PowerPalooza and then we followed that up with a 5.71 at the NitroMax event on the 29th of October despite absolutely freezing cold conditions,” Zappia said. “Hopefully, we can have some slightly warmer weather at the Goldenstates than what we have of late!
“I am definitely happy with how the car is progressing with the ty-drive and torque converter with a B&J 3 speed. It was the first time actually that I have run at the Motorplex without a clutch, and it was straight into the 5.70s and then 5.69 at PowerPalooza.
“Given that, I am feeling confident that we can improve, but the main thing will be being consistent and the reliability of the car, the engines and everything.
“Having the Alice Springs final during qualifying means we have less opportunity to try stuff as we have to get down the track in the first one and then go into the final for the second one – with no leeway for overstepping the mark, we will need to keep the car conservative so we can have a good shot at winning the race.
“Normally we would look to qualify on the first run and then go out for the second one throwing everything at it, as it doesn’t matter if you overstep as you are still qualified for the next day, but for this one we will need to be a bit more cautious. But other than that, our approach will be business as usual.
“There is definitely the possibility of both event wins, but we have to win four races before that happens and as we know, in drag racing, anything can happen!
“The startline will come into play in a big way as well – it is not just about the performance of the car, you have to be in the zone and not let the pressures of the event get to you, and that will be a core focus,” concluded Zappia, while thanking Dananni Hot Shots and Fuchs Lubricants for their support.
The Goldenstates will be held across November 11 and 12. For the full entry list and other event information, ticketing and schedules, please click here.
To learn more about the Australian Drag Racing Championship and the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, visit www.topfuelchampionship.com.au
