When Anthony Begley stood on the throttle pedal inside the Chemical Warfare Nitro Funny Car, he knew something was wrong almost immediately.

Drag racing’s accessibility remains one of its most appealing qualities. The sport is still within range of privateer teams, even with professional teams spending huge budgets to go quicker.

They say one of the secrets to a successful relationship is to have shared interests – and what better interest could you have than drag racing?

When Russell Mills unveiled his Pro Alcohol ‘Funster’ for the first time, it’s fair to say the response was mixed. This hybrid of a dragster, funny car and altered was looked on with scorn by some, questioning why Mills would build such a freak.

Swedish furniture giant Ikea is famous for its flat packed furniture, using inspired design to create stylish household items that you can build yourself, often with just their famed allen key. There is a drag racing version of this.

Two words can summarise Phil Penny’s Honda S600 – genre-defying. The body shouts nostalgia, but the turbo poking out of the bonnet argues an outlaw of some description. Between the chassis rails the Toyota 2JZ motor is all sport compact, but on the tyres it’s a 10.5. The conflict is just how Penny likes it.

Shane Tucker was a champion racer in Junior Dragster and had aspirations to follow his father’s footsteps in Pro Stock, only bigger. Leads presented themselves in the USA, where Shane could pursue his childhood dream of becoming an NHRA drag racer. He had talent as a driver, marketable looks and the curiosity factor of being Australian.

Clay Millican became the quickest Top Fuel driver in the world over the weekend with an astonishing 3.628 second run over 1000 feet. While the Tennessee native is a gun driver, he will happily tell you that the brains behind the performances come from his crew chief – Australian expat David Grubnic.

  Rapisarda Autosport International are committed to racing around the planet in Top Fuel. Watch their adventure in Pomona, California in our latest video feature.

The phoenix is a mythical bird, reborn and regenerated in a continuous cycle from the ashes of its predecessor. Before rebirth, the phoenix dies in a show of flame and combustion.