Australian championship winning team Lamattina Top Fuel Racing have confirmed young American racer Cameron Ferré will be the driver of the YBI Creative dragster for Santo’s Summer Thunder in Sydney this weekend.

After getting its year off to a hot start at Willowbank Raceway, Team Bray Racing now has its sights set on Sydney Dragway’s Santo’s Summer Thunder event.

A mixed weekend at Queensland’s Willowbank Raceway has seen John Zappia predicting a Pro Slammer championship that may well come down to the wire later this 400 Thunder season. Zappia took two wins from three rounds as part of the New Years Thunder event on Saturday, but a wild run in round two saw the Fuchs/Dananni Hotshots Holden Monaro cross the centre line and give up a potential final round place against eventual winner Paul Mouhayet. Changing track conditions proved a challenge for the team, who tested positively before the event before taking on race day. “We started off a bit too stout in testing, taking some timing blocks out on out first run after going 3.76 to half track,” Zappia explained. “We came back for another shot and blew the tyres off early, then backed off the clutch to get down for a 5.64/254mph late in the night. We were pretty happy with that, so we decided to sit out the hot 2.30pm sighting run on race day and come out ready for the first round.” Zappia took on Paul Cannuli for round one and made it through for his first win light of the day. “We backed it off a bit more for the first round of racing but not enough. I had to pedal and it shook, so I punched second and it kept shaking. We went 5.89/252mph and got the win fortunately.” Zappia next took on relatively new Pro Slammer racer Emilio Spinozzi, whose consistency has been paying dividends. The track conditions were tricky as Zappia searched for the right path down the famous Willowbank Raceway quarter mile. “We did all our testing in the left lane but on race day we found there were a lot of bald spots (areas of thin or no rubber) near the start line so lane choice for most teams seemed to be the right lane. We had to stage the car carefully to make sure we had the optimum path of rubber. “We kept the car staged slightly left against Emilio and when we launched it ended up going more and more left and before I knew it I saw a timing block coming. I crossed the centreline and that was the end of the second round and our finals chances.” Disappointed to give up the win, Zappia had to regroup for the third round against old nemesis Ben Bray. “We didn’t touch the car’s set up and came back the next round against Ben Bray. As I went into stage I looked up and I had double bulbed myself (gone into full stage immediately). I had no startline revs up, so I tried to reverse and back up a little but that didn’t work. In fact it got worse because the car went forward a little and now I was in very deep stage. Ben’s staging lights came on and I got on the revs, I took a guess and dropped the clutch and got near to our launch RPM. The time card shows a 1.08 60 foot because of the deep stage but fortunately our 5.80 was enough to scrape by.” With a 39 point deficit to Mouhayet, Zappia knows there is much work to do in the final three rounds of the 400 Thunder Pro Slammer Championship. “Two of the meetings to come are all run formats where it is hard to claw back points. For us to chase down Paul we will need to be perfect and it may be one of those championships that all comes down to the final round at the Winternationals.” The Fuchs/Dananni Hotshots team next head to Sydney Dragway for Santo’s Summer Thunder on January 18 and 19. Zappia commended Sydney Dragway’s track preparation at recent events and says even in the heat, the times will likely be quick. “We would love nothing more than a race track where we can run a string of 5.60s. It’s only a matter of getting this car to go down the track without needing a pedal. “We have to claw some points back so we need superior performance and consistency to be able to do that.” Zappia also wished to pass on his best wishes to fellow Pro Slammer racer Kelvin Lyle, who had a nasty accident during racing. “We’ve had a close relationship with Kelvin and his team over the years, supplying the ZR1 horsepower in his awesome Ford Mustang,” Zappia said. “It was a rough accident and we wish Kelvin all the best in his recovery and we know he will be back quicker than ever once he is up and about.” – Zappia Racing Media Release

Emilio and Adamo Spinozzi have moved to fifth place in the 400 Thunder Pro Slammer Championship following two wins from three rounds at Willowbank Raceway on Saturday. While Emilio is the first to admit luck has played a part in being in the top five after three championship rounds, he said the team has been making sure the Speedmaster Chevelle is prepared to make the start line for every round. “There’s the old saying ‘to finish first, first you must finish’ and the hard work of the Speedmaster team allows us to be out there for every round,” he said. “We’ve had our fair share of luck on side this season, but we’ve also been reasonably consistent and made sure we are on that start line without fail. You can’t take advantage of opponents slipping up if you aren’t there.” The Speedmaster Chevelle’s first challenge at Willowbank’s New Years Thunder event was Queensland’s Russell Pavey, but the team caught an early break when Pavey left a red light on the tree, while Spinozzi had to battle tyre shake. “I didn’t see Russell’s red light at first, so I was on and off the throttle thinking I had to chase him down,” Spinozzi said. The next round delivered more fortune against legendary driver John Zappia. Zappia crossed the centre line which saw an automatic win for Spinozzi. “I saw John coming over so I got off the throttle for a bit, and then back into it once I saw he had his car under control.” Two wins up, Spinozzi made it to the B Final for the event, taking on Sam Fenech. There the Speedmaster Chevelle made one of its best launches yet, but got loose shortly after half track. “Sam was out in front and it didn’t look like we could chase him down, so with the car getting skatey it was the right choice to take my foot off the throttle and live to fight another day,” Spinozzi said. “We weren’t disappointed at all though. Two win lights and we moved to fifth place in the points. We know that’s a position we are going to have to defend vigorously for the remaining half of the season.” While there were highlights for Spinozzi, there were some lowlights for the class with racers Andrew Searle and Kelvin Lyle having some big accidents. “We never like to see our fellow racers damaging their cars or themselves. We’d like to pass on our best wishes to both Andrew and Kelvin and hope to see them back on the track soon,” Spinozzi said. Spinozzi Racing crew chief Mick Marriott said the team tested a more aggressive set up in the pursuit of quick times, but had to give full credit for the team for learning an entirely new race car. “The racing is almost the last part of it,” he said. “The engine preparation, car preparation and turn around is all done at our workshop, and the fact we are doing that all in-house has been just as big a learning curve.” The team now heads for Sydney Dragway for the next round of the championship, Santo’s Summer Thunder on January 18 and 19. Spinozzi thanked team sponsors Speedmaster, Hitachi Construction Machinery, Nicsons Concrete, Torco Oils, LJ Hooker Commercial Macarthur, Soligo Concrete, Sloanebuilt Trailers, Pasta Italia, Optimum Fire, Planned Signs, Kemps Creek Mitre 10, Western Filters, Speedflow, Al’s Race Glides, Smithfield Diff and Gearbox, Race Teknix and Corfield Media Solutions for their continued support. – Spinozzi Racing Media Release

Dave Todd will head to South Coast Raceway’s South Coast 660 – round six of the 18/19 Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series – this weekend buoyed by recent victory at the Portland (Victoria) venue.

Kelly Bettes said she feels lucky to be alive after a scary moment a couple of days after the New Years Thunder Top Fuel event at Willowbank Raceway. Bettes, pilot for Lamattina Top Fuel Racing, was driving with partner Blaze Hansen in their Ford Territory when a car crossed straight in front of them to turn, but fortunately escaped major injury in the head on crash. Crashes like these serve as a stark reminder that even the most experienced drivers aren’t immune to the dangers posed by others’ mistakes. Whether it’s a sudden lane change, a reckless turn, or a high-speed impact, the aftermath can leave lasting physical and emotional scars. In such cases, working with a skilled rear-end crash injury attorney can be crucial to securing fair compensation for medical expenses, lost income, and the long-term effects of the accident. With the right legal guidance, victims can focus on recovery while knowing their rights are being fully protected. “Blaze and were I driving along a two lane road at 100kph when a car in the oncoming lane decided to turn across our lane into his driveway,” Bettes explained. “I can not believe the stupidity and judgement of the other driver. We were so close that in hard braking we would have been lucky to slow to 85-90kph before we hit. “It was a frightening moment knowing there’s nothing you can do. Both Blaze and I are bruised and sore, a couple of grazes but otherwise all okay. My car did its job to keep us alive and I cannot express how impressed I was with the airbag/safety system in the Territory. The ambulance officers said that they can’t believe we walked away.” With the next round of the 400 Thunder Top Fuel Championship coming up in less than 10 days, Bettes is hopeful the soreness will wear off and allow her to give it her all as she pursues a second title. “I will still be racing at Summer Thunder next weekend. I’m sure it will be a little more difficult then normal, but the people that know me, know I’ll still give it everything I have got!”

From the headlines, it might have looked like another Tremayne whitewash at New Years Thunder, but behind the scenes it was a tough night for the Queensland Pro Stock outfit.

Pro Bike saw a first time victor at New Years Thunder with Western Australia’s Ryan Learmonth taking his first 400 Thunder event over Daniel Rabnott.

It didn’t take long for two of Australia’s foremost drag racers on methanol to return to the top of their respective categories this 400 Thunder season.

Queensland’s Kelly Bettes lived up to her championship-winning reputation at New Years Thunder at Willowbank Raceway on Saturday night, recovering from a first round mistake to take out the final round from America’s Ashley Sanford.