Daniel Gregorini will begin his chase for his first Australian Top Doorslammer Championship at this weekend’s Top End Nationals in Darwin.
The event is the first for the Australian Drag Racing Championship (ADRC), which sees ANDRA returning to running an officially sanctioned championship series for Top Doorslammers and Top Fuel Motorcycles.
“We are very excited about the newly developed ADRC,” Gregorini said. “You will see us at all the events and all five states of the 2021/22 season, starting this weekend in Darwin at Hidden Valley Drag Strip. The future of Australian drag racing is here.”
The Top End Nationals will be the second event at Hidden Valley in a month for Gregorini, who also competed at Nitro Up North in June. There Gregorini struggled with an event where the team couldn’t get down the track in representative fashion.
“Nitro Up North wasn’t our greatest showing,” he confessed. “Our first pass saw us with an unwanted electrical gremlin which was quickly found back in the pits. The second pass saw the car leave nice and clean, and I shifted through three gear changes before I buttoned it off near half track as I could feel the car turning the tyres. I was playing the safe card to make sure we kept the car safe. The final lap was contested for third place between myself and great friend Matt Abel but we went up in smoke on the hit.”
Gregorini was hopeful that most of the problems were shaken out of the Scratch & Match Motorsport Camaro ahead of the opening round of the national championship.
“We are still trying to progress our way back into the 5.60s after our huge crash in Perth last November,” he said. “The car is 40 pounds heavier after the crash so I’ve been trying to shred a few pounds off myself instead. We have a few other small changes coming up but we will test them in Perth prior to the Summer Slam opener.”
Hidden Valley Drag Strip provides a unique challenge to engine tuners because of its tropical location. The humidity and heat, even in the middle of winter, rob motors of horsepower.
“The conditions are like no other track,” Gregorini said. “We take a 300-400hp loss in those conditions compared to our local track in Perth, so reading the track conditions and applying every bit of power you can is what will win races at Hidden Valley. With the epic entry list we have for the first ever event of the ADRC it’s anyone’s race this weekend.”
Scratch & Match Motorsport are planning to contest as many rounds as possible of the new ADRC this season, alongside their existing commitment to the Direct Mining & Industrial Summer Slam at Perth Motorplex.
“Our priority is to run Summer Slam and support our home state, but at the same time ANDRA and the ADRC needs our support. I’ve spoken to ANDRA CEO Brett Stevens and given him our support to be at all rounds, as long as nothing unforeseen happens.
“Following round one this weekend we will head to Alice Springs the following week for round two. We have never been to Alice so we can’t wait for the challenge of a new track. I’ve heard great things and can’t wait to meet the great people of Alice Springs Inland Dragway – maybe we will even try and reset Zap’s track record!”
In the background, Scratch & Match Motorsport continues its progress towards becoming a two car team, as work on Daniel’s wife Lisa’s own Camaro nears completion.
“Lisa’s car is progressing great. We have sourced a nearly brand new PSI supercharger for it and also a very fresh five-speed Liberty gearbox.
“We are just in the process of changing seats around to a safer and more supportive seat, mounting new pedals and giving it a full rewire. Fingers crossed we should see Lisa out around Christmas and New Year for licensing and testing to get ready for the start of ADRC and Summer Slam in 2022.”
None of this would be possible without the support of the team’s major sponsors Scratch & Match Autocolour, Kerb Doctor, Westcoast Siteworks, Kendall Oils, S & S Industries and Dalisa Estate Winery, along with supporting sponsors Signbiz WA, PT Promotions, Go Print, Dirty Detailing, Final Drive Engineering, Gforce Race Cars, Resolution Racing Services and DMPE.
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