Hydraulink Jim Read Racing is set for a championship showdown at this weekend’s final round of the 2022/2023 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship – Nitro Up North at the Hidden Valley Drag Strip (June 16/17).
The team and its driver, three-time Top Fuel champion, Phil Read, head to Darwin just 65 points adrift of current points leader, 2015 champion Damien Harris, and tied for second place with two-time and reigning champ, Peter Xiberras.
“I am highly confident that we can take out the event win,” Phil Read said.
“To win the championship at the same time will require some cards to fall our way, but I can tell you what – if we don’t win it, we will be going down swinging.
“Absolutely everything that we have as a team is going into this event, and we will be leaving nothing on the table.
“We know the same can be said for the Harris and the Rapisardas, and Xiberras and PremiAir Racing, so one thing is for sure – the fans are in for a hell of a show!”
Nitro Up North is being held as part of the Supercars’ Darwin Triple Crown at the neighbouring Hidden Valley Raceway and is well known for attracting a packed out crowd.
If Hydraulink Jim Read Racing can take out the title in front of what is expected to be a full house, it will be celebrating Phil Read’s fourth title, and first since 2008.
“In drag racing, and especially in Top Fuel drag racing, you can never say never, you can never discount any possibility, and you can never safely predict anything – it is a cliché, but absolutely anything can and does happen in this great sport of ours,” Hydraulink Jim Read Racing Crew Chief, Bruce Read, said.
“Sixty five points isn’t a super close gap, but it isn’t insurmountable either, and we will be doing all we can to make sure we are in the best position possible to take out the title.
“We will be swinging for the fences, that is for sure, and hopefully we can bring home an event win and maybe even a title – which would be a perfect way to show our thanks to all of our great sponsors and supporters who make what we do possible.
“Hydraulink, Valvoline, Snap-On, McDonalds, FXD Workwear, PremiAir Hire, Odyssey Batteries, PMP Motorsport Products, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance Wrist Pins, Oasis Aquatics, Oasis Heat Pumps, Speed Gas, Spa Electric Pool Lighting and Pacific Pools have all each played a valuable role in our exploits this season.
“We cannot thank them or our fans enough for all of their support as we look to finish this season on the best high possible, while also preparing for an exciting new season ahead.
“The revitalisation of the sport of Australian drag racing is well underway off the back of all that the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship, its management and its teams have achieved over the past two seasons.
“There really is nothing like Top Fuel dragsters. They are the Formula One of drag racing, it is the absolute ultimate of our sport and you just can’t compete with what a Top Fuel dragster is and what it can do; the noise, the sound and the spectacle – the response of the fans has proven that over and over again.
“The sport is on the edge of a new era, and I can’t wait to see how things evolve over the coming 12 months.”
Hydraulink Jim Read Racing is supported on track by Hydraulink, Valvoline, Snap-On, McDonalds, FXD Workwear, PremiAir Hire, Odyssey Batteries, PMP Motorsport Products, Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance Wrist Pins, Oasis Aquatics, Oasis Heat Pumps, Speed Gas, Spa Electric Pool Lighting and Pacific Pools. The team also thanks Richard Smith for his assistance with photography services. To learn more about Hydraulink Jim Read Racing, visit https://www.facebook.com/JimReadRacing
