Thomas Leake arrived at Willowbank Raceway last Thursday for the Pro Stock Nationals with no engine in his car – two days later, he was racing in his first ever NDRC final, a truly thrilling showdown which came down to just fourteen-thousandths of a second at the line.
Leake lined up against returning racer and good mate John Barbagallo on Saturday evening, with Barbagallo’s 6.936-second pass at 317.57kph just holding off Leake’s 6.966/315.27kph.
Both finalists were running Barbagallo’s own ‘Rooster Power’ combination, and adding more to the story, is the fact that earlier in the weekend, it was looking like Leake might struggle to even go rounds.
“It was definitely an eventful weekend. We drove to Willowbank without the engine in the car and only got it on Thursday when John and his crew arrived. We spent the afternoon putting it in and had the car fired up by later that evening, it was a huge effort from everyone involved.” Leake explained.
“We got off to a rough start in qualifying on Friday and weren’t able to put together any strong runs. In fact, Friday was probably our toughest day of the season. But the team responded brilliantly on Saturday, turned things around, and the car was doing exactly what we wanted it to.”
Leake announced himself in round one Saturday, beating reigning champion Rob Dekert off the line and hanging on for a hole shot win.
“To win that on a hole shot (6.994 to Dekert’s 6.916) was very exciting. It was a big match-up to have, especially first up, but I wasn’t going down without a fight,” he said.
A 6.995/313.40kph then accounted for Darryl Stephen (7.106/311.74kph) in round two to ensure Leake’s place in his first NDRC A-Final.
“Everyone was feeling confident heading into the final. I got off the line well, hit every gear change, and couldn’t see him alongside me the whole way down the track. I would have sworn I had him,” he reflects.
“But it came down to just fourteen-thousandths of a second at the finish line. At that speed, that’s only about half a guard length. It was a fantastic final, an incredibly close race, and one that could have gone either way. It was very cool to be part of.”
Leake’s breakthrough NDRC final follows his Pro Stock win at the ANDRA Drag Racing Masters at his home track of Sydney Dragway in January.
Now he turns his attention to the Haltech East Coast Nationals, also at Sydney Dragway, with both his January and Pro Stock Nationals results combined with a hopeful home track advantage seeing him head into the 26/27 September event with confidence.
“I’m feeling pretty confident. We made a few changes and they paid off, so hopefully we can carry that momentum into Sydney and put on a good show.”
Leake was quick to share the credit, thanking his entire crew, his dad Bruce, mum Doris, Russ, Zaf, and wife Amy; while sending a shout out to Dave for driving the engine down from Ayr, John, Adam and everyone at JB Automotive.
The Haltech East Coast Nationals at Sydney Dragway on 26 and 27 September hosts the penultimate round of the 2026 NDRC Pro Stock Championship, alongside BLAHST Top Fuel, XPRO Nitro Funny Car, Top Doorslammer and Pro Mod. The Aeroflow Sportsman Championship will also be in action.
Event information is available at www.sydneydragway.com.au, with championship information at www.ndrc.tv.
