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

The Australian National Drag Racing Association would like to confirm that the Grand Final for the 18/19 Summit Racing Equipment Junior Dragster championship chase will be held across February 15 and 16 at the Sunraysia Drag Racing Association’s Twilight Nationals event.

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!”

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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.

Anyone who is familiar with South Coast Raceway would be familiar with Greg ‘Dutchy’ Holland, the long-time committee member, former Vice President and track commentator.

New Year’s Thunder doubled as a split round for the 400 Thunder Sportsman Series with Pro Radial, Competition Bike, Top Sportsman, Modified and Super Street in the hunt for championship points.

The Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car series is set to return to Sydney Dragway as part of one of the biggest one-day spectacles ever seen at the venue – the Gulf Western Oil Mega Race on April 6, 2019.

The ACDelco Pro Slammer team of Maurice Fabietti and Mark Hinchelwood took on Dale Heiler from Castle Hill Performance in a fascinating dyno contest in Canberra over the weekend.

Two reigning 400 Thunder champions who have thus far struggled for the season got their series defences back on track with wins at Willowbank Raceway’s New Years Thunder on Saturday night.

Ashley Sanford knocked out the quickest time for Top Fuel in pre-event testing for New Years Thunder at Willowbank Raceway, while John Zappia set a hot pace in the Pro Slammers.

Team owner Maurice Fabietti and driver Mark Hinchelwood have revealed a new ACDelco Holden Monaro at the Summernats car show in Canberra.

Emilio and Adamo Spinozzi are looking for a breakthrough run at New Years Thunder tomorrow at Willowbank Raceway in the Speedmaster Chevelle.

Usually the start of a New Year leads to changes, resolutions, optimism, and bold predictions. However, for Jim Read Racing, they are looking on picking up from their last outing in Sydney and moving forward at this weekend’s New Year’s Thunder at Willowbank Raceway.

Australian NHRA Top Fuel driver Richie Crampton will make his second ever nitro appearance on home soil as part of Willowbank Raceway’s New Years Thunder event this Saturday, January 5.

Vote for the top 15 moments in Sydney Dragway’s 15 year history ahead of Santo’s Summer Thunder and WIN some great prizes!

Aeroflow Performance and Rocket Industries, two of Australia’s key automotive brands, are proud to announce an agreement with the Perth Motorplex that will see the lanes of the iconic West Australian facility named as the Aeroflow and Rocket lanes.