The Gulf Western Oil Winternationals will have an international flavour in 2018 thanks to the Pro Slammer category where two overseas drivers will compete.

Building and maintaining just a single Top Fuel team is among the most demanding challenges in the sport of drag racing, but Sydney-based Rapisarda Autosport International will take it to the next level at the 2018 Gulf Western Oil Winternationals this weekend when they field three of the ground shaking dragsters.

As the saying goes, you have to crawl before you can walk. For Emilio and Adamo Spinozzi and the Speedmaster Chevelle Pro Slammer, crawling comes at Australia’s biggest drag racing event.

John Zappia comes to the 2018 Winternationals prepared for a fight in the Fuchs/Dananni Hotshots Holden Monaro.

It was 12 months ago Adam Layton attended his first Winternationals. It was his first interstate trip and the sheer size of the event left a huge impression on the Sydney-based rider.

Gulf Western Oil Nitro Thunder saw a couple unfortunate accidents, and a few have enquired on the condition of the injured racers. The most serious of these accidents were Peter Xiberras in Top Fuel and Terry Jackson in Competition Bike, with both racers requiring hospital stays.  Xiberras was injured when his Top Fuel dragster impacted the wall heavily on the underside, causing some spinal fractures. Xiberras ended up requiring spinal surgery after it was decided by doctors as the best course of action for his recovery. The procedure was successful and on May 14 he was released from hospital to begin his recovery back to full health and we hope to see him behind the wheel of the Premiair Top Fuel Dragster in the near future. The Premiair Racing team have expressed their gratitude towards all the well wishes via their Facebook page. “He continues to improve each day and is looking forward to getting back onto his feet. In the meantime he is busy reading all the messages of support that have been flooding in. Thank you to everyone who has rallied around Peter, his family and the race team. Your well wishes are most appreciated,” their statement read. — CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT — The other serious incident involved Terry Jackson who had a finishline accident aboard Mick Donohue’s Competition Bike. Jackson was caught underneath the bike as it slid across the track. Though he was able to stand up immediately after the accident, it caused severe grazing and a broken ankle which needed skin grafts and surgery respectively. Jackson has just provided a message on his condition and is fortunately on the path to a full recovery. “As you are all aware on the 4th of May at Sydney Dragway, I had a crash that unfortunately resulted in me sliding across into the left lane in front of Chris Collin, who did a great job of missing me. Chris was off his bike and back to check on me within seconds – thanks mate,” said Jackson. “My injuries thankfully weren’t too serious, although painful. A broken ankle that required surgery to plate it back together, my right thigh and hip were badly grazed, both requiring skin grafts that were taken from my left thigh. I spent a total of ten days in the hospital, with visits back as an outpatient almost every day since.” “The bike surprisingly was mostly fine requiring a foot peg, exhaust dump pipe, and a brake lever and some scratches to the bodywork. I would like to thank everyone for the phone calls, texts and visits. I’m humbled by the offers of help over the last few weeks. Mick Donahue has gone above and beyond staying in Sydney, running my wife to and from the hospital, making sure I get to my daily appointments. Thanks mate. “The bike is getting a well deserved birthday with plenty of new bits being made to shed some weight. Race safe this weekend people – I will be watching. See you all in the staging lanes soon.” Phil Howard had a tumble deep into the braking area in Pro Stock Motorcycle, as we reported previously, Howard was unharmed in the fall which was nothing – for Phil – compared to that famous exit he made on a Top Fuel Bike all those years ago at Calder Park. Finally veteran Ben Gatt had a heavy crash in his famous XA coupe when the engine let go. Gatt became just a passenger when the Falcon went head-on into the wall. Apart from a small fire which made things a little warm inside the XA, Gatt climbed out unharmed and returned to the track the next day feeling no effects from the crash. He thanked the Simpson Hybrid neck brace for doing its job. The car is not as badly damaged as first thought, and is already stripped and cut back to the front engine plate. It needed new front strut inserts and steering rack plus an engine rebuild. Work is being done by Jeremy and Jarred Boskovich along with Alan Odgers. Drag News Magazine wishes all racers the best of health in their continued recovery.

Lamattina Top Fuel Racing head to the Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway with more than the championship on the minds of the team – they continue to support causes outside of championship drag racing.

The lead up to the Gulf Western Oil 51st Winternationals for Chris Matheson and his “Nitro Voodoo” crew has seen a concentrated effort to make things happen.

The MacLean Motorsports Holden Monaro has made one of the runs of the year in the Australian drag racing scene with a phenomenal 5.572 during the 2018 Gulf Western Oil Winternationals Warm Up at Willowbank Raceway.

The fascinating battle between Australian teams for the world’s quickest street GTR has been knocked ever closer to the six second zone with Anthony Maatouk cracking a 7.17/194mph in KING32 at Sydney Dragway.

Team Bray Racing is set for a huge Gulf Western Oil Winternationals at its home track of Willowbank Raceway this weekend.

  Peter Xiberras may not be competing at this week’s Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be keeping a keen eye on what is the largest championship drag racing event held outside of the USA.

There will be no team orders to win a championship according to Top Fuel team owner Santo Rapisarda, with Rapisarda Autosport International star Damien Harris needing to close a 33 point gap to series leader Kelly Bettes to win the 2017-18, 400 Thunder Championship at the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals on June 7-10.

The 2018 Gulf Western Oil Winternationals Warm Up continued on Sunday June 3, with Gary Phillips in his Pro Alcohol Funny Car having the run of the day with a 5.403/265mph, bouncing back from a disappointing Nitro Thunder event.

Willowbank Raceway’s Rob Oberg recently held this revealing sit down interview with doorslammer icon Victor Bray.

Pro Slammer has been shaken up with Scott Maclean dropping the categories quickest ever pass on day one of the Winter Warmups – 5.572.

The Atura Blacktown NSW Championship Series has reached its midpoint and takes a several month break heading into Winter.

The Gulf Western Oil Winternationals is a world class event, where over 500 race teams gather across four days in front of over 30,000 spectators to take part in the largest drag racing festival in the Southern Hemisphere.

Rod Harvey may drive a Toyota Celica but there is nothing pedestrian about this sports compact drag car: it is, in fact, the fastest import car in the southern hemisphere and the fifth quickest in the world.

Fans of two-wheeled action will not be left out in the cold at the Gulf Western Oil Winternationals with 76 motorcycle teams in total to play a part in the event.

Leonard Azzopardi has been leading the way in the no-bar bike scene for over a decade with his famous ‘Quicksilver’ Hayabusa, now his new creation ‘Outrun’ is writing its own records.

John Willard’s new supercharged Anglia is a very unique deal in Australia in this age, however they are still a common sight in the UK, and somewhere Willard hopes to race in the future.

The 2018 Gulf Western Oil Nitro Thunder (May 4-5) was a pivotal event for Jim Read Racing. Depending on the outcome, crew chief Bruce Read had left the door open for a possible appearance at the 51st Winternationals.

The Porters Racing team has had some time away from the race track in the past season or two, but the family team is happy to say they are making the trip to Willowbank Raceway for the 51st Gulf Western Oils Winternationals, and they aren’t coming just to make up the numbers.

The first time Chris Matheson brings his 1500 plus horsepower “Nitro Voodoo” Top Fuel Motorcycle to the start line at the 2018 Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, he will officially have wrapped up his fifth Australian Top Bike Championship. This is an accomplishment that will go into the drag racing history books and could well be an achievement never to be repeated again in Australia.

Sunoco Race Fuels and the Australian National Drag Racing Association are proud to announce a partnership between the two organisations which will see Sunoco as the official fuel supplier for all ANDRA-sanctioned events.

Bill Perdikaris is a quietly spoken, and always somewhat a dark horse in Pro Stock.

The Hidden Valley Track Championship Series in now in full swing after the running of round two last weekend.