Picture this: You’re nineteen years old, and you’ve just been given the chance to drive an iconic Top Doorslammer under the watchful eye of your legendary uncle. You’d be forgiven for wanting to stay low-key—expecting a steep learning curve and a slow climb toward success.
Fast-forward a few short months, and you’re exiting the car at the end of the Perth Motorplex return road. Reality hits: “Did that really just happen?”
On Sunday, March 2, 2025, in front of the biggest hometown crowd of the year, Brodie Zappia won the 54th Westernationals in Top Doorslammer. Not only did Brodie become the youngest professional-category winner in National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) history, he’s also the second-youngest Doorslammer winner of all time—behind only Ben Bray’s age-17 record.
“Honestly, I’m still pinching myself,” Brodie said. “I went through the finish line, pulled the chutes, and coasted into the braking area, hardly believing what I’d just done. By the time I saw my crew jumping up and down on the big screen, it finally sunk in: I’d won.”
On Saturday, John Zappia set an imposing benchmark in qualifying, rattling off a 5.67 at 254 mph in the Dananni Hotshots/Fuchs Monaro—good enough to secure the top spot and win the Crow Cams Top Qualifier prize.
Brodie, meanwhile, had tested a new Crow Camshaft on the Thursday test day and was establishing his baseline in the MAX Plant Monaro. This showed during Qualifying on Saturday, clocking consistent 5.847 and 5.851 passes. “Once we reset our baseline, I felt comfortable with the setup”, said Brodie.
Race team poses with a blue and white car under a canopy, holding winner banners. They wear matching uniforms, smiling and pointing upward.
Brodie Zappia and the Zappia Racing MAX Plant Monaro Crew
When eliminations began, Brodie kept the pressure on. He dispatched Frank Taylor in Round 1 with a 5.871 at 241.15 mph, while John laid down a strong 5.733 at 250.82 mph on a solo pass despite the warmer conditions.
In Round 2, Brodie again faced Frank Taylor, turning in a 5.859 at 240.71 mph to secure another win. John’s second run ended in frustration:
“I rolled forward, looked up at the Christmas tree and realised I had double-bulbed. I got ready for the run and left with Lisa Gregorini. As I got to the finish line and saw the Camaro poke its nose in front and realised I got beaten. When we got back and looked at the data we realised that the lock-up clutch didn’t activate due to a limit switch malfunction,” he explained. “We still ran a 5.763 at 246.50 mph, but it wasn’t enough to chase down Lisa Gregorini.”
Heading into the finals, Brodie went to wish Maurice Brennan good luck—only to learn Brennan had snapped an axle and withdrawn from the event. “He said, ‘Congrats on winning the Westernationals,’ which caught me off-guard,” Brodie recalled. Then, a points calculation mix-up revealed Steve Aldridge would actually face Brodie in the A Final, while John would once again meet Lisa Gregorini in the C Final.
John rebounded with a 5.721 to win the C Final in the Dananni HotShots/Fuchs Monaro. But all eyes were on Brodie, who lined up against Aldridge with everything on the line. Despite Aldridge’s quicker Plymouth, Brodie welded his opponent to the Christmas Tree and ran 5.899 at 239.58 mph to claim a thrilling holeshot victory.
“I looked over at half-track expecting to see at least the nose cone of Steve’s car, but there was no purple anywhere in sight,” Brodie said. “I pulled the chutes, shut it off, and as I rolled through the shutdown area, I saw my crew jumping up and down on the big screen. That’s when it hit me—I’d won!”
Young man holding trophy beside a race car under a canopy. Signs read “Westernationals Winner” and “Top Doorslammer Round 4 Winner.” Night setting.
The rookie sensation was candid about his rapid rise.
“I came into this year thinking it would just be about learning the car—no traveling, no full championship,” Brodie said. “Then I made the A Finals at the Blown Alcohol round, another A-Final at the Golden States, and then Summit Racing Equipment came on board. Everything just fell into place.”
Emotions ran high in the Zappia pit after the final round.
“Mum and Dad were close to tears when I got back,” Brodie said. “I’ve wanted to be like Uncle John since I was three—and now it’s happening. They know what I’ve sacrificed and how hard I’ve worked to get here, and it means the world to share this moment with them.”
For John, now celebrating 45 years in racing, the weekend had both highs and lows.
“Almost perfect for Brodie—great for him and our sponsors, but not so great for me with (Russell) Taylor pulling away in points,” he said. “We’ll freshen up this Dananni Hotshots/Fuchs Monaro and get ready for the Direct Mining WA Doorslammer round later this month, then aim to swing for the fences at The Bend in Adelaide for the next NDRC round. Everybody runs fast there.”
Brodie and John both extended their gratitude to their supporters.
“We had MAX Plant and Fuchs Lubricants trackside with some of their clients this weekend, which was awesome,” Brodie said. “And a special thanks to Danni from Dananni Hotshots who is always at these events and supplying lots of free pink merchandise for the fans, Summit Racing Equipment, Striker Crushing and Screening, High Speed Engineering, Tony’s Auto Wreckers and all our partners—their support makes this all possible.”
Team in colorful shirts celebrating on a racetrack at night. Background features signs reading “Spares Osborne Park” and “Electrical careers.”
The MAX Plant Monaro Crew
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