Wham, bam, thank you Slam

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The Slamfest series returned to Victoria on January 21, 2012 and the fans lap it up at Heathcote Raceway.

Slamfest made its first appearance at Heathcote Raceway a quality one with around 4000 fans turning out to the regional facility to see what all the fuss was about.

The new concrete surface to 400 feet provided ample traction on the day after prep by the new tyre spinner and the Portland crew, as evidenced by a 4.01 lap from Peter Kapiris, the quickest seen in Slamfest.

Aside from a few timing system bugs and perhaps a slightly drawn out day with just 44 entries besides the Doorslammers, it really was a fun day out.

John Zappia dominated the day with a series of 4.0 passes. His best run was a 4.03 and in the final he used a 4.05 to overcome a holeshot from Russell Pavey. He also recorded top speed of the day with 192mph. Perhaps the only hiccup was his qualifying run being disqualified because he was late for the session – not that clock watching has ever been Zap’s strong point.

Russell Pavey’s Ken Lowe built Corvette in new United Tools colours delivered some strong performances including a 4.21 in the elimination round. He eventually made the final but lost a close race after he had to step off the throttle near the finish line, getting loose.

Ben Bray had a handle on the track but in the semi finals did not have luck on his side with the timing system alleging he moved out of stage when the lights were activated.

Gary Phillips had the same issue as Bray, sparking some concerns about the system. Fortunately no other races were decided this way in the Doorslammer camp. It was disappointing for the team after he set the pace early with consistent 4.1s.

Victor Bray showed the Heathcote crowd what big smokey burnouts were all about.

Johnny Brunner was joining the fun in his Supercharged Outlaws Monaro. Unfortunately a 4.5 would not quite take it up to Bray.

Peter Kapiris clocked the day’s quickest time of 4.01 on a grudge run but lost in an elimination round match up against Zappia worthy of a Pro Series round.

Marcus Chambers said he ran out of clutch in the big Premix King Monaro, but he was having a ball regardless.

Maurice Fabietti couldn’t quite match the pace of the front runners in the Holden Trade Club Monaro.

Tony De Felice was a late entry and struggled with getting reverse on a few of his burnouts. There was plenty of potential in the Camaro however and we think given some more passes he may have put in something special.

Zappia gets loose against Ben Bray in this semi final.

Russell Pavey and Peter Kapiris both found themselves venturing left into the dust on this pass.

The crowds filled Heathcote with its biggest audience in years.

Supercharged Outlaws

Shane Baxter’s screaming small block took the win in the Outlaws category with a 4.66 in the final on a 4.50 dial in.

The well travelled Gary Busch had his Funny Car hauling with a 4.15 on a 4.09 dial in but it wasn’t quite enough to defeat Baxter who had the better light.