Drag: Australian Nationals

Combining the ANDRA Pro Series and Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship, the Australian Nationals held over the weekend at Sydney Dragway was certainly an action-packed event.

Right at the peak of performance, the Top Fuelers rolled into town in a big way, sporting pit setups that would put smaller nation’s space programs to shame.

Feeling the Top Fuelers belt their way down the strip was a major highlight but by no means the only draw card of this event, with everything from the demonic Doorslammers to Sports Compact’s stars giving their all at this epic event.

Kirsten Tucker-Canulli made history earlier this year as the first female to ever compete in Australian Pro Stock drag racing and was back out there giving it a crack.

Learning the ropes behind the wheels of such a serious machine is a daunting task and Kirsten did well to keep it off the wall after a blown head gasket sent her spinning with water under the tyres.

As has been the case with the majority of his other passes, the Infiniti left the line clean and seemed to cruise through the traps in 6.34@222mph, well and truly confirming that it is the world’s quickest and fastest Nissan-powered vehicle.

Returning to the track to the delight of Doorslammer fans was Debbie and Grant O’Rourke’s sinister HK Monaro. Although it may look fairly similar, we’re told that a new 511ci supercharged powerplant and a drastically revised rear-end will bring the car up to speed with the current field.

The Sidchrome-sponsored Bray team were excited for the Top Doorslammer season opener, spending a busy off-season getting the Monaro ready to race competitively. As veterans of the sport, Victor and his son Ben knew exactly how to make the most of the weekend and although they didn’t make it to the finals, valuable data was collected to keep them competitive for the next round.

The real star of Top Doorslammer though was Peter Kapiris. After his clutch exploded in qualifying and filled the cabin with smoke causing him to cross the centreline and collide with Victor Bray, Peter was rushed to hospital for checks. Hours later he was back at the track, helping the crew with repairs and going through to take the win in the finals.

After a backfire damaged the supercharger at the Fuchs Winternationals back in June, it was down to the wire whether or not Jason Maggs and the team would make it to the meeting but come race day, the Corvette was fighting fit.

World record holders Joe Signorelli and Mick Baghdadi brought out they’re beasts, racing side by side in a Super Compact showdown. Signorelli bested all comers winning the final.

Phil Lamattina unfortunately blew the supercharger and injector hat off the motor and that may have been a bit of a spectacle from the stands, it would have been mighty hairy from the driver’s seat!

Stu Bishop’s Camaro was one of the meaner looking Doorslammers out there.

Andrew Sutton had a bit of a moment mid-track but some skilful driving saw him keep it going in the right direction.

Here you can see Po Tung strapped into his insane full-bodied Supra, ready for the 7-seconds of fury that is about to follow.

[email protected], this thing’s certainly got some go in it and Po does a fantastic job of keeping it straight.

Daniel Camilleri’s gorgeous VL is also a regular sight in the 7s, running .53 under the DD/GA index to qualify first in Super Stock with a 7.83.

 Spills, thrills, world records and spectacular action made the Australian Nationals one to remember. We'll be back next year but until then, let us know what your favourite Nationals moment was in the comments section below.