This year’s Nitro Champs at Western Sydney International Dragway was run in early May. With only three weeks to winter balmy day time temperatures in the low 80s were followed by cool nights. This saw some cars run brilliantly while others struck the tyres or had trouble keeping off the walls. In the end the event promised a lot and delivered even more as JON VAN DAAL reports.
TOP FUEL
It has been quite some time since we have seen a field of nine top fuel dragsters and it was a sign of how well the sport is thriving down under. No one was surprised when Phil Read top qualified with a 4.669. He led Phil Lamattina on a 4.69, Steve Read was third with a 4.74 and Alan Dobson was fourth on a 4.92. Luke Shepherd was at the butterfly of the Westco white dragster and was the last car in the fours with a 4.98 while Darren DiFilippo turned out to be the first non-qualifier in quite some time.
Eliminations saw all the first round races being one sided affairs with three of the top four going through. As you recently saw here Phil Lamattina had a spectacular blower explosion to allow seventh qualifier Martin Stamatis through. The first semi final race between Phil Read and Alan Dobson was a cracker with Dobbo’s better reacting 4.738/317.49 whooping an oh so close 4.752/322.34322.34.
The second semi saw Martin Stamatis take on Steve Read with another one- sided contest. Read left on his opponent and ran a 4.703 at a slowing 282 mph to a 10.78. Stamatis had his black rail at almost ninety degrees to the wall while his rear tyres were socked in tyre smoke.
ADVERTISEMENT
