Willowbank Raceway in Australia recently held the fourth race of the Top Fuel Australian National Drag Racing Championship.
The race was completed after the first day of qualifying was rained out and the final eliminations were completed the following two days.
The final round of the eight-car qualified field featured a showdown of immense proportions pitting rookie Aaron Lynch (top left) of Brisbane against reigning Australian Top Fuel National Champ Phil Read (top right) of Sydney.
The rookie and the veteran racer enjoyed their own State-of-Origin battle, with the reigning and two-time champion Phil Read strapping a ‘hole-shot’ win – taking advantage of a top Fuel rookie in his first final round situation. Despite his red-light Lynch ran with Read right to the end.
Read caught a break as he lost the blower belt and slowed to a 5.00/256 lap.“We broke a belt, so I think we could have gone faster than we did, but I am really happy to take the win and extend my lead in the championship – I am looking to go for a third title,” said Read.
Lynch, who besides his Top Fuel driving is a regular competitor in both the Top Alcohol and Top Doorslammer categories, said that it was a pleasant surprise to make it to the finals in his Top Fuel debut.
“For us to get to the final is really a credit to the guys working on the car, it was a great surprise for us to get there and we are really happy with the result,” said Lynch.
“Even though we didn’t get the win it is a great achievement to line up against the reigning champion in the final, especially in the team’s debut in Top Fuel.”
Top qualifier Lamattina lined up against Phil Read in the semi-finals in his comeback weekend from a horror QEC Nationals crash in September, with the Victorian carrot farmer losing-out by only two hundredths of a second while running the only 300mph run for the night (309.06mph/494.49km/h).
“It was just fantastic to be back in the car, and to do a run at night was great – this thing is fast, wild but smooth – a real credit to the boys and especially Theo from Pavtec," said Lamattina.
"The team put in so much to first of all get us here, then get us to the semis and come so close to the finals and also to be the only car all night to go break the 300 mark was just great for everyone involved,” enthused Lamattina.
Progressing from Lamattina to Lynch would not be the first time Phil Read has faced off against a rookie driver in a final this season, after lining up against fellow Sydney-sider Amanda Shepherd in the QEC Nationals finals in September in what was only the 19 year-old’s women driver’s second competitive appearance.
Phil Read also lined up against Shepherd in this event but again benefited from an opponent's red-light as Shepherd ran a 5.97 to his 6.06 seconds. Steve Read, who earlier set the first four second pass of the night, lined up against Lynch in the semi-final, but a popped his chute on the burnout run followed quickly by a lost bolt causing and engine oil leak, a shutdown and the Queenslander was forced to watch as Lynch streaked down the quarter mile to the final.
At the close of this weekend’s round four of the Top Fuel Australian National Drag Racing Championship Phil Read has extended his championship lead over Alan Dobson to be 175 points ahead of the West Australian.
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