Nitro Champs at Sydney

Words and photos by Jon Van Daal

Going into the ANDRA Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway earlier this month, the hype was building as was the entry list with over 350 cars facing the starter. The event really started on the previous weekend with a Test and Tune on the Saturday and another on the following Wednesday and private test sessions in between. Amazingly the weather was perfect for the lead up to the event and also over the course of the weekend.

Twenty five records were reset and the big surprise were the large number of Pro sedans racing in both Pro Stock and Top Doorslammer. Pro Stock in Australia is based on 400 cube engines (like NHRA C/A cars) rather than NHRA 500 cubers and twenty five cars entered for a sixteen car field. Round one of this bracket was just the best racing ever seen since the bracket started in the mid seventies. Ditto for Top Doorslammer (Pro Modified), with nineteen cars vying for an eight car field, though sixteen car fields look to be just around the corner. (see my separate report on Top Doorslammer for more info).

With the sun setting over the horizon Rapisarda Motorsport International driver, Damien Harris (near lane) takes on points leader, Darren Morgan. Both cars had run in the 4.7s (Top Fuel is run on a quarter mile down under – Ed) going into this match up and after a pretty even leave it was Morgan who started to march away to victory. This saw his K Trans sponsored entry record a winning 4.746/300.73 over a wandering best 4.829/272.06. It was a great way to finish an excellent meeting.

With Larry Dixon on promotional duties in America Rapisarda Motorsport International bought Tommy Johnson Junior down to drive the second fuel dragster. “I got down here a week early so we (and crew chief Lee Beard) could work on the car”, Johnson said. “It is a challenge to run here but Lee and I have run outside America before when went to Abu Dhabi. Despite the experience of both team members their efforts didn’t turn into results as Johnson explains.”In the first round we backed the car down and it dropped a cylinder and that translated into shake and then tyre smoke, I back peddled but I just ran out of room to catch Damien (Harris)”.