EVENT RESULTS EVENT NOTEBOOK ROUND-BY-ROUND RESULTS

PHOTO GALLERY

FINAL RESULTS - AMERICAN DRAG RACER HEADLINES AUSSIE PODIUM AS SEASON CONCLUDES

After making a complete 360-turn and missing both guard walls in his Australian debut three years ago, Larry Dixon made a different kind of memory as he won the Top Fuel crown at the City of Ipswitch Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway. 

Dixon drove his way to a flaming 4.915 elapsed time to defeat Wayne Newby in a battle of Santo Rapisarda-owned Top Fuel dragsters. The three-time NHRA champion won the event from the pole position after recording a 4.542 elapsed time in qualifying at 329.26 miles per hour. 

“Really, the last year of my life, with cancer and broken back and then losing your ride; everything that’s happened, days like today makes all that pain go away,” Dixon said.

Joining Dixon at the winner's podium were Group 1 champions Mark Belleri (Pro Slammer), Gary Phillips (Pro Alcohol), Aaron Treymanne (Pro Stock), Damian Muscat (Top Bike) and Glenn Wooster (Pro Bike), 

En route to the final round, Dixon beat newly crowned series champion Damien Harris, who ran the fastest speed in Australian drag racing history with a 336.99 mile per hour blast. The run also stands as the second quickest in drag racing history behind Tony Schumacher.  

Guiding his way to the winner's circle was the highly accomplished tuner Lee Beard.

“It’s awesome,” Dixon explained. “Anytime you can show up anywhere and win; nobody goes to a race to lose. Everybody goes there to win. You have no idea how hard it is to win. Lee [Beard] doesn’t. We’re flying halfway across the world, and you come in a couple of days early, and you try and prep the car with equipment that you have and do the best that you can with what you have to work with. You go into an event and do well; obviously, a lot of credit goes to Lee. He’s got a lot of drivers he’s won with and on the other side of it, I won with Lee Beard. I can add him to the Wes Cerny, Dale Armstrong, Dick Lahaie and Alan Johnson that I’ve worked with, so it’s a cool weekend." 

Belleri, behind the wheel of Maurice Fabietti's supercharged Holden, flew under the radar for most of the weekend, racing in the shadows of the higher-profile drivers John Zappia and Ben Bray. He didn't mind the lack of hype, though he ran strong throughout eliminations recording lane choice in the semi-final round over Bray courtesy of a 5.830 to beat Grant O'Rourke. 

"It's best to race that way," Belleri said. "Everyone was looking for Zappia or Benny to win, and we went out there, did our thing and came up with the win. I ran my first 5.7-second run when it counted the most."

Belleri's 5.796 was more than enough to cover Bray's 5.86.

"It is a great feeling, to win the Winternationals. Maurice had the tune-up. All I had to do is drive it. Winning is the best feeling ever. The crew did a great job all weekend."

The Pro Alcohol final round was nothing short of the barnburner it shaped up to be in qualifying. 

Phillips and John Cannuli didn't disappoint as they met in the final round after each set a respective performance record. 

Cannuli left the starting line ahead of Phillips, pulled into a wheelstand and drifted across the centerline. He then impacted Phillips and then two drivers, though their race cars were severely damaged, walked away uninjured. 

 "That was not the way I wanted to end my day," said Phillips. "That could have been worse; we could have totaled the car or something worse. It was a bit of a bummer for a perfect weekend."

Tremayne recorded a  6.915 elapsed time at 197 to win the Pro Stock title over Wayne Daley.  Lee Bektash successfully defended his series championship despite falling in the first round. 

SATURDAY QUALIFYING - FINAL QUALIFYING

FRIDAY QUALIFYING