by John Doig, Australian Correspondent
Five rounds for five different winners – that’s the scorecard this season after three-time NHRA champ Larry Dixon, driving for Rapisarda Autosport International, defeated teammate Wayne Newby in the A-Final of the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway on May 4.
The unsung heroes of the win were his Aussie tuner, Rob Cavagnino, and American tuner Tony Shortall, who made the trip from Indy to crew on the Dixon entry.
Cavagnino is the tuner of choice when team owner Santo Rapisarda runs a third car. The last occasion was at the Nitro Champs meeting in May 2024.
“Rob and the boys, Santo and Santino, have a lot of data and good equipment,” said Dixon. “I’ve never worked with a lot of the guys on the team, and it’s a credit to how focused they were and how they did what was asked of them. All four rounds were in the 3.70s, and I was disappointed we couldn’t do that in the final, but we did get the win light, and that’s what counts. I never saw Wayne and didn’t know I had won until the win light came on. There are a lot of people in Australia who can drive a Top Fuel car, and I’m appreciative that Santo would not only ask me but also go to the trouble and expense of bringing out my crew chief, Tony Shortall, to race for his family and team. It was a great weekend.”
It was a clean sweep for RAI when reigning champ Damien Harris won the B-Final over Phil Read.
In Nitro Funny Car, Morice McMillin outpaced reigning champ Justin Walshe in the A-Final for his third win of the season, with teammate Josh Leahy leading all the way to take honors against rookie Todd Paton in the B-Final.
“We had a great day,” said McMillin. “We tried to go faster in the final. It wasn’t to be, but a win is a win. There was some drama on the final when we hit a bird. It’s a weird experience that grabs your attention when you’re going about 300 miles an hour and something like that happens.”
Reigning Doorslammer champ Russell Taylor claimed his third win of the season after a stirring battle with Lisa Gregorini in the A-Final. Rising star Brodie Zappia scored his third holeshot win of the meeting after accounting for veteran Matt Abel in the B-Final
TOP FUEL
QUALIFYING – The Damien Harris and Santo Rapisarda Jr combo nailed their fourth consecutive top qualifier of the season with a majestic pass of 3.68/331 mph in Q2 to equal the time and speed he recorded when he set a new Aussie record at The Bend in April.
Phil Read and Wayne Newby posted identical times of 3.719. Bragging rights to Newby with a top speed of 328 mph to Read’s 325 mph.
After returning to Australia for the first time in two years, Dixon qualified fourth with a workman-like 3.74/290 mph. Phil Lamattina declared he was satisfied with a 3.91/306 mph despite dropping the #4 cylinder around the two-second mark.
RACE DAY – Newby opened his account with a ‘bracket car’ pass of 3.71/325 mph to defeat Lamattina, who went up in smoke on the hit.
Dixon cleared out on the green to take the win over Read, who had broken a wire on the magneto. On a solo, Harris went into shake early and then shut off.
Round two saw a luckless Read on a solo drop the #2 valve, causing massive engine damage and necessitating a new power plant for the B-final. Some consolation was that his time of 3.71 was a PB and the low ET of the round.
Newby claimed his spot in the A-Final after his opponent Lamattina went up in smoke approaching the finish line. Dixon’s winning ways continued when he led all the way to outmuscle Harris and claim a spot in the A-Final.
The Dixon versus Newby trophy shootout was one of the best this season. Locked together off the line, it rapidly descended into a brutal pedal fest, with Dixon taking the win after both protagonists got loose at the top end with a 4.44/234 mph to Newby on a 6.25/106 mph.
Read’s battle to make it to the B-final was in vain. After the burnout, he discovered he had no brakes and rolled down the track, handing the win to Harris.
NITRO FUNNY CAR
QUALIFYING – With three of the four entries coming from the Aeroflow team, it was almost inevitable that one of the entries would top the charts. That honor went to team boss Maurice McMillin, who streeted his rivals with a 4 .00/322 mph. Second place with a 4.26/ 239 mph went to reigning champ Justin Walshe on the comeback trail after an absence of four months, who was candid in explaining ‘the car was ahead of me.’ Josh Leahy was third after struggling with grip and rookie Damon Paton, a victim of a tire shake, was fourth.
RACE DAY – McMillin dominated the opening round with a 4.32 after tossing a belt just after half-track against the luckless Paton, who smoked the tires on the hit.
Leahy was never in the hunt after experiencing a fuel leak after the burnout against Walshe, who proceeded to delight the crowd after getting loose and taking out several centerline blocks.
Round two saw McMillin continue his march towards the A-Final with a 3.99 run while Leahy was wheeled off the start line with his second fuel leak of the day. A holeshot from Paton was not enough to hold out the vastly more experienced Walshe.
Funny Car delivered a superb-side-by-side Final with McMillin coming from behind, then hanging on to take a photo finish win with a 3.98 to Walshe on a 4.03.
Leahy, with a 4.00, claimed a comfortable win over Paton, who set a PB of 4.07 in the B-Final.
DOORSLAMMER
QUALIFYING – Reigning champ Russell Taylor’s decision to run a different converter setup paid dividends when the affable Western Australian claimed the top spot with a 5.68/258 mph pass to head arch-rival John Zappia and Lisa Gregorini. Daniel Gregorini was sitting fourth after Q1; however, his weekend was over after breaking the gearbox’s output shaft, which consequently took out the tail shaft in Q2. Local racer Ronnie Palumbo, occupied fifth. The youngest racer in the field, 19-year-old Brodie Zappia, nephew of John, making his first appearance at the track was tenth, three spots ahead of New Zealander Nigel Dixon.
Veteran Peter Kapiris, the sole Victorian racer in the field, returned to the series after an early exit at the previous round with major changes to the four-link setup on his pristine Dodge Saratoga and struggled into 15th place.
RACE DAY – Little-known local Nasser Matta is the leading candidate for the Upset of the Year award this season when he took out John Zappia in round one.
Due to a quirk in the seedings, Taylor was handed two solo runs and the easiest of passages to the A-Final. Lisa Gregorini was in great touch, winning against Queenslander Jack Danaher and local Geoff Gradden to make her second A-final of the year.
In the final, Taylor streaked away from Gregorini on the green to take the win and the fastest time of the round, 5.64/257 mph.
“I think we laid the foundation for our win when we made changes to the car before the weekend,” said Taylor. “We weren’t overconfident, but after the first qualifying run, when it all came together, I knew we had the Car capable of winning the Nitro Champs.”
Brodie Zappia took out the B-Final against veteran Matt Abel with his third holeshot of the day.
After wins over local Peter Lovering, who red lit and then Queenslander Jack Danaher, Palumbo was a no-show in the C-Final against John Zappia.
Dixon claimed the win in the D-Final on a solo after the non-appearance of Kapiris.
TOP FUEL MOTORCYCLE – Damien Muscat’s unbeaten streak this season continued after taking the win over Ian Ashelford in Top Fuel Motorcycle.
Third-generation racer Daniel Reed defeated Cheyne Phillips in Top Alcohol. Victorian standout Rob Dekert upstaged Tyrone Tremayne in Pro Stock and local Zoran Gajic took victory in Pro Mod.
PIT NOTES
The 2024-2025 Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car championship has been extended with an extra round, to be held as a one-day meeting at Sydney Dragway on August 23.
The Willowbank Winternationals in June was originally scheduled to be the final round.
Brooke Rapisarda, spouse of tuner Santo Rapisarda Jr. and backup person on the Damien Harris fuel car, took her first NDRC win after defeating Jess Turner in the final of Modified. Turner is the partner of Santino Rapisarda, tuner of the Wayne Newby Fuel car.
The semi-final round of Modified was notable for what is believed to be the first time in Australian drag racing when all four semi-finalists were female.
Aaron Hambridge, the long-term tuner for the Lamattina team, has found a new home tuning the Doorslammer of Sydney racer Nassar Matta.
IHRA Australia boss Maurice Allan has landed a ride in Pro Stock bike with Freddie Camarena at the NHRA World finals in November.
