Damien Harris spearheaded Rapisarda Autosport International 1-2-3 after defeating teammate Shane Olive in the final of Top Fuel at the rain-affected Haltech East Coast Nationals, Sydney Dragway, September 26.
Reigning champ Wayne Newby claimed third spot after edging out series leader Phil Lamattina.
Harris has closed to within 10 points of Lamattina going into the final round of the season at The Bend later this month.
“It was a great result for junior and the crew,” said Harris. “To see two Rapisarda cars in the final was always going to end well for Santo and the family. The results from the weekend are a real confidence booster going into the final round at The Bend where the championship will be decided. Bring it on.”
In Nitro Funny Car, honors went to Josh Leahy, who claimed his third win of the season after a thrilling battle with a resurgent Justin Walshe.
Leahy has extended his lead to 15 points over reigning champ Morice McMillin and only needs to make an appearance at the season finale to clinch his maiden title.
“I’ve raced Outlaw Nitro Funny Car in the past, so I’m used to going straight into all in racing without any qualifying,” said Leahy. “I like it you just get out there and into it. There’s some uncertainty in the first round but that’s all part of it. We did alright against Luke Shepherd in the first round and that also meant we had lane choice next up against Damon Paton who is a fierce competitor and really wants to win his first Christmas tree. That final against Justin was just tight. He said he could see my nose all the way until near halftrack when I popped out and kept it there.”
Third place went to McMillin ahead of budget racer Shepherd.
An in-form Emilio Spinozzi recorded his second consecutive win after defeating the luckless Daniel Gregorini in Doorslammer.
In Pro Stock, Omar Sedmak defeated reigning champ Rob Dekert, and Zoran Gajic continued his winning ways with a 5.858/259 mph run to defeat rookie Eddy Hawachin in Pro Mod.
There was drama even before the first cars hit the track when race organizers cut the two-day meeting to a single day of racing with no qualifying due to the threat of rain.
The two rounds of qualifying on Saturday were canceled and replaced by three rounds of racing.
The decision proved to be fortuitous when the original race day, Sunday, was hit with persistent rain that would have canceled the event.
“At the start of the week we had a reasonable weather forecast for the race meeting,” said NDRC boss Lopez. “That soured towards Wednesday and race day on Sunday was beginning to look horrid. Saturday was looking to be hot but also the best day of the weekend so with the best interest of everyone from junior dragster all the way to Top Fuel. We said we are a National championship not just a stand-alone event and if there was a chance to give them a race meeting that was fair and legitimate then we would make it happen.”
Teams were faced with the unpalatable option of no qualifying runs and going straight into three rounds of racing.
It was a massive challenge coming on top of a mid-season winter recess and not having raced at the venue since May.
Another element thrown into the mix was unseasonal hot weather and a track temperature nudging 120 F.
Top Fuel
Top Fuel was cut to five entries after Kyle Putland, second in the points, was a late withdrawal. The car and transporter were on site, but the Western Australian driver and crew were a no-show.
Round 1.
It was apparent there were no team orders in the RAI camp when Olive came from behind with a 3.86, 321 mph to upset his championship-contending teammate Newby, who ran a 3.91, 315 mph.
Harris led all the way and, despite pushing out rods, held off veteran Steve Read, who struggled due to a lack of power.
The RAI team was also running a new-spec clutch pack in preparation for the 2027 season.
Lamattina, on a solo, crossed the line in a spectacular fireball that caused major damage to the wiring and required a hasty engine change.
Round 2.
Newby, on the solo run, posted a tidy 3.90, 313 mph, then all eyes focused on the eagerly awaited battle between arch-rivals Harris and Lamattina.
The victory went to Harris, along with a spot in the final, after Lamattina led off the line but pedaled and smoked the tires.
Olive advanced to his second consecutive final after comfortably driving around Read, who proved that age is just a number when the 73-year-old cut a spectacular .014-second reaction time.
Round 3.
The best race of the weekend saw Harris squeeze out a .002-second lead on the green and keep that advantage to the end, crossing the line with a 3.81, 326 mph to Olive at 3.84, 320 mph.
“Coming into the weekend we couldn’t have wished for a better result,” said team owner Santo Rapisarda. “A one-two-three was awesome. Damien is back in the championship chase, Wayne is still there in the hunt plus Shane nearly got his first win. And it all happened at our home track.”
Funny Car
Round 1.
Leahy overcame a dropped cylinder to defeat one-time fuel racer Luke Shepherd, who spat out the center of the Nos. 6 and 7 spark plugs.
Walshe outpaced Damon Paton, who began well but fell off the pace and was forced to pedal.
McMillin jumped to an early lead with a .09 reaction time to privateer Adam Murrihy, who cut a sluggish .23 light but quickly hit his stride and finished the run with a 4.152, 307 mph to McMillin’s 4.156, 270 mph.
Round 2.
The round will be remembered for producing the greatest upset of the season when underdog Shepherd downed McMillin. ‘Supermac’ left hard and was on and off the throttle while Shepherd scurried down the track to claim the first-ever win for the small team.
“We had a couple of small problems but to get the first win for the team is an amazing result,” said Shepherd. “We are a small team and I also want to acknowledge the help we have been receiving from Morice and Rocket Industries to get to where we are.”
The rest of the round was an anti-climax.
Walshe and Murrihy clocked identical reaction times of .079, but Walshe took control from the 60-foot mark and cruised to victory while Murrihy suffered body damage near the finish line.
Leahy skipped away on the green and led all the way to claim the win over Paton.
Round 3.
The Leahy versus Walshe duel delivered one of the highlights of the weekend and showcased Nitro Funny Car at its finest. Leahy led by .002 on the green and held off his more experienced rival Walshe to take victory by .045, with Leahy clocking 318.7 mph to Walshe at 318.1 mph.
“It’s great to get some consistency back in the car,” said Walshe. “The final was an awesome, crazy and close race. I was focussed this weekend on getting maximum exposure for our new sponsor Gears of War by XBOX and making the final was a great opportunity to show off our partnership.”
Doorslammer
The major talking point over the weekend was the shock decision of two-time champ and 2026 points leader Russell Taylor to quit the sport on the eve of the meeting.
“After three unforgettable years the time has come for Taylor Motorsports to announce that we will be concluding our Top Doorslammer campaign effective immediately,” said Taylor.
“When we first put this deal together it was never about chasing championships. From day one we had a three-year plan and set ourselves three main goals. Win rookie of the year. Become Australian Top Doorslammer Champion and to be the first team to run in the 5.55 zone at a National event.”
“Looking back now, it’s incredibly satisfying to say we’ve achieved every one of the goals, we set ourselves.”
Round 1.
Daniel and Lisa Gregorini were gifted wins when their opponents, Peter Lovering and highly favored Jeremy Calaghan, both red-lit, the same fate as rising star Ronnie Palumbo up against noted engine builder Craig Burns.
The standout run of the round was Spinozzi with a 5.77, 257 mph against Palumbo’s teammate Nasser Matta at 5.78, 251 mph.
Round 2.
Spinozzi topped the charts with the best run of the round, a 5.70, 262 mph and a new track speed record against Lovering. D. Gregorini drove around rookie Brody Davies to make his first final of the season but damaged the motor in the process.
The final was an anti-climax after the luckless Daniel Gregorini was shut down on the start line due to a fuel leak, handing Spinozzi the easiest of wins.
“It’s pretty amazing to come out of the Winternationals and back it up with a win here in Sydney,” said Spinozzi. “I’m really proud of my team. The guys worked hard all week and deserved the win. A one-day event with three rounds of racing is a real test of character and when it mattered, we made it happen.”
John Zappia, after a solo in Round 1 and a win when Ronnie Palumbo was a no-show in Round 2, took out the B-Final against Nasser Matta.
Pro Stock
The battle for the 2026 Pro Stock title will go down to the wire at the final round of the season, with the two leading protagonists, Omar Sedmak and reigning champ Rob Dekert, tied on 62 points.
Sedmak’s passage to the final included wins over debutant Gina Bullians and veteran engine builder John Barbagallo.
Reigning champ Rob Dekert was the master of the tree over the weekend, cutting a pair of .012 lights in Round 1 on a solo, then against local racer Clint George in the second round.
The final went to Sedmak when Dekert rolled through the beams and red-lit.
Pro Mod
Pro Mod was notable for the debut of local tuning wizard Jeff Cutajar, the ongoing appearance of Western Australian Lorenzo Gullotto and current champion Zoran Gajic scoring his second win of the season and taking the lead in the championship.
Cutajar had the daunting challenge of facing off against Gajic in the first round. Cutajar left first but succumbed to the experience of Gajic and was run down at the end. Round 2 ended abruptly when he was pushed away from the start line. In the B-Final, he cut a red light while his opponent Neil Murphy ran under the index with a 5.78.
Gullotto, winner of the 2026 Winternationals, holds a unique place in Australian drag racing. Pro Mod has no presence in his home state of Western Australia, and he is forced to travel 3,300 miles round trip to his nearest racetrack in South Australia or 4,900 miles to Sydney Dragway to race.
The final round of the 2026 NDRC season will be held at The Bend on October 23-24.
