Peter Kapiris, one of the most popular and respected identities in Australian drag racing circles, will return to racing at the Atlantic Oils Top Fuel Slam meeting at Sydney Dragway, January 27-28.
Kapiris’ last race was in August 2015 where he finished runner-up to John Zappia at Hidden Valley Raceway and then stepped aside to concentrate on the family wholesale fruit business. Plans to return earlier were thwarted when COVID-19 hit the sport in early 2020.
The return of Kapiris is a significant boost to the category that, at times, has struggled with car counts this season.
“I’m over the moon to be returning to racing,” said Kapiris. “It has been too long. We went testing just before Christmas. I got in the car, tightened the belts and said wow! After I did the first run, I told Jeff [Cutajar], who has been with me since I started racing, that it feels like we never left.”
“But it was like driving a different car. So much has changed since I last raced. Back then, you had to put your foot on the clutch, bump in, get into gear and then go. Nowadays, you push the button, let it go and then go racing. I said to Jeff do you really need me?”
A pioneer in Doorslammer ranks since the category was formed in the mid -1990s, Kapiris is one of the ‘winningest’ racers in the bracket and a highly respected administrator serving as an ANDRA board member and racer representative for Doorslammer on the 400 Thunder series.
“I’m also excited to be able to catch some of the racers I haven’t seen in quite a few years and looking forward to having some fun on the weekend.”
“We don’t have plans to chase a championship in 2023. At this stage, we would like to go to Perth and Darwin. But we need to wait and see what the rest of the calendar looks like.”
