The opening round of the 2022-23 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel championship at Alice Springs Inland Raceway was canceled after two rounds of racing on safety grounds by race officials, who deemed the track too cold for racing.

According to officials, Top Fuel is not able to race when the track temperature dips below 60 F. When the meeting was canceled, the temperature was 62F and dropping.
 
The final between Rapisarda Autosport International star Damien Harris and Phil Read from Jim Read Racing will be held in Round three of the championship at the  Perth Motorplex on  November 11th.

Plans to run the final at the next round at Heathcote Park Raceway on October 1st were scuttled because Harris is not racing at the meeting due to a long-standing family commitment.

Competition Plus believes that U.S. racer Tommy Johnson Jr. is a likely replacement for Harris.

“It's unfortunate we didn't race tonight because I believe we had a car capable of winning,” said Harris. “We picked up from where we finished last season at Darwin when we won the event. Santo junior and his crew gave me an absolute rocket ship, straight out of the trailer. To take two wins on the day is a great start to the season. From here, we want to improve and hopefully win the championship.”

Rapisarda Autosport International star Wayne Newby is expected to be available for the HPR event after dislocating his shoulder in a freak start line incident in the second round.

“I went to pull the fuel pump on, missed it and as I jerked back, my shoulder dislocated. I couldn't get the fuel pump on. I had to let go of the brake with my other hand, which meant the car rolled through the beams. I wasn't on the gas or anything. The car just rolled through the beams.”
 
“What amazes me is that Wayne still raced the car,” said crew chief Santino Rapisarda. “He got to almost half track with one hand and a dislocated shoulder. That's truly incredible any way you look at it.”

Alice Springs is almost geographical in the middle of Australia and is one of the driest cities in the country. Try telling that to the rain gods when day one of qualifying was canceled due to rain. 

Consequently, the event became a one-day meeting with one round of qualifying followed by three rounds of all-in-racing.

“Losing a day because of the rain is a challenge,” according to two-time championship-winning tuner Tim Adams from Xiberras Racing. "Going from two to one qualifier is not ideal. We've never raced here before, so that's another factor. Alice Springs is in the middle of the Australian desert, so that will throw different curve balls as well. All the teams are in the same boat." 

In qualifying, Harris topped the charts with a 4.07/271 mph pass ahead of Phil Lamattina, Wayne Newby, Shane Olive and Read. Reigning champion Peter Xiberras brushed the wall just past half-track and was relegated to sixth and faced a first-round match-up against Harris.

The highlight of round one was the first 300 mph pass ever at the track - a 309.3 mph effort when Harris defeated Xiberras, who went into shake around the 300-foot mark.

Newby ran a 4.02 sec to take out Olive, who smoked the tires off the line and dropped a cylinder. 

The Read versus Lamattina duel produced the closest finish of the round. The win went to Read with a workmanlike 4.06/298 mph pass. Lamattina dropped a cylinder on the hit yet still managed a pass of 4.24/287 mph.
 
Round two was overshadowed by the injury to Newby, who was racing Xiberras. 

Newby ran through the beams, handing the win to Xiberras, who spun the tires at the hit.

Harris continued his superb race day, skipping away for an easy win over Olive, who tossed the blower belt just past half-track.

Read booked his spot in the final, despite a dose of tire shake, a couple of pedals and spinning the tires, to claim his second win of the day over Lamattina, who blew the tires off on the hit.

"It's disappointing not to be able to race in the final,” said Read. "Safety is always the number one priority. By the time we were going out to race, it was estimated the temperature would be between 50 and 55. 

Round two of the Australian Doorslammer Championship was also canceled.

The two finalists from Western Australia, John Zappia and Kelvin Lyle, will face off at the Heathcote Park meeting. "They made the right decision not to race,” said Zappia, who earlier set a new track record of 5.96/233 mph. "On the last run the car was moving all over the place. So, I just took it a bit easy. I'm looking forward to racing Kelvin in a couple of weeks’ time.”

PIT NOTES

ON THE ROAD - JRR tuner Bruce Read is making a flying visit to take in NHRA Camping World rounds at Zmax Dragway and Maple Grove Raceway.

MISSING IN ACTION - Team owner Santo Rapisarda was a notable absentee. Instead, he was visiting family in Indianapolis and taking in the U.S. Nationals.

ON THE INJURED LIST - Sarah Lamattina, who has backed up her husband Phil's car since he started racing in 2005, will be sidelined for up to four rounds with a torn calf muscle. Their son, junior dragster stand-out Ross, is her replacement.