The opening round of the 2026 BLAST NDRC Top Fuel season at Sunset Strip Mildura was canceled on day two when the facility was lashed by torrential rain and high winds.
The decision came after the field was set after two rounds of qualifying the previous day and comes after the opening round of the Nitro Funny Car championship at Willowbank Raceway in January suffered a similar fate.
“It was shaping up as a good event until Mother Nature intervened,” according to NDRC boss Andy Lopez. “A lot of people including racers, officials and spectators all made a commitment to the event and I’m extremely disappointed for them. We will regroup. We have structures in place and will look at potentially running this event in the future.”
QUALIFYING
Shane Olive captured his first-ever top qualifier spot in his fifth season in Top Fuel with a 3.29 at 207 mph for the eighth mile, despite losing a belt. Olive was the only driver to dip below the four-second barrier.
“The run was good, no dramas even though the belt came off near the finish line,” said Olive. “It may have run a little quicker but to get my first ever top qualifier in Fuel is pretty cool.”
Second place went to Kyle Putland who sat on top of the charts after his first run of 4.04 before closing out with a 4.19 after a bout of shake. Overnight the team elected to make an engine change.
Phil Lamattina opened his account with a tire smoking 4.46 then improved with a 4.21 despite a broken adjuster on the rocker arm for third. Luckless English driver Steve Read struggled with clutch issues on both qualifiers and would have faced the daunting task of facing off against Olive in the race day opener.
PIT NOTES
Long time LTFR tuner-crew chief Aaron Hambridge came out of retirement to wrench the Shane Olive entry for the weekend.
The Olive car is one of the most widely raced rides in Australian Top Fuel having been driven by Shane Olive-twice, Phil and John Lamattina, Luke Shepherd, Aaron Hambridge and Americans Richie Crampton and Cameron Ferre.
The Olive and LTFR combination is likely to be a one-off deal with Olive expected to be the third entry for Rapisarda Autosport International at the next event on Oct. 28-29.
Unluckiest racer award goes to Western Australia’s Kyle Putland who for the second event in a row has made the cross-country journey only to not race due to the weather.
“The last time was when we were going to Sydney and the meeting was called off when we were 300 miles from the track,” said Putland. “This time we at least did two runs in qualifying. My thoughts are with the spectators who missed out on what was shaping up as a great day of racing.”
Instead of returning home, Putland will park the car and trailer at The Bend ahead of the next round, saving 1,900 miles.
Racing over eighth mile versus 1000 foot is different according to Phil Lamattina who has tasted success at both race distances.
“For me it’s more about how I prepare for the different tracks we race at than the distance we race over,” said Lamattina. “However, when you front up to eighth mile there is a lot more pressure because you can win or lose on the tree. Knowing that the margin for error on your reaction time is much less. The most important thing is to go to the start line with a clear mind. As a driver who has raced eighth, 1000 foot and quarter mile I would say 1000 feet is the most appealing.”
The next round of the championship is at The Bend on Oct. 28-29 where both Nitro categories will be joined by Doorslammer, Pro Mod and Pro Alcohol.
