WA Top Comp Championship Secured

John Zappia and the Fuchs Monaro team added the WA Top Comp Championship to their record at Perth Motorplex on Saturday night. In a field of leading blown alcohol racers, Zappia earned the title through a decisive pass against chief rival Adam Marchant. It was his first Top Comp championship since 2010.

Conditions and Qualifying

The best air conditions of the season met teams at the Motorplex, though a cooling track surface created challenges throughout the night. Zappia's first qualifying pass was a 5.84, with the car lifting into a wheelstand driven by the extra horsepower in the cold air and tight track conditions.

Running late in the compulsory qualifying session after oildown delays, Zappia improved to a 5.78 to qualify second. Sparks from underneath the car signalled a mechanical issue that would define the rest of the night.

A Broken Lever and a Decision

"We didn't know where the sparks were from initially but we figured the clutch would be a good start. We started changing the gearbox ratio when we got back and we missed inspecting the inside of the clutch can properly. We then realised late that the clutch had broken a lever and we had a race against Adam Marchant coming that was going to decide the championship."

- John Zappia

With time running down, the team made the call to run the clutch on five levers and take the pass against Marchant's Top Alcohol dragster.

The Championship Pass

"We watched Pino Priolo take out another of our rivals, Steve Aldridge, ahead of us, so then I knew it was up to me. It shook the tyres because it needed more clutch but we got the job done with a 5.91, which secured us the Top Comp championship and a place in the B Final."

- John Zappia

Back in the pits with limited turnaround time and ongoing delays, Zappia and the team withdrew from further racing. With the championship secured, running a compromised clutch in a B Final carried risk without reward.

"The good news was that by us withdrawing, our almost-team mate Kelvin Lyle got to race in the B Final and run another five second pass, adding on to his earlier 5.92 personal best which was great to see."

- John Zappia

Engine Performance and Track Conditions

"The car performed well engine wise, but we didn't get a full clean pass - we were making horsepower, we just couldn't use it. The cold air combined with stoppages meant the track was colder and trickier than we are used to here in Perth."

- John Zappia

Zappia noted the mechanical issue as a useful data point for the team's maintenance programme.

"It was good to find the problem. You run valve springs and con rods for so long, but you run clutch levers forever and they do a lot of work. Everything has a life and the consistency this team has involves working out what the safe life is for a part."

- John Zappia

What Comes Next

The Fuchs team will complete maintenance and close inspections on the car before heading to Sydney's Nitro Thunder event in May and the Winternationals in June. The Top Comp title adds to Zappia's ten existing ANDRA championships.