On the first leg of the Northern Swing through the remote Northern Territory, John Zappia set a new track record at Hidden Valley Drag Strip before a semi-final exit at the opening round of the ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship.

The weekend produced a mix of results - a record-setting pass in Round 1, then tyre shake and a lane-change gamble that did not pay off in the semis.

A Tight Qualifying Session

Humid, hot conditions made the Darwin track difficult to manage. Zappia barely secured his place in the eight-car field, qualifying eighth with a pedalling 6.317 at 239.40 mph - just 0.05 seconds inside the cut.

"We entered with a new Noonan engine and had a few unknowns to deal with. Qualifying was a struggle with tyre shake and other dramas, and the best I could manage was a pedalling 6.317 at 239.40." - John Zappia

Grant O'Rourke topped the field (5.871 at 249.72), followed by Ben Bray (5.876 at 246), Gary Phillips (5.903 at 247.16), Victor Bray (5.991 at 238.85), Mark Belleri (6.099 at 253.04), Sam Fenech (6.108 at 241.24), and Mark Chapman (6.144 at 243.63).

Round 1: The Track Record

The team went over the car and arrived at a setup they trusted. The result: a 5.750 at 252.24 mph - under the existing track record of 5.770, which Zappia had set on a previous visit. O'Rourke ran a 5.937 at 248.84 but had no answer.

"The car launched hard and ran sweet at full throttle the whole pass. The run was under the track record, previously a 5.770 that was set by us last visit." - John Zappia

Elsewhere in Round 1, Belleri defeated Victor Bray, Phillips dispatched Fenech, and Ben Bray advanced past Chapman.

Semi-Final: Tyre Shake Ends the Run

Zappia took the left lane again for the semi against Belleri. During the burnout, the engine revved up and conditions felt off. The car launched hard but went into tyre shake. Multiple pedal attempts could not save it.

Belleri advanced with a 5.945 at 253.23 to Zappia's 6.369 at 204.42. In the other semi, Phillips defeated Ben Bray. Phillips then took the ANDRA trophy in the final with a 5.949 at 245.36 over Belleri's 6.473 at 165.76.

The Noonan Engine Debut

Despite the early exit, the weekend provided the first competitive data on the new Noonan block. The 5.750 in Round 1 confirmed the combination's potential under race conditions.

"We are happy with the new Noonan engine. We will service the car and do some fishing before heading to Alice Springs for the second event in our Northern Swing." - John Zappia

Zappia also credited Greg Gower from Alky Pro Software, whose flow bench data enabled accurate fuel system calibration at the track.

Championship Standings After Round 1

Phillips leads on 106 points, followed by Belleri (89), Ben Bray (67), Zappia (66), O'Rourke (48), and Victor Bray (45).

Round 2 of the ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship moves to Alice Springs Inland Dragway for the Desert Nationals on 15-17 July 2016 - the first Group 1 event at the venue.