John Zappia clean-swept the Top Doorslammer category at Alice Springs Inland Dragway's Desert Nationals - top qualifying, event victory, and new track records in both speed (193.97 mph) and elapsed time (3.966 seconds) over the eighth-mile distance.

The Road to the Final

Round 1 set the tone. Zappia opened with a win over Matt Abel, posting what was then the fastest speed recorded at ASID. Rookie Sam Fenech made an impression with a first-round win over drag racing veteran Victor Bray. Ben Bray advanced past Mark Belleri, and Grant O'Rourke defeated Mark Chapman.

The semi-finals paired Zappia against Fenech and Ben Bray against O'Rourke. Both favourites advanced, setting up a final between the defending nine-time champion and one of the category's most consistent competitors.

The Final: Zappia vs. Ben Bray

Bray was sharper on the tree. Zappia was faster down track. His 3.966-second pass at 193.97 mph reset both ASID records and secured the win - though Bray was never far off, running a 4.073 at 187.50 mph.

"We have a new Noonan Racing engine in the car and we showed potential with one good run in Darwin. We came here with a different mindset, looking to make the car consistent so we can win races and not just run big numbers." - John Zappia

Managing the Track

Conditions demanded restraint. After an incident during qualifying, every team recalibrated. Zappia's approach was deliberate: back off the power, focus on consistency, and let the combination do its work.

"We slowed it down - everyone did - because after the crash yesterday, everyone thought 'nope', we just have to get from A to B. So we backed it off and ran a heap of consistent 4.0s." - John Zappia

When the team stepped the tune-up for the second run, the car left harder but rattled earlier. Rather than chase more, they held steady and let the driver make the difference in the final.

"Benny got the holeshot on me, I had a bad light on that one. But the overall winning margin was 25 thousandths of a second, so there was not much in it at all at the finish line. And we come away with a three-second pass - the track record for ASID on the eighth mile, and also the overall speed record of nearly 194 miles per hour for this track." - John Zappia

Beyond Top Doorslammer

The Desert Nationals also featured Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman Series championship racing, exhibition passes from Matt Abel's Outlaw Nitro Funny Car, and Chris Porter's Top Fuel Motorcycle.

For full results, visit andra.com.au.

The next round of the ANDRA Drag Racing Series is scheduled for Adelaide International Raceway on 3-4 December 2016. For more information, visit www.andra.com.au.