John Zappia Targets Another Winternationals Win at Willowbank Raceway
With both 400 Thunder championships secured, the Fuchs Monaro team sets its sights on elapsed time records at the season finale.
Published on
June 9th, 2016
Championship Secured. Now It's About the Number.
John Zappia arrives at Willowbank International Raceway for the 2016 City of Ipswich Winternationals with both 400 Thunder Championship titles already secured. The season finale shifts from points racing to performance - pushing the Fuchs Monaro toward the 5.6-second barrier in Pro Slammer competition.
"With both Championships wrapped up for the season, the pressure is off compared to seasons past," said Zappia. "We can just concentrate on getting the Fuchs Monaro to go as quick as possible and hopefully take the win."
The event is the final 400 Thunder Championship round. The Top Doorslammers, classed as Pro Slammers, will see a sixteen-car field drawn from seventeen entered teams.
A Decade of Dominance at the Winternationals
Zappia's record at Willowbank speaks for itself: top qualifier at seven of the last nine Winternationals events and the quickest door car in Australia. The data below tracks the class progression over ten years - elapsed times have dropped by more than three-tenths of a second across the period.
| Year | ET & MPH | Qualifying | Result | Event Low ET |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 5.730 @ 253.37 | Top Qualifier | Winner | 5.693 |
| 2014 | 5.763 @ 253.33 | Top Qualifier | Winner | 5.763 |
| 2013 | 5.745 @ 252.24 | Top Qualifier | Rained out | 5.745 |
| 2012 | 5.750 @ 250.78 | Top Qualifier | Round 1 | 5.750 |
| 2011 | 5.914 @ 234.78 | 2nd Qualifier | Rained out | 5.914 |
| 2010 | 5.866 @ 241.07 | Top Qualifier | Winner | 5.805 |
| 2009 | 5.901 @ 238.98 | Top Qualifier | Winner | 5.909 |
| 2008 | 6.020 @ 239.49 | 3rd Qualifier | Semi Final | 6.020 |
| 2007 | 6.082 @ 230.89 | Top Qualifier | Winner | 5.996 |
From Hemi and Whipple to Five-Sixes
"In our first season we had a basic Hemi with a Whipple blower, and a new chassis that we were still setting up," Zappia said. "Over the years the horsepower has increased dramatically with new technology, and we learnt what makes a Doorslammer go quick with lots of testing and laps."
"A five-six is definitely on the cards. We have run three so far, and the track here at Willowbank is always top notch. We are able to go after ET with aggression in our tune-up. We are also aiming for some sort of consistency to go rounds."
Event Schedule - Pro Slammer
Qualifying - Friday & Saturday
Q1: Friday, 3:33 PM EST
Q2: Saturday, 10:42 AM EST
Q3: Saturday, 1:22 PM EST
Eliminations - Saturday & Sunday
R1: Saturday, 3:23 PM EST
R2: Sunday, 10:57 AM EST
R3: Sunday, 2:07 PM EST
Final: Sunday, 4:42 PM EST
Live coverage is available through Drag News Australia.
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