The NSW Championship reached its halfway point with the running of round 3, the planned Friday night qualifying washed out but the sun pushed through on the Saturday for what turned out to be a laid back day of racing.
With no features at this round the event just cruised along with just quality racing and no real major drama’s except for Screamin’ Eagle racer Robyn Hines taking a nasty tumble early on. The racer numbers were down slightly with event not attracting enough cars to run Super or Top Comp likewise the crowd was disappointing. The rebuild process won’t happen overnight at the track, but maybe a rethink on the NSW Championship structure is needed for the local market, certainly though there is no easy solution to the conundrum.
Top Comp
Top Comp only had three cars front and they elected to just spend the event testing, it was entertaining with another two racers inducting themselves into the Top Doorslammer five second club, albeit in the same car.
Sean Mifsud cracked the barrier first with a 5.999, followed by Paul Cannuli the car owner on his only pass ripping a 5.96.
Maurice Fabietti is still playing with a converter and ran some 6.1’s
Sydney’s newest Top Alcohol runner, Stuart Johnson was back out licensing his TAFC but appeared to have issues reoccurring at the top of first gear.
Super Comp
The bracket had the entries but suffered from a number of withdrawals pre event so likewise just stuck to testing.
Daniel Schultz had the B/AA in the mid sevens and Michael Grunbum is still ironing out the new car bugs in his A/Gasser.
Supercharged Outlaws
Supercharged Outlaws had five entrants on the grounds, this was reduced to four when Jeff Penton withdrew in qualifying. Darryl Walford top qualified in the Skips Racing Thunderbird funny car with a 6.73, defeated a red lighting McCormack in round one before taking the final win over Dearne Stephen in a good race
It was Dearne Stephens turn in the fiery altered’s race seat which has had some work following a rear end rearranging diff catastrophe at the first round of the NSW Championship. Dearne benefited from a first round single then a 7.37 (7.25) could not hold off Walford’s 6.83 (6.80) in the final.
Norm McCormack despite his round one red light still holds a healthy lead in the track championship points.
After qualifying with a 7.37 Mal Gower shut down the new altered in round one before staging.
Jeff Penton’s dragster developed a heavy breathing problem on its first qualifying attempt and withdrew the car and probably ending his chance at back to back track championships.
Top Sportsman
Top Sportsman were competing for the Colin Soleiman Memorial trophy and it was Greg Fowler who would have his named inscribed this year with his first win the teams new GXP. Fowler faced Kon Michaloudakis in the final, a 6.98 (7.02) topped a breaking out Kon 8.51 (8.53)
It was a impressive competition debut for Michaloudakis, normally seen in a Torana has just started running this big block Capri which some may remember from back in the ECR days.
Still a rookie Dallas Whyte proves to be a force in whatever car he drives, now in the wifes ute Whyte still earned a semi final slot before being bundled out by Fowler.
On the other side of the ladder was Adam “Popeye” Attard who is having a consistent season with another semi final finish still lurking second in the points behind Steve Fowler.
Steve Fowler was undefeated to this point in the season when Whyte slayed him in the first round with a perfect 8.780 (8.78).
Gary Halpin was back following a catastrophic engine failure, hoping for seven’s from a new GAS Motorsport prepped 2JZ but wasn’t to be due to boost issues.
Johnny Briscas wounded the turbo Camaro after a 7.28 qualifying run.
Up from Victoria was Mick McGrath in nitrous small block LJ and laid down a 7.94 best.
Modified
With a new Top Alcohol altered in his shed Brett White took the old man’s altered for a skid which we believe was for the first time, that fact did not matter with White going on to win the event defeating Jenny Petrie in the final after going past Andrew Musgrave and Mark Bool in the earlier rounds.
Petrie was looking to go one step better than her runner up finish at the previous round to consolidate her points lead, a 8.88 (8.88) pass from White was too tough though for the Toplino’s 8.48 (8.46) run.
Coral Dyer’s reaction time cost her in the semi against Petrie, the dragsters 8.21 (8.20) would of done the job except for a 0.140 reaction, to Petrie’s lightning 0.012.
Alan Rawson was a little carried away during the burnout in the first round tagging the wall and having to shut down.
Super Sedan
Neil Constantinou has been steadily returning to form bettering his last round runner up finish with a finals win over Elise Taylor.
Young Elise is turning into a tough racer being in the mix at the end of the day regularly now. A .007 hole shot light from Constantinou being the difference in the final with Taylor’s 10.66 (10.64 .049RT) just run down by the Torana’s 10.0 (9.97), irony being Taylor had been cutting double zero lights all day.
Joe Zammit remains in the championship points lead despite red lighting to Constantinou in the semi.
A relative newcomer to Super Sedan, Jamie Nicholson had his Torana firing before breaking out against Taylor in the other semi.
Debbie Martin was also representing the female population in her XB Falcon, a .001RT 9.83 (9.82) first round win over Joe Valenzisi was sizzling, in the second round though it went all array with a .5 light virtually handing the win to Nicholson.
Blistering burnouts from Webster’s A40 Austin didn’t help the street machine building legend against Taylor in round one. We will be seeing a second A40 out on the track in the very near future at the Oztin will be making a comeback before years end.
Modified Bike
Joe Khoury’s .097 RT 9.85 (9.80) kept Robert Simmonds .148 RT 8.92 (8.91) at bay on a hole shot in the final.
Robert Simmonds though will hold on to the points lead narrowly.
Clinton Camilleri bolted on a set of wheelie bars to help keep the front down after some spectacular wheelstands of late. It also helped his racing reaching the semi final before cherry picking against Khoury.
Backing up his last round win with a semi final finish, Gary Tansley was halted by Simmo there, however remains well in contention with the points.
Wally Hosta picked up the C/MB track record with a 131.87 MPH although being defeated in the first round by Khoury.
Brian Vernon and Nationals winner Matt Welch go at it in qualifying, Welch fell in round one to Camilleri while Vernon red lighted himself out of the event in round two.
Super Street
Peter Tsounias conquered all in a big Super Street field, the win elevated the XY driver within reach of the championship points leaders but as you would expect in the competitive bracket it is still wide open.
Chris Hensby is also in the hunt but broke out in the final.
Any weakness will cost you in Super Street as Kurt Timms discovered in the semi being holeshot by Hensby.
Last round winner Richard Matosevic stayed in form also making it to the semi final.
Sal Sabato shows what torque is all about and did reach round three meeting Hensby.
Track Champion Stan Nikitaras started the season off with a win but has struggled since, ending up on the trailer after round two at the hands of Colin Watling.
Super Gas
After two bridesmaid results this season to Rick Dudek and the latter not competing at this event, Joe Catanzariti collected the winners trophy.
The final was a close one with Michael Stivala with less than a hundredth separating them off the line, Stivala’s 9.957 pipped by the Torana’s 9.952
Heartbreaking -.001 red light from Colin Griffin the semi
Roy Romeo was late on the lights in the other semi and broke out trying to motor down Stivala.
Bill Perdikaris and Emilio Spinozzi used the Super Gas pro tree to sneak in some testing!
Junior Dragster
In only took Erin Koukides two events in her racing career and she is already a winner.
It was a all girl final in Junior Dragster, in fact all the boys were eliminated before the semi finals. The two finalists were locked together off the startline, Koukides’ 8.31 (8.20) was enough for Naomi Lightowler’s 8.54 (8.40).
Caitlin Zammit broke out to Koukides in the first semi and Georgia O’Neill was hole shot by Lightowler in the second one.
Jessica Turner made the trek up from Victoria but was defeated by Toby Austin in the first round.
Screamin’ Eagles
Robert Axisa took out Screamin’ Eagle bracket when Steve Stanley yanked a red light in the final.
The runner up finish still had Stanley locked up with Axisa in the championship points.
Craig Berry’s stunning Fatboy went down to Stanley in the semi likewise Joe Khoury couldn’t double up losing to Axisa in the other semi.
Robyn Hines suffered and nasty accident in qualifying when she was thrown violently off her Harley just after the sixty foot. Robyn was transported to hospital and diagnosed with a seriously broke shoulder amongst some other injuries, not to be persuaded though Robyn says she will be back on the bike around March and we wish her the best in the recovery.
Street Fighter
Former Junior pilot and recently testing his new Modified Dragster, Rocco Romano has been biding his time in Street Fighter, which he made the most of picking up the win at this event.
Don Zammit’s red light ended the finals battle early, but consistency still had the Commodore steerer just ahead of the young Romano in the championship battle.
Canberra’s Robert Webster just fell shy of Zammit in the semi final.
Corrine Zammit has been putting laps down whenever she can at the track but she let her reaction slip against Webster in the semi which proved to be the difference maker at the finish.
Video highlights courtesy of Madman Productions
Photos by www.cacklingpipes.com
