Zappia backs up track record in Darwin with a 5.89
(8-28-2012) BIBRA LAKE, WA – Five times Australian National Top Doorslammer Champion John Zappia and his Zappia Racing Team traveled to the Northern Territory state capital of Darwin for the final round of the Slamfest, at the Hidden Valley Dragway. The event was sponsored by the Northern Territory Government and 7Mate, and was officially opened by Chief Minister Paul Henderson in front of a huge crowd.
“We love traveling to Darwin and racing” said John Zappia, “The atmosphere is great, the people are great, and the track has the potential to join the best in the country”.
Friday night was the first round of qualifying, and all teams struggled to get down the green track. The Fuchs Lubricants / Procomp Electronics “Crusher” Monaro led the field with an unrepresentative pass of 6.64.
“The track was green with Doorslammers being the first cars down the track for the event. Even though our Track-Meter showed good reasonable grip at the start line, further out it was a little slippery”.
Second qualifier on Saturday night saw Zap run a 5.981 @ 236.92mph to qualify second behind Peter Kapiris who ran 5.945 @ 245.63mph – the only two cars running below 6 seconds.
“That was a safe run for us, as we had a setup in the car to get us down the track and into the show. Round 1 we were up against local Matt Abel who knows the track pretty well, so we had to be on our game”.
“Unfortunately I had to pedal after launching and drifting towards the centreline, and the throttle cable broke on the hit – and I had to watch Matt pass through ahead of me for the win 7.533 to my 7.797. That’s unfortunate a component failure ended our bid to win the event, but that is racing. There are hundreds of parts in these cars that all have to work right, and the smallest can let you down”.
“We had the opportunity to complete an exhibition pass on the Saturday night, and managed to run a 5.890 at 242.63mph with a different setup, and that has given us some good data we can use in the future”.
The event was won by Gary Phillips over Peter Kapiris. The 2012 Slamfest Series winner was Peter Kapiris with 545 points, over Phillips 460 points, and Ben Bray on 435.
“We ran equal fourth in the series with 395 points, after running only five of the seven events. We look forward to next year’s Slamfest Series, as this year has been a complete success from our point of view. The local regional tracks have been packed with spectators all keen to see the best Slammers in the country, and that’s what we aim to keep doing. The atmosphere is great – a little less stressful than full competition, and good comradeship exists between the teams”.
Co-Naming Rights Sponsors
Fuchs Lubricants, and Procomp Electronics.
Major Sponsors
Striker Crushing and Screening, K-Trans Racing, Elora – German Tools, Beta Spuds, Southside Engine Centre, Noonan Race Engineering, and PPG Automotive Refinish.
Supporting Sponsors
Alltools, Santhuff, Victory1, B & J Racing Transmissions, Mi Camcorders, Current Trendz, Crow Cams, Aero Group – Avtrac Maintenance Tracking, Legend Boatbuilders, Taylor Tyres, Kounis Metal Industries, Bravo Resources, CIC High Performance Coatings, Aurora Bearings, Soltoggio Bros, and Track-Meter.
Photos by Jeremy Horvath
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