In the ranks of Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle – you could only describe tonight’s qualifying efforts as “challenging” for most competitors. Russell Taylor proved the exception to the rule, as he threw down the only representative performance in the first round of Direct Mining & Industrial Top Doorslammer Qualifying at 6pm – a 5.68s burn of the quarter mile that would hold up to secure Russell the #1 spot heading into tomorrows All-Run-Format from 5.30pm. Behind him sits Lisa Gregorini with a 5.736s run – despite shutting the Camaro off early in Q2. Andrew Cole sits third with a surprise PB of 6.012!
“Round one was good for us, the track was great but everyone else seemed to struggle with other problems, our car ran smooth and straight for a 5.68 – We can’t complain at that” – Russell Taylor
Both Brodie and John Zappia experienced some serious issues in either session – John Zappia failing to find gears during his Q1 run – and then suffering hard during the Q2 session, letting the burst panels out of the car while he was on track for a potentially strong number, John has to settle for 4th on the qualifying list with an uncharacteristic 6.043s ET. Brodie Zappia was looking strong in the early part of his Q1 pass, before he pedaled the car and cause the burst panels to release on the supercharger; subsequently blowing a hole in the windscreen halfway down the track.
Daniel and Lisa Gregorini seemingly experienced identical electrical issues during their Q1 effort, with both cars stalling mysteriously on the start line. Lisa returned for Q2 and managed to execute a ‘scrappy but still decent’ run to seed her 2nd in the field with a 5.736s ET. Daniel was unable to repair his electrical faults in time for Q2, and sits 12th overall in the field with no representative time set.
“We thought both Daniel and I were having the same electrical problem, but we looked at my data and noticed it was a minor lift of the trans brake which caused my problems in Q1. We got the car ready and went for it in Q2, the car was a little loose but I managed to hold on to it, I clicked it off early and ran a 5.736 to be second behind Russell” – Lisa Gregorini, Scratch & Match Motorsport Camaro
The standout performer of the field was Andrew Cole, making a respectable PB run of 6.012s during the first round, seeding him third overall in the standings! Not all smooth sailing however, having only one parachute deploy in the first round he managed to wrangle the car at the end of the track. Q2 saw Andrew lift for a 6.094, but another parachute failure saw him meet the sand trap – leaving the team with some significant cleanup work to do overnight!
Top Doorslammer Qualifying Results:
1st – Russell Taylor – 5.680 @ 408.13kph
2nd – Lisa Gregorini – 5.736 @ 384.46kph
3rd – Andrew Cole – 6.012 @ 385.72kph
4th – John Zappia – 6.043 @ 300.83kph
5th – Shane Catalano – 6.065 @ 369.15kph
6th – Mark Chapman – 6.191 @ 392.41kph
7th – Matt Abel – 6.455 @ 336.18kph
8th – Brodie Zappia – 6.607 @ 265.59kph
9th – Frank Taylor – 8.751 @ 155.56kph
10th – Maurice Brennan – 8.888 @ 176.41
11th – Peter Kapiris – 9.433 @ 147.79
12th – Daniel Gregorini – N/T
Top Fuel Motorcycle was a very similar affair, both qualifying sessions saw everyone struggling to get their bikes down the track with decent power, including Wayne McGuinness and Benny Stevens, With only Ian Ashelford setting something ‘close’ with the massive Attitude 190c.i. machine running an 8.479 @ 194.07kph to hold the #1 spot.
Top Fuel Motorcycle Qualifying Results:
1st – Ian Ashelford – 8.479 @ 194.07kph
2nd – Wayne McGuinness – 10.002 @ 141.05kph
3rd – Benny Stevens – 10.618 @ 137.32kph
4th – Kevin Gummow – 13.091 @ 98.23kph
5th – Greg Durack – N/T
Sportsman Qualifying for all of the ANDRA sportsman series brackets was a totally different affair – with plenty of incredible runs and quite a few Group 2 competitors running times already below their national records! Young star Jett Martin leads the Cool Az Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Competition Eliminator field with a scorching 6.284s run in Q1 (0.116 under the BB/AA index) – running even quicker than Steve Martins 6.306s record set back in 2022! Rick Johns follows in 2nd place so far with a 7.110s run (0.110s under the B/AA index) followed by Connor McClure in 3rd with a 6.401 set in Q1 (0.109s under the AA/APIA index).
Rob Gaikhorst currently leads the charge in Super Stock, with a 7.992s run in Q2 to sit 0.128s below the C/Gas index! Whilst Chris Allen leads the field in Fridays Seadoo & CanAm Competition Bike with an incredible 7.086s run in Q1 (0.694s under the CC/CB index).
Tomorrow morning sees all of the Sportsman competitors scheduled for 2 more qualifying rounds in the morning, before the first of the elimination rounds start thinning the fields out from 2:15pm. The main spectator gates open from 1pm for fans to enjoy the afternoon’s action ahead of the main show kicking off with Round 1 of Top Doorslammer and Top Fuel Motorcycle from 5.25pm Saturday evening for a three-round extravaganza of exciting racing! For the full schedule, tickets and entry list – click HERE
Make sure you grab your tickets – Saturday of the Burson Auto Parts Goldenstates is not to be missed!
