fastlane
qualifier before being beaten by Peter Tzokas when he red lit
in his ’57 Chev. Mick Willox had a solo in the semi-finals but
broke before he was able to accept the tree, leaving Tzokas to
enjoy a solo pass to the win.
In Modified Eliminator, Victorian Wayne Talbot was tuned
up to break both ends of the AA/MA marker at the Desert
Nationals. The current ANDRA record had stood at 6.375s at
219.22mph and had been held by Andrew Musgrave and Mark
Hinchelwood since 2014. On his first pass, Talbot stopped the
clocks in 6.46 seconds at 157 mph to test the track. He then
returned with his ‘Forever Young’ Plymouth Cuda Funny Car
and recorded a 6.25s ET at 235.91 mph. In session three, he then
went slightly quicker with a 6.241s ET at 230.51 mph, leaving
him only needing to lay down another fast run during Sunday’s
eliminations to officially claim the record.
And that is exactly what he did – Talbot picked up a new ANDRA
AA/MA record on his first round solo in 6.16 seconds at 235.55
mph before going red at the tree in the semis against Bradley
Hicks. Sergio Bonetti’s 32 Coupe survived the first round when
Matt Czerny red lighted over his breakout and moved into the
finals when his 0.027s light forced Adam Mundy to break out.
In the finals, Bonetti took a popular win with the fans with
a 10.65s on a 10.20s dial-in the to an 8.90s on an 8.05s dial-in
from Hicks.
Another popular class with the Alice Springs crowd was
Supercharged Outlaws. The AM Motorsports Altered of Adam
Murrihy grabbed the number one qualifier spot after the first
session with a 6.88s ET in his Altered. By the fourth session,
Murrihy improved with a 6.72s ET at 202 mph. The bracket then
opened racing on Sunday with Murrihy enjoying a bye run in
the first round before being put on the trailer in the second
by Shane Kramer. Alan Mahnkoph faced Kramer in the finals,
taking the win in his Holden Ute with a 6.93s pass on a 6.89s
dial-in against Kramer’s breaking-out 6.95s run on a 6.96s dial-
in. On his way to the final, Mahnkoph had raced and defeated
Justin Russell and his Camaro before having a solo run in the
semi-finals. Kramer meanwhile had a bye run for round two
before beating Darren White for the semis victory.
In Top Sportsman, it was the supercharged Ford of West
Australia’s Jeff Lewis which led the field in qualifying from the
start with a 6.79s ET at 208 mph. Amanda Martin, also from WA,
was second quickest with a 7.95s ET. Nitro Up North winner
Jason Arbery rounded out the field in fifth with an 8.48s ET.
The Top Sportsman racing was then dominated by Lewis, who
benefited from a bye run in the first round before defeating
Vlado Turic in the semi-finals. Turic had earlier defeated a
red lighting Arbery in the opening round with an 8.088s on
an 8.08s dial-in. Meeting Lewis in the final was Greg Damiani,
who had put away Amanda Martin in round one ahead of a
bye in the semis.
In the final, the reaction time decided the winner with Damiani
going 0.003s on the tree to a 0.416s light from Lewis.
Also in action across the weekend was a Top Doorslammer
field headed by ANDRA Champ John Zappa. Despite the fact
that no one was racing for points, the fans still got to see the
king take his Fuchs Holden Monaro to a stunning 5.797s ET at
249.74 mph for a new track record during Saturday’s qualifying.
Zap’s earlier run was a 5.97s at 247.66 mph. On Sunday, Zappia
and Matt Abel would battle it out in the finals. It wasn’t the
best of passes for either racer, however it would be the Fuchs
Monaro which crossed the finish line first in 6.26 seconds
against a 10-second ET for Abel. Earlier Zappia had run a 5.94s
at 245.79 mph.
The crowd were also treated to history at ASID, with Kelly
Bettes and the Lamattina Top Fuel Team marking the first
ever Top Fuel Dragster appearance at the venue. Fresh off their
appearance at Nitro Up North the week earlier, Kelly Bettes
and the Lamattina Top Fuel team were ready to set some
records in Alice. On Saturday, they made the final run of the
day and the crowd stayed to the very end to witness history
with a 5.527s ET at only 182 mph, despite spinning the tyres.
Come Sunday, the Alice Springs fans were eager to see if Kelly
Bettes could lay down a four-second pass at 300 mph. Her first
attempt in the Fuchs Lamattina Top Fuel dragster saw an early
shut off 5.5s pass, with Bettes later commenting on social
media: “I tried to give it a pedal but it didn’t stick! Going to
make some changes for the next run. We want a 4-second run
in Alice.” The fans wouldn’t have to wait too long - for the final
pass of the day, Bettes lined up in the left lane and belted
out a wild 4.90s at 297 mph. The team were so determined to
run a four-second pass at the track that Kelly kept the foot
planted and wasn’t lifting, as seen when she got a tad close
to the wall. It is safe to say the crowd were appreciative of her
efforts, going wild with celebrations.
For full results from the Summit Racing Equipment Sportsman
Series at Alice Springs, please click here.
Images by Dave Hope
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