The Haltech East Coast Nationals has delivered a reshaped NDRC title picture across its five Group 1 brackets, with BLAHST Top Fuel now set for a three-way fight between Phil Lamattina, Damien Harris, and Wayne Newby at the season finale; XPRO Nitro Funny Car leader Josh Leahy surviving stern challenges; Top Doorslammer gaining a new championship leader in Emilio Spinozzi; Pro Stock’s Rob Dekert and Omar Sedmak deadlocking at the top; and Pro Mod champion Zoran Gajic extending his advantage.The Haltech East Coast Nationals exploded into life at Sydney Dragway on Saturday as 11,000hp/500kph nitro-burning BLAHST Top Fuel and XPRO Nitro Funny Car beasts spearheaded a thunderous day of National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) action on 26 September.
With rain forecast for Sunday (27 September), a huge two-day program was condensed into a single non-stop day to give racing the best chance of being completed – and critical points awarded ahead of next month’s season finale – for not only the BLAHST Top Fuel and XPRO Nitro Funny Car machines, but also Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock, Pro Mod and the Aeroflow Sportsman Championship racers.
All five Group 1 brackets dove straight into racing, with the fields for round one seeded according to the championship standings.
Five BLAHST Top Fuel racers well and truly put on a show across the day, going side-by-side with full candles time and time again, with 11 of the day’s 15 passes run in three seconds and nine at more than 500kph.
In the A-Final, Damien Harris took the win with a crowd-pleasing 3.817-second, 525.66kph pass over Shane Olive (3.847/516.05kph), dashing his Rapisarda Autosport International (RAI) team-mate’s hopes of a maiden event win with the team.
Harris’s event victory followed two previous race wins, the first in round one over Steve Read (3.916/508.32kph v 5.112/346.28kph), with ‘The Pom’ never really opening the throttle all the way, before he faced off against current championship leader Phil Lamattina, with his 3.893/522.24kph pass bettering the 4.141/466.21kph of the Carrot King, who had to pedal his way down the track. Olive had earlier turned the win light on over Wayne Newby in round one (3.860/517.77kph v 3.917/507.84kph) and Read in round two (3.880/515.44kph v 4.089/468.83kph).
“I saw Shane, then he disappeared, and I just prayed that I got the win because I need the points. I want to thank all the Rapisarda family and Atlantic Oils. This result is going to make the Bend interesting,” Harris said.
Newby secured a RAI 1-2-3 for the event in the B-Final with a best-of-the-event pass, with candles blazing in a 3.720-second, 532.76kph side-by-side showdown that saw him take the win over Lamattina (3.925/464.92kph) while narrowly edging out Harris for the low ET and top speed of the day.
While Lamattina (74 points) retains the lead into next month’s SPRY Spring Nationals at Dragway at The Bend, the job is far from done with both Harris (64) and Newby (60) well in touch. Olive’s runner-up finish lifts him to fourth on 56, ahead of Kyle Putland (46) and Steve Read (44) – who ran the C-Final solo with a 4.037-second pass at 292.84mph, marking his best pass of the day.
“I’ve still got the points lead, but that doesn’t mean anything at the moment. Put it this way, the punters should get down to Dragway at The Bend, it’s going to be an interesting race meeting. The target is definitely on my back, and they are going to be coming after me,” Lamattina said.
“We are still in the lead, and everyone still has to chase us, so bring on Tailem Bend!”
For XPRO Nitro Funny Car championship leader Josh Leahy, the Haltech East Coast Nationals victory (4.024/513.01kph) is another big step toward what could be his maiden title.
His third win of the season extended his points lead and turned the tables on Justin Walshe (4.069/512.04kph), after Walshe beat him at the Nitro Champs last time the bracket raced in Sydney. The pair flew down the track side-by-side in one of the standout XPRO Nitro Funny Car runs of the day.
Leahy took victories in both previous rounds, with a clean win over Luke Shepherd in Round 1 (4.144/441.49kph v 4.644/313.37kph) and another from Damon Paton in Round 2 (4.095/495.45kph v 4.750/295.34kph), the latter having to pedal and get off the throttle early.
Walshe also came into the final with two victories under his belt – a difficult 4.166/449.61kph Round 1 pass against Paton’s 4.989/276.22kph which saw both racers struggling to make it down the track in very hot conditions, and the first Nitro Funny Car 500kph+ pass of the day, with Walshe throwing down the gauntlet at 514.99kph and 4.047 seconds over Adam Murrihy (4.220/487.67kph) in Round 2.
“How good does this feel?! I didn’t even know if we were going to make it out here. The wind is about to pick up, and we were trying to get in before the rain. And that run shouldn’t have made it. I was off towards the centre line, then back over, and only one chute came out, so I was hard on the brakes,” Leahy said after collecting his trophy.
“What an unreal feeling to come out here and do this at the Haltech East Coast Nationals. It’s also a bit of redemption here at Sydney, so it is good to get the Gold.”
Leahy now takes 84 points into the SPRY Spring Nationals at Dragway at The Bend, with reigning champion Morice McMillin retaining second (70) and Walshe climbing to third on 66, ahead of Paton in fourth on 62.
McMillin’s B-Final win (4.016/520.88kph) over Luke Shepherd (8.481) came as sparks flew from the back of the Aeroflow/Boosted Ford Mustang and Shepherd struggled to get off the line. The track got quicker as the night went on, with McMillin laying down the fourth 500kph+ pass of the day after the reigning champion had previously gone down to Shepherd in Round 2 following a win over Murrihy in Round 1.
Murrihy made it to the C-Final running a spare body shell after the sheer speed of the A.M Motorsport Nitro Freak Team Dodge Charger damaged the front-right corner of the original in Round 2. The backup body did the job, with Murrihy’s 4.282/286.62mph pass more than enough for the win over Paton (5.064 early shut down) despite drifting near the wall and lifting off early.
In Top Doorslammer today’s running has thrown the title race wide open, with a second straight win vaulting Emilio Spinozzi into the points lead for the first time, two points ahead of 11-time champion, John Zappia.
A nail-biting run into the A-Final saw Spinozzi claim his second NDRC Gold Christmas Tree in a row with a 5.690/407.83kph solo run, after Daniel Gregorini was given the signal to shut off at the line.
Spinozzi had already reset the track speed record in Round 2, raising it to 421.77kph from 417.96kph as part of a 5.707-second pass over Peter Lovering (7.282) after an earlier Round 1 win over Nasser Matta (5.778/414.85kph v 5.786/405.10kph).
“It’s pretty amazing to come out of the Winternationals and back it up with a win here in Sydney. I’m really proud of my team. The guys worked really hard all week, and I can’t thank the NDRC, Sydney Dragway, and everyone enough,” Spinozzi grinned in the deep end as he accepted his Gold Christmas Tree.
Daniel Gregorini made his way to the A-Final with two round victories – a round one (5.739/404.79kph) win over a red-lighting Peter Lovering and round two win over Brody Davies (5.712/398.71kph v 5.885/394.86kph). That victory came despite lifting the blower towards the end of the run, with the Scratch and Match Motorsport having to work double time to make the A-Final – an effort which would ultimately end in vain.
Zappia’s day ended on a strong note after his Fuchs Summit Monaro had come dangerously close to the wall in his round one and two solo passes (7.279 and 7.647) seconds, taking a staunch B-Final win over Nasser Matta, who danced around after launching hard to the left and throwing a belt (5.874/362.15kph v 6.714/225.37kph).
Lisa Gregorini meanwhile was left to run the C-Final solo, as Jeremy Callaghan – who made a remarkable comeback at this event after a heavy crash in June at the Winternationals – was unable to line up following a solid Round 2 win over Shane Catalano. Lisa Gregorini and Callaghan had met earlier in the day, where the former took the win with a 5.876/357.27kph pass over Callaghan’s 6.081/393.87kph effort. Brodie Zappia likewise ran solo in the D-Final after Frank Taylor was unable to reverse after the burnout.
The Pro Mod A-Final saw defending champion Zoran Gajic – who also won Pro Mod the last time this event was held in 2022 – take on Eddy Hawach, who was enjoying his first NDRC final appearance. Gajic went clean and straight down the road for a 5.858/418.37kph pass to take the win, while Hawach’s car drifted to the right, coming whisper close to the wall.
Neil Murphy and Lorenzo Gullotto put on one of the best shows of the Pro Mod finals with a side-by-side B-Final drag race, though it was a case of first or worst which decided the winner, as Gullotto hung a cherry on the tree and Murphy ran under the 5.85s index with a 5.781/398.34kph pass.
Zack Knezevic meanwhile ran solo in the C-Final when Kirsten Cannuli was unable to pluck reverse after the burnout, while the D-Final went the way of Craig Hewitt, whose 6.058-second pass with a reaction time of .229 seconds at 145.84kph was enough to make up for Jeff Cutajar’s better reaction time of .097 and 6.829/240.23kph effort.
Gajic now heads to the season finale on 68 points, 18 clear of Adam Tassone (50) – who is currently away from the track as his car undergoes repairs – and Gullotto, who has now drawn level with Tassone in second on 50. Knezevic sits fourth on 38, with Joe Gauci (34) and the fast-finishing Murphy (28) completing the top six.
With the wind picking up, the Pro Stock racers elected to run only the A-Final, for which Robert Dekert and Omar Sedmak took to the track. It was Sedmak who took the win with a 7.340-second pass over Dekert, who rolled the beams.
Sedmak had earned his place in the final with wins over Gina Bullians (6.982/316.11kph v 7.071/312.82kph) and John Barbagallo (6.930/317.39kph v 8.321/193.25kph) in the opening two rounds, while Dekert had also turned the win light on twice – first in a round one solo (7.007/198.47mph) and then in a round two match-up with Clint George (6.920/320.43kph v 7.420/311.16kph).
Saturday’s A-Final match-up was a repeat of the last time Pro Stock raced at Sydney Dragway, for the Nitro Champs in May this year, where Dekert claimed the event win – this time, however, the results were flipped. It also follows Dekert reversing a two-point deficit to Sedmak into a two-point advantage at the Pro Stock Nationals, with Sedmak’s win today meaning the pair now head to the season finale tied for the points lead on 62 points.
“I’m ecstatic, I just can’t believe it. Rob, obviously, it’s payback because he took the win at the last one. He’s a great competitor and we’re looking forward to Adelaide,” Sedmak said.
“I’d also like to thank my crew, they’re unbelievable, and without them we wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing. Aaron and Kurt, they know, and they’ve been with me all day. Aaron, you’re a gun mate.”
Also on track today was the Aeroflow Sportsman Championship, with racers leaving nothing on the table in their one and only qualifying round in the morning. Top Qualifying honours went to Jeff Sargent (Supercharged Outlaws), Vlado Turic (Top Sportsman), Daniel ‘BatDan’ Carranza (Modified), Peter Furlanetto (Super Sedan), Dean Jamieson (Modified Bike), Sammy-Jo Johnson (Super Street), Cody Sedmak (Aeroflow Junior Dragster), Kobe Ashelford (Aeroflow Junior Drag Bike), Samuel Fry (Performance Bike) and Adrian Vella (Super Comp), ahead of elimination runs later in the afternoon.
Those elimination runs will now conclude on the morning of Sunday 27 September, due to on-track delays, light rain and dropping temperatures on Saturday evening. Stay tuned to the NDRC’s social media platforms for further updates on the finalisation of sportsman running for the Haltech East Coast Nationals.
Fast approaching is a massive October for the NDRC. The All Bike Nationals at Dragway at The Bend will host the penultimate round for Top Fuel Motorcycle, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Performance Bike, Modified Bike, and Aeroflow Junior Drag Bike, while the exciting new Southern Sportsman Slam will see all of the Aeroflow Sportsman Championship’s ‘car’ brackets do battle in their penultimate event at Heathcote’s Victoria Motorsport Park the same day (October 10).
From there, every NDRC bracket will descend on Dragway at The Bend across October 22-25 for the 2026 season finale, with BLAHST Top Fuel, XPRO Nitro Funny Car, Top Doorslammer, Top Fuel Motorcycle, Pro Alcohol, Pro Stock, Pro Stock Motorcycle, Pro Mod and all 10 Aeroflow Sportsman Championship brackets deciding their champions in a four-day blockbuster. For event information, visit https://nationaldragracing.com.au/calendar/
To learn more about the NDRC, visit www.ndrc.tv
