Western Australia’s Perth Motorplex hosts Top Doorslammer season series round #2…
The 50th annual edition Goldenstates included a terrific field of NDRC Top Doorslammer cars to delight an enthusiastic crowd at the Perth Motorplex as class competitors did battle in the second round of the 2024/2025 championship chases.
When all was said and done within the popular group one bracket – it was Russell Taylor who claimed the coveted A-Final victory over runner-up Brodie Zappia.
In the A Final, defending champion Russell Taylor went back-to-back this weekend, taking the win over 19-year-old national level debutant Brodie Zappia with a blistering 5.645 second 409.26kph run over Zappia’s equally as impressive 5.849 second 389.48kph effort.
Russell Taylor – Australia’s defending Top Doorslammer National Champion – won in convincing style at the Goldenstates event.
Making his runner-up result even more head turning is the fact the younger Zappia only recently licensed in the elite level bracket around a month ago, with the Goldenstates weekend marking not only his national debut but also only his second competitive outing in the bracket, following a championship-winning Junior Dragster career.
Running in the fives throughout out all of the weekend’s action, Taylor got the party started on Friday night, top qualifying with a 5.680 second, 408.13kph pass. He then set the scene early on Saturday with a solo 5.728 second 409.43kph pass in round one before lining up against Frank Taylor in round two. Frank Taylor, who had been struggling with blower belt alignment all weekend, had a wobbly start off the line, while Russell Taylor blazed down the track to the tune of 5.650s/412.30kph, over Frank Taylor’s 7.270s/220.89kph effort.
Brodie Zappia – who is son to legendary T/D racer John Zappia went to the final round in his debut event.
Brodie Zappia meanwhile made it to the A Final after also running fives in both of his previous All Run rounds, with a 5.941s/384.60kph effort over Matt Abel in round one and a 5.902s/384.96kph run over Maurice Brennan in round two.
The A-Final victory at home in Perth marks an excellent comeback for reigning NDRC title winner Taylor, who didn’t achieve the results he had hoped for at the start of the season.
Russell Taylor & Brodie Zappia
“It is a good feeling (to get the win) – it is good to be back in Perth and get one under the belt again, after Adelaide’s season opener it was a bit of a Debbie Downer, so I am very happy to be here,” Taylor said. “We can’t wait for the next round of NDRC, it is a great series.”
In the B-Final, Andrew Cole took the win over John Zappia with a solid 6.020 second 365.79kph run over the elder Zappia (6.341s/275.66kph) after breaking into the fives for the very first time in round one (5.988s/389.61kph) over Peter Kapiris, before again going quicker in round two (5.951s/389.86kph) on a solo run to make his way to the B-Final.
Unfortunately for Cole, despite taking the B-Final victory, the night didn’t end in celebrations as expected when his Corvette made contact with the wall after the chutes were pulled, rolling onto its roof and sliding before coming to a stop next to the safety crews. Thankfully, Cole got himself out of the car immediately after the incident before speaking with first safety officers and then the big screen presenters soon after.
Andrew Cole won the event’s B-Final – but flipped his Corvette on the top end after taking the win light.
To claim victory in the C-Final, Lisa Gregorini first took a holeshot win (5.785s/400.33kph) in round one with a brilliant launch and a .091 time at the tree over husband Daniel (5.760s/393.20kph). The season-opener winning Gregorini then got a good launch off the line in round two to take the win over Peter Kapiris, who struggled at the start and had to be pushed back from the line. She was seeded to run against Shane Catalano in the C-Final, who took his first Top Doorslammer victory earlier in the evening, however, suspected rod damage prevented the Mik Waters Fabrication Charger from making it back out for the rest of the night.
Lisa Gregorini – who won the season opening NDRC Top Doorslammer event – was the C-Final bracket winner at the Perth Motorplex race.
In the D-Final, Matt Abel had a drive job on his hands to take the win with a 8.101 second 175.38kph solo pass, and it was also a successful event for Steve Aldridge, who ran one of the fastest passes of the second All Run session with a 5.842 second 385.45kph pass to secure his Top Doorslammer licence.
Posted by NDRC
Photos courtesy of High Octane & Cackling Pipes
