Australia’s NDRC gears up for the two final “fast doorcar” season clashes…..
Craig Burns may not have originally planned to take on FuelTech Pro Mod, but that hasn’t stopped him leading the way as the bracket heads into its penultimate round of the NDRC season at the upcoming Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs (May 3-5) – at Sydney Dragway.
Burns and the rest of the FuelTech Pro Mod field will be joined on-track by both Top Fuel and Nitro Funny Car – their first side by side appearance all season – as well as Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock and the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship
The SCF Race Cars chassis guru currently leads the points over Joe Gauci, Rob Campisi and Zoran Gojic in his ‘The Villian’ Ford Mustang, largely due to a dominating first round at the Sydney Nationals and then a runner-up appearance at the Australia Day Nationals to Gajic.
“At the Sydney Nationals, there wasn’t any Top Doorslammer racing, so I decided to run in Pro Mod, and that first meeting really set the precedent and saw it become the focus of our season,” he said.
“We are really happy with the season so far, the car has been running well, and the crew are doing an amazing job. I am lucky to have an absolutely killer car and crew – we try really hard to keep it simple and not beat ourselves by overthinking it. So far it is working for us!
“To win the NDRC Pro Mod title, well that would just be epic! Having said that, I would definitely say we are not confident of winning the title – you just can’t be. There are two more events to go, and plenty of opportunity still for guys like Joe Gauci, Rob Campisi, and the king of Pro Mod Zoran Gajic – last year’s champ and fresh off an event win – to finish strong,” he said.
Craig Burns is the overall points leader for the NDRC’s Fuel Tech Pro Mod division as that campaign heads into it’s final season stretch.
“We will just be doing our best to try and stay out in front of those turbo cars – what I do know for sure is that it is going to be an awesome event.
“Of course, to win the Nitro Champs would be really awesome and help ease the pressure off heading into the finals at the Winternationals, that is for sure. We will be doing all we can!
“We haven’t changed a lot, although we have started to run the car without the lockup on as it was just hard on the diff gears, which has left some performance on the table – but hopefully with the weather and air getting better, it will help us over the next few events.”
Top Doorslammer newcomer Jack Danaher will also contend the upcoming Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway – Eastern Creek NSW.
The Noosa resident made the step up to Top Doorslammer for the first time at January’s Australia Day Nationals and is looking forward to taking further steps forward at this exciting event.
“The fans are in for a real treat – with a great field of Top Doorslammers alongside both Top Fuel and Nitro Funny car, the Nitro Champs are shaping up to be one of the greatest events we’ve seen,” said the 38-year-old Service Manager.
“The access the fans have to the cars and drivers is something pretty special to our sport and we really encourage the fans to get down to the pits and get amongst it, talk to the drivers and crew, and get some great photos; we would love to see you!
“I think the whole NDRC has been a breath of fresh air for our sport, and this event and the upcoming Winternationals will both be huge – I am really looking forward to what the future will bring.”
Danaher’s move to Top Doorslammer has been a popular one, with his striking Striptease Racing Wildink 57 Corvette Top Doorslammer turning plenty of heads already.
Jack Danaher’s new ’53 Corvette Top Doorslammer entry.
“I’ve been racing for over 10 years in both Supercharged Outlaws and Pro Mod, but to step up to Top Doorslammer really was another level,” he said.
“To get out there and be alongside drivers that I’ve admired for a long time was pretty special.
“The event was definitely very cool, and whilst we were disappointed with the weather, we still managed some valuable seat time and got to catch up with the racing family.
“I was really excited by the challenge, and I had a lot of support in the lead up to the event. I simply couldn’t do it without the help from my good mates Kane Finn and Jason Cunliffe, they’ve been a massive part of my racing journey.”
“The car has huge potential and we will just creep up on it,” Danaher said. “Our third qualifier especially in January showed some great incremental times which was really promising.”
“We’re always learning and have made a few small changes with our set up/tune up ready for Nitro Champs – it is all about small steps for us, as we don’t have a huge racing budget.”
The Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs, featuring fire-breathing Top Fuel dragsters and Nitro Funny Cars alongside Top Doorslammer, Pro Mod, Pro Stock, Top Bike (exhibition) and the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship, will be held at Sydney Dragway across May 3-5.
Top Fuel and Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship will both be enjoying two rounds of championship racing across the weekend.
The 2024 NDRC race calendar will then wrap up with it’s final season presentation — the highly reputed and long running Gulf Western Oil Winternationals – which goes off at the now refurbished Willowbank Dragway (June 6-9th) Ipswich QLD.
For more NDRC information link: HERE
Posted by Jigsaw Communications
Photos by Grant Stephens & Bruce Biegler
