John Zappia – the man that has set the pace this season in Top Doorslammer with stunning pace and consistency - has arrived in Queensland with his Zappia Racing team ready for the Castrol EDGE Winternationals this weekend.
Undefeated so far this season, Zap is all set to unleash his magic again for his sponsors and fans in the Striker HQ Monaro, with his famous long smoky burnouts and wild driving style.
“We are really looking forward to the Winters this year” said Zap, “We were knocked out in the Semi last year, so we would like to make amends for that. We would love to keep our unbeaten record for the whole season going, just to make a point. The crew have been amazing this year – like a Formula One Team in discipline and performance”.
“Some of the other racers are capable of surprising us but having said that, we don’t look over our shoulder when we race – the crew and I are committed to being out in front and winning by doing the basics very well, and finding all the one percent advantages”.
Zap has sufficient points to win the 2008/2009 ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship, his second Championship in a row, without even qualifying but that is not the way Zap thinks.
“The season is not over until the final is run, so it’s back to our usual routine for the qualifying sessions. Despite our strong consistency this season, Top Doorslammer is still a very difficult bracket to master and so much depends on the track condition. The last round in Sydney showed us that as I really had to drive the car to get it down the track. I am confident the Mickey Thompson tyres can handle the typically sticky Willowbank track”.
“As an Added bonus, we would really like to win the Karcher Pressure Cleaner prize for winning the event. Would be a great tool for the workshop back in Perth”.
“Big congratulations to Victor Bray for his achievement of 30 years in the Sport. He has won more Championships than anybody in Doorslammer, so I have a lot of catching up to do. I started my career in the original Zap’s Rat in 1984 with an injected 454 in A/GAS, a total of 25 years, although I did have a break from the sport for a few years”.
“We are entering the most exciting times in our sport in Australia and Internationally, and our sponsors Striker Crushing and Screening, Fuchs Lubricants, United Industries, Force Tools and many of our other sponsors are really impressed with the quality of the ONE HD TV programs from ANDRA”.
“There is also a lot of talk regarding International drag racing possibilities at the moment, and we are involved in those developments in the early stages. As a full time professional drag racer, the opportunity to take our Aussie ingenuity overseas and prove ourselves against the world’s best would be an exciting prospect”.
The Castrol EDGE Winternationals is Australia’s largest and most prestigious drag racing event, and the largest drag racing event outside of North America.
The inclusion of Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup match racing each other should also prove an added draw card to what will be a huge meeting.
First qualifier for the event is scheduled for Friday 5th June at 5.30pm EST. Fans not attending the event can listen live on www.speedfm.com.au or check the www.zapsrat.com.au web site for regular short updates.
Second and third qualifiers are scheduled for 12.00pm EST and 2.30pm EST on Saturday 6th June. Sunday 7th June features all the eliminations, with Round 1 at 12.30pm EST, Round 2 at 2.19pm EST, and the Final 2 – 3 hours later as the finals progress.
