18th Nov 2006 - Perth Motorplex. It was Top Alcohol action this weekend at the "Plex", but it was local hero John Zappia who sent the crowd crazy with his first 5 second pass at Motorplex later in the evening. The Striker Crushing Monaro running a 5.993et @ 238.73mph, making Zap the only person in Doorslammer Drag Racing history to run two 5 second passes in legal race kit. The pass was significant for the Zappia Racing Team, in the run up to round 3 of the ANDRA Top Doorslammer Championship here in Perth on 1st and 2nd December, as they had been hovering around the six "o's" for some time, and wanted to move the baseline below that mark.
"It was fantastic to give my home town crowd a five second pass" said a jubilant Zap last night, "A lot of people and sponsors here locally have given us so much assistance and support over the last five years with this new car, and tonight they got their reward. We receive a cash prize also from Major Sponsor RENTCO for every 5 second pass we do, so many thanks to them. It's nice for crew and me to achieve a milestone as well, because we put in huge amounts of hours into this car." Special thanks should also go to the many supporters and non crew helpers who visit the shed from time to time and offer assistance wherever possible as well as the race day supporters who help out with the corporate area and help feed the masses.
Zappia Racing are using the local Perth Motorplex meetings in between Top Doorslammer rounds to test and fine tune their new Striker Crushing and Screening sponsored TFX engine package, to take the next step forward in the class. First pass of the day produced a slowing 6.147et @ 224.43mph after hitting a 3.995 660ft time, due to a few piston meltdowns. "We are early in the development of this engine, and our distribution in the manifold was off a little. This engine has different characteristics compared to the Walt Austin, but already it shows potential" said Zap.
The crew replaced the TFX engine with one of the other two spare engines, choosing the old tried and tested World Record 5 second Walt Austin engine developed over three seasons. "We put a 6.03 tune in it, and because the weather was good, the engine really performed. The run was almost scary as far as pure grunt and acceleration goes, and the track was a little tricky with the second gear part of the run spent slightly out of the groove towards the centreline."
"This run should put more pressure on our competition, and could produce some interesting racing at the Top Doorslammer round in a few weeks. It's our home track and we know it very well, and the weather this time of year can lead to some record times here in Perth."
"We were also very happy with the new adjustable front struts from Santhuff, as the front ended up lighter and handled better on the 5 second run. These cars are very finely tuned with regard to weight, and the distribution of that weight in the car is important."
"We are still part time volunteer sportsmen racers working from my back shed, so having Striker Crushing and Screening along with RENTCO Transport Equipment on board has allowed us to have spare engines, gearboxes and diffs which has made all the difference in our Championship run, and for development to stay ahead of the competition in regards to elapsed times." Also equally important are the smaller sponsors who contribute to the overall performance of the team.
We hope to see all our sponsors and supporters at the Golden State Championships in Perth on December 1-2.
