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New
Plate Holders ready to carry #1
into New Season |
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July 13th 2017 |
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With the 400 Thunder Professional Drag
Racing Season drawing to a close after
the 50th Gulf Western Oil
Winternationals, a new breed of champion
is ready to carry their respective
number ones into what will be a new era
of Australian Drag Racing.
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Top Fuel saw a first time champ in the
form of Wayne Newby – assuming the title
from his team mate in the Rapisarda
Autosport International stable, Damien
Harris. It was a dominant performance
from the 3-time Pro Alcohol Champion,
with a combination of outright speed and
also consistency proving to be a hard
formula to beat.
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Wayne Newby, TF
Champion. Photo by Cacklingpipes.com.au
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Newby will be back to defend his title
for season 3 of 400 Thunder , in what is
a changing landscape in Top Fuel with
the arrival of Kelly Bettes, driving for
the powerhouse Lamattina Top Fuel team
in a welcome addition to the already
extremely tough category.
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| The Pro Slammer
category had a changing of the guard, in
the form of first time champion Mark
Belleri. The AC Delco Monaro driver had
a season to remember, with an almost
flawless start to the year enough to
overcome mid-season struggles to keep
him in front of a fast finishing pack of
drivers including the veterans Gary
Phillips and Ben Bray. |
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| His team owner
Maurice Fabietti said today “What an
awesome way to start the partnership
with AC Delco – event wins to start the
season and now a championship. Mark has
been doing a fantastic job behind the
wheel and it is going to be great to see
the big number 1 on the side of the
car!” |
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Belleri will debut the #1 on the side of
the blue Monaro at the first round of
the 400 Thunder Pro Slammer Championship
season for 2017-18, at Nitro Up North at
Hidden Valley Dragstrip in Darwin on
21-22 July.
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Pro Alcohol saw the only repeat winner
from the professional categories with
Gary Phillips going back to back, to
remain undefeated as a champion in the
400 Thunder Championship standings. The
wily veteran will carry the #1 on the
side of what will be a new look race car
for Phillips after concluding a 20 year
association with Lucas Oil Products
after the season ending Winternationals.
It will be the 20th time that
Phillips enters a new season as a
defending champion -
a feat that is not likely to be
equalled for a very long time.
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Pro Stock was undoubtedly the Aaron
Tremayne show for season 2 of 400
Thunder. Across 5 rounds of the
championship, Tremayne featured in 4
final rounds with 3 wins in what was the
most dominant performance seen in any of
the professional categories. The only
blip on the radar for the Mega Bulk
Fuels team driver was a DNQ at the
Winternationals when the team’s #1
engine was switched into Tyronne
Tremayne’s car in an effort to secure a
season 1-2
finish for the team.
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Aaron Tremayne, Pro Stock
Champion. Photo - dragphotos.com.au |
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Pro Stock was undoubtedly the Aaron
Tremayne show for season 2 of 400
Thunder. Across 5 rounds of the
championship, Tremayne featured in 4
final rounds with 3 wins in what was the
most dominant performance seen in any of
the professional categories. The only
blip on the radar for the Mega Bulk
Fuels team driver was a DNQ at the
Winternationals when the team’s #1
engine was switched into Tyronne
Tremayne’s car in an effort to secure a
season 1-2
finish for the team.
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Top Bike was a closely fought affair
with a 3 way battle for the title
falling the way of multi time National
Champion Chris Matheson. Matheson took
the title in what was a hot and cold
year for the rider of “Nitro Voodoo”,
overcoming Chris Porter and Damian
Muscat to take his first championship
under the 400 Thunder banner. He will
carry the #1 into battle for the first
time at Nitro Up North, the first round
of the Championship for Top Bike for
2017-18.
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Pro Bike saw another first time champion
in the form of young gun Brad Lemberg.
National Record setting performances set
the platform for Lemberg to take the
title from defending series champion
Glenn Wooster. The highlight for the new
#1 plate holder was undoubtedly the
quickest-in-Australian-history run of
7.05 at the Gulf Western Oil Nitro
Thunder event in Sydney in May – and now
the very real prospect of the first 6
second run in the two wheeled category
is very much on the table.
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The new 400 Thunder season kicks off in
the Northern Territory, with Nitro Up
North and the first round of the Pro
Slammer and Top Bike Championships in
addition to a 4 car Top Fuel Exhibition
category, on July 21 & 22.
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