| John Zappia beaten by rain at Tin Tops |
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| Written by Zappia Racing | |
| Friday, 04 May 2007 | |
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John Zappia produced a winning performance in qualifying at the Tin Top's in tropical Queensland on the weekend, with super consistent runs in all three sessions - only to be beaten by the rain before the first elimination round. The rain persisted, and the event was cancelled by Willowbank staff.
"We ran the Whipple/BAE 5 second combo this meeting, as we knew the performance was enough to have a good go at the Championship. It was sad to be beaten by the weather, instead of my competitors." said an upbeat John Zappia after the event. "We top qualified easily, and as further prove we did it easily we rattled off a 6.01et on a private test session the day after the event. That was very satisfying and gets us closer to achieving a five second run at each track on the Doorslammer Championship series. The five second pass will hopefully be run in the final of the Winters. Only Benny Bray got close to the Striker Monaro." "We ran 6.098 et @ 229.71mph in session one, then a 6.082 et @ 230.89mph in session two, and a 6.083 et @ 234.74mph in the third - pretty consistent really with a safe tune." Asked if he can actually tell on a run how quick the HQ Monaro goes, Zap says "Not really. On the last run I thought it was a huge run - I changed gears at the right revs, and it felt like it pulled hard - but was only a 6.083. Sometimes the quick runs feel pretty average in the car." With a minimum 40 points awarded to all qualifiers (and Zap awarded Low Elapsed Time extra 5 points) under ANDRA rules for the Tin Tops, the Championship remains in the hands of Garry Phillips (500 points). All Phillips has to do is qualify to win the Championship. Best case scenario for Zap (416 points) would be for Phillips not to qualify, and to win the event for 100 points and gain 5 points for Low Elapsed Time - winning the championship by 1 point. "I think we are maturing as a team, after stepping up our sponsorship levels in the last two years with Rentco Transport Equipment and Striker Crushing and Screening making a big contribution, not only financially but also with encouragement and added incentives. New parts and equipment have brought changes to our procedures and logistics - and to an extent that can upset crew rhythm a little, until the changes become engrained. Mechanics would understand how familiar we all get with our tools and ways of doing things. Striker has added an extra component to our value as an experienced team, and time is showing we are responding and becoming more professional. Watch the results in the next few seasons. That professionalism will consolidate and extend to other upcoming racing developments to be announced soon for our team. " "The crew have serviced the car here in Brisbane at a Striker premises, then I head down to the Nitro Champs in Western Sydney to spectate, and eventually back to Willowbank for the Final Round of the Top Doorslammer Championship at the Winternationals." We hope to see as many sponsors, friends and fans come to Willowbank to hopefully celebrate the end to a very good season. |
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