In personal best times for both the team and pilot, Phil Lamattina, the Fuchs Top Fueler rocketed to a 4.60 second pass during the morning test session but then came out in the afternoon to become one of just a handful of Australian Top Fuel teams to go into the 4.5 second bracket with a 322mph, 4.59 second blitzkrieg.
 
It was a dominant performance by the Melbourne based team, who after a disappointing season in 2007/2008, have a real point to prove - "We didn't get to anywhere near our potential last season and there's no way we are going to let that happen again," said Phil Lamattina.
 
"We've been chipping away at our setup and have spent hours and hours working through all the data we have on our Fuchs Dragster. Theo [from Pavtek] has worked out basically every feasible way the dragster will respond to different parts of the track. We have every 50 foot increment of the quarter mile analysed."
 
According to Phil, the results of the tireless work in front of a computer screen was the reason for the record times on the weekend, with obvious improvements in the Fuchs Dragsters' performance - "When I was on the 4.59 second pass, I started to feel the car starting to lose rear tyre grip but just as I was going to back off, the clutch setup that Theo had dialled in, just created the most phenomenal thrust and the Fuchs dragster took off."
 
"I have never felt anything like it before!" Phil added.
Lamattina Top Fuel Racing's efforts last weekend were even more impressive when taking into consideration it was the first outing for three new crew members - "Not only have we looked hard at the performance of our race car but we've also had a very constructive look at our crew as well. The three new guys we have brought in were great on the weekend and we couldn't be more pleased with their first experience at a race track."
The Lamattina's have also brought back their former Crew Chief, John Marshall to once again head up the on-track running of the team - "Yes, we've bought John [Marshall] out of retirement for this season. When our team won the Top Fuel Championship back in 2005, John was an integral part of our success. So we are delighted that we have once again secured his services. He is a master of controlling high-pressure situations and that's exactly what we need to ensure we get the best results at every event this season."
 
"We want to be a real contender for the championship this year and we believe we have the package to make it happen," Phil concluded.
 
In other team news, Fuchs Lubricants have announced a further renewal of the naming rights sponsorship of Lamattina Top Fuel Racing for the 2008/2009 season, making this the third consecutive season of major backing. Stay tuned for the launch of a brand new livery design for the up coming season.