Phil Lamattina, chasing his first Top Fuel championship since 2014, scored his first victory since May 2022 in the Riverbend Nationals, Round Four of the Top Fuel Australia Championship. After defeating Harris in the A-Final, the ‘Carrot King’ has catapulted into contention to win the 2023-2024 Championship.

“From here, we want to continue the momentum,” Lamattina said. “We won’t change what we’ve been doing but will try to improve. We can only race the car, the track, and the conditions. That’s what we did this weekend, and it certainly worked in our favor.”

Series leader Wayne Newby will take a 94-point lead over LTFR owner-driver Phil Lamattina going into round four of the 2023-24 TFA Championship at the Riverland Nationals on April 6-7. 
Defending champion Harris is third, eight points behind Lamattina.

Newby and RAI teammate Harris are coming off a tough outing at the Perth Westernats last month, where both crashed heavily. 

Newby’s car has since been repaired, while Harris will race the team’s ‘C’ car, driven by NHRA champion Larry Dixon, to victory at the 2013 Nitro Champs meeting at Sydney Dragway.

After a 12-month hiatus from the winner’s circle, Phil Read returned in a big way after outpacing fellow veteran Phil Lamattina in the final of Top Fuel at the 53rd Westernats, held at the Perth Motorplex on March 2-3.

Read led all the way, posting a 3.91, 311mph to Lamattina’s 3.95,287 mph. 
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Read’s previous win was at the Westernats in March 2023 when he defeated Peter Xiberras. 

A mere two points separate Rapisarda Autosport International teammates Damien Harris and Wayne Newby leading into round three of the Australian Top Fuel Championship at the Perth Motorplex on March 2, 3.
Reigning champion Harris holds the advantage after winning the opening round of the series against Newby and pocketing a swag of bonus points. The result was reversed at the Australia Day meeting in January when Newby defeated Harris in the final.

“The win in Sydney win was the breakthrough we had been chasing,” according to Newby. “Our first win in four years was a real boost to the confidence and morale of the team. At the opening round, we ran low E.T. of the meet with a 3.76, the fastest I have ever gone in Australia. Then, in Sydney, we got the win and claimed the top speed of the event at 322 mph. Santino [Rapisarda} and his crew have given me an awesome car to drive. I’m quietly confident that we can take home the win at the Motorplex this weekend.” 

Leading Aussie Top fuel team PremiAir Nulon Racing will bypass round four of the 2023-2024 championship at the Perth Motorplex, March 2-3. 

Team owner-driver Peter Xiberras is currently in third place behind RAI duo Wayne Newby and Damien Harris.

Three-time NHRA champion Larry Dixon will race for Rapisarda Autosport International alongside Aussie teammates Damien Harris, Wayne Newby, and Shane Olive at the Australia Day Nationals at Sydney Dragway, January 26 - 27.

The decision by the legendary team owner to run four cars is a significant boost to the event that will see a capacity field of eight for the first time in recent memory. 

The last time the family team ran four cars was at the East Coast Nationals in November 2015, where Newby and Harris were joined by NHRA stars, Cory McClenathan and Dom Lagana. Cory Mac defeated local Darren Morgan in the final after downing Lagana in the semifinal.

Justin Walshe scored his second win of the 2023-2024 NDRC Nitro Funny car season after taking a holeshot victory over last-round winner Morice McMillin in the A-Final of the inaugural Festival State Nationals, Jan 13-14. 
“I cut a .002 tree,” said Walshe. “I was aiming for a 040; sometimes, I flirt with it a bit too much. 002 I’ll take it. I could hear Morice out the side window but kept my foot into it and got there first.”

The NDRC has announced changes to the 2023-2024 calendar season for the Aeroflow Funny Car series, which includes date changes, the introduction of a one-day meeting format and an overhaul of the Sportsman calendar to be phased in from the Willowbank Raceway meeting, February 16-17.