A spectacular drive job has secured Phil Lamattina his second 2022 Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship event win – the first driver to do so this season.
The Heathcote Park Raceway track conditions dramatically improved for the final against PremiAir Racing’s Peter Xiberras, catching out both team’s tune-ups and drivers.
In a wild pass, Phil fought tyre shake having to pedal the FUCHS Lubricants Top Fuel dragster several times to save the run, snaking to the finish line for a 4.43, the ET quick enough to hold up against Xiberras’ own tyre shake-affected 4.91.
“We had a couple little minor issues with the car before the final, and they were playing on my mind,” said Phil. “But I cleared my head, and just did my job, don’t think too much, just drive, and I just drove the wheels off it. It got out there, shook, I pedalled it and it hooked back up, and I was just on it.”
The win sends the championship down to the wire at Darwin’s Triple Crown event in June against Xiberras. “Going into the championship up in Darwin, with Pete, it’s going to make a brilliant final round,” smiled Phil.
The Rapisarda team pinched the Low ET bonus points by just a couple of thousandths leaving Xiberras a 20-point advantage going into the final event of the season.
For Shane Olive, the C-Final ended with disappointment. Olive was also caught out by the much better than expected track conditions, the Burson Auto Parts dragster succumbed quickly to hard tyre shake that he couldn’t recover from.
What a weekend for LTFR though, Shane winning the postponed Nitro Champs final, and Phil capping of an amazing event at Heathcote Park Raceway winning the penultimate round of the championship.
“A lot of effort goes into what we do, and it is great to reward Aaron and the whole crew, especially Shane, who does a lot of work back at the shop full time, and the family - it is a whole team effort. For FUCHS, we had the Managing Director Wayne Hoiles out here yesterday and as for Burson Auto Parts, we can’t do it without them, and it’s absolutely fantastic,” said Phil.
“And this series, to be a part of it, it is really overwhelming, it is something that has been needed for a long time, and it is delivering on all the promises. Andy Lopez, Nathan Prendergast, doing an absolute fantastic job.”
The final round of the Burson Auto Parts Australian Top Fuel Championship will be held at the Darwin Triple Crown event at Hidden Valley Raceway June 17-18.
Thank you to everyone who supported LTFR over the weekend!