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The Top Fuel title chase was over after the second round when Harris won his round two match-up with Peter Xiberras after the PremiAir Hire Racing driver left too soon, with the red light instantly handing the championship to Harris.
The Final round between Newby and Harris was one for the ages, with Newby first off the start line and held the advantage until the finish line with a slower 3.779 holding off a near identical 3.778 from his team-mate.
The race was one of the quickest side-by-side runs in Australian History.
“To go home with the Gold, the Silver, and the Stan Sainty Cup as a team is amazing and what we set out to do at the beginning of the year,” Harris said.
“We had the setback in Perth, but we bounced back and what a way to end the weekend for the team.
“I will always have the hunger, I will go home and cry shortly about not winning the event, but it is alright.”
Nitro Funny Car was equally exciting, with Justin Walshe completing the double – taking the championship in and winning the Winternationals in a thrilling race.
The only other racer with a shot at the title was Kiwi Morice McMillin, who was out of contention after a boilover loss to Adam Murrihy in round two.
The Final between Walshe and Gosbell was the race of the season for the Funny Car class, with Walshe taking the lead at the start with a psychic .011 reaction time to Gosbell’s .066.
Just as it was in Top Fuel, the holeshot was enough for the victory; Walshe’s 4.085 was enough to account for Gosbell’s 4.080.
“When you are the older bloke in the class and coming up against these young guys, all you can do is get there and give it everything you have got on the tree,” Walshe said.
“There are 20 guys and girls on this car and every run they are behind me and supporting me. And I am not religious, but I lost my old man a year and a half ago and he is there in the car talking to me on every run.”
“This is all about the team, I have the easy job. We had five rounds of racing this year, went to five finals, had four wins and one runner-up – the Harts Paints team is just sensational, I love you guys.”
The Top Doorslammer Title race was between Rookie Russell Taylor and the 11-time Champion John Zappia.
Zappia was out of contention in the semifinals after a huge holeshot loss to Ronnie Palumbo who was making his first start as a professional racer at Willowbank Raceway.
The final was between Taylor and an emotional Palumbo, who was racing with the late Sam Fenech in mind as he was driving for the same team owner in Maurice Fabietti.
At the green the advantage was with Palumbo, but Taylor’s 5.592 career best was enough to take with win over Palumbo’s 5.728.
“This is unbelievable, a dream come true, I am just speechless,” Taylor said.
“I have a lot of people to thank, all of my crew, Steve Ham and Stew Rowland – they are both drivers and have both done a lot in their careers of driving and tuning and without them I am lost.”
Russell Mills already wrapped up the Pro Alcohol title before the event started, however he fell just short of doing the double when Daniel Reed took an outstanding win with a career best 5.39 in the final.
For Reed, taking home the Winternats win was a dream come true.
“The car was on rails all weekend, dad and the crew did a good job to give me a brilliant car which just went better and better every lap we did,” Reed said.
“The track was good and we knew it could handle it, so we just went after it for the final. To win the Winternationals, well it is the Bathurst of drag racing, it is the ultimate, the one everyone wants to win, so to win it today is just every drag racer’s dream.”
Pro Stock was a story or heartbreak for Rick Chilton who came into the event with a two-point margin over his nearest competitor Rob Dekert, meaning whoever went further into the elimination race would win the title.
Ultimately Chilton would lose his first-round matchup with Omar Sedmak, with Dekert need to win his first-round pair with John Barbagallo to take the championship.
He did it in style with a 6.91.
“I am rapt, over the moon! To win a championship means so much to me, thank you to everyone involved including my crew and my wife Deanne and daughter Aleesha,” Dekert said.
The Winternationals win however would go to Tyronne Tremayne after Dekert dropped a huge redlight in the final, with Tremayne taking his fourth consecutive win dating back to the Winternationals last year and his third win in three appearances this season.
“I am pretty stoked, that is four wins in a row for me now, the last four meetings I have gone to, have seen me win four times, including two Winternationals as I won here last year as well,” Tremayne said.
“In the final I knew I had to leave on him as his car was just as fast as mine, if not faster, so I was going to push the tree – but he pushed it way more than me! I am over the moon, this is very, very cool.”
Other Pro Championship winners included Craig Burns in Pro Mod, Luke Crowley in Pro Stock Bike and Benny Stevens in Top Fuel motorcycle.
Crowley also won the event in Pro Stock Bike, with Zoran Gajic taking the victory in Pro Mod and Aaron Deery taking a popular and emotional win in Top Fuel Motorcycle.
