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Australian doorslammer legend John Zappia plans US racing venture By Bruce Biegler / DragRaceCanada . com
Some very interesting rumblings from the Southern Hemisphere have one of the most talented and influential international drag racers of all time planning a trip to America . Fast Western Australian-based John Zappia , who is arguably the most successful and winning drag racer for that country ’ s thriving Top / Pro Doorslammer racing scene ( a 10-time ANDRA world champion !) has announced some plans to dip his toes into the waters of North American drag racing for the very first time . The driver of that country ’ s fan favorite , very feared , outrageously successful and record-holding “ Zap Rat ” 1971 Holden GTS Monaro has confirmed a new alliance which will allow him to hit some American drag strips later this summer . Zappia , in conjunction with Jamie Noonan , the principal for Australian-originated Noonan Race Engineering , of Brisbane , Queensland , will field a USbased race car that will target some select PDRA events and potentially make some quarter-mile Outlaw Pro Mod appearances . That car will be a Jerry Bickel-built 1969 Camaro , a former NAS Racing Pro Extreme car . For Zappia , this big opportunity will allow him to strike off the next item on his starred drag racing career bucket list .
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How did this opportunity come to be ?
With Noonan Race Engineering opening up their premium new facility in Spartanburg , South Carolina , a door was opened . They also bought three top-notch race cars . I ’ m leasing a ride in one of them for this season with the option to outright buy one at the end of the season . A primary focus will also be doing real-time , on-track development work with the Noonan motor programs
– both the 4.8- and 4.9-liter versions . Why do you want to race in America ? It ’ s been a lifelong dream for me to come over and race in the USA . It is an exciting new horizon for me – the opportunity for me to come over and mix it up with the best in the world . I ’ ve won a lot in Australia and I felt now was a good time
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to make a move . Drag racing is a lot like surfing – and right now I ’ m riding on the top of a wave and I ’ d like to keep that going – before I get dumped !
What are your expectations while racing in the USA ?
We do have the attitude to let the performance come as it may . But that being said , I ’ m excited about the potential . Our “ Zap Rat ” car in Australia has run 5.63 seconds weighing 2740 lbs . This new car will be much lighter at 2350 lbs minimum . We will also have a C-rotor PSI blower and another 20-percent overdrive to work with on the new Noonan 4.9 L . We will also run a clutch compared to most of the Pro Extreme cars out there being automatics . When we sit down and do the math , having that configuration car with a lot more power and being that light , it all adds up to something potentially fast – very fast .
What events are you looking at attending this season in North America ?
We ’ d like to race at the last three PDRA events of the year and will kick things off in August at Tulsa . I also want to look at running this car a full quarter mile . Going for that all-time quarter-mile speed record is a very big attraction and part of all this for me . The Street Car Super Nationals out at Las Vegas in November is certainly on our radar . What would be your long-term future vision ? We will continue our racing focus within Australia , but I do want to expand Zappia Racing into North America . I ’ m looking at the possibility of starting a business over in the USA . We are going to come over with our eyes open and see what doors we can open up . We will move forward based on what we learn this season and depending on how much noise we can make to set things up again for 2018 . DI
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PHOTOS : BRUCE BIEGLER |