The Night the Croc Bit Back! - Perth Motorplex Drag Racing Results

Drag racing on nitromethane is perhaps a little like dealing with one of Australia’s famed salt water crocodiles. Treat that power with respect and you might be okay, but every so often the crocodile bites back!

That was the case for Queenslander Christine Steffens in her first ever appearance at Perth Motorplex when her croc-themed Nitro Funny Car exploded into a fireball 100 metres short of the finish line in the final race of the night.

Christine Steffens

Steffens had sewn up her 2-1 match race victory against the ‘Nitro Madman’ Mark Sheehan when he had to get out of the throttle early on his pass but then things got interesting for Australia’s quickest female Funny Car driver when the supercharger backfired.

That started a chain reaction with the windscreen smashed and a piece of shrapnel tearing apart the left front tyre. Not only did Steffens have a fireball to contend with at over 400kmh but now a car that wanted to do nothing but push left into the safety barriers.

Two big hits with the wall followed, Steffens would later describe them as feeling like light rubs from within the roll caged cockpit of the beast. With some firm tugs on the brake Steffens was able to arrest the car and allow the Perth Motorplex safety team to leap into action and extinguish the flames. Thankfully she escaped unharmed from the spectacular incident.

“The firies knew I was fine straight away because I was telling them what to do,” Steffens half-joked afterwards.

“It was on a real mission and it just exploded. It was instantaneous. It must have got a bit skatey at the top end so I did a little pedal (getting on and off the throttle).

“I knew that I had a backfire and I knew I had popped the blower or done something. I was annoyed because I hit the wall and knew I had done body damage. When I came to a stop and saw the fire I pulled the fire bottles it instantaneously went out.”

Frustratingly for Steffens, the car was probably on a personal best pass before the backfire. With the Perth Motorplex racing surface in prime condition the team knew they had a chance to run their quickest ever time. Steffens’ 5.42 pass was just .14 slower than her best ever time – and that was on fire for the last one hundred metres of the track!

Horror ending aside, Steffens at least had the win over Sheehan to return to Queensland with, though the always unpredictable Funny Car breed tested her in early rounds.

“On our first run the car turned right straight off the hit and I had a couple of pedals, then it floated left and I had to get it on full (steering) lock to try and go straight, Mark just beat me across the line,” she said. “On our second pass a brand new blower belt went, that’s probably only the second or third blower belt we’ve ever lost. It was on a mission and next minute I had nothing.”

Steffens is unsure what her future plans may be in Nitro Funny Cars with the amount of damage sustained by the ‘Croc’ at this stage looking insurmountable. Her Western Australian appearance certainly left Perth Motorplex’s drag racing fans with a new appreciation for this hard working team.

Fortunately the rest of the drama at Perth Motorplex was contained to the numbers with John Zappia setting a scintillating new track record in Top Doorslammer.

John Zappia setting a new track record in Top Doorslammer

After having a tough time coming to terms with a tight track early, Zappia found what was needed for the tune up and hot footed to a 5.776 to defeat young rival Daniel Gregorini.

“The Fuchs Striker Monaro struggled with tyre shake on the well prepared Perth Motorplex racing surface in qualifying, but got it together for the final,” he said.

Gregorini meanwhile was left happy with the way new cylinder heads were performing on the Scratch & Match Motorsport Camaro. He has now put a defeat of Zappia at the top of the list.

Daniel Gregorini

“I said to Zap at the other end congratulations mate, but I’ll get you one day.”

Other winners for the night included David Dequen in Super Comp, Ross Smith in Competition Bike, Jon Ferguson in Supercharged Outlaws, Sam Treasure in Modified, Paul Downe in Super Sedan, Tom Gartrell in Modified Bike, Paul Garbellini in Super Street and Bailey McClure in Junior Dragster.