There was SPRY Spring Nationals action aplenty at Dragway at The Bend for the final day of round four of the 2025/2026 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series on Sunday.
Not only were ANDRA Christmas Tree trophies hoisted high at the end of the day, but it was a record-breaking day of drag racing indeed as 11,000hp Top Fuel monsters also took to the track alongside the ANDRA racers.
In the Top Fuel ranks, a new Australian speed record was set by Damien Harris in the Rapisarda Autosport International racer’s first racing run of the day (3.761/333.51mph), 1.55mph faster than the record he set here at Dragway at The Bend in April this year. It was a good day for RAI, with Wayne Newby also setting the low ET of the event in the final run of the day with a 3.724 second pass at 332.67mph.
Also on track today were the Pro Drag Racing Championship (PDRC) Pro Mod, Pro Stock, and Pro Stock Motorcycle brackets, with Steve Carlsen, Chris Soldatos, and Tony Frost taking the wins over runners-up Adam Tassone, Mario Polito, and Scott White in their respective classes.
Walking away from the weekend with the coveted ANDRA Christmas Tree trophies in their respective brackets were Cooper Plummer (New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike), Jake McNamara (Junior Dragster), Michael Jennings (Goodyear Racing Super Street), Dean Jamieson (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Darren Russell (The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan), Derek Wills (Gallagher Modified), Rob Cassar (New Gen Business Park Competition Bike), David Foster (Top Sportsman), Darren Astle (New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws), Peter Pisalidis (Super Comp) and John Moumas (Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas).
Also having a spring in their step were the runners-up in each bracket: Lucas Bergamin (New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike), Bailey Hawke (Junior Dragster), Peter Damianos (Goodyear Racing Super Street), Derryn McGregor (Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike), Michael Vlasakakis (The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan), Anthony Raschella (Gallagher Modified), Tyson Bird-Balek (New Gen Business Park Competition Bike), Sam Cardinale (Top Sportsman), Kasey McClure (New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws), Connor McClure (Super Comp) and Adrian McGrotty (Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas).
In Ballistic Performance Parts Modified Bike, Dean Jamieson claimed top honours over runner-up Derryn McGregor. Jamieson’s road to the final saw him eliminate Ian Read in round one and Paul de Klerk in round two, before progressing through a bye in round three.
McGregor’s campaign included victories over Rob Church in round one, Peter Bartlett in round two, and Matt Jones in round three. Top Qualifier Michael Riches was eliminated in the opening round by Jones.
After a slow start on Friday, Jamieson chipped away all weekend, with a mix of luck and determination setting the stage for the win.
“We didn’t have a good day on Friday; nothing seemed to go our way. We did a bit of a reset for qualifying on Saturday and made a pass and it was something representative that we could work with, and then a few things started to go our way,” Jamieson said.
“Then we made our way into Sunday, we raced a few of the WA boys we haven’t raced before and didn’t really know what to expect. But we got through with a bit of luck in the final with Derryn breaking out.
“It was a bit difficult this weekend with the weather. It changed a bit and the wind was up and down so it was a challenging weekend but we came away with the win!” he laughed while thanking the bracket sponsor, Ballistic Performance Parts.
In Gallagher Modified, it was Derek Wills who came out on top in the final against Anthony Raschella. Wills set up his winning run with early round victories over Josie Hodgins, Bradley Hicks, and Fiona Crisp in rounds one, two and three.
Raschella earned his place in the decider after knocking out Top Qualifier Adriana Cartledge in round one, following it up with a win against Dan Hodgins in round two, and moving through a bye in round three.
Wills enjoyed having family at the track this weekend, as well as taking out the win.
Well, what can I say? We had a very good day, obviously,” Wills laughed.
“The car ran beautifully all day, and I’d like to give a massive shout out to my crew, Andrew Francis, and my daughter Jamie and her best friend Chelsea for all their help over the weekend.
“It’s been a long weekend, getting here Thursday afternoon from southeast Melbourne, but it’s all been worth it. So yeah, very happy.
“We built this car in the shed about eight years ago and we’ve been running it since and finally starting to have a bit of success with it, so I’m super happy. It’s all home-built, and it’s super cool going racing with your daughter,” he explained while thanking sponsors Viper Safety, Eastern Property Services, and Paul Rogers Transmissions.
In Top Sportsman, David Foster claimed victory over runner-up Sam Cardinale.
Foster’s path to the final began with a win over Jarrod Cocks in round one, before also sending Tony Miskelly packing in round two, and doing the same again to Leon Davies in round three.
Cardinale, meanwhile, advanced through the early stages with victories against Konstantinos Tsiokos in round one, Dean Tassone in round two, and Top Qualifier Darren Whitford in round three, before a red light in the final handed Foster the win.
Today’s win carried some additional weight for Foster, whose sponsor, Spry Civil Construction, was also the major sponsor of the event, which was also at his home track.
It was actually more special than winning the Australian Championship, because my major sponsor also sponsored the event,” he said. “To have them involved and to win in the Spry lane, it just made the whole thing feel extra special, everything fell into place perfectly,” Foster said.
“We struggled at the start of the weekend with a new motor, just trying to dial it in and work out what was going on. It’s making a bit more horsepower now, and once we figured it out on Saturday, everything came together from there.
“I’ve got to give a special thanks to my wife Lisa – she’s one of the main reasons I’m able to be out there. And my father-in-law, Bob Sherry, who builds the engines. My boys Alex, Brent and Tommy do all the tuning and technical work; I just drive the thing,” he laughed.
In New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike, Cooper Plummer and Top Qualifier Lucas Bergamin lined up for the final run, with Plummer claiming victory on a double breakout. Plummer first got the better of Austin Walpole in round one before dispatching Lawrence Raschella in round two to line up against Bergamin in the final.
Bergamin, meanwhile, advanced to the decider after defeating Aliza Harris in round one before enjoying a bye in round two.
In Junior Dragster, Jake McNamara powered to victory over a red-lighting Bailey Hawke in the final run. McNamara’s road to the final saw him defeat Madalen Datson and Blake Taylor in the opening two rounds, before overcoming Deklan McGregor in round three and progressing through a bye in round four.
Hawke’s path began with early wins over Abigail Reed, Charlize Grivell, and Geoffrey McNiff in rounds one through three, before taking out Top Qualifier Taylor Horton in round four to secure her place in the decider.
In Goodyear Racing Super Street, Michael Jennings and Peter Damianos faced off in the final, with Jennings coming out on top. His path to the decider included victories over Naomi Ward (round one), Paul Aforozis (round two), and Danny Quilty (round three).
Damianos earned his finals berth with winning performances against Wayne Wilkie (round one), Neil Mellett (round two), and Top Qualifier Luke ‘Tex’ Griffiths in round three.
In The South Australian Drag Racers Association Super Sedan, Michael Vlasakakis and Darren Russell met in the final, with Russell securing the victory.
Russell’s campaign began with a round one win over Peter Tsekenis followed by victories against David Gruber in round two, Peter Furlanetto in round three, and Graeme Cooper in round four, before advancing through a bye in the semi-final.
Vlasakakis, meanwhile, powered through the field with a round one bye, then claimed wins over David Brokenshire in round two and Lance Larcombe in round three, followed by a round four bye and a semi-final victory over Nathan Cowie to reach the decider.
Top Qualifier Medallion presented by New Gen Business Park recipient Rob Camilleri meanwhile took a win over Lisa Sherry in round one, before being knocked out by Cowie in round two.
In New Gen Business Park Competition Bike, the bracket ran under the Chicago Shootout format, with Rob Cassar taking home the ultimate spoils over runner-up Tyson Bird-Balek.
Cassar powered through the rounds, claiming victories over Nathan Stone in round one, Cody Scanlon in round two, and Cheryl “MsVrod” Beddoes in round three.
Bird-Balek also enjoyed a strong run, collecting wins against Jake Hamilton-Moderate in round one, Top Qualifier Medallion presented by New Gen Business Park recipient Edge Mallis in round two, and Louis Izatt in round three to secure his place in the final showdown.
In New Gen Business Park Supercharged Outlaws, it was Darren Astle who took the spoils, powering his way to victory on a breakout over runner-up Kasey McClure.
Astle’s charge to the final saw him defeat Steven Walker in round one and Shaun Kerkman in round two, before advancing through a bye in round three.
On the other side of the ladder, McClure made her mark early, eliminating Top Qualifier Doina Day in round one, progressing through a round two bye, and then getting the better of Shane Baxter in round three to secure her place in the final showdown.
In Three Dimensional Construction Super Gas, it was John Moumas who walked away with the win, after a strong day on track saw him take out the final over runner-up Adrian McGrotty.
Moumas set the tone early, first dispatching Top Qualifier Medallion presented by New Gen Business Park recipient Venice Mameledzija in round one, before sailing through a round two bye and backing it up with a victory over Tony Romeo in round three to book a place in the final.
McGrotty, meanwhile, was equally impressive throughout the day, defeating Des Woolstencroft in round one and Graeme Spencer in round two, before advancing through a bye in the semi-final – only to see his hopes slip away with a red light in the final run.
In Super Comp, it was Peter Pisalidis who came out on top, ending Top Qualifier Connor McClure’s hopes of turning his early dominance into an event win.
Pisalidis charged his way to the final with victories over Ryan Van Dyk and Shayne Reid in rounds one and two, setting up a showdown with McClure.
McClure, meanwhile, progressed through a round one bye courtesy of his Top Qualifier status, before dispatching Craig Geddes in round two to earn his place in the decider — where Pisalidis ultimately sealed the deal.
It was a wild ride for Pisalidis after clinching the win, when the chutes failed to open properly after deploying, sending the Chevrolet Corvette nose-deep into the gravel before emerging unscathed.
