Australia’s  NDRC hosted it’s 2024-25 season opening event a fabulous facility Dragway at the Bend (located in Victoria state).

The event did include the first round for the XPRO Nitro Funny Car division and it was 3rd generation racer Josh Leahy who showed talent and control well beyond his time in the bracket, with the newcomer blazing through for a well-deserved victory and a new PB while he was at it over Murrihy.

It had been a remarkable turnaround for Murrihy to make it to the A-Final against Leahy following a difficult qualifying and round one, but his round two 4.090/488.59kph effort had signalled a return to form allowing him to make the A-Final, where he ran a 5.405/222.89kph early-off pass to Leahy’s winning 4.069/489.23kph performance, which followed the Rocket Industries’ racers earlier strong 4.134/418.95kph and near-PB 4.070/467.71kph performances in rounds one and two.

McMillian and Walshe meanwhile had each had their fair share of trouble over the day, with Walshe splitting the dry sump for a large oil leak to miss round one before enjoying a redeeming 4.177/423.71kph effort on a round two loss, while McMillin had the chutes come out early in both rounds one and two today, remarkably still running four second passes (4.302 and 4.261) despite the drag. 

In the B-Final, it was Walshe who took home the chocolates in a blazing side by side pass against McMillin, with the Queenslander’s 4.072/512.63kph effort bettering McMillin’s 4.166/391.94kph run with his chutes once again out early.

“That is a PB and this Rocket Industries Nitro Funny Car is just on rails!” Leahy grinned.

“I just can’t thank Graeme Cowin, Wendy Cowin and Morice enough for giving me this opportunity, it is just unreal to even think I am here doing this today!

“We couldn’t do it without all our partners, they are what supports us, and this whole team is just amazing – the whole Aeroflow workshop busts their butts to get us out here and I can’t thank them enough. It is a real team effort; it is not down to an individual or a couple of individuals, it is the whole Aeroflow and Rocket and Harts team.” 

For the XPRO Nitro Funny Car division it was Morice McMillin leading the way after running a 4.027/476.26kph effort in Q1 which  put him to the top of the sheets and held up for low ET of the event.

Posted by Jigsaw Communications

Photos by Grant Stephens (Cackling Pipes)