Australia’s XPRO Nitro FC Division completes it’s 2024-25 NDRC wrap around season campaign….

In what was billed as a one-day NDRC spectacular full of nitro mayhem — the Nitro Nationals presented by PW Brakes and Racer Industries at Sydney Dragway well and truly delivered on November 8th.

In hot and sultry conditions, the final season rounds of the 2024/2025 NDRC Top Fuel and XPRO Nitro Funny Car Championships took to the track.

In XPRO Nitro Funny Car — it was points leader and New Zealander Morice McMillin who locked down the title early in the day, but it was his young Aeroflow Racing team-mates Josh Leahy and Damon Paton who went all the way to the A-Final.

Paton top qualifying and winning two races before running into trouble in the final (7.773138.51kph), while Leahy book-ended his season with the victory after a super clean pass (4.018/482.48kph), also claiming the runner-up honours in the title chase.

On their way to the final, Leahy had faced off against Walshe (4.376/336.62kph v 4.962/258.50kph) in round one and his boss McMillin (4.055/501.37kph v 5.095/239.00kph) in round two, while Paton – who before this event had only one race win to his name and had never been to a final – was on a charge from the get go, top qualifying before bettering McMillin in round one (4.201/487.13kph v 4.280/384.05kph) and Walshe (4.448/371.50kph v 4.535/383.78kph) in round two.

McMillin and Walshe faced off in the B-Final, with McMillin (4.441/320.82kph) taking the win while Walshe (4.677/283.21kph) had a cylinder cut out after a strong start to the run and then slapped the wall halfway down the track. While his racing machine bore witness marks to the contact, Walshe himself was unharmed.

“From today’s point of view, I am super proud of Damon and super proud of Josh, they both deserved to be in that final. Where Josh has grown from where he was at the start of the season to the way he is driving now is really great and the advances Damon has already made with his few meetings is really great too,” McMillin said.

“I am so proud for the boys to get the championship. It was not the day we wanted and it is hard when you have won four in a row to come and lose two runs in a row, it hits a bit harder, so we were disappointed with that but stoked with the championship – we will come back next year and get it done again!

The NDRC’s XPRO Nitro FC class campaigners will now take a bit of a sabbatical — returning to action with its 2026 season schedule opener at Willowbank Raceway in Queensland – coming Jan 24/25.

Posted by Amanda Salmon – Jigsaw Communications 

Photos by Grant Stephens