"VAN" (Sports Desk - 09.05.2024) :: XPRO Nitro Funny Cars will welcome a fresh new face next weekend, with third-gen racer Josh Leahy to join the nitro party at Sydney Dragway for what is shaping up as Australia’s largest nitro-fuelled drag racing event: the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs.
The May 17-19 National Drag Racing Championship (NDRC) event will feature two rounds of racing for Top Fuel, as well as plenty of championship action for the XPRO Nitro Funny Cars, Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock, and FuelTech Pro Mod.
Also on-track will be two huge rounds for the Aeroflow National Sportsman Championship, plus aerial acrobatics from Australia's own Red Bull Air Race world champion and former Royal Australian Air Force top gun fighter pilot, Matt Hall.
Leahy has been drag racing since he was just 10 years old and most recently has been found behind the wheel of the ‘Bandit’ Aeroflow Outlaw Nitro Funny Car, while also crewing for defending Nitro Funny Car champion and current title co-leader, Morice McMillin, working on the supercharger.
After licensing with an impressive 4.08 second pass at 463km/h over the 1000ft recently, he couldn’t be more excited to be making his NDRC debut at one of the biggest events of the year.
"Debuting in the XPRO by Aeroflow Nitro Funny Car is honestly a dream come true, I’m pumped!” grinned the 30 year old.
“I feel incredibly lucky and proud to represent Aeroflow, Rocket Industries and Graeme and Wendy Cowin.
“Our team had some great success in our licensing passes. We turned the car around three times and were able to throw down a 4.08 second pass at 288mph/463kmh.
“That wouldn’t have happened without the expertise from the Aeroflow race shop and Morice McMillin tuning. I have a lot of confidence in our XPRO by Aeroflow team and can’t wait to hit the track at the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs!”
While it will be his first event in the bracket, with a championship-winning team behind him, Leahy is expected to be competitive.
“This will be my first time lining up against someone in Nitro Funny Car, so that is going to be pretty exciting,” he said.
“We want to make sure we put on a great show for the Sydney Dragway fans, and if we can dip into the ‘three-nineties,’ that would be the cherry on top of the cake
“Just to have my name on the entry list is incredible to me, and to have a round win would mean the world to the team and I.
“Our first focus will be on five competitive passes – certainly for this event we really just want to remain competitive whilst we are still learning about these beasts.”
When it comes to putting on a good show, Leahy couldn’t have chosen a better fitting event for his debut.
“The Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs is going to be the biggest Australian Drag Racing event we have seen in years,” Leahy enthused.
“We are talking 132,000 in nitro fuelled horsepower across Nitro Funny Car and Top Fuel dragsters alone… that is just insane!
“To then add Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock, FuelTech Pro Mod, and all of the awesome Aeroflow National Sportsman racers, it is just going to be epic. NDRC are really putting on all the best of drag racing at Sydney Dragway.
“Every ticket into the NDRC events has access to the pits too, so make sure you head down to the Aeroflow Nitro Funny Car area and check out these 11,000 horsepower monsters – we look forward to seeing everyone at the Nitro Funny Car signing sessions!”
Following the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs, Leahy will be turning his attention to the NDRC season-ending Gulf Western Oil Winternationals, to be held at his former home away from home – Willowbank Raceway – across June 6-9.
“Willowbank Raceway was originally my home track, and I am really looking forward to checking out the new racing surface,” the accountant, who now lives in Canberra, said.
“My first goal is to win a Gold Christmas Tree as I have never won one before, and my ultimate goal in Nitro Funny Car would be to eventually win an NDRC championship in the future. This class is tough and has a field of very experienced drivers, so I have my work cut out for me!
“As I pursue those goals, I look forward to working with Morice on being the best driver that I can be.
“In the meantime, I can’t express my gratitude enough to ‘GC’ and Wendy Cowin for trusting me to steer their cars and believing in me. My journey with the Aeroflow team is a dream come true and wouldn’t be possible without them.
“I would also like to thank all the Aeroflow boys in the race shop, they are the best in the business, while also sending a big thank you to my sponsors that are supporting us: XPRO by Aeroflow, Rocket Industries, Capital Tiling Group and Geezers Imports.
“And finally, thank you to my crew. I am really looking forward to making this happen on May 17-19 with team XPRO by Aeroflow!”
The National Drag Racing Championship is taking the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs (May 17-19) to new heights in 2024, in what is shaping up to be Australia’s biggest nitro fuelled drag racing event, with spectators urged to pre-purchase their tickets to make sure they can secure their spot trackside for the non-stop event.
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