"VAN" (Sports Desk - 24.06.2025) :: After a season that has swung widely from complete domination to bitter disappointment, Hydraulink Jim Read Racing will be seeking to get their revenge at the upcoming NDRC Top Fuel Championship finale, the Nitro Nationals at Sydney Dragway on August 23.
The multi-time championship winning team, based in Sydney, opened the 2024/2025 season amid much fanfare – taking out not only the event win and the top qualifying honours, but also setting what was then a new Australian ET record at Dragway at The Bend’s Spring Nationals.
From there, they headed to Willowbank Raceway for New Year Nitro, the Perth Motorplex for the Westernationals, Dragway at The Bend for the Riverbend Nationals, Sydney Dragway for the NDRC Gulf Western Oil Nitro Champs, and last week, back to Willowbank Raceway for last week’s Gulf Western Oil Winternationals.
At each of these events, the team endured a roller coaster of results and emotions, with moments of greatness – including sub-record personal bests and crowd-pleasing B-Final wins – undermined by a list of breakages which have repeatedly held the team back from showing their true potential across the season.
Now, the team has declared that it will be looking for vengeance at the upcoming Top Fuel final.
“There’s no doubting the Spring Nationals was an event for the books for us, and one that we will remember fondly for a long time to come,” Hydraulink Jim Read Racing driver, Phil Read, said.
“Unfortunately after that event, it seems Lady Luck decided she had had enough of us!
“While there were plenty of highlight runs in isolations, some PBs that would have been good enough for new national records just weeks earlier, and legitimate steps forward, we were also thwarted time and time again by parts failures and subsequent damage.
“We always focus on the positives and keep our eyes looking forward rather than ruminating on the disappointments, but there’s no arguing the fact that it has been a disappointing season and we are arced up to make up for that at Syndey Dragway in August – so watch this space!”
Hydraulink Jim Read Racing Crew Chief, Bruce Read, echoed his brother’s comments.
“There’s no doubt it has been a frustrating championship chase, one where we have felt on the precipice so many times only for it to all go away in a second because some 20 cent part has let go,” Bruce said.
“With how the season started, we were on top of the world and ready to do battle for the championship. But it just hasn’t unfolded that way.
“While things have not gone our way and that has been character-building to say the least, our passion to fight has not gone anywhere.
“If anything, the fire in our bellies has only been fuelled further.
“It might sound like we are heading to Sydney rolling out all the cliches – we are ready to do battle, to take names, to leave nothing on the table – but it is true.
“We go to the Nitro Nationals ready for vengeance, ready to strike a blow for our team and all of our valued supporters who back us – to end this season how we started it!”
The Nitro Nationals will be held at Sydney Dragway on 23 August, featuring the 2024/2025 season finales for both Top Fuel and XPRO Nitro Funny Car.
Responses
Leave your comment