Fresh off a valuable racing stint in the United States, Zayne and Savanna Condello are set to take that experience into this weekend’s Alice Springs Toyota Desert Nationals – the opening event of the 2026/2027 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series.
The pair were part of the four-racer Kanga Kids contingent invited to contest the recent inaugural USA Junior Dragster tour, alongside Luca Lamattina and Piper Bennett, and will now line up at Alice Springs Inland Dragway for the August 29-30 event.
For reigning ANDRA Junior Dragster champion Zayne, the Desert Nationals looms as a pivotal weekend. The event will host rounds one and two of the 2026/2027 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series while also counting towards the NDRC Sportsman Championship, where he currently leads the standings.
Zayne said the US trip was a major learning experience, with a week of racing across wildly different conditions offering fresh insight into how the Americans approach the sport.
“Our US trip was definitely something,” he said.
“An entire week worth of racing saw multiple thunderstorms through to scorching hot days of 43-plus degrees. It was a massive learning experience to see how the Americans race, and I definitely think it will improve our operation over here at home and play a big role in the way we drive and treat the cars going forward.”
He is also eager to race at Alice Springs for the first time.
“I think it is going to be an amazing event, especially being that it is at a track we haven’t had the chance of racing at yet,” Zayne said. “We love racing at all of the smaller tracks on the map and are especially looking forward to this one and making the road trip out into the desert!”
With the NDRC title fight nearing its conclusion – its finale will come at the October 22-25 Spring Nationals at Dragway at the Bend, which is also a round of the ANDRA Sportsman Series – Zayne knows a strong result in Alice Springs could prove crucial.
“The Desert Nationals is set to be massive, with two rounds in one big weekend that will not only open the new ANDRA series season but also heavily impact the NDRC title chase,” Zayne said.
“I am looking forward to a good but hard fight over the coming months as I do all I can to hopefully snatch up what would be my fourth Australian Junior Dragster championship (between his ANDRA and NDRC crowns) before ageing out.”
Younger sister Savanna hopes the experience gained overseas will translate into stronger form back home, even if some adjustment will be needed when she first gets back behind the wheel.
“It was an eye opener and a great experience to race amongst 750 other juniors,” she said. “It’s just a totally different experience over there, especially the scale of the junior racing in the US.
“Hopefully I gained a little bit of knowledge over there as they do race quite differently, however the (starting) tree over there was much slower so I’ll have some adjusting to do when I first take to the track back at home in Australia.”
Like her brother, Savanna is heading to Alice Springs for the first time unsure of exactly what to expect, but excited by the challenge.
“It is going to be a new experience for me and hopefully we have a great weekend. It would be pretty awesome to be successful at a track that I’ve never raced at before, that would definitely make the experience even more memorable!”
For event information on the Alice Springs Toyota Desert Nationals, visit www.cadra.com.au
To learn more about ANDRA, visit www.andra.com.au
