The next generation of ANDRA drag racing stars were in full flight at the Nitro Golf Centre Junior Nationals today as they chased valuable ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series championship points and ANDRA Christmas Trees.
The Nitro Golf Centre Junior Nationals is an exceptionally popular two-day event at the Atlantic Oils Sunset Strip, with this year marking the first time that its running has been included in the ANDRA championship for the Junior Dragster and New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike competitors.
The day started with three rounds of qualifying, with Zayne Condello (Junior Dragster) and Lucas Bergamin (New Gen Business Park Junior Dragster) taking the top spot in their respective brackets to claim the Top Qualifier Medallions, presented by New Gen Business Park.
From there it was on to the racing, with the 40 dragsters going head to head across six rounds of eliminations while the seven bike competitors undertaking a round robin format.
When all was said and done, it was Zayne Condello who took out the Junior Dragster win over runner-up, Luca Lamattina – marking the fourth straight year he has enjoyed success at the Junior Nationals event.
In New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike, a Nitro Up North rematch between Sunset Nationals winner Cooper Plummer and Darwin winner, Riley Kilvington, played out in the final, with the win once again going to Kilvington.
It was a fairytale day for Condello, with his win today backing up his victory at last weekend’s Sunset Nationals at the same venue and marking a dominating performance that saw him go from top qualifier to event winner.
On his way to the final, he took on and defeated Paige Harvey in round one, Brock Ferguson in round two, and his girlfriend Ava Walker in round three. He then enjoyed a round four bye run ahead of the semi-final against Desert Nationals winner Taylor Horton, before meeting Lamattina in the finale.
Lamattina – the son of Top Fuel champ Phil Lamattina – meanwhile had successfully faced off against Lily Vickery in round one, Mason Kuchel in round two, Elisha Hubner in round three, and Geoffrey McNiff in round four, before a semi-final bye run ahead of the final match-up.
“I am feeling amazing,” Condello grinned when asked how he was feeling about the result.
“It has been an amazing meeting, I don’t even really know what to say at the moment, I am a bit lost for words!
“I would like to thank my Nonno, my Nana, my Mum, my Dad, my sisters, my girlfriend Ava Walker for everything she does for me, and all the Mildura track staff and ANDRA officials.
“I actually had to race Ava on the way to the final and it wasn’t a easy one to win! It was definitely the toughest race of the day!
“The final was a very tight and close race as per usual with me and Luca, and I couldn’t be happier with the result.
“That makes four Junior Nationals in a row where we have won, and two ANDRA rounds in a row – hopefully we can do it again next week at Dragway at The Bend and make it three in a row!
“I am just over the moon.”
In New Gen Business Park Junior Drag Bike, Riley Kilvington and Cooper Plummer faced off in the finale following three rounds of ‘round robin’ racing.
Kilvington had earlier successfully taken on Desert Nationals winner Aliza Harris in round one, Puckeridge in round two, and enjoyed a bye run in round three, while Plummer meanwhile had taken wins over Lawrence Raschella and Zahlee Puckeridge in rounds one and three, while enjoying a solo pass in round two.
The Kilvington v Plummer showdown marked a rematch for the pair, with these highly talented riders having faced off against each other in the final of the season opening Nitro Up North. Like it did in Darwin in August, the final went the way of Kilvington, handing him his second ANDRA Christmas Tree of the 2025/2026 season.
“That was pretty good! The racing has been good, and yesterday at the test and tune was pretty good too,” Kilvington said.
“The bike was performing really well; I went close to my PBs in testing – I ran 8.69 and my PB was 8.69. And then today I qualified third and from there we ran well.
“In that final race, it was so close – I actually thought I had lost, I thought Cooper was in front. It was a sick race!
“Thank you to dad, mum, WA Bolts, the Fergusons for getting me and my bike over here, and also Glen Van Dongen for getting Dad over here.”
The Nitro Golf Centre Junior Nationals continues tomorrow (Sunday 28 September) at the Atlantic Oils Sunset Strip.* For more information, visit www.sunsetstrip.org.au
The next round of the 2025/2026 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Championship will be held this coming weekend, October 3-5, at Dragway at The Bend. The Spry Spring Nationals are set to host not only the full complement of ANDRA sportsman racers duking it out for championship glory and ANDRA Christmas Trees, but also racing from Top Fuel, the Pro Drag Racing Championship (PDRC) and more. For event information, visit www.thebend.com.au/spring-nationals-2025
For more from ANDRA, visit www.andra.com.au
*Only Saturday’s running counts towards the 2025/2026 ANDRA Regional Sportsman Series championship
Image at top thanks to Goldenchild Racing