Darwin’s NT Titles has seen O’Rourke Motorsport’s Grant O’Rourke retain his second place standing in the Top Doorslammer championship, courtesy of a Top Qualifying result and a semi-finals appearance.

In balmy conditions, Friday was the host of some dramatic qualifying, which saw the top spot traded pass after pass between the categories heavyweights. 

Grant O’Rourke started off strong with a 5.922 second elapsed time at 246.85 miles per hour to see him on top of the sheets, before the last of three qualifying sessions saw the competitors come out guns blazing. 

Reigning champion Zappia emerged first, setting a 5.907 second effort at 248.43mph to take the top spot, but local racer Matt Abel snatched it back in the penultimate pairing of the evening with a 5.870 second pass at 236.59mph. 

O’Rourke however was not yet done, blazing down the track in the last qualifying pairing for the bracket to take the top qualifier spot with a 5.838 second pass at 249.12mph.

From there, he would proceed to race day, where he would dispatch fellow Queenslander Ben Bray in round one, before a dropped valve intervened during his semi-final against Peter Kapiris. 

“That was a really dramatic qualifying session that was for sure!” said O’Rourke.

“It is a lot more humid and hot here this time around than it was last month, but all of us were in the same boat dealing with that and it made for some intense racing. 

“Unfortunately race day took a bit of a turn for us with a dropped valve in the semi-final against Peter Kapiris after we put Ben on the trailer in the first round. 

“All in all though it was a good weekend, we stay second in the championship point’s standings, and we have even more data to play with up here next time!” 

O’Rourke Motorsport will now head to the 21st Annual Street Machine Supernats, held at Sydney Dragway September 19-20. Grant O’Rourke will contest the Supercharger V Turbo Cars bracket onboard the OMS Doorslammer.

Image: Jeremy Horvath / High RPM