DARWIN, AUSTRALIA (JULY 22, 2017) – The 400 Thunder Series made a stop at Hidden Valley Drag Strip in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia for the Nitro Up North event, where Australia’s quickest door-slammers battled for Pro Slammer victory. MOITS Racing debuted their new PLR Hemi-powered ’67 Mustang, driven by Paul Mouhayet, and purpose-built for Australian Pro Slammer domination. Just qualifying for the elite eight-car feature with a brand new car would make most teams ecstatic, but Mouhayet and the MOITS crew decided to take it much further.
Fifteen door cars competed for only eight Pro Slammer qualifying positions, and Mouhayet secured the fourth spot with a 5.83-second quarter-mile charge. Going into eliminations, the MOITS Racing crew turned up the wick on the screw-blown PLR Hemi which resulted in a quicker 5.76-second pass and a first round win over Kelvin Lyle. John Zappia is the man to beat in Pro Slammer racing, and Mouhayet did just that by outrunning the number one qualifier to the finish for a shot at Gary Phillips in the final. Considering that Phillips had ran consistent 5.70s the entire event, the MOITS team put a little too much power in it and smoked the tires at the sixty foot mark to lose in the final. Despite the final round loss, claiming Pro Slammer Runner-Up honors on the first race out with a new car is a huge accomplishment for the MOITS Racing team!
Jason Harris completed his “Drive for Five” at the 2026 PDRA World Finals, winning the event and becoming the first five-time world champion in series history. His Proline-powered “Party Time” Camaro ran a 3.601 at 211.16 MPH in the final.
Ned Dunphy successfully defended his HOT ROD Drag Week Overall and Unlimited titles while setting a new drag-and-drive record with a 5.974 at 249.16 MPH in his Pro Line Racing-prepared, SMX-powered Dodge Viper.
Andres Arnover won his first FIA European Pro Modified Championship in 2026. Rain cut the Santa Pod finale short, leaving his season-long points lead intact.