17/06/2025
Dananni Hotshots – Fuelled Motorsports | Winter Nationals Recap
The team was pumped to welcome American rider Michael Beland back on The Gorilla, while Benny continued his charge aboard the Big Bike.
Michael came out swinging in the warmups, throwing down some strong laps. Unfortunately in qualifying, we found it hard to gain traction just after the hit, he powered through and locked in a 7.13 to qualify P3.
In Round 1, Michael took the win over John Zahra, setting up a semi-final clash against none other than the boss himself—Benny! With no team orders in this camp, Michael was fired up to take his shot.
Meanwhile, Benny set the tone early at the warmup with a 6.7 test pass. The main event started rough, with an explosion sidelining the Dananni hotshots Big Bike on qualifying Day 1. True to form, the crew dug deep, rebuilt overnight, and came back strong with a 6.95 to lock in P2.
Round 1 of eliminations saw Benny face off against Greg Durack, laying down a 6.91 for the win and a ticket to the semi-finals—where teammate Michael was waiting.
Side-by-side one-handed burnouts set the stage for a true Dananni Hotshots showdown. With identical reaction times, Mike launched hard while lining up slightly off-centre determined to get the Dananni Hotshots Gorilla down the track and took an early lead. But he was forced to abort early, opening the door for Benny to storm past with a nice 6.83.
With the team buzzing from another killer pass, they turned the Dananni Hotshots Big Bike around once more knowing we would need everything we had to take down Damian on his 5 second in-line 4 cylinder.
Benny got the jump with the holeshot and dropped a solid 6.70, but it wasn’t quite enough to hold back Damian’s 6.32 run.
We gave it everything—and we’re proud of the fight.
What a season it’s been — definitely not without its challenges. We battled through a few mechanical blow-ups and the learning curve that came with dialing in the new electrical system and clutch. But we’ve turned a corner, and this past weekend proved it.
Each lap was stronger than the last, and we chipped away at the timeslip, knocking off a solid tenth — exactly the kind of progress we were aiming for.
Massive thanks to my crew for your dedication, not just this weekend but all season long. Your hard work never goes unnoticed.
To Holly, Alicia, Josie, and Erin — thank you for keeping us fed and fuelled behind the scenes. Legends.
Big thanks to Carole and the team at TFMA for the continued support, and to Willowbank Raceway for hosting another top-tier event.
And of course, to our incredible sponsors — we couldn’t do this without you.
🔥 Naming Rights Sponsor:�Dananni Haulage
🏁 Major Sponsors:�Perth Harley-Davidson
Rockingham Harley-Davidson� � �
🔧 Supporting Sponsors:� � � � �
We’re building momentum. Onwards and upwards from here.
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Drag racing photos by Megsy.
Mazdub Photography
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Phil Reeve - Sports Photographer
