Darren Morgan and Phil Lamattina were not always the fierce nitro rivals they once were – it was allied that they in fact both scored their first championship, Morgan as a driver and Lamattina as a team owner.

Much has changed since those formative days and today the two operations are arguably the most professional in the country, both hailing from the Mildura region in Victoria.

The start of the 2012/13 season saw Morgan as a hot favourite after claiming the first two events of the season but a streak of finals appearance by Lamattina, five in a row, helped him keep in touch with and then pass the reigning champ.

But after making the final on both nights of the Santo’s Cranes Extreme 3 Drag Race, Morgan and Lamattina have now found themselves both on 487 points.

“We set our sights on clawing back points on Phil and we managed to pull back two rounds,” said Morgan. “Although we did have a few technical gremlins during the event, to make both finals was an awesome effort from the team and we’re certainly heading in the right direction with our program.”

Though the K-Trans dragster kept the Darren Morgan Racing team guessing at times, two finals was reward for their effort. Ultimately the consistency of Steve Read foiled Morgan’s finals chances on both nights.

“Congratulations to Steve Read and his team. They had a great weekend and a fantastically consistent race car,” he said. “It was also wonderful to see a big crowd in the stands at this unique event. The light show, the big screen, live interviews from the pits and a heap of other attractions really had the fans excited.”

On the same weekend, Mildura was playing host to the annual Power Fest, with Nostalgia Nitro headlining the drags at Mildura’s Sunset Strip.

“When we got home the place was buzzing about drag racing, everyone was really excited. It was great to see the enthusiasm from the fans and we can’t wait to get to Sydney for the Nitro Champs,” Morgan said.

Spectators at the 2013 Nitro Champs at Sydney Dragway, May 3-5, will get more nitro methane than they ever bargained for with the ANDRA Drag Racing Series championships for Top Fuel and Top Bike being combined with the return of Nitro Funny Cars to Sydney Dragway.

The Nitro Champs also includes national points rounds for Top Doorslammer, Pro Stock, Top Alcohol, Pro Stock Motorcycle and the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.

Below, Darren Morgan circa 2005, driving for the Lamattina team.