POPULAR Aussie NHRA star and Hot Rod Drag Week veteran Richie Crampton will return to racing in Australia when he contests the New Year’s Thunder event at Willowbank on January 5th.

Crampton will campaign a second Top Fuel car for Lamattina Top Fuel Racing, pitting with reigning Aussie champ Kelly Bettes.

“I’m very happy to be coming home to race Top Fuel for the Lamattina family on Aussie soil again – what a way to begin the New Year,” Crampton said.

“Phil Lamattina called me recently and offered to put a second race car together for New Year’s Thunder. It just so happened [Crampton’s wife] Stephanie and I had planned on taking our kids to Australia for a Christmas holiday with my family, so it’s worked out well. I had a great time racing with the Lamattinas in Sydney last year, they’re a great group of people and have a world-class team so it was easy to say ‘yes’.”

Richie has a great affinity with Willowbank, having raced there at the Winters way back in 2001 in his blown FC Holden.

He’s won a legion of Aussie fans – us included – with his antics at Drag Week in his wild Noonan-engined ’57 Chev wagon. We live in hope that he’ll bring the car home to Australia for Drag Challenge sometime in the future!