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Where it all began
Where it all began
Josh was born into a drag racing family, with his father, John, racing a 1957 Chevy Bel Air powered by a blown 526 KB engine in the Wild Bunch during the '90s. It was only natural that Josh would follow in his father's footsteps. In 2002, at 19 and nearing the end of his automotive apprenticeship, Josh purchased a roller XA Coupe from Bundaberg, QLD.
Once the car was home in NSW, Josh made several modifications to make it his own. He adjusted the driver's cockpit to fit his build, upgraded the rear end to accommodate larger slicks, installed wheelie bars, and improved various safety features of the chassis. Additionally, he designed a new rear wing for added downforce, installed a new fuel tank, and prepared the body for a fresh paint job.
The original black and orange color scheme was inspired by a late-night session on Microsoft Paint. While Josh was tinkering on the computer, an experienced drag racer with an XA Coupe suggested he collaborate with Owen Webb from House of Kolor to have both cars painted the same. Eager to hit the track, Josh agreed. However, even after a new paint job, he’s still often asked, "Is that Benny Gatt’s old car?" To clarify: no, it was never Benny Gatt's car! Lesson learned. Josh’s car was first sent to his good friend Joe Habib at Habib Bros Smash Repairs for the black coat, then onto Bonnyrigg Smash for the remainder of the work. Though both XA Coupes were painted similarly, Benny’s car had a distinct green stripe on each door sill.
After spending two years rebuilding the XA Coupe to make it his own, Josh hit the track for the first time at the Western Sydney International Dragway (WSID) in June 2004, the same year the track opened. He raced under the number 551, which was his late father John’s race number. At the time, the car was towed on an open car trailer behind a red 1982 XE Falcon. Equipped with a 358 Cleveland 4V naturally aspirated tunnel ram and a T400 transmission, Josh competed in the Super Sedan bracket.
Over the years, Josh made several changes to the car, moving from the tunnel ram to a mechanically injected 383 Cleveland with a Top Loader manual transmission for some extra fun. After a few monster wheel stands and a hard landing on the transmission, he switched back to the T400 to maintain control and focused on chasing an 8-second pass.
As Josh learned the art of engine building, he found himself seeking advice from experts worldwide after realizing some people didn’t have the right knowledge for his car’s specific combination. As a fully qualified automotive mechanic (with engine building not being part of his formal training), Josh took the risk and started researching and reaching out to engine builders and tuners globally. He received invaluable help from Mike Canter in the USA, who generously answered Josh’s thousands of questions and gave him the confidence to take full control of his car. Mike's willingness to share knowledge is rare in the sport and the automotive industry, and Josh is forever grateful for his support.
Driven by a desire to go faster, Josh eventually installed a mild nitrous system on the motor. Being one of the few cars in the country running a mechanically injected nitrous setup, Josh faced the challenge of tuning the system. Through trial and error, he slowly chipped away at the setup, always testing and refining to find the perfect tune. Josh understands that improvements take time and prefers to use baseline comparisons to ensure each change results in meaningful performance gains.
The car gained attention in the media, being featured in magazines like Street Machine and Extreme Fords, and appearing in shows such as Man vs Machine and Gasolene. The car also made appearances at car shows and charity events, including Summernats in the early days.
In 2015, with sponsorship from Diecast Mania, Josh upgraded the nitrous system to include a Nitrous plate, helping him finally achieve the long-awaited 8-second pass. In 2017, a major sponsorship from Fabre Australia enabled further upgrades, including a stronger 393ci engine capable of handling more power.
In 2018, Josh added a Lenco 4-speed manually shifted dump clutch transmission and won the Nostalgia Super Stock bracket at the annual Nostalgia Drags. This win was especially meaningful as it coincided with Father’s Day, making it a memorable achievement.
After spending much of his racing career in Super Sedan, occasionally top qualifying, Josh decided to step up to the Top Sportsman category in 2022. This shift allowed more room for tuning adjustments. Unlike many who rely heavily on external tuners and spend large sums on their cars, Josh prefers to have complete knowledge of his car and the ability to fix any issues on the spot. With a focus on keeping the sport fun and affordable, Josh and the team continue racing whenever time and resources allow.
In 2019, we gave our beloved XA Coupe a complete makeover, including a new power plant, just before the devastating 19/20 Summer bushfires. After evacuating our family, pets, and belongings to safety, we found ourselves needing to move the XA, which was in a million pieces at the time, due to the widespread fires. Thankfully, after a few weeks, we were able to return home and resume work on getting the car ready to debut in 2020. The bodywork was perfected by Josh and close friend Robbie Clarke, who completed the stunning paint job in his makeshift spray booth at home. We can't thank Robbie enough for all his time and effort in making the car look its best.
The new engine, a 410ci Fontana, was expertly machined by our good friend, the late Sam Fenech from Westend Performance, and painstakingly reassembled by Josh himself. This new power plant had transformed the XA into a true beast. With the 4-speed dump clutch Lenco transmission and a newly added Nitrous Fogger system, Josh now had his hands full keeping the Silver Bullet steady down the 1/4 mile.
In 2021, we proudly took runner-up in the Outlaw class at Grudge Kings, achieving personal bests all day—an accomplishment we were extremely proud of.
2022 brought new sponsorship from Wild Ink Motorsport Merchandise, who outfitted our crew with professional polo shirts and jackets for the track. They also designed our event t-shirts, hoodies and pop-up gazebo we use over the car at the racetrack, always going above and beyond to support us. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership and for helping us look professional at the track.
Both Josh and the car have always been crowd favorites, thanks to Josh’s humble nature and willingness to answer questions about the car and engine combo. The XA's ear-piercing exhaust cackle and the manual gear shifts during long burnouts and 1/4 mile runs never fail to get the fans excited.
In March 2023, we had the incredible opportunity to race on Street Outlaws vs. The World on the Discovery Channel, going head-to-head with Kye Kelley in his Shocker Camaro. It was an experience of a lifetime just to be on the track with these racers we had been watching on TV for years. Being invited to represent Australia in the Sydney Team was an honor, and racing a wicked-fast NPK car was something we’ll never forget.
In May 2023, at The Nitro Champs & Round 4 Track Champs, we took home the Winner’s Trophy—a huge achievement for our small family team. After three qualifying runs and four rounds of competitive racing, we were ecstatic with this win. It was earned through pure racing—no red lights, breakouts, or easy wins. Every car we faced was on point, and we couldn’t be prouder of our accomplishment. After 19 years of racing, this win meant everything. It was the one we had worked so hard for, and it truly showed that this car is a driver's car.
In September 2023, at Round 6 Track Champs, we secured another winner's trophy, this time with a .008 reaction time in the final round. Going from never winning an event to taking our second win of the season was a huge milestone. At that time, we were leading the Track Championship by 10 points, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the progress we’d made.
Heading into the final round of the 2023 championship, we were tied for 1st place, with the top spot still up for grabs among the top 5 contenders. Unfortunately, during our first qualifying run of the event, our championship hopes were dashed when a blocked nozzle in the injection system caused the engine to run lean, damaging a piston. Despite this setback, we saw it as an opportunity to upgrade and increase the engine capacity to 427ci.
Our girls have been part of the race track before they even officially arrived in this world. Since they were just 8 weeks old, they’ve been immersed in the world of drag racing, practically raised at the track. It’s been a second home to them, shaping much of who they are today.
Their journey in junior drag racing began alongside their cousin Charlie. Through this incredible sport, they’ve built lifelong friendships, some of which have become like family. These families welcomed our girls with open arms, bringing them into their teams and ensuring they were involved in every way possible, even before they became drivers.
In 2022, when Charlie aged out and Archie took over his car, a spare car became available, and Brianna eagerly jumped into racing. Dani, however, was happy to stay on the crew for a little longer.
In August 2024, Dani was ready to step into the second car, and just like her sister, she instantly fell in love with the experience.
At the end of the 2024 Championship season, we reached a bittersweet milestone—marking the girls’ final runs in junior drag racing. It was emotional, to say the least. While it's tough to see that chapter close, we feel immense pride in what they’ve gained—not just in the sport, but in life as well.
For those who only watch the cars, it’s hard to fully grasp the depth of this sport unless you live and breathe it like we do. For our girls, drag racing is more than just a pastime. It’s an escape from the everyday stresses of school, work, and study. It’s where they’ve formed amazing friendships and forged strong bonds, but it’s also where they’ve learned resilience, determination, and how to grow through challenges. While things don’t always go as planned, they know to pick themselves up and keep going.
What makes us the proudest is their unwavering support for each other. They know exactly when the other needs encouragement, a pep talk, or just someone to lean on. Moments like those make our hearts swell with pride. And for those who know Josh well, you’ll understand what I mean when I say they can be “passionate”! 😆
This is far from the end of their drag racing journey. Their names will appear on entry lists once again, and in the near future, they’ll take on more prominent roles—this time alongside Josh and his car, contributing as active crew members. Brianna has already made some notable achievements in her racing career, including cutting a .000 reaction time and being among the first junior dragster drivers to race in the new AA/JD class, crossing the stripe in the 7.70s which was one of her goals she wanted to achieve while racing juniors. While Dani’s racing career was shorter-lived than we had hoped, she displayed immense potential and promise.
Our 2024 season was a bit quieter than usual. We missed the first two rounds of the championship as the rebuild took longer than expected—especially with the added challenge of preparing not one, but two junior dragsters to compete at the same championship rounds.
When we finally hit the track for our first event of 2024, the car came straight off the trailer and ran an 8.32 @ 162mph, which had us absolutely stoked. However, the following months proved challenging, with persistent gremlins making it tough to even make it out of qualifying. But we pushed through and finally turned a corner at a Test & Tune, running a new PB twice—first with an 8.17 @ 163mph, then an 8.14 @ 164mph. It finally felt like we were back, and we were.
By Round 5, we PB’d yet again, laying down an 8.04 @ 166mph. That long-awaited 7-second pass was finally starting to feel within reach.
In October 2024, we competed at Grudge Kings Sydney. While our times weren’t quite as quick, the car was consistently strong throughout the day. We won all three heads-up, pro-tree Chicago shootout rounds and made it to the finals. The car ran straight as a bullet all day—until the final round, when things got a little wild. We came close to the wall not once, but twice. We had the edge on reaction time, with identical 60-foot times to our competitor, making it even more frustrating that we couldn’t deliver what would have been an incredibly close finish. But that’s racing—sometimes it’s heartbreak, sometimes it’s glory. And we’ll be back for more.
Our 2025 season had kicked off like a fairytale.
Round 1 may have been cut short due to rain, but we still walked away feeling victorious after setting a new PB of 8.040 on just our second full pass of the day. Then in March, during the first round of racing, we finally did it—7.975 @ 168.72mph.
We may have lost the round due to a breakout, but you wouldn’t have known it from the celebration on the start line. By the time we made it down to the top end to tow Josh and the car back, the entire team was overwhelmed with emotion. Everyone knew just how much hard work and dedication had gone into making that 7-second pass a reality—and in that moment, that’s all that mattered.
If Josh’s journey so far has proven anything, it’s that perseverance, patience, determination, and humility are the keys to progress. Success doesn’t happen overnight—it takes countless small steps, setbacks, and lessons learned along the way. The highs in this sport are incredible, but the lows can be just as intense. It teaches resilience like nothing else.
To those who don’t understand drag racing, it can seem selfish or even dangerous. They see the end result—the speed, the adrenaline—but not the countless hours of hard work, sacrifice, and dedication that go into every single pass down the track. For Josh, it’s both a stress reliever and, at times, a source of stress. The car has traveled across the East Coast, from Willowbank Raceway for the annual Winternationals to Heathcote Raceway for the Ford-Powered Nationals, and of course, our home track, Sydney Dragway.
Preparing the car for a single run is no small task. Every detail matters—tyre pressures, wheelie bar heights, RPM settings, nitrous and fuel pressures, packing the parachute—the list goes on. At home and at the track, it’s been Josh and Nicole handling it all, an exhausting but rewarding effort.
The goal had always been clear: break into the 7-second zone. We knew the car had the potential, but tuning a nitrous setup is no easy feat—it requires patience, precision, and the ability to block out the noise from the outside. Just like we did when chasing that first 8-second pass, we kept chipping away, making sure the tune is safe for both Josh and the engine. Because in the end, it’s not just about going faster—it’s about doing it the right way.
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