Louie Rapisarda lost his life at Willowbank Raceway when his Top Fuel rail suffered a mechanical explosion which consequently laid oil under the tyres and sent him skidding into the armco on the left lane, the car getting loose and hitting the rail hard and sliding along it.

Louie and his father Santo were owner and raced under the banner of the Rapisarda Racing, one of the best teams involved in drag racing In Australia at the time. After the accident a plaque in Louie Rapisarda's honor was placed at Willowbank Raceway, at the entrance to the spectator pit.

The quarter-mile paved drag strip of Willowbank Raceway is located on the outskirts of Ipswich City, about 50 kilometers west of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of the Ipswich City Council's Willowbank Motorsport Precinct, which also holds under lease the Queensland Raceway, the Ipswich Kart Club, the Kedron Motorcycle Club and the Ipswich West Moreton Auto Club short circuit.

R.I.P